GENETIC CONTROL - First Impressions EP 1984

Genetic Control were formed New Year's Night 1984 in Montreal, the result of a drunken jam featuring Mike (vocals), Rob and Rob (guitars), Dougo (bass) and Mike (drums). After a three month break, they changed the line-up a litte and Polio Elvis (vocals), Duke & Teen Hunk Rob (guitars), Dick (bass), Lewis (drums) recorded then their great and only vinyl EP First Impressions (500 copies) which also was released by themselves (they recorded songs for an album, but there were no master tapes made, as the band opted instead for just a cassette recording, as they could not afford to pay for the multi-track tape, a decision the band and many fans have regretted over the years, so unfortunately only this 7Inch were made. The band was supposed to go on tour with the album in 1985 but shortly after, failing to release their LP, they disbanded. The EP shot up high among collectors and that eventually led to Bootlegs and an official re-release on Return To Analog in 2021 with bonus cuts (limited edition of 500 numbered copies as well). Also interesting is a CD compilation, Brave New World, on Sonik's Chicken Shrimp from 2005 which also comes with interesting pieces. You see, Genetic Control made not much records, but remain with an excellent impression, and aren't definitely soap bubbles and you can book them for a few Compilations invites as well.

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THE STANDBYS - E.P. 1980

A nice 7Inch for the weekend and this is the Standbys one & only record on World Records. Founded 1978 in San Diego by four students and the band consisted of Tom (vocals/bass), Dave & Jeff (guitars), Ted (drums). The roots of the band go back to jam sessions between guitarist Dave and his brother-in-law, including a few party gigs playing Ramones covers, soon accompanied by singer/bassist Tom. According to Dave in a local Snare 'zine interview, "The name of the band came from it being flashed on the TV. It was either that or technical difficulties, but I couldn't spell it." Word of mouth increased after they opened for the Clash at Golden Hall in October 1979. "The Clash were really nice," says Dave. "I've never been so scared in my life was I was at that show. But Mick Jones thought we were really neat." (San Diego Reader) - The Standbys recorded an album alongside this single called Buy Now Or Die Dumb but I'm not sure if its came out, and split up in 1985. One song was later featured on their only compilation appearance, Back To Front Vol.4.

- Great Thx to Fredrik -

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V/A - It's A Youth Explosion! Vol.1 2020

Dear followers & visitors, there is a new little series from Heavy Soul Records and what the creators are unveiling here is first class stuff that is pretty close to the KBD compis, and yes, even better because most of the songs are unreleased, jaja... and described as follows: Fourteen rare & unreleased tracks taking in all that was good from 1977-1984ish. You get Punk, New Wave, and Mod revival all within the amazingly created artwork from Alf Button's Revenge. All fully remastered from a whole source of different formats to create a sound crispier than a bag of Wotsits! The names may not be familiar, but the "Sounds From The Street" created will certainly take you back to when all you needed in life was an LP by The Damned, Clash or Jam and a guitar, bass and drums. All original tracks, by a whole range of musical talent. So a perfect gathering of unearthed classics, limited edition is to be specified but no one knows how many copies were actually pressed... who cares!

1.Circa 2 - THE LIMPS

2.Someday - URBAN ENEMIES

3.30 Seconds - PATROL

4.Bright New Future - THE MEDIA

5.Let Me Show You Love - BACKSTAGE PASS

6.Talk - THE TWINSETS

7.Phone You - SLEEPERS

8.Lambs To The Slaughter - MIDNIGHT HOUR

9.Just A Dream - REACTION

10.One Of The Boys - THE DETOURS

11.She Don't Know - THE FACE

12.Dance Step Beat - THE MOD-L'S

13.Sound Of Today - STATION 360

14.In The Crowd - THE PLOY

- Great Thx to Bristolboy -

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ESQUELETOS - Radio 222 EP 1983

Before I get myself back to digitizing, and I'm looking forward to the slabs, first a short snack from Spain. A quick trip back to the early Eighties, the time when José (vocals/guitars) and Enrique (bass) formed the group RPM and recorded a demo that captured the interest of Hispavox, who recruited them for their alternative label Flush! Records. After changing their name to Esqueletos, they released their only 7Inch Radio 222 with three solid goodies that range from, I would say early NDW sound with an air of fast dirty Punkrock (last track), the approach to the mod revival of The Jam. However, Hispavox hardly promoted the record and the members opted for dissolution. Enrique becoming part of Las Ruedas, while José did the same in La Frontera, achieving great success during the 80s & 90s. That's it!

