Waxing Poetics – Hermitage on vinyl LP. VG+. 1986 jangle pop, co-produced by R.E.M.'s Mike Mills and Mitch Easter. Ships from Germany.
About Hermitage
A VG+ vinyl pressing of the debut album from Norfolk, Virginia jangle pop band Waxing Poetics, co-produced by R.E.M. bassist Mike Mills and legendary producer Mitch Easter.
Hermitage is the debut album from Waxing Poetics, released in 1986 via Emergo Records. Co-produced by R.E.M. bassist Mike Mills, who discovered the band after David Middleton approached him backstage at a Charlotte show, and celebrated jangle pop producer Mitch Easter, the record captures a Southern indie rock band at the height of the mid-1980s college radio movement. This listing is a VG+ vinyl pressing from a Berlin based eBay seller.
- Who were Waxing Poetics
- About Hermitage
- The R.E.M. connection
- Pressing details and buying advice
Quick Spin
- Artist Waxing Poetics were a jangle pop band from Norfolk, Virginia, fronted by David Middleton.
- Release Hermitage came out in 1986 via Emergo Records, the band’s debut album.
- Production Co-produced by R.E.M. bassist Mike Mills, who also contributes piano on one track, alongside legendary producer Mitch Easter.
- Sound Jangly guitars, melodic hooks and introspective lyrics, part of the flourishing Southern jangle pop and college radio scene of the mid-1980s.
- This copy Very Good Plus (VG+) sleeve condition, shipped from Berlin, Germany.
Waxing Poetics – Hermitage (LP, VG+)
Vinyl LP, Emergo Records
Very Good Plus condition vinyl pressing of Hermitage, sold by a Berlin based eBay seller with 100% positive feedback.
Pressing Specifications
Who Were Waxing Poetics?
Waxing Poetics formed in Norfolk, Virginia, built around frontman David Middleton, who had cut his teeth playing post-punk covers, including songs by the Clash, Buzzcocks and Vibrators, in an earlier band called The Probe. Their connection to R.E.M. came about almost by chance: after seeing the band live on several occasions, Middleton and bandmate Angie Bailey snuck backstage at a Charlotte show and struck up a conversation with bassist Mike Mills, who remembered them from an earlier encounter and asked them to send him a demo tape.
About Hermitage And The R.E.M. Connection
Impressed by what he heard, Mike Mills agreed to co-produce the band's debut album alongside Mitch Easter, the celebrated producer whose work with R.E.M. and other Southern jangle pop bands helped define the sound of the mid-1980s college radio scene. Mills went on to contribute piano to one track on the record. Across thirteen songs, including Beauty And The Beatitudes, If You Knew Sushi and the title track Hermitage, the album blends upbeat, hook-driven rock with more introspective, reflective material, capturing the band, in their own later description, dipping into their first years as musicians and presenting the best of what they had at that early stage of their career.
- VG+ condition, a well kept vintage pressing
- Co-produced by R.E.M.’s Mike Mills and Mitch Easter
- A genuine document of the mid-80s Southern jangle pop and college radio scene
- Mike Mills himself contributes piano on one track
- Not a sealed or mint copy
- Niche appeal outside jangle pop and college rock collectors
- A relatively obscure band despite the notable production credits
What is Hermitage by Waxing Poetics?
It is the debut album from Norfolk, Virginia band Waxing Poetics, released in 1986, co-produced by R.E.M.’s Mike Mills and Mitch Easter.
What condition is this vinyl copy in?
The sleeve is graded Very Good Plus (VG+).
How did the band connect with Mike Mills?
Frontman David Middleton met Mills backstage at an R.E.M. show in Charlotte and sent him a demo tape, which led to Mills co-producing this debut album.
Does Mike Mills perform on this album?
Yes, he contributes piano on one track in addition to his production role.
Does this listing ship outside Germany?
The seller is based in Berlin and lists a fixed shipping cost; check the current listing for up to date international shipping options and rates.
Where To Buy This Pressing
Should You Buy This Copy?
- A genuine piece of mid-1980s Southern jangle pop history
- VG+ condition vinyl produced by two key R.E.M. circle figures
- Best suited to fans of R.E.M. and the wider college radio jangle pop scene
Hermitage offers a fascinating footnote in the Southern jangle pop story, and this listing offers a VG+ pressing from a highly rated German seller.