The Sounds Machine EP3 Promo: A Unique Snapshot of Late 80s Music Scene
Album Description:
Released around the ’87/’88 seam, “The Sounds Machine EP3 Promo” is a four-track 7" that moves at 33⅓ like it’s got somewhere to be. Not an “overview” of the late ’80s—let’s not get theatrical—but a clipped little snapshot of what Sounds thought you should hear while your tea went cold and your cassette deck ate another tape.
Featured Artists
Steve Earle: “San Antonio Girl” turns up with that road-dust voice—half charm, half warning—like he’s singing from the passenger seat and refusing to give you directions.
McCarthy: “Should The Bible Be Banned?” (7" version) doesn’t “comment” on politics; it pokes the bruise and watches who flinches. Sharp, sly, and not especially interested in your comfort.
A House: “Watch Out You’re Dead” comes in wired and melodic, the kind of jangly urgency that sounds better the second time, when you stop trying to be cool about it.
Hothouse Flowers: “Saved” (live in Glasgow) is the human one—air moving in a room, voices bouncing off walls, and that Irish-soul lift that can turn a dull kitchen into a temporary cathedral.
Musical Mix
The sequencing is the joke and the point: Americana grit, lefty indie needlework, Irish guitar pop snap, then a live cut to remind you this stuff wasn’t built for headphones alone. It’s a promo, sure—still feels more like a dare than an advertisement.
Collector Reality
EP3 is the kind of item you find when you’re not looking for it—wedged in a bargain box, sleeve a bit tired, record oddly clean. The payoff isn’t “value.” It’s that moment of recognition: somebody, somewhere, thought these four tracks belonged together. They were right… annoyingly often.
