Great Sounds Great, Good Sounds Good, So-So Sounds So-So, Bad Sounds Bad, Rotten Sounds Rotten!! [12" EP]

The Clean - Great Sounds Great, Good Sounds Good, So-So Sounds So-So, Bad Sounds Bad, Rotten Sounds Rotten!! [12" EP]

On November 13, 2026, Merge Records will reissue two 1982 releases by The Clean, including their second EP, usually referred to as Great Sounds Great. This vinyl release represents the first time this title has been in print on the format since it's initial release, and the first time it has been made available on vinyl in North America.

Following the success of their first EP Boodle Boodle Boodle, released in November 1981, the band were keen to keep up their momentum while still being fresh in the minds and ears of the New Zealand public, but were also determined to try something different and not repeat themselves musically. Recorded in an old house in Christchurch by Doug Hood and Chris Knox in March 1982, Great Sounds Great has a noticeably different feel and vibe to it's predecessor.

The most similar song to the sound of Boodle is the opening instrumental "Fish." It's also the only guitar workout on the EP, featuring three separate guitar tracks to thicken up the sound. Reflecting the recent instrumental changes in their live set, there is also a strong presence of organ throughout the record, most notably on "Beatnik," which became an enduring classic with repeated screenings of its video on New Zealand television.

Despite being given mixed reviews upon it's release in May 1982, Great Sounds Great ended up being just as successful as Boodle, reaching #4 in the New Zealand charts and remaining there for three months. Reflecting the way it was originally issued in 1982, this reissue is pressed on black vinyl and has been remastered by Tex Houston with fresh transfers of the original master tapes held at Alexander Turnbull Library (National Library of New Zealand Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa).