THE NERVES - s/t EP 1976

I have one more and we shoot ourselves back almost fifty years and there is enough wiki info about the band and a little intro of it now: The Nerves were an American PowerPop trio, formed in San Francisco in 1974 and later based in Los Angeles, featuring Jack Lee (guitars), Peter Case (bass) and Paul Collins (drums). All three members composed songs and sang. They managed an international tour in the U.S. and Canada, including dates with the Ramones, and performances for the troops as part of the United Services Organization (USO). Their career was over by 1978, but they produced a great EP that featured the PowerPop classic "Hanging On The Telephone," which was later recorded (and brilliantly so) by Blondie. (John Dougan) In addition to being the drummer, Paul was also the trio's manager and did most of the bookings and promotion. The Nerves' EP was distributed by independent Bomp! Records and officially re-released on CD and vinyl by Alive Records in 2008. - All I can say about the EP itself is: four fantastic songs that are second to none, with beautiful melodies and excellent lyrics. Timeless and suitable for any romantic occasion, perfect for your sweetheart who doesn't understand that you love her, or anything along those lines. With these songs, you can declare yourself and win the heart of the person you want. And look at all the filth that is broadcast over the airwaves today. I mean, I don't follow any of it, but I am confronted with the new shit sound in the train, on the street or in the World Wide Web, and I am always disgusted by the stupid and simple-minded piss that is gloriously celebrated and yet has nothing honest or authentic about it. A real disgrace, and the masses buy their nonsense and make them rich. Stupid. Well, some say Musicblogs are ruining the music scene, I say: We make sure that really good and beautiful music stays alive. And in this spirit, let's continue and now have heavenly moments with this beautiful record!

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BLONDIE - Heart Of Glass 7'' 1978

Today a classic and I'm sure all you Fotzkos know this awesome band. This goodie is featured on the band's third studio album Parallel Lines from 1978 and at the time, Blondie was one of the bands at the forefront of New York's growing new wave music scene and were accused of "selling out" for releasing a disco song. According to Harry, "Heart Of Glass" made the band pariahs in the eyes of many of their fellow musicians in the New York music scene. The band was accused of pandering to the mainstream that many Punk/New Wave bands at the time were actively rebelling against. She also said, "People got nervous and angry about us bringing different influences into rock." Despite the controversy, the song was a huge hit and helped propel Blondie from cult group to mainstream icons.

- Great Thx to Fredrik -

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V/A - New Wave 1979

Well, I have a feeling history is repeating itself right now, and war has unequivocally caught up with stupid humanity again. Hard times are coming and the impotence of the politicians leads to death and destruction. Anyone who still thinks that humans are intelligent beings will be disappointed once again and will have to reconsider their attitude, but I don't want to comment further on the current situation, I'm trying to concentrate on the essentials, and that's the music. - This Compilation from K-Tel Records is a nice selection of hits from bands that were slowly gaining popularity in the late 70's/early 80's and released a few catchy tunes that were heard almost everywhere which added to their notoriety. Many cheap compilations came out , because the fat major record wankers sensed easy money with this new kind of music. This is one of them and not bad at all in my opinion. Dear friends, stay fascinate, have a great weekend and enjoy the sound of this sixteen virtuosos.. wherever you are.

1.Dreaming - BLONDIE

2.Back Of My Hand - THE JAGS

3.Making Plans For Nigel - XTC

4.Toast - STREET BAND

5.Money - FLYING LIZARDS

6.Straw Dogs - STIFF LITTLE FINGERS

7.The Prince - MADNESS

8.Because The Night - PATTI SMITH

9.Rock Lobster - THE B-52's

10.Ca Plane Pour Moir - PLASTIC BERTRAND

11.King Rocker - GENERATION X

12.Nice Legs Shame About You - THE MONKS

13.Gangster - THE SPECIALS

14.Charade - THE SKIDS

15.Time For Action - SECRET AFFAIR

16.Great Rock 'N' Roll Swindle - SEX PISTOLS

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V/A - Catch A Wave 2x10'' 1978

Welcome May and I say Hello to you with this early punk/new wave compilation in chic 10'' design and that twice. I'm really amazed, how many slabs were pressed in my favorite format, especially at this time... I have to send out a loud HOLLADRIO!!.... good boy. The two color palettes feature bands with leatherjackets, big balls, long fingernails, sexy pouts, barbed hair, rivet belt, pop hits, nylon legs, sweaty shirts, etc… and beams us back to the time when punk was 'provocative' & 'real'. Most of the first punk rock bands came from New York, punk became a real movement in London and Catch A Wave unites both cultures & countries with their local yesterdays heroes. Not all songs ignite, but fit for a little time travel. Released without a label, Made In England, but distributed primarily in Scandinavian countries (so they can thaw a little). Good Job!

