NOISE ANNOYS - First Step 1990

Here I am again, and the last few days have been stressful and extremely miserable. But I'm not closing the theater, but if the muse doesn't want to, I'm screwed. Some things just take time, you know what I mean.... Today a short to the north and we meet Noise Annoys, formed 1988 (named after a song by the Buzzcocks) from the ashes of Torpedo Moskau and consisted of Witte & Lars (guitars), Arne (vocals), Sven (bass) and Dudi (drums). One year later, their first single “My Mummy” followed, as well as the recording of their first album, which was then released on vinyl in 1990, also on KO-Records. Listen to eleven fresh and powerful songs that are about love, rebellion and the everyday confrontations that we are exposed to in life. Musically excellently implemented take the five the fight against the smartphone generation unfazed. And this post is dedicated to Witte, who, as I read, died unexpectedly at the beginning of October, making him one of the most important Punk guitarists from the Hanseatic city and the scene at all, and member of numerous bands that you can search for. A scond and final album was then released via Virgin but that was a flop and two years later they finally disbanded. Enjoy!

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VAGRANTS - Gone EP 1990

Now a band I really enjoy listening to, whose lyrics probably wrote in the subway or alone at home in complete solitude or alone on a bench or wherever. Self-critical, a bit desperate, extreme sensitive and anyone who finds words like that is either heartbreak disappointments, hopeless or simply self-critical or vexed; honest emotions, my friends, and when you combine all that with the right sound, you've created a small, unforgettable masterpiece that absolutely deserves to be heard. We're talking about the Vagrants from California and they masterfully manage the balance between harshness and emotion. They released three tapes and this little nugget on Lookout Records and a short info from of the label I would like to quote here: "The Vagrants bring a feel of mystery and brooding to their brand of Punk. Their “Gone” EP packs plenty of layered Rock on top of Punk sensibilities to create a satisfying slice of moody underground rock from 1990 with a slow heavy, (pre-) emo sound that reveals more upon repeated listens. Three tracks designed for an introspective afternoon." It's no secret that they later changed their name to Pot Valiant, finding more peaceful sounds for more profound words. Well, an amazingly cool record that you should have, I'm going out now and walking into the night.

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BLUT+EISEN - Schrei Doch! 1984

"We, that is, from the beginning to the end, have always been and exclusively us: Krösus, Slinki, Karl & Capri. We've been around since around May 1982, and we make music because only one of us has abitur..." This is Blut+Eisen calling from Hanover and the four are one of my favorite German Punk bands. In their active lifespan they made two 7Inches and two albums, and this is a legacy that others can only dream of and belong in every fucking record collection - I love their angry, catchy, energetic and dynamic songs combined with cynical, caustic and straight in the face lyrics that haven't lost any of their relevance. Schrei Doch! was released via Weird System and is the debut and catch you from the first note. They even caught the attention overseas, as the following review shows: "This powerful album features an energetic, thrashy sound aided by killer production and some truly inventive compositions. Songs like “Lange Gesichter” and the superbly arranged “Dein Leben” add variety to a solid collection of tracks that contain some excellent guitar work. A consistent, strongly recommended record." (Steve Spinali, MRR #14 • June 1984) You see, the only thing tastier are my meatballs, which deserve to be mentioned in the same breath (has anyone ever made them?) Fuck It! Fire free for Blut+Eisen with their sixteen superb PunkrockSmashers (find the second album in this madhouse as well)... and remember, screaming helps!!! 🎸🍺

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PANIKRAUM - Demo 2016

Bands from Mönchengladbach are always worth listening to, and since I only know a few of them and they're all great, I can say that. Panikraum is one of them, a four piece formed around mid-2015 and featuring members of die Strafe and EA80. It's an interesting collaboration, and if you like both, you can't help listen. Five songs between heaven and hell, energetically driving, but with a large portion of despair, themes such as lost love, disappointment, struggle and always getting up and carry on, no matter how shitty the situation is and how emotional the rollercoaster ride is, are in the foreground and hit you right in the core (and of course in your fucking heart, provided you have one). A good eight years ago, they were guests at the Waggon in Offenbach (listen), and it was a magical evening, as always at this location. It's about time I went there again. And now full attention for Panikraum!

