NEON - s/t 7'' 2016

Hui, it was a beautiful hot summer day at the lake today and now freshly showered I fill wdthtc with an all-girl band from Switzerland who unfortunately didn't put anything on vinyl when they were active, but some recordings survived the Gau and the essential Berlin label Static Age put out this classic 7Inch (some in pink vinyl) with two goodies back in 2016. A little insight about them from the insert: "We, Astrid (vocals), Dagmar (guitars), Loredana (bass), Gitta (drums) met in May 1978 in Zurich and formed Neon. None of us had ever played an instrument before! But, we were all animated by the spontaneous, creative, and rebellious spirit of Punk. Then ,we practiced for four months and got four songs together. We were surprised that we also managed to build a small fan base with our small numbers of tracks. Our first show was on 1. November 1978 at the Hey Club in Zurich, followed by the gig with Hertz on 17. November at the Spex in Bern. To fill the respective evening's programme we simply played or entire repertoire several times over.

In the beginning, we planned to shoot a Super-8 movie about holidays in a subway station: Neon sun and Neon fun. It shoud then have been shown at our concerts, while we played live. In addition, neon art objects strewn across the stage. Yet, everything went so fast that, eventually, we only could make a light installation with regular neon tubes.

Then in December, a performance on Swiss television took place for a programm about "Woman In Show Business." The TV appearance did not make us happy at all. The recordings of our songs were done in a music studio and we had to fight hard for them. Then, this stage direction voice gave commands from out of nowhere and did not suit us at all. After this wretched story we decided on playing no further gigs for a while. During this time-out, we also rehearsed with other musicians, leading to a temporary replacement on bass. Then, in 1979 two gigs at POCH (Progressive Organisations Of Switzerland, a leftwing political party) events in Zurich; on 17. March at the Limmathaus and on 14. July at Helvetiaplatz, together with TNT. The latter was an Open Air Festival and, at the same time, our farewell show since Neon disbanded thererafter."

There's still a bit more infos, but I don't want to write more, read the rest on the insert while you hear the two classics from this short-lived band. I now have to equalize my Backgammon losses from this afternoon.

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Impressions XVIII

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V/A - Kulturschock Attacke #2 1987

An excellent follow-up to Volume 1 is Kulturschock Attacke numero two on Broken Rollbrett Records and belongs for me to the most important D-Punk compilations like those by Weird System and AGR. Twenty-two true nuggets are on here from bands that were either newly formed at the time and released their first recordings here, some only made it to a demo, others released some brilliant records (find them in this theater). Some songs are really exceptionally good, for example Result Of Boredom, Pestlilence, Silent Rate, F.O.H. or Catholic Sperms, whose songs are almost the highlights for me and which I would have believed had the potential for a great future in the Eighties. But the other musical outpourings are also worth listening to and I give these two volumes full marks; GREAT GERMAN NOISE ATTACK! Now I'm snipping four kilos of strawberries I've picked myself and in the afternoon there's the delicious SGE Burger. Is life great sometimes? Yes, it is!

