"Soft bomb” toy issued by record label Slash/Warner Bros. to promote the 1992 album by The Chills, Soft Bomb.
While I’ve come by most of my silly, music-related promotional gewgaws organically, during my time at a record store or radio station, this is one I sought out myself.
You see, in 1992 The Chills were my favorite active band, an honor they earned after The Go-Betweens broke up a couple of years before. And I was eagerly anticipating the band’s latest album, after the stunner that was Submarine Bells.
I’m not sure where I learned about this “soft bomb” toy, but I do remember that I ordered it—yes, I spent actual money—from a seller in the back pages of record collecting magazine Goldmine. And it sits in a place of honor amongst my music books, even if the cotton fuse is looking a bit worse for the wear after all these years.