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SAMIAM - Underground 12'' 1990

Hello, I'm back and it's continuing brilliantly with one of my favorite bands from sunny California and I'm bringing you healthy vibes from Samiam, who re-recorded five songs from their 1989 demo on this cute little mini 12Inch, which didn't make it on the debut album. The band was formed 1988 with most of the combos founding members rising from the ashes of other Berkeley-area Punk bands and their first couple of albums being released on indie label New Red Archives. They say they're the inventors of EmoPunk, but I think that's nonsense. The lyrics are very personal, the music snotty and cheeky, and is that the reason for it? I don't like this kind of stereotyping, but people seem to need it when they're stuck for ideas. Anyway, I like the way they play together, and the guys were an impressive live experience too... It was a long time ago, and the T-Shirt I bought is already full of holes and worn out. Comes with new scans and a new bitrate, and the book of words closes with it. You can read for yourself how popular Samiam are and I recommend to buy their records, at least the early stuff is essential.

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DOMINOES - Lies EP 1982

Superb EP by this four piece from Milwaukee called the Dominoes, consisted of Clancy & Gerard (vocals/guitars), Bobby (bass), Mike (drums) and this is their lone 7Inch on New Deal Records. Info: "Clancy Carroll started playing music at age 13 and within a couple years formed his first band. His early influences included Jimi Hendrix, Alice Copper & David Bowie. He caught the Punk bug a couple years later after seeing the Ramones play live in a small club in June '77. His band at the time was called Ozone. Initially playing house parties and school dances, they eventually went on to win a huge battle of the bands competition. The group was rewarded with studio time and a short run 45. However, once the sessions began, they found out another band was called Ozone, so they changed their moniker to something a little more Punk sounding: The Ones. By mid-1980, Clancy wanted to move in a different direction. So he started rehearsing with Gerard LaValliere who had just left the Haskels. Marty Chittum and Mark Graves filled in for a short while, but things really came together for the band when Bobby Mitchell came on board. He had played in The Haskels as well, but left shortly after they released their stellar Taking The City By Storm EP. Bobby then suggested Mike Farrow, a drummer from Oshkosh, come in to solidify the Dominoes line-up. Mike started playing drums just a year earlier and the Dominoes would be his first band. This is just a short intro about the Dominoes by Mike from Cheaprewards Blog and read the full bio there, I wanna give you a press review from that time: "The Dominoes are a pretty attractive combo who adhere to a classicist version of Rock'N'Roll with their two guitars, bass and drums format. They're aiming for a clean sound approaching the purity of the Rockabilly Music, including in their repertoire mostly tune from the Sixties. It's a joy to hear, and on this base the band shows much potential." Well, it's not as bad as it sounds, three cool songs, the first cut is the winner for me.

Finally a little TV tip: if you're bored, watch Alice In Borderland. Great story, very good actors, excellent dialogue, and worth watching for the visuals.

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V/A - Bloodstains Across Texas 1992

Now it's fucking Monday again and pheww... I can tell you, it's a bit tiring jetting around the world, meeting people and always giving 100%... but the effort is worth it because these are always valuable friendships and they need to be nurtured. Having landed in Houston and with me this beautiful record with eighteen essential Punkrock blasts in my luggage (I think it's the last missing Bloodstains goodie in this damn blog) and the slab shines in all its glory like the area of ​​the second large state of the damn United States. Well, as I said, music from this contaminated state is straightforward and hits you hard in the ears and I guess it is one of the most successful Compis of this series. It starts superbly and ends magnificently; it's pure gold! Considering how much money these records cost these days, it's quite remarkable, especially since they're almost impossible to get anymore. It's a profoundly impactful record and highlights some of the important bands of the early years and is another great piece of American Punk history that you can't missed.

1.Rather See You Dead - LEGIONAIRES DISEASE

2.Cheap Rewards - THE NEXT

3.I.U.D. - PLASTIC IDOLS

4.Doctor's Wives - INSERTS

5.The Badge Means You Suck - AK-47

6.Earthquake Shake - SKUNKS

7.John Wayne Was A Nazi - STAINS

8.Scavenger Of Death - BOBBY SOXX

9.Learn To Hate In The '80s - BOBBY SOXX

10.Busy Kids - HUNS

11.Lost Causes - THE OFFENDERS

12.The New Ones - INANIMATE OBJECTS

13.She's In Love With The Rolling Stones - TELEFONES

14.Are You Into Destruction - BODYSNATCHERS

15.My Girlfriend Is A Rock - NERVEBREAKERS

16.Baby's Playing Games - VOMIT PIGS

17.I Was A Teenage Fuckup - REALLY RED

18.Hydrohead - THE EJECTORS

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PURPLE HEARTS - Frustration 7'' 1979

