SCOUNDRELS - Join Hands 1988

A largely unknown band are the Scoundrels, a Dutch/Belgian combo, who started playing 1979 and were around until 1990 and made three albums and countless Compilation appearances. Join Hands is their second output which came via Swaddle Records and line-up were Patrick (vocals/guitars), Frank (bass/vocals), Butsenzeller (drums). I can't say exactly why that is, my first contact came through the Not Great For Great Men Compi whose song I like a lot, but I took it as a side note and at that time I wasn't focused on buying records, because I was constantly broke. Well, somehow I came across this record and discovered twelve solid varied mid-tempo Eighties songs with excellent lyrics (very personal) at its best. I strongly recommend you to listen to their first demo Ufreettoemoef from 1985, where you can also find more infos about the band. And also important: "Following a thirty-one year (!) hiatus, the Scoundrels return to the front with a huge bang… and with their brand new third LP, Oh No! Not Again!!" A Must Listen!

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DOGS - Go Where You Want To Go 12'' 1978

Second release on Melodies Massacre by the Dogs from Rouen and this five track goodie was recorded in Boulogne in only Forty-Eight hours and received very good reviews in the press and gave the band more and more concerts. In 1979, they signed to a Major (Phonogram) and released their debut album Different. They gained a decent following in France and their likeable, frantic catchy music gained a certain notoriety accordingly and their gigs were always well attended. This was reflected in their creativity and numerous albums/singles were recorded up until 2001 and since then things have been quiet on the vinyl front and I can't say if the bands still active.... so enjoy now five splendid pieces of brilliant songwriting.

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REPETITION - The Still Reflex 7'' 1981

Now an older rip and I can't remember where and when exactly bought this 7Inch but is worth listening. Repetition were a Post-Punk band from London, which formed in August 1979. The band's initial line-up was ex SpizzOil guitarist Pete Petrol, Xtraverts drummer Tim Transe, keyboard player A.S.D.H. (Andy Hooper), bassist AWOL (Nicholas), and vocalist Sarah Osbourne. The band were signed to Les Disques Du Crépuscule after gaining the interest of Annik Honore in 1979. Their first single A Still Reflex'/Fade Out was released in January 1981 and was recorded at Spaceward Studios in Saffron Waldon and notably produced by Joy Division manager, Rob Gretton. Owing to the connection with Brussels based Les Disques Du Crepuscule the band toured in Belgium and Holland in 1980 playing at Plan K in Brussels and the Effenaar in Eindhoven and appeared on Generation 80 TV show. The band were managed by Mick Scholefield who later went on to start Heist Or Hit Records. Steve Musham joined the band during this period, playing bass initially, and then replacing Osbourne on vocals on the next single,'A Full Rotation', recorded at Berry Street Studios in London, in 1980. The band recorded a John Peel session at Maida Vale studios on 08/08/1981. The session of four tracks was recorded with a line-up of vocalist/guitarist Steve Musham, ex Spizzenergi bassist/guitarist Jim Solar, Tim Transe (drums) & Andy Hooper (keyboards).

On 13 July Repetition, Marine, Eric Random, Richard Jobson & The Swamp Children performed during a Crepuscule Night at Heaven in London. The event was covered in NME and a cassette souvernir Rendez-Vous Au Paradis was announced but did not appear. Sexy 7Inch to calm down.

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HEMMUNGSLOSE EROTIK - s/t EP '85 + Nackt Im Wind EP '87

I hope you enjoy the free days and today we come to a four piece from Hagen, who appeared only briefly in the mid-eighties, but released two 7inches, both on Gambi Bolongo Records. Hemmungslose Erotik consisted of Cruci (vocals), Stachel (guitars), Kaktus (bass) and Klops (drums). Well, musically it gets rough with a lot of HolterDiPolter and I'd best quote two short reviews at once, the first EP, which offers six trash hits, is reviewed as follows:

"Most (five of six tunes) are traditional Punk, sing-along and UK-Punk style, one tune, “H.E.”, though is a decent thrasher. OK." (Tim Yohannan, MRR #38 • July 1986) The debut EP came in yellow and black/white artwork in an edition of 500 copies. Considering the band played almost only local gigs, they're surprisingly good and if you like a fast and brutal sound, Hemmungslose Erotik make your day. Lyrically they don't mince words and make very clear what moves the boys. "Sounding like Cockney Rejects to some extent, this band’s second EP delivers '79 UK Punk with spirited beat, choruses, and lots of spunk. Above par." (Tim Yohannan, MRR #52 • September 1987) On the second EP, whose cover I'd rather not post, four highlights shine and I guess, at the end of the Eighties the band climbed the Olympus of heavenly snotty Punkrock. Enough music for today, soccer in Leverkusen later, Cheers! 

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PSY-9 - I Don't Want To Get Old 7'' 1998

PSY-9 was found in Summer 1996. After hard years of growing up in the so called town "S.T.P.-Rock-City", these three guys found together again to start their mission. It was definitely not the first band the members played in. Every band member played in different other combos before, so everyone had great knowledge & experience, and brought this into the band when they started in August 1996. Fast, aggressive Hardcore/Punk turned into slower, more rocking melodic sounds, this was in summer 1998. They started to write songs like "I Don't Wanna Get Old" or "Big Teen Burnout", and they got really more acceptance with this kind of noises, so they got involved more and more into the underground scene. PSY-9 crashed into every fucking record company in Austria to get a deal, but they had no actual material of the new songs, so it happened that they went into the Matterhorn studios in Vienna in December 1998. They produced two 7Inches together with Matterhorn-Music-Productions in four days in December 1998. A total of three albums were released until 2002 and some time later they went into a well-deserved musical afterlife. This 7Inch was sold more than 500 times + it's a classic record.

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FIENDENS MUSIK - A Boot Right In The Face 7'' 2014

Slyngel Rekords stands for rare Swedish KBD nuggets, released on colored vinyl and mostly in a limited edition of 300 copies. Slyngel #008 is dedicated to Fiendens Musik, a combo from Lund and started originally as cover band, but quick evolved writing their own songs inspired by the upcoming Punk & New Wave explosion at the end of the Seventies. The band did under a short time four singles and two albums. "Fiendens Musik arose in the gap between the Swedish prog movement and Punk. The result was a raucous and thunderous rock to Swedish lyrics with a strong touch of reality. The band tackled topics such as everyday racism and unprovoked street violence decades before they hit the public agenda, and always with self-perceived lyrics. They struck right and left, with the same sharp irony against square progs and left-wing activists as against young moderate upper-class fashions. The band's name was taken, typically enough, from a Maoist pamphlet against rock music - this capitalist abomination - entitled "The People Can Never Win to the Music of the Enemy". Pompous nonsense to which the Enemy replied with an ironic wink." These two songs were recorded 1979 and are probably outtakes that didn't make it onto the first album, so both perfect for Slyngel's rare 7inch Collection. 👍

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STALAG - Date Limite De Vente 7'' 1981

Stalag was a short-lived four piece from Bordeaux, today their lone 7Inch on Studio Isis Records with two superb smasher. Info: It all started in the spring of 1978 when Kick, singer of Strychnine, friend of Thierry introduced him to two of his friends, one bassist, the other drummer: Richard and Jean. Following Chinoi's rapid passage to this post, deemed too old and technical, Vincent "Tungstène" Simonacci, a student from Dordogne, was recruited after having worked hard to impress his examiners. The audition of a first demo was almost fatal to the combo, but the real blow is dealt a little later when Richard, pillar of the band, leaves Stalag to join Strychnine. The savior will be Raymond Belliard, alias "Beber" & "Magic Ray", a roadie from Standards with an unforgettable look that our three friends flashed on. According to legend, Beber, who had a superb bass which he had never played in his life, surveyed the repertoire in a few days. The quartet was born and started with the anthem "You're not good for nothing!" their brief existence. The image of the bad wankers that they give off at the first appearance is contrasted by the committed statements, the sound and the self-sacrificing atmosphere of their concerts. Stalag works hard and Thierry shows in his lyrics with his magic pen with privileged themes such as fashionable Parisianism, society and the left behind, daddy's boys and the forbidden.