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FASTBACKS - Never Fails, Never Works 1991

Let’s beam us into September with a request which was said about five months ago in the Veins post. I went to the vast expanses of my record collection and found it there, and after a long disappearance, I brought them back to life: Never Fails, Never Works was released via Blaster! records, I guess a bootleg, and we find their first two singles plus other songs from the early days. A total of twelve fantastic lost American punk nuggets which burn your house down, annoy your neighbors, and even Scotty is speechless with such great melodic stuff. Now useful information, and I have to admit, I don't know where from: "One of the few first-wave punk bands who not only survived to the end of the century but did so with their original sound and focus intact, Fastbacks were formed in Seattle, WA, by three high school friends, Kurt Bloch, Kim Warnick, and Lulu Gargiulo. Bloch and Warnick began playing guitar in high school while Gargiulo took lessons in classical guitar at age seven but never played rock & roll until joining the band (though photos she took at local rock shows caught Bloch's eye, sparking a friendship). All three shared a great enthusiasm for both Queen and the Ramones; Gargiulo also loved '60s pop music, Warnick was big on '70s hard rock, and Bloch's taste embraced both. In classic punk rock fashion, Fastbacks were born when Gargiulo saw some nameless band playing at a local punk club who were so horrible that she was convinced even she could do better. With Gargiulo teaching herself rock guitar, Bloch (drums), Warnick (bass), and a friend named Shannon Wood (vocals), Fastbacks began practicing in the fall of 1979 and played their first show the following February. Later that year, Wood dropped out, Warnick stepped up to the vocal mike, and Bloch abandoned the drums to take over as lead guitarist, resulting in a core lineup that would remain in place for the next twenty years. The band then hired the first of a very long line of drummers, fifteen year old Duff McKagen, who would leave after about a year to move to Los Angeles, where he later joined a fairly popular hard rock band (estimates at the number of drummers who have worked with Fastbacks range from 12 to 20).

In April 1981, the band released their first single, "It's Your Birthday"/"You Can't Be Happy," which found their basic sound already firmly in place -- loose, scrappy punk rock with strong pop hooks, punctuated by Bloch's Rick Nielsen-meets-Johnny Ramone guitar solos, Warnick and Gargiulo's singalong harmonies, and Bloch's songs, which struck a balance between self-effacing humor and introspective self-analysis without sounding pretentious.

Over the next ten years, the Fastbacks were a largely local phenomenon; while they gigged fairly often in and around Seattle and scored the occasional show opening for bigger bands (including the Ramones, Public Image Limited, and John Cale), like most Seattle bands of the day, their popularity failed to spread outside the Pacific Northwest. While they never broke up, the group's activities slowed down in the mid-'80s, and it wasn't until 1987 that they released their first full-length album, ...And His Orchestra. Bloch joined the Young Fresh Fellows as a guitarist in 1989 and started producing other bands; Warnick began working at the offices of Sub Pop records, and Gargiulo pursued her career as a cinematographer. But Fastbacks had a small but loyal fan base, and when Seattle became the epicenter of the rock world in 1992 in the wake of Nirvana's commercial breakthrough, the group finally began receiving national attention. Sub Pop released a collection of the band's many singles and compilation tracks that year, The Question Is No, which became their first widely distributed album; while sales were modest, the press was wildly enthusiastic. Three more albums for Sub Pop followed, with 1994's Answer The Phone Dummy offering the group the luxury of being able to record an entire album in one studio over a period of two weeks. Even more importantly, some of their local fans had become rock stars, and the Fastbacks began opening for the likes of Mudhoney and the Presidents Of The United States Of America.

The big payoff was when Eddie Vedder invited the band to open three West Coast arena shows for Pearl Jam in 1995, and then twenty eight dates in America and Europe the following year. These high-profile dates didn't propel Fastbacks in rock stardom (which they certainly weren't expecting anyway), and the band continued to schedule themselves around Bloch, Warnick, and Gargiulo's other commitments until 2002, when Warnick, to the surprise of her band mates, announced that she was quitting the band, telling a reporter "As much as those songs mean to me, I've just grown tired of having to be a singer in a rock band."

A collection of stray singles tracks and unreleased recordings, Truth, Corrosion & Sour Bisquits was released in 2004; it captured the band in typically tuneful and energetic form, and proved that the Fastbacks called it a day every bit as fresh, enthusiastic, and powerful as when they began."

Great band, great music, great record - A Must Listen!

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THE MEDIA - Bright New Future 2020

Return of The Media: From Polaroids to Instagram, from vinyl singles to SoundCloud, from printing presses to the internet - a lot has changed with our media in the past fourty years. But, late 1970s Portsmouth band The Media are hoping that some things don't change; that a great tune is a great tune and that a band with an enviable live reputation still have the chops. Love Child Records certainly think The Media still have it!

In 2019 we set about tracking the band down and launched a double A-side 7" single Jump Down/How Could You Lie in April that year. Now, after some fantastic mastering work by North London Bombing, Love Child can finally release a whole album!! The Media were a Portsmouth band formed in 1978, influenced by the UK punk explosion of 1977 and consisted of Martin Jacks (vocals), Brian Lee (drums), Pete Rossie (guitar) and Michael 'Chello' Whichello (bass). In a short space of time back in the days of the punk rock explosion (and everything moved very quickly in the late 1970s) The Media played loads of shows, honed their 60s beat meets 70s street/seminal suburban songs, got a bit good, built a large following, released two singles and by 1980 were featured in an early Phil Redmond (the producer of Grange Hill, Brookside, Hollyoaks, etc.) youth TV series Going Out. What could possibly go wrong? Their debut No Darling I Love The Media EP appeared in 1978 on their own Tearaway Records (Cherry Red Records distributed it). It featured live favourites T.V. Kids, Don't Sit Back, Getting High and Rose and Crown. It was a bit good and sold out. A second single, Southcoast City Rockers came out the following year on the Portsmouth collective Brain Booster Records, again it sold out. A video was shot for Southcoast City Rockers, heady stuff at a time when very few bands recorded videos. The single showed the band moving on musically, taking in elements of the UK's emerging Ska scene (led by The Specials' Two Tone label) and the Mod revival inspired by The Jam (they secured support slots with The Vapors and Secret Affair). On the back of the money they were paid for the Going Out TV series (The Media's scene featured a packed gig, with a young Peter-Hugo Daly careering around causing mayhem) the band went in the studio with the aim of recording songs for an album, nine songs were completed.

