THE MEANIES - Come'N'See 1992

I think, the Soccer World Cup would start today, but this year it's different and I have to say I don't like watching the WM in winter... but that's another story. - Also this weekend I start with a cracker and for that we travel 'Down Under' and visit Melbourne and meet the Meanies there. They were formed 1988 by Link (vocals/guitar), D.D. (guitar), VB (bass), Ringo (drums) and this is their great debut album on Au Go Go Records with twelve unleashed catchy melodic numbers. The level is constantly high and powerful and this full dose of energy pushes you immediately into a good mood mode, oh yeah! A bit background: "the four provides energetic performances, with Link injured on stage on several occasions. According to Australian musicologist, Ian McFarlane, they "were the undisputed kings of the inner-city/all-ages circuit. The band's frantic, Ramones-inspired power pop and hyperactive live shows drew capacity audiences of alacritous fans. The Meanies were also one of the most productive independent recording bands of the day." But shadows hovered over the band, D.D. died in February 2008 after being diagnosed with cancer. Their guitarist from 1993 onwards, Tasman died in August 2008 in a car accident as well. Jaws joined as a new guitarist and they recorded two more albums, the last, their fourth Desperate Measures, came out in 2020. Now I'll leave you alone and have a good start after work with this brilliant music.

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ROSES ARE RED - Can't Understand 7'' 1979

Not really new in blogland, but this bloody record is always worth a post and it belongs to a five piece from London and their only slab on Posthumous Petal with two superb killer tracks. Formed in the first half of 1978, Roses Are Red suffered a series of personnel changes before in March 1979 line-up featuring Chris (vocals), Nicky & Greg (guitars), Ian (bass), Jon (drums). Unfortunately the band only had a short existence in the punk world, but their single is a fantastic outpouring of solid and powerful hip swings that other combos at the time couldn't even come closer to. Fire and dynamic are paired here in one breath and the New York label Sing Sing Records recognized this as well and re-released this goodie in 2009, a good decision. They've also been invited to a few compilations, and for good reason. Enjoy!

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ENEMY MIND FEEL - Halflife 10.000 Years EP 1989

From Calgary comes this obscure short-lived combo and this is their only output on Raging Records. The baby is called Enemy Mind Feel and consisted of Mikhail Cyber (vocals/harmonica/rhythm guitar), Killer (lead guitar), Dev Ttypl (bass), Finger Bone (sax/clarinet) and in 1988 they released a tape called Wintermute and they describe themselves as the first "Cyberpunk" band in Calgary and they live this lifestyle: anarchistic computer geeks by day, rock gods by night. Their twisted brand of noise/punk/no-wave rock makes even the most seasoned listener cringe with delight. The band members believe that Armageddon will come in a blast of feedback. Enemy Mind Feel has been together for nine months, and has placed select live dates in Calgary. The first performance occurred after the band had been together for only a week. On this piece of wax are four... I would say moody but catchy tracks and with a voice I enjoy listening to and suits the sound perfectly. This is really a superb EP from the late Eighties and rarely heard from Canada, at least I don't know of any comparable combo. Do something good for your ears and listen to this cool record.

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BIKINI KILL - Reject All American 1996

Second album by Bikini Kill from Olympia/Washington on Kill Rock Stars. They were credited with instigating the Riot Grrrl movement in the early 90's via their political lyrics, zines and confrontational live performances. Twelve catchy songs with passion and emotion which maybe aren't as hard as on their debut Pussy Whipped but received generally favorable & mixed reviews and "Reject All American has the requisite raw production, blistering three-chord riffs, and Kathleen's gut-churning screams". Well, I think the album is okay and I would recommend it as an entry for all newcomers and check out their fourth 7Inch from 1995 I Like Fucking as well.

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GUTTERSNIPES - The Poor Dress Up 1989

Melodic songs with a slight Oi! breeze comes from the small island in Western Europe: the Guttersnipes were formed 1987 in London by Shug (vocals/guitar), Andy (guitars), A.K. (bass), John (drums) and early gigs quickly gain the band a reputation as an exciting live act, supporting the likes of Splodgenessabounds, Mega City Four and the Senseless Things. During mid 1989 their debut album The Poor Dress Up was released by the independent label Razor Records and went on to sell 1500 copies despite complete lack of promotion or advertising by Razor. The album sells only because of Andy and Shug’s work in promoting the band through the fanzine network in Europe. During 1991 they make their first trip to Germany where they are astonished at the reception. This keeps the enthusiasm going & they sign to new label Vice Records who release their 2nd album Hairy On The Inside.... four more albums followed, the last one in 2016, and in this file you can listen to the CD version with their only single as bonus. A fine Scheibchen! 😌

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INOCENTES - Miséria E Fome 1988

