DISTORSIÓN - Esto Es Para Kitar El Stress 1991

Second album by Distorsión from Barakaldo (Basque Country) on Discos Suicidas with thirteen solid numbers and line-up were Josu (vocals/guitar), Karlos (guitar), Tito (bass), Gan (drums) and in principle it has everything a good Punk record needs: melodies, very good vocals, drive and positive vibes and a reasonable playing time. I would have liked a little more hardness but life is not a request concert. They are invited to numerous Compilations and some of them are not uninteresting. It's worth keeping an eye out for those. So let’s find out what they can do for you! 

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V/A - Συνταγή Αντί Θανάτου 1986

Interesting Greek new wave Compilation on FM Records and I hope the translation of the songs is somewhat accurate. The Anti-Death Recipe features eight bands that gained a little notoriety in Hellas in the Eighties and some released a single or even an album. Was sent to me by a stranger a long time ago and I found the slab on the hard drive and listened to it, didn't even know what kind of stuff was on it, but here it is now. Musically, we listen to solid melodic catchy New Wave sound with nice electro vibes plus guitar power, although not every title meets my taste, but all is audible. 2013 re-released via B-Otherside in partially limited colored vinyl. Discover!

1.Orchestra Rehearsal - CLOWN

2.Against - ALTERNATING

3.Symbols And... - BUTTONHOLES S.A.

4.Rusty Solitude - SCORIA

5.Calypso - MESS

6.No Chance - ARNAKIA

7.All Are Ghosts - ARNAKIA

8.Stop Talking About Death - ANTI...

9.A Secret At Last - THE NIGHTINGALES

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V/A - Alles Aus Hagen 1982

For a relatively small town, Hagen had a number of good bands and a versatile underground scene, some of which are still well known today and anyone who comes from this city can certainly confirm what's going on there in the early Eighties. Tonträger 58 Hagen collected some of these illustrious personalities and encouraged them to send their musical outpourings to the label. The result is an interesting Compilation that impressively reflects the Hagen spirit in a variety of sound elements, Punk, New Wave, Minimal, Experimental & Rock. The record comes with a 32-page "fanzine"-style A5 booklet which, for unknown reasons, is unfortunately not included here. But that shouldn't do any harm, because the record is still available, not cheap, and if you want more music from Hagen, a second volume was released in the same year. You see, there was something going on in this town! One post for now, maybe a second later.

1.Zugverkehr - HIMMELSWILLEN

2.Donald & Die Bullenschweine - KEIN MENSCH!

3..Volmestrand - KLEINKRIEG

4.Bänke Für Den Park - MICHAEL MUNDER

5.Alleestraße - H.W.WIEGAND & KANTHAKEN QUELLFISCH

6.Grün & Grau - RADIOPASSIV

7.Einkaufsvision - NO NAMES

8.Ich Steh Auf Hagen - WOLFGANG LUTHE & THE WIRTSCHAFTSWUNDER

9.Keine Eile - VRONTAL

10.Hagener Wellenreiter - EROC

11.Komm Nach Hagen - MARIANNE ROSENBÄR & EXTRABREIT

12.Hagen Und Überhaupt - DIN-A-4

13.B 54 - BETAMAX

14.Hagen Information - X-QUADRAT

15.'22' - JÄGERSCHNITZEL

16.Hagen Ist Tot - FROHNATUR

17.Für Rudi - SPERMÜLL

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THE DAMNED - Final Damnation 1989

My top ten live albums include the following great The Damned record! Released via Essential! Records and this beauty was recorded at London Town & Country Club 13.June 1988. All their well-known classics performed at the highest level with power and energy, an absolutely rip-roaring audio document of an unique Gig. Wiki info: "The set begins with the original line-up and morphs through the various line-ups of the band, each playing on the tracks which that lineup recorded in the studio. It was recorded at a time when the band were in a chaotic state, without a record contract, after being dropped by their only major label." Seventeen smasher in one hour and you can start the whole thing again and again, because the sound is so brilliant and infectious. For me an intense kick into the weekend, Cheers!