But, trouble at one of their support slots (lets be honest, there was loads of bother at shows in the late 1970s/early 1980s) led to the cancellation of a series of gigs, including a prominent London show, and the band split in 1981. Fast forward thirty-seven years and the master tapes from that album session were found by a band member in their loft. 

On the advice of Acid Attack's Dave Clarke the tape is sent to Paul Orwell at Love Child Records, who in turn played it to Adam Cooper of parent company Heavy Soul Records, both of these uber music fans gave it a massive thumbs up. Love Child Records set about restoring the nine track tapes and transferring them to files. Talk immediately turned to releasing a single and album... and then a possible reunion show. The first 7" vinyl single from this session, Jump Down/How Could You Lie, was released in April 2019, fourty years after release of first Media EP! Bright New Future is available in 100 copies yellow vinyl, 150 copies black vinyl, so better be quick!

- Great Thx to Bristolboy -

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V/A - Punk Rock/New Wave '77 1978

I hope you have a pleasant Easter days and time for good music. Today a obscure release with mostly bands from the UK and on this compilation, which came out in Portugal via Pirate Dream Records in an edition of 400 copies, are only classics that saw the light of day as 7Inch at the end of the 70s. I bought the slab on my Antarctic vacation thirty years ago from a penguin near the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station, after long haggling, for a few dollars. You can surely imagine how amazed I was when I found such a rare record, nowadays only available at high prices, in this region and of course didn't hesitate for long. Well, sometimes I'm lucky too and today I present you the little anecdote and I'm sure you will like the stuff as well. Even though we exchanged addresses, I never met the penguin again, but it will stay in my memory forever. So friends, enjoy the good ole sound that still towers over many current records and I know that won't change.

1.I Wanna Be Free - THE RINGS

2.Friday On My Mind - LONDON

3.Siouxie Sue - LONDON

4.Your Generation - GENERATION X

5.In The City - THE JAM

6.Non Stop Dancing - THE JAM

7.Taking My Love - THE JAM

8.Art School - THE JAM

9.Slow Down - THE JAM

10.Batman (There) The Me - THE JAM

11.Outside View - EATER

12.Thinking Of The USA - EATER

13.Broken Windows - WARM GUN

14.They Call Me Energy - HIDEOUS STRENGTH

15.Motörhead - MOTÖRHEAD

16.City Kids - MOTÖRHEAD

17.You're So Dumb - SKREWDRIVER

18.Love Detective - THE RADIATORS FROM SPACE

19.God Save The Queen - SEX PISTOLS

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LES LORDS - 1979-1980

 

The working year 2020 is over and four days off are comin'. Let's see, how I will end it musically and the opener is a treat, and this slab was released by Vidi Vici Records 2013 in edition of 300 copies. The Les Lords were Britz (vocals), Richard & Fifi (guitars), Laurent (bass), Lelett' (drums) and founded 1979 in Caen. And since nobody knows these guys until now, it is time for detailed information from the great creators of 45vinylvidivici which I would like to quote at this point:

1979: The musicians of the Caen punk group R.A.S. are orphans of a decaying movement. Britz, the singer-songwriter, mourns Sid Vicious. The others are starting to clearly prefer the power-pop energy of Jam, Skids, XTC or 999 to the neo-baba wanderings of the Cure or other Simple Minds.

The 60’s aesthetic and winks of the Who are already very present in punk, from black suits and string ties to the T-shirt with cockade of Billy Idol (Your Generation). Not to mention the Jam, of course. But when some members of R.S. land in Britain, it’s the shock. This one lives at the hour of "Mod Maydays", powerful revival which creates its own underground scene (Merton Parkas, Chords, Mo-Dettes, Squire...) in reaction to a punk now in the process of integration. "We hate the punk elite" sings Ian Page of Secret Affair. The musicians of R.A.S. are conquered, shop at Carnaby Street and return to Caen to tell friends about London news. The group is prompt renamed Les Lords.