1.Our Last Fun - PESTILENCE

2.Im Namen Des Volkes - CIRCLE OF SIG-TIU

3.Deutschland Ist Tot - THE CROWDS

4.Night In The City - RESULT OF BOREDOM

5.Fuck Off Pessimism - RESULT OF BOREDOM

6.Wir Waren Helden Für Einen Tag - INZEST

7.Just A Lie - MOLOTOW SODA

8.Politiker (Dein Leben) - FLAG OF HATE

9.Mallorca Dreams - ÄNI(X)VÄX

10.American Choices - MEMENTO MORI

11.Strychninie - SUBNARCOTICS

12.Nikotin - BLANKER HOHN

13.Give Me Some Life - SILENT RITE

14.Von Gott Gesandt - DIE GOTTGESANDTEN

15.Hohle Wangen - DIE GOTTGESANDTEN

16.Alcoholic Tendencies - TALKIN' TO THE TOILET

17.Sisters Are Worse - CATHOLIC SPERMS

18.Tribute To An Unknown - CATHOLIC SPERMS

19.Jingle Hells - DIE PERVERSEN WEIHNACHTSMÄNNER

20.Fortschritt - ALPTRAUM GMBH

21.Viele Tausend - ALPTRAUM GMBH

22.Die Hand Satans - LIANED

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ACTIVES - Kick It Down 1983

Puhhhh, the long fucking work weed is over and now four days off, Yeah! Now the Actives, hailing from the north of the British Isle and this is their great debut on Quiet Records and they were actice from 1981-1987. - I'm extreme exhausted and therefore now a little info which I found in the web from musicmetason: "this quartet had links with Alternative, sharing their instruments and gigging together. Dougie McHale joined Alternative in 1983 (he was replaced with Smed) and Eric 'Rice' Beveridge from Alternative joined the Actives in 1984, after the release of their third and final release, the Wait & See 12"! The band's manager Sconey took over vocals at this point. Although the Kick It Down album won a rave review in MRR, they are still pretty obscure. Mole (of Skeptix and Shattered Family) was also a member at some point. Here's how the liner notes to Reactivated tells the story: The Actives were actually born of frustrated roadies and followers of "The Alternative" in Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland in December '81. The Alternative shared their practice pad, instruments and social life with the Actives, indeed the original Actives guitarist, Dougie, joined the Alternative in mid '82. A number of support gigs with the Alternative followed but it soon became apparent both bands were playing to different sections of the punk audience. Difference of opinions, especially over lyrical content, saw the Actives being asked to leave the shared practice pad in late '82. A high degree of musical mediocrity fused with an uncontrolled desire to play very loud and very fast led to a publishing contract deal in 1982 with ex Menace member Charlie Casey. A record deal followed in early '83. Two months later the single 'Riot' EP was released. The only cloud on the horizon was the recording of the album Kick It Down which was mixed by an uninterested old shit of a hippy - giving the album the unique sound of shouting a lot whilst your mum is vacuuming directly behind you. The much more musically satisfying (and last) single Wait '& See!' was released late '83. In early 1984 the singer, Lewis, left the band and the ex "Alternative" member, Rice, joined on lead vocals. A number of demo tapes followed but no further records were released. Local gigs followed, especially memorable was a support slot with the Toy Dolls. Rice left the band in '85. The ex-manager, Sconey, then took on the mantle of singer. Further demo tapes were made but the band eventually called it a day in late 1987. Where are they now? Lewis (vocals) - last seen Dunfermline bumming free beer at Budgie's house Budgie (bass) - last seen Dunfermline talking about how well his tomatoes were doing this year Kirky (drums) - last sighted Japan Rice (vocals) - often seen in America and at Punk gigs especially around females." - Fantastic record in every way and I'm sure you like it.

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V2 - At The Edge Of Chaos 2019

We stay in this gray City and meet V2 which formed in March 1977 evolving from the early Manchester Punkscene based around the legendary Electric Circus venue. Of the four Manchester Punk bands around at the time, the Fall, Buzzcocks, V2 and Warsaw, V2 were the ones who fell to earth: ‘as subtle as flying buzz-bombs’ and destined for the same early grave. V2 gigs were chaotic, but this was where they really made their mark. Audiences were treated to a white-faced, black-eyed, bad-skinned young band wearing Frankenstein boots, who attacked the crowd with guitars hacked into cricket bats, bombed them with flour bags and once, set them on fire with cheap flash-bombs thrown by a drunken ‘helper’. You either loved ’em or you fuckin’ hated em! Faced with a constant lack of money/motivation and bad management the band fell to bits. Underachievement has given the band a cult status that some ‘more successful bands’ can only dream of…This LP (500 only) compiles both of their classic singles Man In The Box and Speed Freak, their withdrawn third single Is Anyone OutThere? and various studio recordings that never saw the light of day, packed in a full colour cover with insert detailing the band’s history. A damn hot record that sweeps the dust out of your deaf ears.

