999 - The Punk Singles 1977-1980

Fine compilation from a band which have been active since 1976 and never get tired. Much infos can be found in the net, here are some key data: In London, on Sunday 5th December 1976, Nick Cash (guitar&vocals), Guy Days (guitar&vocals), Jon Watson (bass) and Pablo LaBritain (drums&percussions) started to play together. The first gig was 22.1.1977 and their band was called The Dials at that time. Soon the changed their name to 48 Hours (Nick Cash was called Gene Carsons at that time), and after that the name was The Fanatics, and finally 999. A 21-track collection highlighting what surely ranks among the most refreshingly pure-sounding catalogs in British punk history, Punk Singles Collection: 1977-1980 rounds up the first four years of 999 history with a survey of every A- and B-side they released during that spell as spread across four different labels: their own Labritian, the majors UA and Polydor, and the post-Stiff maverick Radar. It's an eye-opening gathering. Although 999's reputation (at least at the time) was of a decidedly non-punky R&B band togging up in the latest fashion then cranking up their pub rock to mach ten standards, early 45s "I'm Alive," "Nasty Nasty," "Homicide," and most of all "Emergency" have taken on a classic aura that simply oozes period spit and vinegar. Equally rewarding, the B-sides are all cut from precisely the same cloth, meaning the first two-thirds of Punk Singles Collection: 1977-1980 races by in a blur of bondage pants, safety pins, and whatever other accoutrements you may require. Later 999 efforts lost something of that early adrenalin, but still it's hard not to execute at least a partial pogo as "Found Out Too Late" and "Trouble" get underway. Add Captain Oi!'s traditionally excellent packaging and a booklet stuffed with envy-making picture sleeves and even if you already own the band's regular albums, this set is well worth investigating. Essential!

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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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TH' INBRED - A Family Affair 1986

Puuhhhhh, somehow I'm not coming vertical today and my muse seems to be drunk from yesterday. Well, only one effective means help: cold beer + fast music; the medicine today is: Th' Inbred, a Punk/Hardcore band from Morgantown/West Virginia. Formed in 1984 by @rt (vocals), Robert (guitars), Duff (bass), Biff 3 (drums) and they released one EP and two albums between 1985 and 1988 and toured the US three times. A politically pointed punk act influenced by celebrities of the punk scene of that time (Dead Kennedys, Minutemen, Crass and Black Flag), their thrashy attack morphed into jazz-influenced hardcore by the end. As you can see, this is the artwork of the German pressing on Bonzen Records which includes the "Reproduction" EP as bonus, unfortunately not parat here. Anyway, the twelve songs are very powerful and impressive and the original idea was to form punk band that incorporated a banjo into the band. Subject matter of the songs included many looking critically at the punk scenes they were (or had been) a part of or linked to. There was an influence from situationism and anarchism. They disbanded in 1988 and singer Robert died sadly on February 8, 2020. Nothing more today, important the football Champions-League final in about four hours.

- Great Thx to Fredrik -

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MASSACRE - s/t LP 1985

Finnish three piece from Kuru, alive from 1984 - 1989, got back together 2006. On their rare debut at the start: Pete (vocals/guitars), Minnie (bass), Make (drums) and recorded for Propaganda Records, distributed by Rock-O-Rama. It is known that Finnish bands have a large following, fan base or at least enjoy a high status. From the far north of Europe comes great musical enjoyment in form of extreme hardcore, melodic ramonespunk, powerful punkrock and dark heavy metal, something for everyone. Massacre confirm this impressively with their eleven varied blasts. The record is hard to get and is all too often offered at overpriced Euronen, so enjoy every song as I do. Two more albums followed, four singles and lots of compilation contributions, some can be found in the blog. Great Stuff! 

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V/A - Hate Your Neighbours #1 1997

The last weekend before my vacation and let's ring this in with an unofficial compilation by Pussy Muncher and first the question: is there a sequel? As far as I know: No! It doesn't matter either... Eighteen rare New Zealand punk smasher from 1978 to 1983 convince even the deepest forest dwellers, muesli eaters and felt heads, with top insert, band-notes and other useful infos (more background a click away on audioculture), exactly my cup of tea. What more can I say? You Can't Kick Our Arse But You Can Lick It! In this sense, enjoy the nuggets with a cold drink and don't go to bed late.

