Saturday, August 30, 2008

Cars, The - 1978 - The Cars

Cars, The - 1978 - The Cars
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New Wave rock group from Boston, Massachusetts. Formed in 1976, they released their first single and LP two years later. Initially a guitar-driven rock act with some progressive keyboard accompaniment, after their first album they rapidly moved toward a heavily synth-based, pop-rock sound, then disbanded in 1988. Line-up: Ric Ocasek (vocals, guitar), Benjamin Orr (b. Orzechowski - vocals, bass), Elliot Easton (guitar), Greg Hawkes (keyboards, sax) and David Robinson (drums).
Blondie may have had a string of number one hits and Talking Heads may have won the hearts of the critics, but the Cars were the most successful American New Wave band to emerge in the late 70s. With their sleek, mechanical pop/rock, the band racked up a string of platinum albums and Top 40 singles that made them one of the most popular American Rock N Roll bands of the late 70s and early 80s.
In 2006, Greg Hawkes and Elliot Easton, together with Todd Rundgren and Kasim Sulton (both of Utopia) and Prairie Prince (formerly of The Tubes) to form The New Cars.
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source Discogs.com (link)

Unwanted, The - 1978 - Secret Police 7''

Unwanted, The - 1978 - Secret Police 7''
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thanks to NDN Records for the cover!

Tuxedomoon - 1978 - Joe Boy... The Electric Ghost 7''

Tuxedomoon - 1978 - Joe Boy... The Electric Ghost 7''
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Tuxedomoon was an avant-garde, electronic-oriented collective whose music ranged from new wave pop to jazz fusion to more experimental synthesizer soundscapes (usually including saxophone and violin), which were frequently married in concert to performance-art shows. Tuxedomoon was formed in San Francisco in 1977 by two electronic music students at San Francisco City College, Blaine L. Reininger (keyboards, violin) and Steven Brown (keyboards, other instruments). Brown's local theater connections supplied equipment and occasional vocalists in Gregory Cruikshank and Victoria Lowe, plus more frequent contributions from singer and performance artist Winston Tong. Punk and new wave were opening up the San Francisco music scene at the time, and Tuxedomoon landed an opening slot for Devo in 1978 at around the same time they cut their first single, "Pinheads on the Move." Lowe quit the band before their first EP, No Tears, which featured off-and-on members Michael Belfer (guitar) and Paul Zahl (drums). Tong and Belfer departed temporarily, and Peter Principle (b. Peter Dachert) joined as a full-time member. Tuxedomoon signed to the Residents' Ralph Records in 1979, which eventually got them overseas exposure. Feeling that their ideas were more in tune with the European electronic music scene, the band toured Europe after 1980's Half Mute, for which Tong returned with filmmaker and visual artist Bruce Geduldig. After 1981's Desire, the band relocated in an artist's commune in Rotterdam, Netherlands. Within a year though they were forced to leave and moved to Brussels, to find first shelter in the Plan K. (a live p.a. club). Reininger began to branch out as a solo artist. Tuxedomoon was also hired to score a Maurice Bejart ballet, the results of which were released in 1982 as Divine. Reininger left for a solo career in 1983 and was replaced by Frankie Lievaart and horn player Luc Van Lieshout. In between side projects and scoring, the band sought an international deal for their forthcoming LP Holy Wars; it was eventually released in 1985 and became the band's biggest commercial success. Tong left the group for good that year, leaving Brown and Principle the only remaining San Francisco members; multi-instrumentalist Ivan Georgiev was hired to replenish the group's sound for 1986's Ship of Fools album and tour. Scoring work from past projects has been reissued in Belgium. Reininger, Brown, Principle and Lieshout still record together as Tuxedomoon, whilst Reininger, Brown, Principle and Tong have all recorded as solo artists.
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source Discogs.com (link)