Their charisma puts them more in line with the Clash than the Pistols, and Stalag's many fans (who formed very quickly) chant these words as they gaze at the stage and pogo around, nurturing the group's darkest side. Stalag becomes identifiable to the institutions, who call it "public disorder". Some concerts are canceled as a precaution. It is both the excesses and the ultra-realism of the revolutionary message that make Stalag a historic group. Traces of their precocious power can be heard on this 7Inch and on some wild compilations. But Stalag is best enjoyed live. They will include more than a hundred appointments in total, which is not negligible for a group of the time! They owe this activity in large part to the work of Boogie Production, a company run by Richard and Fabrice, which gave birth to the famous Bordeaux rock tours. In 2003 Cameleon Records re-released their single in an edition of 300 copies and was sold out in a short time and 2007 followed a compilation Dernier Cri via Mémoire Neuve with all songs of their active days plus rare live goodies. Stalag rules, even today! 

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DEFORMED - Gas Atttack! Without Warning! [Tape] 1982

Now an interesting trio from Århus with a short lifespan, just over a year 1981-2, and Deformed was the baby baptized. They only played a handful of gigs in Århus & Copenhagen. The line-up consisted of Kim (vocals/bass), Bjørn (guitars), Johnny (drums). This tape is their only release and Gas Attack! comes out twice, the second edition has four more songs than this version, why? I don't know and it doesn't matter either; fact is, the three play in a refreshing league of melodic songs that almost lead to the Post-Punk fraction, but also contain short numbers and the whole thing is very varied and surprisingly homogeneous. In 2022 a Compilation (...What Never Was...) was released through No Århus Records that deserves a mention and I need to hear this record, also important to say that drummer Johnny is none other than Johnny Concrete who whipped up a fabulous EP (Come With & I must post this goodie soon) in 1984 and is the only permanent member of Dream Police since the beginning. You'll see, in Deformed is enough potential and definitely not a fart in the Danish subculture and I'm sure their music will turn you on as much as me.

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BASTARDS - Schizo Terrorist 1978

A fucking cool record and one I posted already in my former Blog is the next one by the Bastards, a five piece from Geneva and consisted of by Marie-Pierre & Sando (vocals), Jean-Francois (bass), Ralph (guitars), Didier (guitar/drums). The band emerged from the Slam, one of the first Swiss glam rock bands that formed in 1976 and changed its name and sound in 1977, and in their short existence one 7Inch was released through Zaki Records (the original record is available for a cheap € 350,-) and in 2006 Feathered Apple Records reissued this in two versions, first pressing of 500 numbered and the second pressing 1000 regular copies. This combo is pure Punkrock and belongs to the best bands from this country, that is confirmed also by numerous Compilation contributions. They play in the top league of SwissPunk with their snotty songs and are always welcome in my domicile, nine blasts will convince even those who don't know them, definitely! Brilliant Stuff!

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SLAM - End Of Laughter 1987

Third and final album by Slam from Gävle and line-up on these fifteen songs were Zone (vocals), Thomas & Uffe (guitars), Pär (bass), Tony (drums) and the year after they got the chance after releasing this album (in the US by Subcore Records) and embarked on a two month U.S. tour that resulted in twenty-seven shows at various venues which made them playing together with such acts as Circle Jerks, Gang Green, SNFU and many more. Slam's last show was in 1987 at the now defunct Ungdomshuset in Copenhagen, and Fagersta Fokets Hus. No further material have been released until 2008 when they appear on 'Svenska Punk Klassiker Vol.2'. Here's a review which I feel the same way: "Out of the fifteen mid-tempo Punk songs here, most are made up of delicate guitar leads, simple drum beats, and droning vocals that lean toward the dark side. Maybe the songs are too long, maybe the band doesn’t live up to their name, but this slab just doesn’t stand out. (Martin Sprouse, MRR #42 • November 1986) - Well, unfortunately they didn't make a big bang with this record but I recommend checking their debut album which is a complete different caliber.

- Great Thx to Fredrik -

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