1.Do Anything You Wanna Do - EDDIE & THE HOT RODS

2.Statue Of Liberty - XTC

3.Klean Living Kids - THE STUKAS

4.Television Screen - RADIATORS FROM SPACE

5.For You - GREG KIHN

6.Saints & Sinners - JOHNNY & THE SELF ABUSERS

7.Do The Standing Still - THE TABLE

8.Kidnapper - BLONDIE

9.Little Big Boss - LITTLE BOB STORY

10.Lovin' Cup - EARTH QUAKE

11.Nervous Wreck - RADIO STARS

12.Rockwrok - ULTRAVOX!

13.I Think We're Alone Now - THE RUBINOOS

14.Dancing The Night Away - THE MOTORS

15.White Line Fever - MOTÖRHEAD

16.Your Generation - GENERATION X

17.Government Action - SKREWDRIVER

18.Roadrunner - JONATHAN RICHMAN & THE MODERN LOVERS

19.Oh Bondage Up Yours! - X RAY SPEX

- Great Thx to Fredrik -

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STIDLJIVA LJUBIČICA - Osvrni Se Na Mene 1981

Let's come together and unlock your eavesdroppers because it waits another example of fantastic powerpop riffs, this time by Stidljiva Ljubičica from Croatia and they were active 1980-1982 in former Yugoslavia. The band split up soon after releasing second album. Members were: Renato (vocals, organ, piano), Zlatko (guitars), Tvrtko (bass), Elvira (drums). Glorious music deserves background knowledge and I give you a bumpy translation because my Croatian is a bit rusty, but I think you can follow that, here we go:

The emergence of a new wave in the music scene, which enabled various musical styles and directions to simultaneously exist in this region at the same time. In the beginning it was underground art music created by people often without big musical experience and not much talent but with a lot enthusiasm for new ideas. There were various fusions and almost incompatible directions that created new hybrids of completely unique and original music. Combinations of rock'n'roll, punk, ska, surf, new wave created Clash, Talking Heads, Blondie, B52, Ramones and many more... in Yugoslavia by Film, Haustor, Azra (only the first two albums), Stidljiva Ljubičica and some other bands who wanted to use this boom to catch a slice of glory of the wings of a successful trend which enters the mainstream.

Stidljiva Ljubičica unmistakably had the characteristics of a famous new wave groups, they appear suddenly, out of nowhere. They were more than ten years younger than their competitors. They had a female drummer Elvira (not common at this time) & they were fuckin' teenagers who held their first gig at the end of 1979 in the hall of the high school center Vrbovec. Their songs are short, mostly 2-3 minutes long, varied, completely stripped of superfluous arrangements and with catchy beats. Lyrically small pop art stories. They performed in cinema halls, clubs and in smaller towns. The audience celebrated them frenetically, they played a couple of two-minute songs and ran off stage. There they were greeted by a bunch of journalists and photojournalists so they held a short press conference and told them "we release our first single via Jugoton and starting recording our first album."

In summer 1981, their debut 7Inch 'Volim Te' was released and a Yugoslavian version of Top Of The Pops invited them and the whole country became aware of the fantastic four! At that point, the band had about twenty songs ready so they go ahead and started the recordings for their first album, Osvrni Se Na Mene. Before that, they decided to celebrate their success with a promotional concert at the sports hall in Vrbovac, together Johnny Stulic and Azra, and held a concert in front of thousand people. Many gigs all over Yugoslavia were made in front of several thousand visitors & it was a great opportunity to promote the album which they recorded and mixed in seven days. Despite the praise of the media, the commercial success of the album was not as satisfactory as that of the record label.