Friday, August 29, 2008

request: Scratch Acid - 1991 - The Greatest Gift

Scratch Acid - 1991 - The Greatest Gift
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Scratch Acid was an Austin, Texas noise rock group formed in 1982. When they first began, their lineup was Steve Anderson (vocals), David Wm. Sims (guitar), Brett Bradford (guitar), David Yow (bass), and Rey Washam (drums). Anderson was kicked out of the band before the band ever recorded an album, prompting Yow to move to vocals and Sims to move to bass.
Scratch Acid's first two albums were released by Texas indie record label Rabid Cat, the third and final release, Berserker EP by Touch and Go Records. A posthumous compilation CD entitled The Greatest Gift, was released by Touch and Go Records in 1991.
After developing a reputation as a crazy, noisy punk band, Scratch Acid disbanded in 1987. According to the liner notes of The Greatest Gift, the band members never received compensation from either Rabid Cat or Fundamental Records (who distributed their releases in Europe).
Brett Bradford went on to form Colorado punk band Great Caesar's Ghost. They disbanded in 1993. He also formed Sangre De Toro and played with Areola 51. Washam went on to perform with many other bands, including the Big Boys, Ministry, Helios Creed, the Didjits, Lard, and Tad. In 1987, Sims and Washam joined Steve Albini in the band Rapeman, which disbanded just before Sims reunited with Yow in 1989 to form the Jesus Lizard.
All of the original members of the band appeared at Emo's nightclub in Austin on Sept. 2, 2006, and at the Touch and Go 25th anniversary celebration in Chicago, Illinois on September 9, 2006. They played their third and final show of the brief reunion at Seattle's Showbox Theater on Saturday, September 16, playing twenty songs from their twenty-eight song (recorded) oeuvre before leaving the stage.
Kurt Cobain of the popular grunge band Nirvana was a Scratch Acid fan, as seen in a photograph where Cobain wears a Scratch Acid t-shirt. In the movie About A Son Kurt explained his liking for Scratch Acid in depth.
source Wikipedia (link)

Banned, The - 1977 - Little Girl 7''

Banned, The - 1977 - Little Girl 7''
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The Banned were a English Punk / New Wave outfit in the late 1970s.
The Banned had a UK hit in 1977 with "Little Girl", a version of a 1966 US hit song by the Syndicate of Sound. The Banned's original home pressing on Cant Eat Records (Eat Up 1) was taken up by EMI's Harvest label. The Banned originated from Tooting and Camberwell in London.
The Banned were: Paul Sordid - Drums/vocals (aka Paul Aitken); John Thomas - Bass (aka Jonathan Davie); Rik Manswoth -Guitar/vocals (aka Richard Harvey); Pete Fresh - Guitar/vocals(aka Pete Airey).
Richard Harvey and Jonathan Davie had previously been members of the progressive rock/folk band Gryphon. The line up changed in the first few months with Tommy Steel (Jim Hughes) replacing JT on bass and Ben Dover (Ben Grove) relacing RM on guitar. This line-up recorded the second single "Him or Me" with "You Dirty Rat" on the B-side.
Due to management problems the band folded six months later, but Aitken and Grove continued working together in a band called The Retros, Paul Sordid appeared on Never Mind The Buzzcocks in 2004. Tommy Steel changed his name to Jim Hughes and went to the electronic pop band Cowboys International.
The track "Little Girl" is on a number of compilation albums - notably The Best Punk Album in The World Ever 2, Totally Sensational 70's, and Rare Stuff. A historical CD of their recordings is available on Cherry Red Records.
With only one single making the UK Top 40, the Banned join the list of one-hit wonders; a list that includes other UK punk or new wave acts such as John Cooper Clarke, Jilted John, 999, the Radio Stars, the Rich Kids and The Vibrators.
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source Wikipedia (link)

Dark - 1982 - The Living End

Dark - 1982 - The Living End

Thursday, August 28, 2008

Pain - 1979 - Next Time Ego 7''

Pain - 1979 - Next Time Ego 7''
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A band from Sweden, but couldn't find any decent information to post about it... if someone could help me out, i'll apreciate...
PT-BR: Uma banda da Suécia, mas não consegui achar nenhuma informação decente sobre ela... se alguém puder ajudar, valeu...

Tango Lüger - 1980 - Meurtre À Casablanca/Scorpio 7''

Tango Lüger - 1980 - Meurtre a Casablanca-Scorpio 7''
download

Saints, The - This Perfect Day (Limited Edition 12" Pressing)