1.I Am A Rabbit - PROUD SCUM

2.Suicide - PROUD SCUM

3.True Love - THE SCAVENGERS

4.Mysterex - THE SCAVENGERS

5.Suicide 2 - PROUD SCUM

6.Saturday Night Stay At Home - SUBURBAN REPTILES

7.We Got A Stage - SUPERETTES

8.Love Sprouts - THE PRIMMERS

9.Police Wheels - FEATURES

10.My Neighbours - NOCTURNAL PROJECTIONS

11.Marlene's Fish Shop - NOCTURNAL PROJECTIONS

12.Hate Me Hate Me - SPELLING MISTAKES

13.Sheep - TOY LOVE

14.Routine - THE SCAVENGERS

15.T.V. - SMASHED EXECUTIVE

16.Out Of Control - THE STEROIDS

17.Let There Be Noise - DUM DUM BOYS

18.Bitch Goddess - THE HENCHMEN

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ROTJOCH - Bad Boy 1981

Now a catchy record from our friendly neighbors: Rotjoch was founded in 1978 by singer/songwriter Ronald "Rebel" Welgemoed (vocals/guitar), Juan (guitar), Pim (bass) and William (drums); the band released its first single "Tomorrow" in 1981 on Polydor. It became a small hit in the Netherlands. Later that year they released a second single "Bad Boy" and an album with the same name. The album became a milestone in the powerpop genre. Although the single Bad Boy didn't sell many copies it became their most popular song after it was released on the album Powerpearls Volume 5 in 1999. In 1982 they released a third single "Baby Baby Baby" under the name Rebel on the French label VIP-Records. It didn't sell very well either but is now very popular amongst powerpop collectors, due to its rarity. A short time later Rotjoch split. Ronald kept on performing as Rebel and released two albums, "You're Already Listening" in 1989 en "The Morning Sun" in 2007. A few years ago Ronald tried to organize a Rotjoch reunion but it was very hard to get them all together at the same time. He recorded some new songs with leadguitarist Pim Bilderbeek that may be released in some time but the reunion didn't work out. Ronald had written a lot of new songs for Rotjoch so he decided to start the new Rotjoch with some new members which he met at local jamsessions, Juan Carlos Gieling on guitar and Pim Meester on bassguitar. He asked drummer Bryan Hahury, with whom he was playing for about four years in the band Crosstown, to join the band. Together they recorded four songs in the Bandstart Studio in Naarden, The Netherlands. Two of those songs are released on a single, "Sexy" and "Say No More". Some new songs are recorded now with a new drummer, William van Veenendaal. They are released on an EP containing the songs "Nobody Knows", "Silly Questions", "Odd Or Even" en "We're Not Gonna Take It Anymore". Then they recorded twelve new songs in the Dubcellar Studio with technician Robert Curiel. The songs are now on the album "Here To Stay" that was released in April 2019 by record company Helena Music Records. You can listen to the album on our audio page. All the songs are mastered by Kevin Metcalfe, known for his work (among others) with Bowie, Queen and The Who. On our shop page you can find links to sites where you can buy or stream our album. Rotjoch recently released the (down-load only) single "Night Winds" coming from the album "Here To Stay"

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UNWANTED - Shattered Silence 1984

Sole album by Manitoba's Unwanted on Head Butt Records and the band consisted of Norm (vocals), James & Randy (guitars), Ken (bass) and Kirk (drums). Their first sign of life was the famous In Case Of Emergency Kick Ass tape, which set the bar high, followed by a track on BYO's Something To Believe In compilation (could post this sucker soon) and finally Shattered Silence. The title is superbly chosen, and it is powerfully stepped on the pedals that it just smokes. Eleven fast songs in twenty-two minutes speak a clear language, which reflecting in their words. The album will certainly not change the world but it is a little spicy cashew-peanut mix and makes you thirsty...