Recently we hosted Olho Seco and speaking of important & influential bands from Brazil, the Inocentes are definitely one of them, an essential hardcore combo that made it as famous as... useless Infos: Inocentes is one of the oldest active Punk combos in Brazil. The group was formed 1981 in São Paulo by Ariel (vocals), Callegari (guitars), Clemente (bass) & Marcelino (drums), former members of pioneer locals Restos de Nada and Condutores de Cadáver. During their first incarnation in the first half of the 1980s, they played basic energetic and politically charged Hardcore/Punk, exemplified by the Grito Suburbano compilation tracks. The band's powerful performances and firm stance soon raised it to the level of one of the movement's spokespersons. Clemente (bass) wrote in his 1982 manifesto: “We are here to revolutionize Brazilian popular music, to paint Asa Branca in black, delay the Trem das Onze, step on Geraldo Vandré’s flowers and make Amélia a woman.” Whatever, they were one of the most requested bands of the movement at that time, present in several TV articles, magazines and in the documentary “Garotos Do Subúrbio” by Fernando Meirelles. In 1983 they released the Miséria E Fome EP on their own and in Germany two tracks on the Life Is A Joke compilation (my first encounter with the band) via Weird System. At the end of the same year the band ended their activities.

In early 1984, Inocentes returned to the stage with a new sound and formation, appeared in the Rock Paulista scene in 1986, were hired by Warner and signed in the same year as the first Brazilian Punk band to a multinational label. They released the mini-LP Pânico Em SP and embark on their first national tour, gaining exposure across the country and eventually reaching mainstream media and the general public. Still with Warner, they released two more albums, 1987's Adeus Carne and 1989's Inocentes. This file is the re-release by Devil Discos and all tracks were recorded 1983, the first four tracks were released on the debut EP and the rest not. Reasons are from liner notes on insert: "This record should have been released in mid-1983, but due to problems with censorship, we were obliged to turn this LP into a 'compact'." And since I don't know exactly why and my Portuguese is rusty, I can't say more about it. It's not important either. Fact is: this record is excellent stuff with a great pissed sound how I love it and not uninteresting for Wenke Myhre fans.

- Great Thx to Julio -

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ANTI-CIMEX - The Complete Demos Collection 1982-1983

"One of the most pioneering and seminal Scandinavian Hardcore bands ever, that influenced past and present generations with their trademark of rough sound, iconic art and enraged tunes: Anti-Cimex". Formed 1981 in Gothenburg, the original line-up was: Nillen (vocals), Jocke (guitar), Jonsson (bass) & Charlie (drums). After rehersing for a while, they released their first EP Anarkist Attack. In 1982 the band kicked out Nillen and Jonsson took over the vocals part and Conrad became the new bassist. They also released a new single later in the year called Raped Ass and in 1983 they released another 7Inch Victims Of A Bombraid. Three years later Anti Cimex released a mini-LP called Criminal Trap. At this time, Jocke had got tired of the band and they asked Cliff, if he wanted to join the band, but he said no and the rest of the band members got tired of the problems and it resulted in the band splitting up. In 1990, Anti Cimex decided to start the band again after Cliff had agreed to join and they say, that it is thanks to him, that they regrouped. They released the comeback album Absolut Country Of Sweden the same year. In 1993, Anti Cimex released a raw live album Made In Sweden. The show was also shot on video, but never released. They later released a new live 7Inch Fucked In Finland Live 92 and later on followed the album Scandinavian Jawbreaker. After the release of this album, the band split up and the members started in other bands, such as Driller Killer (Cliff) and Wolfpack (Jonsson). In 2004, Pelea Records released the A Tribute To Anti-Cimex compilation, featuring a line up of d-beat and crust bands from all over the world, that were influenced by the Swedes. With this record, which took a lot of time and effort, the Italian label Agipunk cobbled together a firework of twenty-nine raw and pure tracks, and equipped them with interesting infos and also conjured up some colored limited vinyl for collectors. Fascinating, Spock would say!

- Great Thx to Fredrik -

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V/A - 1984 The Third 2LP 1987

One of my favorite compilations is the double album by the important French label New Wave Records, who released a small series called 1984 in the Eighties with tons of international bands and every release is a direct hit in my opinion. Also Freunde, Volume 3 was pressed 1500 times and there are thirty-eight bands/songs to discover, plus a detailed booklet with lots of infos and lyrics and and and... I love such loving and detailed slabs because they not only make an impact acoustically, but also visually and I'm certainly not alone there, and on days off like these, the pleasure is doubly pleasant. The only downside is that I have to write so much and don't like to write much. I've already thought about not writing anything anymore, but I don't like that either. What a conflict hahaha... Now I'll open a beer and the subtle reference to Volume 4 (the last part) and the first two will follow... someday!

1.Stress Test/The Tables Turn - YOUTHQUAKE

2.Just Sixteen - DARK AGE

3.Jugend - EXTREM

4.A - ZOI

5.No More Problems - ROSTOK VAMPIRES

6.Poupée Speed - SS20

7.Muerete Dirigente - ATAQUE FRONTAL

8.Doo, Radden Menneskehed - VI

9.CRS = SS - SCRAPS

10.Return Of Frost - DEVIATED INSTINCT

11.Egoista - F.P.B.

