we have waited: singles and unreleased

• Format: Vinyl LP, compilation, limited numbered edition
• Fire-orange vinyl with black colouring
• 150 hand-numbered copies
• Packaging: Includes a 12-page booklet featuring an interview with founding member Dave Williams
• Recordings: Original 1971 single sides and previously unreleased studio takes

We Have Waited: Singles & Unreleased gathers the complete original single output of Texas underground group SEOMPI together with four previously unavailable studio performances. Recorded during the early 1970s, the music combines unusually heavy bass, distorted guitar, progressive structures and a dark atmosphere that frequently anticipates later doom metal.

The group’s name stood for Self Expression on Musically Potential Instruments. SEOMPI was formed by bassist, singer and songwriter Dave Williams, previously a member of McAllen garage-rock group The Headstones. The earliest line-up operated without a guitarist, using two bass players and drums to create an exceptionally dense and unconventional sound.

After guitarist Mitch Watkins joined the group, SEOMPI developed into a more recognisable but still highly individual hard-rock band. The musicians relocated to Austin in 1971 and became known for extremely loud performances, opening concerts for groups and artists including ZZ Top, Buddy Miles and Foghat.

The first side contains the A- and B-sides of SEOMPI’s three original singles. The title track is driven by grinding bass, forceful vocals and abrupt progressive changes, while the first version of “Lay on the Floor” preserves the group’s remarkable guitar-free arrangement.

“Summers Comin’ On Heavy,” “Almost in the Whole” and “Slide Slide” introduce a tougher guitar-led attack without losing the band’s unusual rhythmic character. The second recording of “Lay on the Floor” reveals how substantially the song changed once electric guitar was added to the line-up.

The second side consists entirely of alternate or previously unreleased session material. “AWOL/Elijah” links two compositions into a compact progressive sequence, while the extended alternate version of “And I Ain’t Seen Him Since” moves through heavy riffs, shifting rhythms and long instrumental passages.

“I See Frozen Faces” is among the collection’s most obscure recordings, and the engineer-introduction version of “A Question of Nobility” closes the album with one of SEOMPI’s most ambitious combinations of psychedelic guitar, aggressive bass and dark social commentary.

Only three singles appeared during SEOMPI’s original lifetime, and much of their recorded material remained hidden on rehearsal and studio tapes for decades. This limited Lion Productions edition presents the authentic single mixes together with unreleased takes not included on the earlier archival collections.

Track listing:

Side A – Original single sides

1. We Have Waited – 3:33
2. Lay on the Floor – 2:59
3. Summers Comin’ On Heavy – 3:24
4. Almost in the Whole – 3:21
5. Slide Slide – 3:09
6. Lay on the Floor – 2:58

Side B – Previously unreleased takes

1. AWOL / Elijah – 4:51
2. And I Ain’t Seen Him Since (Alternate Version) – 6:24
3. I See Frozen Faces – 3:06
4. A Question of Nobility (Engineer Intro Version) – 6:47