V/A - Where Birdmen Flew Revisited Vol.1 1999

Rare & long deleted Compilation series with rare late Seventies early Eighties Australian Punk singles, which was limited of 1000 handnumbered copies. From 'Down Under' there are numerous such records and some with the same bands/tracks, but it's always a pleasure to discover something new and familiar and I love the sound from there. As a result, my radar is always active by music from the distant fifth continent. Six bands, twenty songs, plus a small booklet and you have an interesting and important record, that let us review the wild and early days in this part of the world and keep an eye out for their records. Cheers!

1.Horizontal Action - PSYCHO SURGEONS

2.Wild Weekend - PSYCHO SURGEONS

3.Little Lord Punk - JOHNNY DOLE & THE SCABS

4.Lucky Country - JOHNNY DOLE & THE SCABS

5.All That's Going On - JOHNNY DOLE & THE SCABS

6.Kamikaze Twist - ROCKS

7.Migraine Headache - ROCKS

8.You'r So Boring - ROCKS

9.Damn You - ROCKS

10.Kick Her Out - ROCKS

11.Hanging On - ROCKS

12.Frantic Romantic - THE SCIENTISTS

13.Bet Ya Lyin - THE SCIENTISTS

14.Swampland - THE SCIENTISTS

15.Flipped Out Over You - THE VICTIMS

16.Open Your Eyes - THE VICTIMS

17.T.V. Freak - THE VICTIMS

18.Cigarettes & Alcohol - THE LEFTOVERS

19.No Complaints - THE LEFTOVERS

20.I Only Panic When There's Nothing To Do - THE LEFTOVERS

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STRAW DOGS - Dog's Life EP 1981

Now a rare EP by the Straw Dogs, Turky (vocals/bass), Deke (guitars/vocals), Mick (guitars), Bert (drums), an early Scottish Oi!/Punk combo who made their only 7Inch in 1981 and brought this four piece track vinyl in self-produced/released to the folks and they put two more songs on vinyl on the Kikrock Volume One Compilation and that's it. Spanish label Evil Records discovered the band and it took them nearly two years to be able to contact one of the band's members after a lot searching, and they agreed to re-issue this rare Oi! & Punk gem, but there was a problem, the band didn't keep the master, so the label and one of the band members tried to get a copy of the master from the original studio where they recorded back in 1981, but the lads didn't keep the tapes, so the label had to take one of the 7" to the studio and re-master it. Mick, one of the band members who also played in the Exploited for two years or so, had some old pictures so there was stuff to work with for the artwork. This release is limited to 350 copies on black vinyl and includes insert with lyrics and pictures. There are four different cover versions, two of them limited to thirty copies with a cloth screen printed patch, collectors certificate... but even if its limited to 30 only 20 copies were put on sale as the rest was for band members and label close friends. There is also a limited to ten copies with collage handmade cover. Forgot to mention Evil Records did a special edition limited to twenty-five copies for the first pre-sales which included a numbered.

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PRIVATE SCHOOL - Lost In Action EP 1979

Lost Canadian Punkrock classic which was re-released by Supreme Echo in 2018 and Private School was a Vancouver-based combo, formed 1977 originally as an Art School band and consisted of Maddy (vocals/violin), Dave & Ron (guitars), Tony (bass), Walter (drums), Jaime (sax) and released their only EP on Full Friction Records in 1979 with four fantastic songs and the use of two atypical instruments deserves special mention, which are excellently incorporated. They played live with well-known bands in their short life span and creative differences lead to a break-up in the early Eighties. The second edition was pressed 500 times with three bonus cuts and includes a 12-page booklet with flyers, photos and their story. A real collector's item and certainly hard to find nowadays.

- Great Thx to Fredrik -

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BOXHAMSTERS - Tötensen 1991

Tötensen is the third album by Boxhamsters from near Gießen and features twelve brilliant, mostly short tracks, with fantastic lyrics, exactly what makes this four piece special. For me a very important band, that has accompanied me since the beginning of my Punker existence and whose music has become an essential part of it. No dull anarchy & beer songs (which have to be), but creative irony, clear words and hopeful, desperate love songs are part of the boys' repertoire and spiced up with fine ingredients that makes a delicious menu unforgettable. Der Göttliche Imperator was already ultrafat and powerful produced and this album was also mixed by the same people and could be a seamless sequel. Of course, released on the band's own Bad Moon label, this fine record was the next building block in the Boxis considerable discography. Catchy, mischievous... TOP!