12.L'Engrais De Ma Révolte - PARIA PUNK

13.Reasons - N.V. BOYS

14.Pauv'con - MASK HAGAZ

15.Werbling - BÖSLINGE

16.Toulouse Boredom - PIN PRICK

17.Number - PATARENI

18.Terroristes - RAZZLE DAZZLE

19.Seurapiirihuora - U.S.C.

20.Em Setembro - CÓLERA

21.Générique/Violence In The Shows - KRULL

22.Anarchie, Frieden, Liebe - ALPTRAUM GMBH

23.Futur Macabre - VLASTA

24.Mayhem - LOUDBLAST

25.Greed - CANCEROUS GROWTH

26.Le Pogo Des Eboueurs - TRASHMEN POGO

27.Penal Repression - CHAOTIC SUBVERSION

28.I'll Pull The Switch - RANDOM KILLING

29.Rien Á Dire, Rien Á Faire - LES CADAVRES

30.Dežuje - TOŽIBABE

31.L'Exécution - LES PROPHÉTES DU DÉSASTRE

32.I Don't Need - BLABLASCHMURTZ

33.Behind High Walls - DOC WOR MIRRAN

34.Fight For Freedom - WYLSPER

35.Kivul - DIE TROTTEL

36.L'Homme Se Meurt - COCK ROACHS

37.New One - CHANNEL RATS

38.Dziecko - REJESTRACJA

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DEAD BOYS - Young Loud & Snotty 1977

Not really new in Blogland, but I recently saw a movie about the former New York music club CBGB that came out in 2013 and it's very entertaining and interesting, check it out, and Cleveland's Dead Boys play a major role in it. They were among one of the early American Punk combos, and one of the most rowdy, provocative, and violent groups of the era, or the first band to escalate the level of violence, nihilism, and pure ugliness of punkrock to extreme new levels. Formed 1977 by Chrome (guitar), Blitz (drums), Stiv (vocals), Jimmy (guitars), Jeff (bass) as Frankenstein but the group only managed a handful of local shows before fading away. Changing their name to the Dead Boys the band caused an immediate splash in their newly adopted hometown, due to Bators' Iggy Pop-esque, audience-bating antics, and the group's vicious three-chord Punkrock.

A superb review: "Fellow Cleveland types Pere Ubu may have won the artistic kudos for their adventurous, surprising work, but if the goal was just to rock and rock again, the Dead Boys had them totally trumped. As both title phrase and capsule description, Young, Loud & Snotty accurately defines the predominating aesthetic so well that one could just leave it at that, but there's a lot more going on here than on the face of it. With perhaps surprising great production from demi-famous '70s rocket Genya Ravan, the five-some found something sonically smack in-between the US garage/punk heritage of the past and the more modern thrashings from overseas. Bators sneers, gobs, gasps, and whines with the best of them, but he knows his rock history, as does his bandmates. Zero and Chrome aren't guitar virtuosos, but they do know what makes a song great and aren't afraid to concentrate on that, while the Magnum/Blitz rhythm section keeps things moving as it does. In some ways songs like 'All This And More' and 'I Need Lunch' simply emerge from an alternate '50s, with admittedly much more feedback and stereo sound. Stone cold rock classic 'Sonic Reducer' starts things off -- amusingly -- with all sorts of phased drums and other fripperies that later generations wouldn't consider punk at all. That said, it's still blunt, brilliantly sung by Bators and kicks out the jams with messy energy. Other all-time greats include the perfect bored-and-needing-kicks anthem 'Ain't Nothin' To Do' and the thoroughly wrong 'Caught With The Meat In Your Mouth'. There's even a rock oldie -- a cover of 'Hey Little Girl' live onstage at spiritual home CBGB's. And why not? With great punk rock and great rock, Young, Loud And Snotty still packs a punch." (Ned Raggett)

Haven't listened to it for a long time and have now rediscovered it through the movie, and I have to say, that I would have loved to have been there, back then in New York. And now, onto the stage with you.

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TAXI - Eat Me 7'' 1999

All right folks, yet another four piece combo from Rome called Taxi and they consisted of Ntendarere (vocals), Lorenzo (guitar), Antonio (bass), Francesco (drums) and I advise you to take off your seat belts because the small debut 7Inch by them will take your shoes off, two brilliant ass-kickin' Punk'N'Roll numbers await you and flash you into the fifth dimension. In their eight year activity they made four singles and two albums and it could certainly have been more but Francesco's tragic death in 2007 marked the abrupt end of the four and that's really a sad fucking ending. But Tenda, Lorenzo, Danilo and Michele regrouped as Giuda (Italian for Judas) and their debut album Racey Roller from 2010 became quickly an underground sensation and was highly praised by diverse magazines and remains a cult classic and an inspiration to the hordes of bovver rockers following in Giuda’s wake (I haven't heard the slab yet, but I'll do this asap). Check out the boys, cause they deserve it.

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