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KINA - Se Ho Vinto Se Ho Perso 1989

Third album by Kina from Aosta on Blu Bus and we listen to fifteen pretty towards melodic songs which haven't much in common with the Italian Hardcore league, check out their first album Irreale Realtà in comparison, but it's still Kina, they don't be afraid of a musical change and have combined very varied songs here, fast as well as slower pieces are included, plus short intermediate passages that I almost always find superfluous, but the three implemented this creatively for my taste. Let me quote a review from the re-release: "Refreshingly, I don’t know a damn thing about this Italian Hardcore band that started in the mid-’80s. This was their third LP, and it’s an interesting example of the time period. Kina’s sound sources its inspiration from Washington DC’s world-famous Post-Hardcore scene. The band can still rock pretty hard, but they tend towards melodic guitar lines that complement the earnest vocals and is not afraid of acoustic guitar and other “un-punk” elements. A track like “Cosa Farete” is closer to morose college rock than, say, Indigesti, but you can imagine them playing a show together at some thatched-roof squat on an abandoned farm outside of Turin. Interestingly, Kina’s mix of these influences prefigures a band that would become massive on an underground level less than a decade later: AVAIL. There’s a similar anthemic quality that is pretty damn hard to pull off convincingly, but Kina manages." (Erick Bradshaw, MRR #461 • October 2021) An interesting piece of music in every respect, which requires just under thirty-five minutes of your time.

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LIFE SENTENCE - s/t 12'' 1986

Another fine Hardcore classic from the States is the debut of the following four piece and we are talking about: "Life Sentence was a hardcore punk band formed in the suburbs of Chicago by guitarist Eric Brockman, formerly of the Anti-Bodies. After jamming with different people, the band formed what many considered it's original line-up, consisting of Brockman, vocalist Ray Morris, bassist Joe Losurdo, and drummer Tom O'Connor. In 1986, the band released their first record on Walkthrufyre, a self-titled 12" which was produced by members of Zoetrope. Morris was fired before the recording was complete, allegedly kicked out of the band's van in the middle of nowhere in Arkansas while the band was on tour, so the recording was completed with Brockman and Losurdo handling the singing. The record received positive reviews and the band's popularity was spurred on by endorsements from famous friends in bands like Dirty Rotten Imbeciles and Corrosion Of Conformity. Unfortunately, all was not well in the band and the group split into two camps, one featuring Brockman and the other featuring Losurdo and O'Connor, with both groups picking up new members and playing around Chicago as Life Sentence. The matter eventually went to court and Brockman emerged with the rights to the name. He continued with the band, issuing a second LP (No Experience Necessary) in 1989 and an EP (More Punks For Profit) in 1991. Although 1991 saw the last recorded material released, Brockman continued to use the name for a number of years, backed by an ever-changing rhythm section, until substance abuse got the best of him and he disappeared from the music scene, leading to years of speculation as to Eric's fate. In 2008, Brockman reemerged, announcing that he was putting together a new version of Life Sentence. The band played a few shows around Chicago in 2009 before vanishing again. Brockman passed away in March 2016. In 2023 followed another five track EP with Demos via Alona's Dream Records." (source: discogs) Ten songs in fifteen minutes, any questions?

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KRIMINELLA GITARRER - Complete Studio Recordings & Demos 2000

Kriminella Gitarrer was a young four piece and come together around 1977 and the first line-up consisted of Stry (vocals), Mats (guitars), Affe (bass), Sticky Bomb (drums). They were not the most influential or popular of the first generation of Swedish Punk bands but their three 7Inches are all excellent records. All three, plus demos and their two Compilation tracks are assembled on this great slab which came via Klippan Records in an edition of 500 copies. Sixteen tidbits prove that they were able to write rough cool songs, and have a legitimate place in the upper league of the Swedish underground. A detailed DIN-A4 gives you more information about the band and I would definitely recommend a listen.

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V/A - Heroes Of The Night 2021

Today I would like to draw your attention to a very interesting release and since it's still available, no download is offered. "The Baby is called Heroes Of The Night! and is a fine Compilation from Reminder Records and a beautiful document of female-fronted U.K. and Irish Punk, Powerpop, New Wave, Hard Rock & Synth-Pop 45s! A selection from a dozen of the greatest and rarest femme vox 7Inches. From the Midlands and the Merseyside to the North and the Six Counties, this record shines a light on the still-undersung female pioneers and trailblazers who emerged out of the Punk & New Wave maelstrom/malestrom." All I can say: a cool record with interesting bands and informative liner notes, and best of all, there's already a second part that came out a month ago. Nice to see that from time to time such ancient treasures are unearthed for us, but also for the bands & makers and are not forgotten in the dark ocean. Buy this sucker, it's worth every damn penny.