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V/A - A Manchester Collection 1979

Somehow I'm not really waking up today and the long working week has fucked me off, despite the holiday, but I also want to make a first post on this sunny Sunday before I have to take care of the stupid obligations as a tenant. This nice compilation shows bands of the Manchester Musicians Collective and was released via Object Music and is an early audio document of the emerging underground scene in this city. A short intro from the BandOnTheWall site which describes those early days in detail: "When the idea of a Manchester Musicians Collective first emerged, it was expected that the participants would be from the exploratory end of the music spectrum, free improvisers perhaps and committed experimentalists, possibly mixing music with performance art. This expectation was based on the involvement with other collectives of the two original protagonists, music graduates Trevor Wishart and Dick Witts (Trevor in York, Dick in London). But soon after the Collective got going in April 1977 it was obvious that Manchester’s version would be very different: much more Rock’N’Roll." Well, infected by this spirit, in addition to the loud, horrible Punk music that emerged at the end of the seventies, numerous bands were formed and left us unforgettable moments with their tuneful sounds. A refreshing record, that still pushes me in a good mood!

1.You Are The One - GROW-UP

2.Night Rally - GROW-UP

3.I'm In Love - I.Q. ZERO

4.I Must Obey - I.Q. ZERO

5.Why - FAST CARS

6.What Can I Do? - FAST CARS

7.Monotony - MEDIATERS

8.Fireplace - FIREPLACE

9.Dutchman - FIREPLACE

10.First Floor - PICTURE CHORDS

11.Levitating Ladies - PICTURE CHORDS

12.The Cake Shop Device - MANCHESTER MEKON

13.Property Of... - PROPERTY OF...

14.Wooden Gangsters - VIBRANT THIGH

15.Working On The Line - F.T.INDEX

16.Double Face - SLIGHT SECONDS

17.New Me - SLIGHT SECONDS

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DIE SALINOS - Du Siehst Nicht Aus Wie Ich Ausseh 1981

Welcome on this wonderful hot summer day and I don't want to stay long at the Computer because life is calling me, so here we go: the Salinos consisted of Achim (vocals/guitar), Lotte & Peter (guitars), Bert (bass), Siggi (drums), Beate (accordion/flugelhorn/minimoog), Gabi (accordion), Meggi (percussion) and was formed 1978 in Gelsenkirchen and featured members of the theatre group "Küchentheater". Their first performances were done in the same year under the name of "K.O.T.S." (Küchentheater On Tour Secretly). In late June 1979, the Salinos released a six-track EP, which was one of New Wave's first self-produced singles. In September they performed at the 'Antifascist Festival' in Berlin. On December 29th they took part in the event 'Geräusche Für Die 80er' in the Markthalle Hamburg (they belonged together with Minus Delta t, Tempo and Liebesgier to the experimental bands, which were attacked by parts of the audience (Stupid Morons) and sometimes physically attacked). In 1980 the live tape Überzeugungstäter was released, and in August 1981 the album Du Siehst Nicht Aus Wie Ich Ausseh and it sold thousands of copies within a few weeks. Until 1982, the band played regularly in trendy bars in the Ruhr area and repeatedly in the Ratinger Hof in Düsseldorf. Their heterogeneous audience included "Punks as well as old freaks or many NORMAL people". Since then there have been various event-related reunions. Musically, they took their cue from early Rock'N'Roll and refined it with their own garage-like New Wave/Punk sound and played their self-written material: In addition, they adapted classic German Schlager. In their songs they showed a "sense of enigmatic wit, a rarity in the otherwise so stupid, dead serious German Punk scene" (Sounds/1979) and "constantly walked on the border between genius and kitsch" (Spex/1980). Thomas Groetz recognized in the lyrics of the song a "tongue in cheek criticism of social conditions". In 1985 the band split up. - Enough words; beer ready+go!

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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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