CONDEMNED 84 - Live & Loud!! 1989

We start the weekend with a decent record from the Live And Loud!! series by Link Records and today we listen to Condemned 84, a British Oi! band from Ipswich, and their stuff was recorded on Oct 29th 1988 at Porter House/Retford and the team consisted of Kev (vocals), Mark (guitars), Gunk (bass) & Cliff (drums). Solid selection of twelve songs from their early era in the typical Streetpunk sound which smile at every Oi! friend. Interesting also the nice comp The Boots Go Marching In which you shouldn't miss. - Maybe a word about the requests, it's my turn and also ripping vinyl will continue soon, I'm a bit scattered & unmotivated. Egal, enjoy the music! 

Keep The Faith/Teenage Slag/Face The Aggression/Young Blood/Strenght To Strength/The Nutter/The Boots Go Marching In/Oi! Ain't Dead/Under Her Thumb/We Will Never Die/Skinhead/Wonderful World

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THE WALL - The Punk Collection 1998

CD's are not really my source but this one is a damn MUST! This fantastic compilation was released by Captain Oi! and contains all recordings of The Wall, originally formed in Sunderland early 1978, and their six year career may have seen them go through enough members to form their own football team but it also saw them release some outstanding records along the way. The first line-up of note featured Ian Lowery (vox & guitars), Andy 'Andzy' Griffits (bass & vox), John Hammond (guitars) & Bruce Archibald (drums) and it was this incarnation of the band that recorded the superb 'New Way' EP for Small Wonder Records. It's success (it sold over 10.000 copies and was heavily played by John Peel on his (then) important Radio 1 show) led to Lowery & Andzy relocating to London where they recruited guitarist Nick Ward and Drummer Rab Fae Beith (ex-The Pack/Patrick Fitzgerald Group) and they issued the 'Exchange' single for Small Wonder which reached No.26 in the very first published independent chart and was produced by the Sex Pistols Steve Jones (the first band to be produced by a member of the Pistols).

However, not long after this the band suffered the time honoured 'musical differences' which led to the depature of Lowery (he later released a solo album called "King Blank" on Beggars Banquet) who was replaced by one time Ruefrex member Ivan 'Kellz' Kelly and he made his debut with the Wall on a UK tour supporting the Angelic Upstarts and on their first single for Fresh Records, August 1980's 'Ghetto' EP which, produced by Sham 69's Jimmy Pursey, enjoyed a three month indie chart run peaking at the No.19 position. This line-up also recorded the debut LP "Personal Troubles & Public Issues" (which came out in December 1980 in two different sleeves and reached No.15 in the indie chart) which also saw the arrival of guitarist Andy 'Heed' Forbes, formally a member of The Strapps.

Shortly after the album's release, however, Ward & Kelly departed leaving Rab, Heed and Andzy to continue as a three piece with Andzy assuming vocal duties. This line-up was snapped up by Polydor and their debut for the major was the three track 'Remembrance' EP which they promoted by doing a UK tour with Stiff Little Fingers. They also issued one final single for Fresh, 'Hobby For A Day' before a second Polydor 45 'Epitaph' followed in November '81 and it also saw the first appearance of new bassist Claire Bidwell (ex-The Passions) which allowed Andzy to concentrate on the vocals. Their time with Polydor ended with early 1982's album "Dirges & Anthems" (which came with a free 7") and which saw guitar duties split between Heed (who left half way through recording) and Baz.

Rob & Andzy continued under The Wall name throughout 1982, their last release being the ten track 12'' EP "Day Tripper" for No Future (also issued as a four track 7'') which reached No.21 in the UK indie chart. The 'band' folded not long after with Rob later turning up in the UK SUBS and playing on the "Huntington Beach" and "In Action" albums. He also set up RFB Records and released albums by the likes of Condemned 84, UK SUBS and Broken Bones.(Mark Brennan)

In August 2007, the band reformed for a headline appearance at the Blackpool Rebellion with seven of the original members, Andy Griffiths (vocals), Nick Ward (guitars), Al Gregg (guitars & bass), Andrew Forbes (guitars), John Hammond (guitars), Claire Bidwell (bass) and Mark Dyvig (drums) with a warm-up gig the previous night @ The Thatched House in Stockport. This was followed by the release of a new live album in August 2009 on Captive Records (Opus Productions/Captive Records). The debut album "Personal Troubles & Public Issues" is getting a re-issue on CD for the first time, by Westworld Recordings on 13/05/2016.

This little sucker shines with twenty extraordinary nuggets and I love the Wall and you will do it too... 'In Nature'!

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CONDEMNED 84 - The Boots Go Marching In 1991

One of the oldest English Oi! veterans are Condemned 84 from Ipswich and they were formed Autumn 1980 as Criminal Tendencies, after three years the band changed their name to Condemned. The 84 moniker was added a year later, coinciding with the release of their first demo tape. This compilation (released via Cock-O-Rama) contains, in my opinion, their best songs: all from the Oi! Ain't Dead EP + In Search Of The New Breed 12'' and a few Gröhlies from the Battle Scarred mini album. Thirteen streetpunk anthems from the Eighties and they don't get tired... but I and there's coming soon a fine movie with Louis de Funès (the man with forty faces per minute). Yeah!!

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V/A - Oi! The Rarities Vol.3 1995

End of the 90s has Captain Oi! brought a lot of very good reissues out and part of it was this small serie called Oi!-The Rarities on five records. We can find there mega rare songs, of course, of mega rare 7inches which were pressed in small numbers and nowadays traded to horror prices. So even people like you and me with little money in our pockets can come to benefit this classics, so that's why such compilations will created....and that's good! And if then a nice litte insert with all information about the records with it laughs the collector's heart. Meanwhile it is difficult to catch up a vinyl version of these tuneful recordings (I myself have only this volume) but at any well-stocked record fair they should be found, so keep your eyes and ears as well.

1.Addicted To Love - THE GUTTERSNIPES

2.Football Violence - SKIN DEEP

3.Boots Go Marching In - CONDEMNED 84

4.Blind Ambition - THE PARTISANS

5.Hippie Punks - CROWBAR

6.Mull Of Kintyre - THE OPTIMISTS

7.Vendetta - THE SAMPLES

8.Cowards - INTENSIVE CARE

9.Loves Young Dream - THE GUTTERSNIPES

10.Boots On His Feet - SKIN DEEP

11.Come Clean - THE PARTISANS

12.White Riot - CROWBAR

13.The Plumbers Song - THE OPTIMISTS

14.Computer Future - THE SAMPLES

15.Class Of 84 - INTENSIVE CARE

16.Count The Dead - SKIN DEEP

17.We Will Never Die - CONDEMNED 84

18.Change - THE PARTISANS

19.Rabies - THE SAMPLES

20.Organised Crime - INTENSIVE CARE

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