Saints, The - This Perfect Day (Limited Edition 12" Pressing)**
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The Saints are an Australian rock band, formed in Brisbane in 1974. They are considered to be one of the first and most influential punk groups. By 1975, contemporaneous with the Ramones, The Saints were employing the fast tempos, raucous vocals and "buzzsaw" guitar that characterised early punk rock. With their first single "(I'm) Stranded", in late 1976, they released a record ahead of better-known punk acts like the Sex Pistols and The Clash. Bob Geldof has been quoted as saying, "Rock music in the Seventies was changed by three bands — the Sex Pistols, the Ramones and The Saints".
The founding members of the band, other than Chris Bailey, left during the 1970s. During the 1980s, The Saints progressively adopted a more mainstream, classic rock style, and they achieved increasing commercial success in Australia.
source Wikipedia (link)
** Due to an administrative error, this limited 12"pressing of The Saint's "This Perfect Day" c/w "L-I-E-S" single contains a third, additional title not available on the normal 7" pressing. The additional title, "Do The Robot", has consequently been withdrawn from future releases consideration and will now be available only on this 12" pressing. (source Discogs - link)

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Desperate Bicycles, The - 1977 - The Medium Was Tedium 7''

Desperate Bicycles, The - 1977 - The Medium Was Tedium 7''
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The Desperate Bicycles were an English punk group. The band formed in 1977 as an experiment in the economics of punk's DIY methodology. Dave Papworth (drums), Nicky Stephens (keyboards), Roger Stephens (bass), and Danny Wigley (vocals) wanted to see how cheaply they could record and release music. The result was the single "Smokescreen" released in an edition of 500 on their newly formed Refill label, costing them £153. The single was re-pressed in an edition of 1000 and sold out in a fortnight. The song's repeated refrain "it was easy, it was cheap go and do it!" was a call to arms to similarly inclined DIY punks.
Their second release, "The Medium Was Tedium" / "Don't Back The Front", was released in an edition of 1000 and sold out in a week. The sleeve listed the names of some of those who had purchased the first single. In 1978 the band released the "New Cross New Cross" EP, and two 7"s; "Occupied Territory" and "Grief Is Very Private". In 1980 Papworth and Stephens were replaced by Dan Electro (guitar) and Jeff Titley (drums), and the Remorse Code album was released, reaching number 10 on the UK Indie Chart.[1] The band split up in 1981.
source Wikipedia (link)

Monday, August 25, 2008

Rivals - 1979 - Future Rights / Flowers 7''

Rivals - 1979 - Future Rights / Flowers 7''
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Mark Edwards and Paul Leinster were boyhood friends. Tired of playing air guitar to the likes of Diamond Dogs and '20th Century Boy', the teenaged Edwards bought a real guitar, a Les Paul copy, in 1976. After seeing the Sex Pistols on So It Goes, Leinster wanted to play, too, and he duly received a bass guitar for Christmas. The Rivals' first practice was on Boxing Day.
The two, like other early punks, saw shows by many of the seminal, though then mostly unhailed, giants of the nascent punk scene: the Stranglers, the Buzzcocks, the Slits, Gang of Four, and the Clash. 'A skinny little Herbert' named Marc Hebden joined Edwards and Leinster on drums; they rehearsed at his house as there was more room. The Rivals played shows in and around Ramsgate, and gigged enough to be able to afford a studio session. The result, in 1979, was 'Future Rights', and it was well received. Indeed, it was possible for one punk zine from Canterbury to report that, at this time, the Rivals had 'something of a hardcore following'. There was, however, no national recognition.
Personal differences led to the replacement of Marc Hebden on drums. Paul Daley (later to form Leftfield and top the British charts), a schoolfriend of Paul Leinster, joined. The band indicated that they had 'plans to release a golden oldie for [a] follow-up' to their first single. Another studio session, in 1980, produced 'Here Comes the Night', partnered by 'Both Sides' as the B-side. Edwards suggested that the Rivals cover the song after hearing it on David Bowie's Pin Ups. 'Being stupid enough not to realise it wasn’t even Bowie’s song', that it was a Them song, the band produced a blistering, punked-up version of the bluesy hit. The record received airplay from Paul Burnett, Mike Read, and John Peel, the last of whom played the original and the Rivals' version back-to-back at the end of one of his programmes to show how superior he thought the Ramsgate lads' take was.
Unfortunately, the Rivals were unable to capitalise on the positive exposure. Oakwood Records only pressed a few thousand, and, though at least one major label was interested in taking over the distribution, Oakwood, for reasons that are still unknown, refused. 'Here Comes the Night' was the single of the week in Record Mirror, but, without national distribution, the chance for chart success had gone. Citing musical differences, Paul Daley left the band (with Edwards telling him, ironically, 'you'll never make it with that attitude'). Stan Gretsch (real name Ralph Littlejohn) proved to be the Rivals' final drummer. With Gretsch's death in a car accident (in a stolen car) in 1981, and Edwards' move to Naughty Thoughts, the Rivals dissolved.
With the resurgence of interest in first wave punk that began in the mid-1990s, it was probably inevitable that a Rivals' collection would be produced. A twenty-track compilation album called If Only came out in 2007.
First single 'Future Rights' was something of a hit in 1979 in the Kent punk scene (at least in Thanet), and the Rivals drew (sometimes ambivalent) comparisons to the already-defunct Sex Pistols. One zine declared, extravagantly, that 'it has now become the norm for people of all ages to be seen unashamable & openly in the streets whistling the bass line of "Future Rights" the debut and a very fine indeed release.' Another writer appreciated that 'Flowers', the flip side, 'is good for a laugh as the big bullies wreak mindless violence on an innocent daffodil.' This was sharp, sneering punk, and was appreciated as such.
But it was 'Here Comes the Night' that attracted attention in London. Mike Read made it his single of the week on Radio 1 and Paul Burnett and John Peel were both enthusiastic about it. The scenesters were less unanimous. Some praised the record as 'a spirited version of the song that owes more to enthusiasm than expertise, but . . . thankfully free of cliches and worn out platitudes', but others cited it as an example of 'how to ruin a good song using an ancient Pete Townshend guitar technique and a surplus of unharnessed exuberance', and yet others wished that the Rivals would get back to recording their own material. Nevertheless, for the listener today, 'Here Comes the Night' is probably the band's signature recording, sharp and bright, and the A-side is one of the most frequently anthologized punk obscurities of its time.
from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rivals_(band)