As a result of this radical turn on the aesthetic level (because the songs remain the same) it appears fairly quickly that everyone gets into the idea of breaking their mouths, starting with the hard core of punks, more and more more influenced by the skinhead renewal and the “OI” wave. During the Lords' second concert in Lisieux, the skins came in force and have every intention of pissing off as much as possible. The chairs fly and the fans fall back on stage, somehow trying to send them away while the group continues to play. Arrival of the constabulary and relighting of the lights. We resume all the same and the Lords end in apotheosis by a resumption of "My Generation" of Who respecting to the letter the spirit of the original, that is to say accompanied by a methodical destruction of the material and the overturning of the columns sound system. Lying on the ground, arms outstretched to hold the

sound system lying on him and not to perish crushed, its owner, an old baba, manages to whisper "it's great, it's great...".

Great it is. The Lords continue the momentum of the most fit but harmonically rich punk, say Generation X to locate, incorporating 60’s influences, pre-psychedelic reminiscences (Creation, Move) and especially by tracing a new road, theirs. The group does quite a few covers: the instrumental The Persuaders ("Amically Your") as a concert intro, "For Your Love" by the Yardbirds mid-set and "My Generation" as a reminder. For the rest, it's a slaughter: slamming drums, metallic and melodic Rickenbacker bass, rhythmic Gibson "sound wall", dazzling escapades from the soloist on Telecaster. And there is the front man, with limited vocal capacities but remarkable texts and unparalleled charisma. It was obvious to who had once seen these kids in concert that they had fantastic potential. Because these are kids we are talking about, 17 years old at the time of history and just over 18 when it ended. Not really a "sex, drugs and rock n’roll" story, shot by the punk generation. No, just another story of tormented and rebellious teenagers. A story of music lovers who convert Gérald, the full barter shop of Throbbing Gristle to boots and frilled shirts. In return, he introduces them to Kinks and Small Faces, but also Real Kids, Charlie Mingus, Faust or Mother’s Finest. It is a story of rain (Normandy...), at night, of endless walking. Mopeds were rare, so scooters... It’s a story of cavalcades and frantic leaks, in the sad France of the end of the seventies whose "peripheral rascals" were so well sung by Renaud at the time.

On this front the Lords take radical measures by weaving an alliance with the gypsies, which allows to calm quickly done well the skins and to bring them back to feelings of healthy camaraderie. As for the neo-Mod movement, it is developing like wildfire. In two strokes of a pot spoon, there are more than 200 Mods in Caen. Punks converted after concerts, fans of the Specials or Joe Jackson, high school students who wanted to piss off their parents. Barely 16 years old, Laurence gives up everything to join Fifi, the rhythm guitarist of the Lords and returns on a scooter at the end of the hutch to give the teachers honor by shouting "We Are Mods", as in Quadrophenia. Britz, Laurent and I are going to see the film dozens of times at the cinema of the Carrefour shopping center, in Hérouville, one of the working-class suburbs of Caen. So we pass and we pass again in front of a band of thugs, "Arabs" as they said at the time, who stagnate on the benches of the shopping center and do not take long to look for the fight. It degenerates for good and ends with a punch outside. "We are the Mods"! Impressed, the most devious of the so-called "Arabs" quickly bought a costume and asked to join the mods.

In Caen, these are a mass movement from the proletariat, the working masses. With guys who in case of confusion are more quick to fight than to parley... There is José who fights after the group has won the French flags in a party on July 14, Franck says "Barjot" the former rocker and fisherman, "Clash" who crushes my parents' flowers in a Vespa and shoots the rockies on Saturday afternoon in the middle of traffic jams, with a WWII Luger. And then other groups that are formed: Dandys, Holly Boys and Neckties. These are 13-14 year olds who have had little time to learn English. Suddenly they proudly adapt the Who in French, "I Can’t Explain" becoming "the Caennais complain."

The Lords play in Paris at Golf Drouot. They finish well last of the "springboard rock" but fuck a happy mess and meet that evening the fabulous Stunners. A core of Parisian fans of the Lords is formed around Laurent ("Stax"), Denis, Thierry and soon Patrice Bertrand, former Hells Angel turned Mod who sells US garage rock records in the Scooter shop in Les Halles. The Lords don't pretend. They provide the first part of the Olivensteins whose equipment they demolish ("My Generation"), the Dogs from which they steal the show and a whole bunch of others. They make all the fire, open for Valérie Lagrange and even go on tour for a few dates opening for Caravan, an old British progressive rock band.

Soon the mod-revival spreads in Paris then in the provinces. Lords are heroes and kings, but there is a misunderstanding. Basically they have little to do with twinks disguising themselves as twist dancers, petty bourgeois in polka dot dresses and groups making desperate efforts to sound "garage". In fact, while the Parisian skins led by Farid - a ringworm - are having fun persecuting this bunch of little wankers from fine neighborhoods, they carefully avoid attacking anyone who wears a "Caen" patch on their jacket. Britz and the hard wing of the Caennais accentuate the demarcation with the installers by calling themselves "Glory Boys" and adopting black shirts and white ties. But hey, it's all starting to go around in circles. Especially since despite their multiple trips back and forth in the capital, where I settle as a manager, the Lords are still out of recording contract. There are indeed some contacts with Antoine De Caunes, Marc Zermati or Patrick Eudeline, the tour of record companies, a photo in the monthly Best, but nothing comes out. Meanwhile, the sken-mod conglomerate of Caen feels winged. After two years of intensive fights against rockers (very bad in those distant times) and all that hung around as thugs in the Normandy countryside, these became real terrors. Wounds that set everything on fire and blood during the Jam concert in Rouen. The Lords are victims of Sham 69 syndrome: overwhelmed by the movement they have instigated and the excesses of their audience.