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RATTUS - s/t LP 1984

3000 copies of this album by Rattus were pressed by the New York Rat Cage Records label and it's a compilation of old tracks re-recorded and I'm not sure, this goodie was only released exclusively for the friends there. Rattus was founded 1978 in Vilppula and are definitely one of the driving forces in the Finnish underground scene and with their angry, aggressive & powerful Hardcore sound they not only shaped the friends of their homeland, but also beyond, guesting on numerous international samplers, they became a significant part of these records and thus also better known in rhe world, hyvä näin! Until their first dissolution in 1988 they released four albums, a few tapes and some 7Inches. Resurrected in 2001 and since then, very active on vinyl and live. Twenty concise songs that refresh my brain and boost my good mood after such an exciting evening yesterday and warmly welcome the approaching weekend. Enjoy!

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LA BANDA TRAPERA DEL RÍO - Guante De Guillotina 1993

Solid Rock stuff from Barcelona now, and this slab features nine songs with much virtuoso guitar solos. A bit info: "The band's second album also suffered release delays, as did their debut, La Banda Trapera Del Río. The situation was even more serious with 'Guante De Guillotina', as suicidal and perhaps unfortunate reactions and decisions ruined the possibility of releasing it first on CBS, then on a person willing to fund it, but never made. Finally, a decade later, after the band had broken up, a reunion was held to reissue the first album, and in 1993 the record was finally released by Okay Records." (source: lafonoteca) - Okay folks, I'm a little shaky and don't feel like writing, you'll find reviews and more information about the album/band in the digital web, I want to get in shape for the important semi-final tonight in Stuttgart. May the force be with the SGE!

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EA80 - Vorsicht Schreie 1983

It's really a fucking shame, but this record isn't on the blog and I thought it was already in the game, but you my friends took notice and so I follow another request and open May with this forty year old milestone: the debut by EA80. Equipped with countless hits and some of are still played live today (except 'Heinrich'), it was also the start of a wonderful musical journey that has now lasted for four decades. I still remember when I heard EA80 for the first time many, many years ago: bandname top, cover top, music top, lyrics top and everything in proven D.I.Y. manner cobbled together, and nothing has changed to this day. I'm sure you know the feeling of arriving, be it in the garden or by the sea, and you breathe freely and carefree, that's exactly how I feel when I listen to their music, addicted, epic, neatly paced and as moody as hell. The band stays independent and doesn't give a fuck about commerce and that's one more reason, why I like them. Eighteen classics that I can sing by heart and highlights like 'Korn', 'Häuser' or 'Kühlschrank' just make you sit there with mouth open and marvel, this album has an amazingly long lasting effect, lots of energy and strong convictions. Vorsicht Schreie came in different versions among the people, my copy is the fourth edition with yellow labels which has an insert and to my knowledge 500 copies or so were pressed. Excellent!!

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Impressions XXX

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THE WALL - Left Behind The Wall [Demos 1978-1979] EP 2022

The cold April winds down with a breath of fresh air and now to a band I appreciate and whose records I can heartily recommend, and by that: I mean every fucking one. We're talkin' about The Wall from Sunderland which formed early 1978 and this EP came via Last Year's Youth Records and is limited to 300 copies, 100 numbered copies on blue, 200 black on black vinyl and this essential piece of wax features six tracks, two never released before, and if you haven't discovered this brilliant band yet, do so immediately, and it' sad that three members have already passed away, but their music is still one of the best what the British islands brought for us. All tracks were recorded 1978/79 at the famous Impulse Studios in Wallsend near Newcastle and available on vinyl for the first time and the songs are all a bit rougher and snottier than on their slabs and show what impulsiveness the band had. This is a fucking great record with rare goddies and shows the Wall in top condition! 

- Great Thx to Fredrik -

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PURRKUR PILLNIKK - Tilf EP 1981

One of the most famous bands from Reykjavík and gladly guests in my theater are Purrkur Pillnikk ("Sleepy Chess-Player"), and this four piece consisted of Einar (vocals), Friðrik (guitar), Bragi (bass), Ásgeir (drums) and were one of the most productive bands in Icelandic music history, and in their life-span (18 months) they released three albums. Founded 1981 and the musical skills of all members were scarce but that changed quickly. The arrangement of the instruments was decided on the spot and since Einar was not considered suitable for any instrument, he was made to sing, in fact it is hardly possible to speak of singing on his part, but his vocal use was considered very special and he spoke or shouted much more than singing. The band's music was hard to define, although there was no doubt that it was Punkrock, but as far as a more detailed definition was concerned, one of the pop writers spoke of "manic neo-punk with jazz and funk influences" - and that describes their music. You can hear it clearly on their debut EP Tilf which features ten short songs with aggressive lyrics which was released via their self-founded Gramm label. Sometime in 1982 Purrkur Pillnikk split and an interesting CD compilation Í Augum Úti came out in 2001 with all recordings (except the Ekki En album, for whatever reason). Enjoy!

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