Crime - 1976 - Hot Wire My Heart 7''

Crime - 1976 - Hot Wire My Heart 7''
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Proclaiming themselves as "San Francisco's first and only rock & roll band," Crime was a forerunner in America's do-it-yourself punk history, releasing their first single in late 1976. Though they never referred to themselves as punk (a term they felt was a media concoction), Crime had all the elements of a classic punk band, with their snotty attitude and garage rock-meets-Raw Power-era Stooges sound. Guitarists Johnny Strike and Frankie Fix began rehearsing and learning their instruments together in 1975, with the idea of forming a glam rock group named the Space Invaders and appearing around town in extreme outfits. By the time Ron "The Ripper" Greco joined (Greco was a veteran of many '60s bands, notably the Chosen Few, who would evolve into the Flamin' Groovies), the glitter rock era had ended and the band opted to change their image — now donning black leathers — and change their name to Crime. Once drummer Ricky Tractor (now deceased) came aboard, Crime's first lineup was in place. Their initial recording session took place in mid-1976, which yielded the contents of the "Hot Wire My Heart" b/w "Baby You're So Repulsive" 45. They made their live debut at a gay political fund-raiser on Halloween, 1976; the plug was pulled during the fifth song, as many were headed for the exits. After the release of the "Hot Wire" 7" on their own Crime Music label, they began appearing regularly at Mabuhay Gardens, a Filipino nightclub that would become the epicenter of San Francisco's punk scene. But Crime were outcasts within a group of outsiders, making high profile enemies early on and often. By 1977 they had begun sporting standard police uniforms at live dates and on the streets of San Francisco, much to the dismay of the San Francisco police department. A second vinyl release, "Frustration" b/w "Murder by Guitar," (with Brittley Black on drums) came out in mid-1977, again on Crime Music. Out-of-town gigs were sporadic, though the group did perform at San Quentin Penitentiary in full police garb. Studio recording continued, but they found little interest from labels, due in part to their antisocial behavior; Fix alienated Seymour Stein of Sire Records by informing him that he was wasting his time with the Ramones, and that they were "hippies who should get haircuts." A third and final single, "Gangster Funk" b/w "Maserati," was delivered via the independent Berkeley Squared, and found the band using a synthesizer, which was also incorporated into their live show. Crime soldiered on for a brief period before quietly disbanding in 1982. "Hot Wire my Heart was covered by art-punks Sonic Youth on their Sister LP in 1987. A posthumous collection, San Francisco's Doomed, containing unreleased studio sessions from 1978 and 1979 (with Hank Rank handling the drum duties), was let loose in 1992. The same year, Spirit Records re-released the first two 45s in limited editions. Hate Us or Love Us, We Don't Give a Fuck is a legit issue (with four bonus tracks) of the Terminal Boredom bootleg. In 2002, guitarist Johnny Strike's band TVH released their debut record Night Raid on Lisbon. The record recaptured some of Crime's energy and included a cover of "Hot Wire My Heart" for good measure. 2002 also found Crime working with Revenant to prepare a retrospective box set for release in 2003.
by Bart Bealmear (allmusic.com)