The tension rises with the rhythm, Fifi, a simple heart. Then with the bass player who stands in solidarity with him. Finally with Britz Notre Dame, icon of mods, always so frosty and uncontrollable who does not want to understand that such a radical trip cuts the group from a wider audience. In a few weeks everything crumbles. Fifi and Laurent will try their luck with another group. Britz moved to Paris where he succeeded in a few months in transforming a gang of Daddy's sons into a respected gang. Richard and Denis recruit a bass player and pursue the Lords in the form of a blazing power trio.

In the end, there will be nothing but wonderful memories and rehearsal recordings from this brief epic, in mini-cassette. Despite their obvious limitations, they will no doubt give a better idea of what the Lords were than the album they would have done at the time on a major, under the guidance of a survivor of the yéyé who was converted into a producer. And the fact that more than thirty years later RAS or Les Lords are arousing interest shows that at least the flame has been transmitted. So all is well that ends well. Raymond Debord (Summer 2013)

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THE NEIGHBORHOODS - No Place Like Home 7'' 1980

The Neighborhoods came out of Boston around 1976-77 while the whole punk scene was going on at the Rathskeller (The Rat) in Kenmore Square. The Hoods were an excellent rock group playing Mod punk-type music a-la early Who and much like the Jam and Generation X in their early days. David Minehan was the lead singer and guitar player who from the very beginning had a great stage presence and played guitar like it was his last night on earth. In the back was Mike Quaglia keeping the rock steady beat and Jim Bowman keeping the bass lines strong so Dave could weave in and out. By 1979 the band changed bass players and John Hartcorn was there to add more bass rhythm and energy to the mix. The band was now on fire and easily won the WBCN Rock'N Roll Rumble held at the Rat. The Hoods power-rock was infectious with songs like “Monday Morning”, “Teachers Pet”, “Flavors”, “She’s So Good” and “Think It Over.” In 1980 they released a single on Ace Of Hearts label called “Prettiest Girl” & “No Place like Home” which got a lot of airplay in the local New England area. Soon the Hoods were a favorite local attraction in RI and especially at the Living Room with sell-out crowds. The Hoods were on the verge of going nationally but based on stories we later learned, mismanagement caused the band to split for a brief moment in July 1981 but as it turned out, it was the end of an era in the early Hood history. It’s a shame they never got to release an album from that time frame to capture that great raw power era...

 After the Hoods regrouped they decided to go in a different direction. Gone was John Hartcorn on bass and he was replaced with Tim Green who added a more funky style playing to the new music. The band material now was based more on higher energy and less on bright melodies. In 1984 they finally released their first mini-LP "Fire Is Coming" with another new bass player named Lee Harrington who had joined the year before. That was followed by a full record for Restless record label in 1986, "...the high hard one...." and "Reptile Men," in 1987. The band also did a national tour with the Ramones in 1988.....

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SPORTEN ÄR DÖD - s/t LP 2019

Good morning dear folks, today we start for breakfast with fresh girl power and I promise you, your bread will taste particularly good. Sporten Är Död (translated as Sport Is Dead) were an all female Swedish new wave/punk band between 1980 and 1982 formed in Kungälv. The group consisted of Ulla Åkerström (vocals & guitar), Åsa "Paste" Wassberg (bass) and Eva Herngren (drums). The band were named after the words of a Swedish broadcaster, who would proclaim the sport is dead, when there was a cancellation of a sporting event. This record was released via Fördämning Arkiv, 300 copies and side A was recorded at Studio Nigaf on 11th April 1981 and released as the Sporten Är Död cassette, side B was recorded live @ Sprängkullen on 23rd May 1982. An excellent review which I can only underline: "This looks exactly as it sounds: three cool teenage punk girls making tremulous punk rock with songs dedicated to John Peel, Bruce from the JAM, and their favorite chocolate bar! This isn’t wild screaming KBD mania, they have a nervous restrained quality, which is not to say this sounds inept, just that it isn’t the manic punk insanity you might expect from a teenage Swedish band circa 1981. They called their band Sport Is Dead, and formed as a result of being fans of the Buzzcocks and the Undertones, and you can hear the nervous pop sensibility! I’ve seen comparisons to Dolly Mixture and Lilliput, but I would say that is not the case here, they are not as polished as the former and not as wild as the latter. They have their own contained punk concept and identity that doesn’t sound like a collage of other ideas. This is a reissue of their demo tape with a live performance on the B-side. It sounds great and is definitely worth picking up for all fans of that underground girl sound, the sound of youth inspired by the DIY ideal…" (LAYLA GIBBON, MMR) - Seventeen minimalistic smasher with a great booklet, solid release!