A quick visit to my favorite city in Europe: London. Here we enjoy the company of a nice band that provides a bit of an emotional moment. And they deserve a bit info from wiki: The Purple Hearts are an mod revival band which were formed 1977 in Romford, eastern Greater London. They were often considered one of the best English mod revival groups, the NME calling them "one of the few mod bands to actually cut it on Rock'N'Roll terms". They started in 1977 when teenagers Jeff Shadbolt, Simon Stebbing, Bob Manton, and Nick Lake formed the band in Romford as The Sockets, before they even knew how to play their instruments. They formed for the purpose of getting a support slot at a Buzzcocks gig at the East London Polytechnic, to debut their tongue-in-cheek rock opera. In 1978, their drummer Nick Lake broke his leg. He was replaced by Gary Sparks. The band switched their name to Purple Hearts, after an amphetamine-barbiturate mixture popular with the mods of the 1960s. Accordingly, they changed their sound from the rough-edged Punkrock, to a more mod-influenced sound, which, thanks largely to The Jam, was beginning to capture public attention. In September 1979, the band scored a minor hit with their debut single, "Millions Like Us" which reached number 57 in the UK Singles Chart. The band then toured the UK with Secret Affair and Back To Zero on 'the march of the mods' tour in 1979. The band's second single, "Frustration" was released in November that year and a tour of the UK follows to promote the single.

In 1980 they released their debut album, Beat That! and was produced by Chris Parry of Fiction Records. The single 'Jimmy' is taken from and gave them another minor hit reaching number 60 in the UK chart in March 1980. After the commercial failure of Beat That!, the band parted company with Fiction Records, before signing a one-off single deal with Safari which produced the "My Life's A Jigsaw" single and the 7Inch did make the BBC Radio One playlist, but didn't make it to the national charts. A final single, "Plane Crash" was released in 1982, on the independent record label Roadrunner Records before the band split up in November of that year after a failed American trip. After the Hearts, Jeff Shadbolt joined The Rage, who included Brett Ascott from The Chords. Gary Sparks joined High Zierra with former members of Department S, Tony Lourdan, Mark Taylor and Michael Herbage. Simon Stebbing joined Hearts On Fire who recorded an album Dreams Of Leaving and two EPs for Midnite Records. Bob Manton joined Simon Stebbing and Peter Green in cosmic country rockers Owen & The Deacons. They resurfaced in 1984 to release a live album, Head On Collision Time (1985) recorded live at the 100 Club, and their second studio effort, Popish Frenzy (1986). A single "Friends Again" taken from this album was released on Unicorn Records. In 1986 the group toured West Germany, Austria and the Netherlands before once again calling it a day. They re-convened at the Mods Mayday '99 show, recorded for the Detour Records live compilation album. In 2003, Stebbing produced a rarities goodie, Smashing Time, also released on Detour Records. Two superb songs, and I'm sure each of us came across with the lyrics and can tell about such feelings, because we're not morons, to that the catchy sound and you're captivated.

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SHAG - Panik In Der Hauptstadt 7'' 1991

An extreme rare record is the only one by this combo named Shag, a four-piece from IDon'tKnowWhere but what I found is, both tracks were recorded in the early Eighties, but released in 1991 via Heinz Mettich Records, for a band reunion. Well, both songs are catchy and not bad at all. The A-side is about people who find themselves in unpleasant situations and panic because it triggers fear, and they desperately search for a way out. The flip is about lies and self-deception, a sensitive topic I've been directly confronted with in recent weeks, and it's time to shed some baggage and go ahead again. In addition to the single, Shag made a small demo tape with eight songs two years later. I would be very interested in hearing it. If anyone has it, please send it. That's it for now, some Re-Ups are done and always remember: Never stand still, my Friends!

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THE THOUGHT CRIMINALS - Food For Thoughtcrimes EP 1979

Before I return to Texas, I'll quickly jet off to Sydney and visit the Thought Criminals, who were founded in the late seventies. The Thought Criminals were an influential and enterprising combo and disbanded in late 1981. The "angular, fast and quirky Punkrock" of the Thought Criminals was a fixture in the burgeoning Sydney underground scene." The band's name was derived from the concept of 'thoughtcrimes' (unapproved thoughts) from George Orwell's book, Nineteen Eighty-Four. They exemplified the do-it-yourself ethos with which they combined considerable business acumen. The band members formed the Doublethink record label and  which provided recording and live performance opportunities for other new bands. They built up a following with performances at mainly inner-city venues. The music of the Thought Criminals, in their early recordings and live performances, has been described as a "jagged, frantic sound" and often had an irreverent sense of humour. This is their second release with five splendid numbers. More stuff in this theater available.

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