Sunday, August 24, 2008

Thought Criminals - 1979 - Food For Thoughtcrimes 7''

Thought Criminals - 1979 - Food For Thoughtcrimes 7''
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The Thought Criminals formed in 1977 and over the course of three years recorded a handful of albums, singles and EPs on Doublethink Records. They also started that same seminal label, and remain a true representation of the Australian DIY punk spirit of the times. Their records, in particular their first 7” EP “Hilton Bomber” are prized amongst collectors worldwide.
This specially priced comprehensive 2 CD flip-out digipack retrospective - entitled “Chrono-Logical” - features a 24 page colour booklet and is the definitive document of one of Sydney’s more entertaining punk attractions.
Material from the bands two albums “Speed Madness and Flying Saucers” and “You Only Think Twice” is collated alongside cuts from the first EP, from their second EP “Food for Thoughtcrimes” as well as a handful of covers, live recordings, and single cuts that form the most comprehensive picture of the band to date, ironically being released 101 years after the birth of their mentor George Orwell.
These modern times are defined by politicised Newspeak, terrorism, Doubletalk, political correctness, manufactured conflict disguised as democracy (designed to serve various ends), CCTV, Big Brother in all its forms, and the general erosion of the rights of the individual in favour of the “safety of the state” and the rights of the “people”. This retrospective serves as a timely reminder that The Thought Criminals, aided of course by the prescient genius of George Orwell, recognised this. The Thought Criminals however had the advantage of catchy arty punk songs, all of which are gathered here today, as we are all now Victims of Today.
courtesy of Shiny Entertainmen

Scrotum Poles, The - 1980 - Revelation

Scrotum Poles, The - 1980 - Revelation
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When Colin Smith and I borrowed an old battered guitar from Dave the Barman at Dundee College of Education in 1978, the Scrotum Poles was born. Colin got the name from the book “The Choirboys” and we set about mastering the few chords we needed to write a song as other people’s songs were way too difficult. The first, “This is Love” was E A and G (a bit tricky that one). Quickly followed by “Pillars” and “Victims of Vietnam” all essentially the same chords with the wonderful addition of Aminor – the best chord in the world.
Auchmithie Calling (1979) was a tape only release (only 100 made) with the addition in the band of Steve Grimmond, Matho and Ronnie Lawson. The band split soon after – over “technical differences” – none of us could play particularly well but after a Troggs style “dubba dubba dubba cha” argument with Matho and a “I can’t believe you didn’t plug the guitar in” moment with Ronnie Lawson, the trio went on to be joined by Glen Connell on drums.
The band wrote and recorded prolifically, mostly on two track tapes and simple mics, and some reputation was built up around Dundee. “Pick the Cats Eyes Out” – our first good song – was written by Colin to a set of lyrics on the back of a “Bread Poultice and the Running Sores” song list, and the band played to a Thompson Twins crowd, an Exploited crowd (don’t ask but we were covered in gob and our set list was set on fire....) and headlined in bars, colleges and Beach Halls around the county.
We raised about five hundred quid from friends to do the single Revelation (1980) and at the Ship Inn in Broughty Ferry, Dundee, we squabbled over what songs would be on the single, and, in typical democratic fashion we each chose a track and tried to knock them down to two. We failed, adding a last track, “Radio Tay” at the last moment when we were in Wilf Smarties’ studio in Edinburgh. We wrote the words for it in the studio.
Colin travelled down driving overnight with Ricky Ross of Deacon Blue to get it mixed in London, and we were so poor that we got the sleeve photocopied and stuck them together in my mum’s kitchen.
The single was quite well received, Rough Trade took a hundred, Pinnacle, Revolver and the other one took about fifty each and we sold a few hundred through local shops and at gigs. Fast records in Edinburgh wouldn’t take any because they thought it was a bit “amateurish”.
The band were beginning to take a more serious tone by then and the pop songs went in favour of the darker, more difficult stuff. Tensions began to surface between the band members and the band split up after a very well attended and emotional final gig at the Tayside Bar, Dundee. Last song ever played was “Memories” and there was no encore.
And what of now? Our singles are being sold for between £80 and $200 on ebay, people are writing nice things about us in forums all over the world. Just a little band who were not that bad.
Craig Methven 2006