- Great Thx to Fredrik -

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THE SPY'S - Original Punk Rock From Canada 1979-1980

Damn cool release by Incognito Records and we meet the Spy's from Windsor/Ontario which only made an EP in 1980 and this is one of those records with lost recordings that a stubborn lover discovered. Info found: The whole of the American Midwest, including Detroit, was a bit slow to latch onto punk. By 1979, though, a handful of bars there, like Lili's 21 in Hamtramck, the New Miami in the seedy Cass Corridor neighbourhood and the legendary Bookies up in the equally menacing north side, were showing local and visiting acts at least a few nights each week. And for a couple of teenagers from Windsor just across the river, that was all that was needed to start up a band like The Spy's. As singer Frank Carlone remembers it, "Elad (D'Amore) and I were at the New Miami to see Fred 'Sonic' Smith, and somehow Elad had managed to chat with him between sets. So later in the next set, he calls Elad up to the stage to jam with him, and for two guys who grew up listening to the Stooges and the MC5 this was amazing. Anyway, I think it was during 'Sweet Little Sixteen', Sonic gives him the nod, and Elad does this amazing solo, and I knew we had to start a band or something!" 

Carlone and D'Amore's musical partnership goes back even farther. "Way back in '73 up to around '75, a bunch of us east-siders would hold these sort of informal battle of the bands in various basements - we called it 'Cockstock' - constantly trying to outdo each other. One time Elad and his brother, Domenic, filled these containers with gasoline," he laughs, "hoping to have these Kiss-style firebombs and, poooof!, we just about burned the house down!" After witnessing the Dry Heaves score a surprise second-place finish at a real Battle of the Bands, this time in 1979 at Ojibway Park, the pair got serious, coaxing bassist 'Coma' Joe Desrameaux into the fold. Filling things out on drums was Dave O'Gorman ("He had a small business, Paramount Fruit on Ouellette, and he was really good at getting us gigs'), and by the late summer of 1979 The Spy's were about ready to rock. What followed over the next twelve months became the stuff of local legend. The band got their first gig at Windsor's Drop-In Tavern, a place known more for heavy dinosaur rock than for punk. ("I think a tomato or egg got thrown at us, so I thought, 'Hey, we're doing something right'.") More shows followed, including a spot in support of Toronto's Battered Wives at the Masonic Temple the following year.

By the time the band went down to Salem Studios in Leamington to record a couple of tracks for a single, they had gelled into a taut act with their own loyal army of fans. Alas, with such crowd pleasers as 'Welcome to the Cruel World' and 'I Wanna Be Like You' packing the dance floors, the lads demurred somewhat on their choice of songs, going with two newer ones instead, 'Underground' and the snappy 'Machine Shop'. And despite the muffled sound ("It wasn't mastered right. It should've been more, like, raucous"), 'Underground' / 'Machine Shop' has managed a following all its own in the punk world, appearing on Smash The State Vol.2 in 1994. (Info: Michael Panontin @CanuckistanMusic) - Awesome Record with fifteen bombs!

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BERLIN - Over 21 7'' 1980

One of the early Dublin Punk/New Wave bands. Early line-ups included John Borrowman & Chris Green who left in mid-1978 to form The Atrix . Ex School Kids drummer Charlie Hallinan joined around the same time, while original drummer Pat Moylett (brother of Boomtown Rat Johnny 'Fingers' Moylett) became the bands manager. Berlin were accused of cashing in on the Rats connection by some and even of copying their act outright, especially lead singer Brian Devon, but these accusations was unfair.Berlin supported both The Clash and The Jam at the Top Hat in Dub Laoghaire, two legendary gigs in Dublin which thousands now claim to have attended. They were treated badly by roadies when supporting Graham Parker at the Olympic Ballroom, which resulted in some equipment damage. They turned down an offer from RSO Records and had two tracks ("Tube Talk" and "Waiting For The Future" slated for inclusion on the aborted/delayed Irish new wave comp which eventually became Just For Kicks in late 1979. During November-December 1978, Berlin and the New Versions set out on the "Streets Ahead Tour '78" across Ireland, the first new wave tour of the country. They appeared on Our Times on RTE TV at the end of the year.

Berlin played the Dandelion Market twice in 1979 and once in 1980: on 5 May 1979, 25 August 1979 and 2 February 1980. Most of 1979 was spent building momentum. They recorded demos which were aired by RTE Radio 2. They were courted by Charisma Records Dave Hitchcock as early as May and finally signed a deal with Charisma in September. The contract was for two singles and one album. The first single was announced for October but didn't come out until the following January 1980. Meanwhile their vinyl debut was on the "Just For Kicks" various artists LP released at the end of 1979, which included their track "Stop Stop", a strong effort. They played a farewell show at McGonagles on October 14, signalling their move to the UK. The band released their debut single January 1980, well after it's originally announced release date of October 1979. "Over 21" is a great pop punk track, though the band came in for some stick for being well over 21 themselves, especially Brian Devon and Maurice Czerniak. Both sides were written by bassist Maurice Czerniak. The Portugese issue appears to have predated the Irish & UK release by a few weeks. They performed the A-side (and, as far as I recall, another track) on Our Times on RTE Television, though I may be remembering the 1978 appearance. I vaguely recall Brian Devon holding up a sign saying "Hello Mum" or "Look Ma, I'm on TV". Does anyone have video of this? In February 1980 they embarked on a UK tour and appeared during the Sense of Ireland/Sounds of Ireland gigs in \ London in March 1980, playing Acklam Hall with U2 and the Virgin Prunes in support on the 19th (with at least one warm up gig in Nottingham a few days previous). When this failed to break the band, they split up, in April 1980.