The band decided to start immediately with the recording of the second album Jesenje Frke, with the idea, that after recording, Renato (he hasn't finished high school) as soon as possible join the army and Elvira start a job at the media and when the record is out, she will be performed again, as well as Renato's return from the army. There was very little no praise for the album, because there was not much opportunity to promote it. It was early 1984 that the group could physically reunite, but the members couldn't find the feelings of the "old" spirit, so there was only one concert in the original cast at the Pauk Hall in Zagreb. The air was finally out and Stidljiva Ljubičica history.

Don't hesitate, get it!

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NIKKI & THE CORVETTES - s/t LP 1980

Formed in the late 70s in Detroit, Nikki & the Corvettes were part of the late 1970s/early 80s girl group revival that rode in on the tidal wave of PowerPop bands popular at the time. Their only album is a PowerPop masterpiece with a decent dose of punk rock, a perfect mix and they in top form. A lot of infos are present in the web so I use the following words because this review describes their LP very clearly: "If the hormones of teenage girls could talk, they would probably sound very much like this trio of singers from Detroit who have debuted with one of the most delightful records of the year so far. Nikki Corvette, Kristi Kay (who has since left the group) and Lori Jeri have recaptured the spirit of the old Shangri-Las and crank out enthusiastic tunes about partying, boys, drive-ins, boys, dancing and boys.And if they approach the "girl group" musical genre with less wit than Blondie, they at least have more conviction. Among the dozen originals (all penned by Nikki and lead guitarist Peter James) in this album are such cheeky offerings as Back Seat Love, Gimme, Gimme (who says the Me Decade is over?) and C'mon, which confesses "Don't know where I'm headed/But I still gotta go." The back-up band is less precise than the Corvettes (as is the technical production) but even that can't restrain the charms of the group's gee-whiz-thank-you-Ms. songs. For some odd reason, no major label has signed this cheery trio." (Picks & Pans Review, February 23, 1981, Vol. 15, #7) - Nikki & The Corvettes disbanded in 1981. At this time, it was still unusual to have a woman front rock band. The notoriety that Nikki Corvette earned for her role in breaking those barriers led to her being namechecked in the song "Gimme My Radio" by The Donnas. So this whole album is so damn catchy and you can't stop listening to it.

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V/A - Wanna Buy A Bridge? 1980

Rough Trade, a British indie label founded by Geoff Travis, was rock's first successful collective and a strong supporter of the arty, left-leaning post-punk music that emerged in the aftermath of the Sex Pistols. This U.S. only compilation introduced Americans to some of the exciting, innovative music released by Rough Trade between 1977 and 1980. The collection's opening number is the closest to Pistols-era punk rock: "Alternative Ulster," a blistering Irish anthem recorded by Stiff Little Fingers. Next in the collection is Delta 5's "Mind Your Own Business," a 1979 recording that proves that abrasive, self-consciously ironic music can also be incredibly catchy; Other highlights include "Soldier Soldier," a protest punk song; the exuberant "Ain't You" by Kleenex, an all-female Swiss band that later changed its name to Liliput; the Pop Group's "We Are All Prostitutes," a chaotic punk-funk-disco political rant with distorted guitar, drums, saxophone, and cello; "Part Time Punks," a beguilingly amateurish name-dropping classic by T.V. Personalities; the Raincoats' remake of "Man Next Door"; a reggae number by Jamaican singer John Holt (whose "The Tide Is High" became a hit for Blondie); and Robert Wyatt's surprisingly haunting rendition of Chic's "At Last I Am Free." I had the LP with the brown cover but use the blue here. I'm too lazy to scan both sides of the original. Overall this may be the best single-album collection assembled of post-punk music.

1.Alternative Ulster - STIFF LITTLE FINGERS

2.Mind Your Own Business - DELTA 5

3.Man Next Door - THE SLITS

4.Aerosol Burns - ESSENTIAL LOGIC

5.Part Time Punks - T.V. PERSONALITIES

6.Read About Seymour - SWELL MAPS

7.We Are All Prostitutes - THE POP GROUP

8.Soldier Soldier - SPIZZ ENERGI

9.Ain't You - KLEENEX

10.Nag Nag Nag - CABARET VOLTAIRE

11.In Love - THE RAINCOATS

12.Final Day - YOUNG MARBLE GIANTS

13.Skank Bloc Bologna - SCRITTI POLITTI

14.At Last I Am Free - ROBERT WYATT

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