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DIE SEUCHE - Pächter Des Wahnsinns 1990

After their debut die Seuche from Berlin released the same year this mini-album with four more metallic punk songs on the A-side and five live recordings from the Open-Air Festival Hasenheide/Berlin 21.07.1990, again via Aggressive Rockproduktionen (AGR). Very powerful record and good German lyrics. Die Seuche broke up 1993.

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THE VIBRATORS - V2 1978

Classic punk by the Vibrators from London and active since 1976, they have released well over twenty records to date. You see, these are young veterans of good music. Info: The Vibrators were founded by Ian 'Knox' Carnochan, Pat Collier (bass), John Ellis (guitars), and drummer John 'Eddie' Edwards. They first came to public notice at the 100 Club when they backed Chris Spedding in 1976. On Spedding's recommendation, Mickie Most signed them to his label RAK Records. Most produced their first single, "We Vibrate". The band also backed Spedding on his single, "Pogo Dancing". The Vibrators recorded sessions for John Peel at BBC Radio 1 in October 1976, June 1977 & February 1978. They were one of the pioneering punk bands that played at London's Roxy Club. The band signed to Epic Records in early 1977. Their debut album, Pure Mania, was well regarded by some music critics and, seventeen years after its release, The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music named Pure Mania one of the 50 best punk albums of all time. During the 1980s, John Ellis recorded with Peter Gabriel, as well as recording and touring frequently with Peter Hammill, then subsequently the Stranglers, eventually joining the latter full-time in the 1990s. Pat Collier went on to work closely with the Soft Boys, producing their seminal album Underwater Moonlight, and Robyn Hitchcock, producing and mixing some of his solo albums (to which Knox also sometimes contributed). Phil Ram went on to form Able Ram and brought out two singles, "Disco In Moscow" and "Hope We Make It", although without any chart success. Despite numerous line-up changes, the Vibrators are still touring to this day as a three-piece, with "Eddie" being the only original member. V2 was their most successful album, reaching #33 in the UK Albums Chart and it earned the band a TV appearance on Top Of The Pops. You can read more about them in the web and you're doing nothing wrong buying a V record.

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DEAD CAN DANCE - s/t LP 1984

Today to a band that I appreciate very much and always enjoy playing: Dead Can Dance, formed 1981 in Melbourne by Brendan Perry (The Scavengers/The Marching Girls) & Lisa Gerrard. Excllent info from their 4AD label for you: "Their music began as collages made from musical lineages, lost tribes and cultures long since forgotten - and by giving new life to so much from the past, they created a genuinely timeless body of work. They shared vocal responsibilities, and while Perry was certainly capable of haunting subtleties and real sonority as a singer, it was more often Gerrard's rhapsodic vocalising that drew the attention of critics and fans. In a sense, Gerrard didn't simply sing for Dead Can Dance: she made sounds with her voice, and turned that experience into something much larger and more far-ranging than mere singing. Perry's soundscapes blur distinctions between organic and sampled, old and new, drawing on disparate traditions (neo–classical, choral, baroque, troubadour) and weaving together influences from Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Asia, North Africa, the Mediterranean and beyond..." I was lucky to see this fantastic band live in the old opera house in Frankfurt and the almost three-hour performance is one of the best I've ever seen live. With around twenty artists on stage and the appropriate equipment, they filled the hall with their spherical music and sent you into other worlds, far away from reality and I can tell you, my pearl and I are went home very impressed & flashed. "...having finally secured their contract in 1983, it wasn't until March the following year that 4AD released their eponymous first album, a collection of the songs they had written over the previous four years. Also 1984 they released a 12'' "Garden Of The Arcane Delights" which is included here as bonus." Though the band split in 1998, they reformed briefly for a world tour in 2005. In winter 2011, they reunited once again to record a new album and completed a world tour promoting its release in 2012 and they're still alive. I recommend you get to know this band, no matter what album you start with, there is no bad one.

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