Berlin reformed later in the year and released a second single in November 1980. "Boyfriend" appeared on Philips Records. It is a much weaker effort than their debut and sold poorly, which may explain why it is so hard to find now. It seems to have had very little distribution, unsurprising as the band split again soon after it's release. There are undoubtedly unreleased recordings (eg "Tube Talk"). Not to be confused with the Australian pop band on IRS Records who took your breath away. (Source: irishrock)

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THE NIPS - Only The End Of The Beginning 1980

The Nips (better known as The Nipple Erectors) were an English punk band formed in London in 1976 by female punk artist Shanne Bradley and are notable as having been Pogues frontman Shane MacGowan's first musical group. Initially consisting of vocalist/songwriter Shane MacGowan (known at the time as 'Shane O'Hooligan'), bassist/songwriter/original punk artist Shanne Bradley, guitarist/artist Roger Towndrow  and drummer Arcane Vendetta; The Nipple Erectors performed their first gig at The Roxy Club Covent Garden. London in 1977. The band later released four singles and there was one bootleg live album between 1978 and 1981. Inspired by The Stooges, The Nipple Erectors incorporated elements of rockabilly and '60s garage rock into their music.

Following the release of their first single, King Of The Bop, in June 1978 on Soho Records, the band renamed themselves The Nips and released the garage punk song "All The Time in the World"/"Private Eye" with Phil Rowland of Eater on drums. By May 1979, the band's line up had changed to include Gavin "Fritz" Douglas, on guitar. The Power pop anthem, Gabrielle was released in November 1979, first on Soho Records, and then reissued on Chiswick Records. with John ("Grinny") Grinton (ex Skrewdriver) on drums. By the time of its release, Grinny had been replaced by Roger Travis Williams. Gavin Douglas' guitar playing on this record marked a change in the band's sound to a more melodic style. A live album, Only the End of the Beginning was released on Soho Records in 1980, from a recording made whilst on tour with the Purple Hearts. Two other live bootlegs have recently appeared, Live @ The 101 Club and Live @ the Hope & Anchor both recorded in late 1979.

In 1980, the Nips recorded a demo for Polydor Records at their studio in Bond Street. It was produced by Paul Weller. There were four songs recorded for this session, including "Happy Song" "Nobody To Love", "Ghost Town" and "Love To Make You Cry". The Line up for this recording was, Shane MacGowan-vocals, Shanne Bradley-bass, Gavin Douglas-guitar and Mark Harrison (ex Bernie Tormé)-drums. "Happy Song"/"Nobody To Love" was released as a single in October 1981, on Test Pressing Records. The Nips announced to the press that they were quitting after a last gig @ London's Covent Garden Rock Garden on 10 March 1980. MacGowan and Bradley did reform the band later that year, albeit briefly. The line up included James Fearnley on guitar and Jon Moss on drums. This line up played a final gig at London's Music Machine with The Jam in December 1980. In 1981 Jon Moss joined up with Boy George to form Culture Club. During 1981, Bradley took the band in another direction away from the traditional rock band format to incorporate Greek, Cretan and Irish Roots/Folk music. The popular Irish folk and America folk song "Poor Paddy Works on the Railway" had previously formed part of their early live set with Guitarist Roger Towndrow. This line up included Macgowan and Bradley plus John Hasler (ex Madness) on standup snare drum and Scots/Irish Folk Fiddler David Rattray. Later that year Bradley decided to take a break from music. Shane Macgowan and John Hasler went on to play in Pogue Mahone, later shortened to The Pogues. In 1984 Shanne Bradley co-founded The Men They Couldn't Hang to play "The Alternative Country and Western Festival" on March 1984 @ The Electric Ballroom in Camden. (source: wiki)

- Great Thx to Fredrik -

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WORLD WAR XXIV - No Luck 1995

World War XXXIV are a high energy punk outfit that have been together since early 2013 and are a rehashed version of WWXXIV "one of the best punk bands to come out of Sydney in the early 80's". The current line up comprises local lads from the far north coast of NSW and the original lead singer Mark "Bird" Nowane fronting the band. Bird recalls having seen a flier at a local music store which said "looking for people to jam, punk, no brown eyed girls" (relates to requests for the song!) and thought he must ring. A month later he responded and never looked back. The original World War XXIV formed in the 1980's and were getting into some fast energetic punk music. In 1983 the band did the excellent Azaria/Why Bother single which was one of the best Aussie punk releases of the 80's. The band plays a fast style of punk that combines Dead Kennedys style hardcore, Peter & the Test Tube Babies Oi!sound, and tough Radio Birdman riffs which creates a powerful non generic sound. When asked, Bird recalls that no one could agree on a name, so at the last minute Bird spat out WWXXIV so that the promoters would have a name to go with. "Although we had played a party before under the name of Discharge not knowing until we finished that there was an English punk band with that name already. Everybody agreed on the name (WWXXIV) because it rhymed and perhaps we could change it later if we felt like it", but it stuck like glue. Since the original line up there’s been a couple of changes and many other players have gone through. Bird felt like it wasn't quite right when he reformed the second line up to use the same name but consensus at the time was to go with it. This time around the band decided to stay with the “world war” vein but move forward. Bird says XXX is bit of an eye catcher so WWXXXIV was born. Looking forward to some high energy music, which was lost in the pop punk era; on these both compilatons.

