Saturday, October 3, 2009

Grupo Q - 1982 - La Nueva Generación 7'' (SPN)

Grupo Q - 1982 - La Nueva Generación 7'' (SPN)
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The real name of this band is simply 'Q', but as this name is not too distinctive for a music band, for some commercial reason the word 'Grupo' (Group) was added to the 'Q' on the front sleeve. However, we can read just 'Q' on the back sleeve (as a logo) and record labels.
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Italo-Disco, Synth-pop, Minimal

Private Dicks - 2002 - Homelife (UK)

Private Dicks - 2002 - Homelife (UK)
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Private Dicks were an amazing punk - power pop band from Bristol (UK).
They formed in 1979 and in the same year they released one of the best UK punk pop 7"'s in that season, 'She Said Go' on Heartbeat records. The band was discovered some years ago and bootleged on 'Killed by Death' serie, but also seriously produced by the 'cult' japanese label 1977 on cd. The band recorded also various GREAT quality studio material that you'll find here, in this amazing Lp. You can also hear the energy of the band with the three live tracks enclosed.
Well, if you're a fan of Jam, Undertones, Buzzcocks... this band will change your 'homelife' !
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source Rave Up (link)

Friday, October 2, 2009

ZK - 1979 - Tip Von Twinky 7'' (GER)

ZK - 1979 - Tip Von Twinky 7'' (GER)

Offenders - 1990 - We Must Rebel LP (US)

Offenders - 1990 - We Must Rebel LP (US)
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This record starts off well enough with "Fight Back" - an anthemnic opener and one of the Offenders' better songs - but I'm not really into the rest of it... Maybe it's the recording quality; the snare is so much in the background that it often sounds like the drummer is only playing cymbols, and the guitar sound is really thin. But I think the songs don't really have much to offer anyway - it seems like "tuneless thrash" for the sake of playing fast. Luckily the Offenders redeemed themselves on the next record.
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by Chris at Kill from the Heart (link)
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Extra tracks on this version from Bitzcore LP are from various compilation appearances.

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Scruffs - 1977 - Wanna Meet The Scruffs (reissue 1997) (US)

Scruffs - 1977 - Wanna Meet The Scruffs (reissue 1997) (US)
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Power pop bands who worship at the altar of Big Star are a dime a dozen today, but the Scruffs were doing that long before Alex Chilton became a cool name to drop, and Wanna Meet the Scruffs?, the sole album they released during their lifetime, is that late-'70s rarity, a slice of classic power pop that doesn't sound "new wave," unlike most of smart pop's class of 1978. Using Big Star and the Raspberries as a starting point, vocalist and songwriter Stephen Burns blended an Anglophile's sense of melody with a very American feel for crunchy guitars and the occasional power chord. And Burns' songs about dreams of rock stardom ("Break the Ice"), his vast array of romantic problems ("My Mind"), and his multitude of other anxieties ("I'm a Failure") suggests the neurosis of the early Modern Lovers sides without Jonathan Richman's willful childishness; in a genre where aggressive cheerfulness or good-natured arrogance were the order of the day, Burns' intelligent angst was something new and distinctive. And the band, anchored by David Branyan's tough, concise guitar leads, made music that was bright and hooky but still had backbone and plenty of punch; this is pop that earns the prefix "power." That so strong an album could slip though the cracks is both sad and puzzling, but the 1997 CD reissue of Wanna Meet the Scruffs? (augmented with two bonus demo tracks) thankfully restores a lost classic to circulation, and anyone who loves a good hook with an interesting idea behind it ought to seek this out.
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Review by Mark Deming
source AllMusic (link)

Sunday, September 27, 2009

Speedy - 1980 - Willy Is Back 7'' (GER)

Speedy - 1980 - Willy Is Back 7'' (GER)
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Heidelberg-based rockish powerPoppers trying to compete with Berlin's TEENS. 'Willy Is Back' was also title melody for German teeny-film 'Zärtlich, Aber Frech Wie Oskar', but nevertheless record flopped (even despite strong DAVE CLARK FIVE cover on B-side) big time and SPEEDY signed to German powerPop/Wave label Rocktopus (also home for RUNS, NIGHTHAWKS, OPPOSITION, URBAN HEROES or Berlin's Z) in response

Subhumans - 1979 - The Subhumans 12'' (CAD)

Subhumans - 1979 - The Subhumans 12'' (CAD)

A.X.O. - 1981 - Demo (BR)

A.X.O. - 1981 - Demo (BR)

Kaos Rock - 1980 - W.W.3 (IT)

Kaos Rock - 1980 - W.W.3 (IT)