Various - Fat Music Vol. III: Physical Fatness

Title: Various - Fat Music Vol. III: Physical Fatness
Year/Genre/Sub-Genre/City: 1997, Punk, Skate Punk Melodic Hardcore, San Francisco, California 10/26
Condition: New (BC) | Members: Various Artists (N/A)
Cultural Facts:

1. Husband-and-Wife Punk Empire: Fat Wreck Chords was started in 1990 by NOFX's Fat Mike and Erin Burkett, not by a major-label corporation. The pair built it into one of the defining independent punk labels of the '90s while keeping ownership of the company themselves.
2. Office Disaster: Fat Wreck's own official FAQ confirms that Fat Mike once stuck a paperclip into his computer because the fan was making a funny noise and melted the hard drive. It is a wonderfully appropriate piece of behind-the-scenes history for a label whose catalog often felt more like a group of punk friends than a polished corporate operation.
3. Rare Tracks: Physical Fatness was not just a greatest-hits sampler. The 18-song compilation included an exclusive Good Riddance track and a rare Propagandhi cover, alongside NOFX, Lagwagon, Strung Out, Hi-Standard, Snuff, Screeching Weasel, No Use for a Name and others, making it a snapshot of the international Fat Wreck scene at its late-'90s peak.