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GUILTY RAZORS - Guilty! 2006

A decent re-release is the next album with original recordings from the late 70's. The Guilty Razors had a singular history. During the 1970s, marked in Paris by the many manifestations of leftist movements, five young musicians influenced from the late 60s atmosphere by their favorite groups (Stooges, Kinks or Velvet Underground) decide to form a rock group. A live band especially, which expresses their rage through a wild rock and uncompromising. So naturally they just incorporate the emerging punk scene in Paris next to Metal Urbain and Asphalt Jungle. They play @ the Gibus in the first part of Jam (not without daring to take on the English Rickenbacker stars!) and also provide the latest delivery punk festival at Olympia in 1978 before the public destroys dozens of chairs. But their working-class reputation and bad boys expertly maintained by their manager Alexis Quinlin very influential character of the rock scene, will soon catch up. In March 1978, following their many escapades, the Polydor label terminates the contract, makes removing the trays 5000 copies of their first EP called 'I Don't Wanna Be A Rich', which eventually almost all pestle. Only a hundred records sent to the press escape destruction. The Guilty Razors still continue to record other tracks including some at a chaotic time in Madrid. The group finally separates early 1979. Their songs will be released on LP/CD in 2006, thx to Seventeen Records. A track appears on the compilation KBD #7 and the complete 7Inch is banned on KBD #77 (click the orange letters above) together with more essential rare goodies.

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THE PROLETARIAT - Soma Holiday 1983

New stuff for me: The Proletariat, punx from Southeastern Massachusetts, whose heyday was during the 1980s, when they were active in the early Boston hardcore scene, sharing the bill with many of the best punk and hardcore punk acts of the time, despite their recorded output having a decidedly non-hardcore aesthetic; the Proletariat show more strongly the musical influences of early British post-punk bands such as The Jam, Buzzcocks and Gang Of Four in their fractured guitar sound. Tired of the pompous bands of the 70’s with their elaborate stage shows they gravitated towards sparse presentation, preferring to let the music and lyrics stand on their own. Between November 1981 and March 1982, they recorded material at Boston's Radiobeat Studios and brought a couple of songs as reels for airplay on local radio stations, the band gained national exposure via the excellent This Is Boston, Not L.A., a compilation of bands from the local scene released by Newbury Comics' Modern Method Records, a self-released limited seven song tape EP called 'Distortion' followed shortly thereafter. Four songs from this demo surfaced on vinyl along with fourteen more songs to comprise the band's first record 'Soma Holiday', Steven Blush, author of American Hardcore: A Tribal History said: "The Proletariat played offbeat post-Punk with Hardcore intensity and a radical twist. Frontman Richard Brown wrote oblique lyrics, part Ginsberg, part Mao.. 1983's Soma Holiday LP came off light years ahead of its time." In 1984, the band return to Radiobeat Studios to record another album and an early version of "An Uneasy Peace" brought the band international attention via its inclusion on the P.E.A.C.E. compilation from R Radical Records. Later that year, before their second album was completed, many line-up changes accelerated the end of the Proletariat and shortly after performing a pair of final shows on 1.July 1985 with Italian band Raw Power @ the Living Room rock club in Providence/Rhode Island, the band disbanded.

- Great Thx to Fredrik - 

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V/A - Rock Today 1980

I will be a bit softer with the next record which is probably not released (Metronome) and as promo platte cataloged but its still coming out I think. Well anyway, I have a copy here and on this record is a decent gathering of different styles and not all songs are quite cool but more than 50% I would say is acceptable, especially at the end the sound kicks, no wonder with this bands. The drugs show effect and I feel much better than yesterday, must be fit for the stadium tomorrow. All right, that was it for today, tomorrow is another, enjoy the weekend.

1.New Lines On Love - SNIFF'N' THE TEARS
2.So Good To Be Back Home Again - THE TOURISTS
3.The Eton Rifles - THE JAM
4.Hunted - THE PASSIONS
5.American Heartbeat - DUNCAN BROWNE
6.Dead The Beast, Dead The Poison - THE RADIATORS
7.Heavy Duty - JIMMY HIBBERT
8.Gabrielle - THE NIPS
9.Frustration - PURPLE HEARTS
10.Jumping Someone Else's Train - THE CURE
11.Smash It Up - THE DAMNED
12.You're Ready Now - SLAUGHTER & THE DOGS

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