1.No Title - THE RUSSIANS

2.Fade Away - CHEAP CINEMA

3.Tall Stories - GLASS TORPEDOES

4.I Like Motorcycles - VERMILION & THE ACES

5.Heroes Of The Night - APRIL SOUTH & THE PENNIES

6.No More Tears - THE CHEVRONS

7.Missing Person - TEACHERS PET

8.Another Bottle Of Wine - HOUSTON WE HAVE A PROBLEM

9.Love Is Necessary - THE CRY

10.See No Reason - METROPOLIS

11.You Took The Risk - RISK

12.All I Want To Do (Is Fall In Love With You) - THREE PHASE

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TARGET OF DEMAND - Man's Ruin 1983

One of the best kept secrets of Eighties California Hardcore, Target Of Demand hailed from Long Beach and consisted of Jim (vocals), Brian & Mike (guitars), AJ (bass), George (drums), and they released only this ten blast via the small Happy Hermit label and a couple Compilation tracks before disbanding. Due to their very short existence as a band, and the fact that they were much more influenced by Teen Idles or SS Decontrol and the sounds coming out of Boston and the Midwest, rather than what was going on in California at the time, this incredibly ripping is 100% pure American Hardcore. They also appear 1985 on the fantastic When Men Were Men... And Sheep Were Scared Compilation on Bemisbrain Records. They are a straight-edge band but their lyrics stay far away from the usual cliché topics of such bands, most of them are attacks on the rich, the government, positive thinking, etc... A suitable review: "This new Long Beach Hardcore group seems to have been influenced quite a bit by D.R.I. The comparison shouldn’t be exaggerated, however, because Target Of Demand adds characteristic SoCal hooks to their intense thrash attack, and the results are startlingly good. Of the songs, “The Poor Rich” takes a potshot at wealthy Malibu residents endangered by mudslides, and “Judgement” and “Plastic Bullets” are particularly savage and to the point thematically. Quintessential American ’80s thrash." (Jeff Bale, MRR #12 • March 1984) - Essential Record!

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LILIPUT - s/t LP 1982

"Liliput, initially known as Kleenex, were a female Swiss band formed 1978 in Zurich. The band experienced numerous line-up changes throughout their existence, with bassist Klaudia Schiff being the only constant member of the band over their entire history. Guitarist Marlene Marder joined the group shortly after their formation, and remained a member until their 1983 split. LILIPUT's final line-up consisted of Schiff, Marder, and lead vocalist Astrid Spirit, and it was in this incarnation that the band recorded their only full-length studio albums, Liliput (1982) and Some Songs (1983). According to AllMusic, Liliput made some of the best, most adventurous, most exhilarating, and most critically derided music" of the Punkrock era." 

Difficult for me to describe this album, a professional review can do it better: "You can bet that a karaoke version of LiLiPUT's first full-length will never see the light of day. It's an exciting and ultimately accessible amalgam of crazy rhythms and impossible-to-replicate vocalisms. The recording found the band as a trio, having lost a drummer and a saxophonist. Only Astrid Spirit, Klaudia Schiff, and Marlene Marder remained, sharing all of the duties. Aside from the airy "Might Is Right" and the relatively forceful "Like Or Lump It," there's hardly any prominent guitar. Otherwise, you probably wouldn't hear guitar unless you were specifically hunting for it in the mix, because it makes for just as much of a percussive element as the drums. Generally, they pound out a loping rhythm and chant unintelligible phrases, adding the occasional violin shriek or unidentifiable nuance. This method strikes gold with each attempt. "Do You Mind My Dream" snarls & swoops; the guitar is just as effectively plucky and trebly as the one found on Liquid Liquid's "Optimo" and Talking Heads' "I Zimbra." Spirit's squeaky vocals highlight "In A Mess" and "Tong-Tong," both of which could be mistaken for New York funksters ESG. "Outburst" could be the best example of LiLiPUT's greatness, with a jumpy bassline and the most animalistic of vocal gestures. Spirit "ugh"s in time with the one-two bass punch as if she were being karate chopped in the gut. At other points during the song, she alternates between "proper" singing and helium ingestion, breaking that up with hyena-like noises. LiLiPUT actually gets more experimental than that. "Birdy" is a nails-on-chalkboard violin instrumental, gradually gathering steam until hitting overload. "Umamm," another instrumental, offers little more than tribal drums. Thx to the similarly titled Compilation, the album is available in its entirety." (Andy Kellman)

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