DIE KAPAZITÄT - Bündig 12'' 1981

Die Kapazität was a three-man band and were founded in Hamburg in the early 80's by Christoph (vocals/guitars), Stephan (bass), Wolfgang (drums) and this 12'' is their first publication, appearing at the Konkurrenz label. Musically, the band operates a mix of wave/punk/melody, or simply pop music with a great sense of new wave sound. One year later they released their only full-length album Leichte Stimmen with thirteen numbers but I can't tell you much about this one. On this 12Inch we have five synth pop songs with a pleasant jazzy flavor. So folks, now it's quiet here for a week and if any link should be down, leave it in the comment section and I'll fix it when I'm back home. I'm flying today on my long-awaited vacation and I'm sure to come back with a bang. Have a great time!

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BESÖKARNA - 1979 [2021]

From Malmö and one of Stry's many projects and very short lived were Besökarna and they did a handfull of gigs during the seven, eight months of existence. The band consisted of Stry (vocals), Mats (guitar), Henrik (bass), Anna (organ), Bengt (drums) and they released two 7Inches on Heartwork Records (listen!) and they called their music "psynk" as there were a lot of psychedelic influences among the members. This nice compilations was excavated by Rundgång Rekords, 100 copies in clear, 400 in black vinyl, and contains ten numbers that were probably recorded during a demo session in their rehearsal room and haven't been heard... until yet. On some compilations they are also represented but mostly with the same song. An excellent slab for collectors, not so much for hardcore punks, but decide for yourself.

- Great Thx to Fredrik -

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THE CHAMELEONS - John Peel Sessions 1990

Music that I very admire comes from the Chameleons and they were a four piece formed out of the ashes of the short-lived combo Years in Manchester 1981 and one thing in advance: all albums are fantastic. Through the singing of Marks darkly ironic lyrics, their songs often dealt with personal themes of childlike innocence and awe of nostalgia. Perhaps most notably musically about their work was the band's innovative and distinctive use of double guitar melodies, provided by Reg and Dave. These arrangements were often characterized by the use of delay and chorus effects. Dave played a melodic and atmospheric guitar while Reg played a more traditional riff-based guitar and John's drumming blends in perfectly. This typical sound accompanies all records, a mix of rhythmic electric guitar textures that provide an atmospheric and intense backdrop for Mark's haunting vocals. After their third record Strange Times in 1986 and the sudden death of band manager Tony Fletcher in 1987, they abruptly broke up and numerous spin-off bands emerged, none of which achieved much success. - The John Peel Sessions were recorded between 1981-1984 and they released a total of four fantastic albums, each a masterpiece. This is music I can leave my everyday life, troubles, dark moments and other worries far far behind me, and this for decades, I only recommend buy their records wherever you see one. Come relaxed into the weekend and enjoy the wonderful music of this great and much too underestimated combo. Thx!

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APPENDIX - Top Of The Pops 1984

Hell Yeah, the first day of vacation and after a very long sleep and a short visit to my friend Januz at the weekly market, the blog is now getting down to business, with the second longplayer from Appendix from Pori which came out via Propaganda Records, licensed by the divine Cologne scum label Rock-O-Rama. Who already likes the debut of the four will be intoxicated here as well. Fifteen fantastic catchy melodic songs, mostly under two minutes, in an appealing sound quality, Egoldt wasn't certainly at the knobs, still virtuosos at work; Mikki (vocals), Jaska (guitar), Tomi (bass) and Vesku (drums). Arto Hietikko from the Toinen Vaihtoehto Magazine wrote: "On the second album Top Of The Pops the band mixed catchy punk with hardcore, and the result was an overall fine album. Faster hardcore songs alternate with slower songs and there are even some post punk influences to be heard. The record was released by Rock-O-Rama and it didn't seem to get as much attention among Finnish punks as the first album. Appendix definitely had a sound of their own compared to other Finnish bands. In Finland, at least, everybody instantly knows what’s meant a band is said to be “Appendix influenced”. They might not have been as extreme, angry, or in-your-face but they are still very much liked among punks worldwide and will undoubtedly continue to find new listeners with new generations of punks in times to come. More recently, Appendix has reformed, doing their best to spoil their legacy on a series of new releases, all of which are mostly watered-down crap, but in their heyday the band surely put out some world top class songs & they undoubtedly deserve their place in the Finnish 80’s hardcore punk history."

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FASTBACKS - Never Fails, Never Works 1991

Let’s beam us into September with a request which was said about five months ago in the Veins post. I went to the vast expanses of my record collection and found it there, and after a long disappearance, I brought them back to life: Never Fails, Never Works was released via Blaster! records, I guess a bootleg, and we find their first two singles plus other songs from the early days. A total of twelve fantastic lost American punk nuggets which burn your house down, annoy your neighbors, and even Scotty is speechless with such great melodic stuff. Now useful information, and I have to admit, I don't know where from: "One of the few first-wave punk bands who not only survived to the end of the century but did so with their original sound and focus intact, Fastbacks were formed in Seattle, WA, by three high school friends, Kurt Bloch, Kim Warnick, and Lulu Gargiulo. Bloch and Warnick began playing guitar in high school while Gargiulo took lessons in classical guitar at age seven but never played rock & roll until joining the band (though photos she took at local rock shows caught Bloch's eye, sparking a friendship). All three shared a great enthusiasm for both Queen and the Ramones; Gargiulo also loved '60s pop music, Warnick was big on '70s hard rock, and Bloch's taste embraced both. In classic punk rock fashion, Fastbacks were born when Gargiulo saw some nameless band playing at a local punk club who were so horrible that she was convinced even she could do better. With Gargiulo teaching herself rock guitar, Bloch (drums), Warnick (bass), and a friend named Shannon Wood (vocals), Fastbacks began practicing in the fall of 1979 and played their first show the following February. Later that year, Wood dropped out, Warnick stepped up to the vocal mike, and Bloch abandoned the drums to take over as lead guitarist, resulting in a core lineup that would remain in place for the next twenty years. The band then hired the first of a very long line of drummers, fifteen year old Duff McKagen, who would leave after about a year to move to Los Angeles, where he later joined a fairly popular hard rock band (estimates at the number of drummers who have worked with Fastbacks range from 12 to 20).

In April 1981, the band released their first single, "It's Your Birthday"/"You Can't Be Happy," which found their basic sound already firmly in place -- loose, scrappy punk rock with strong pop hooks, punctuated by Bloch's Rick Nielsen-meets-Johnny Ramone guitar solos, Warnick and Gargiulo's singalong harmonies, and Bloch's songs, which struck a balance between self-effacing humor and introspective self-analysis without sounding pretentious.

Over the next ten years, the Fastbacks were a largely local phenomenon; while they gigged fairly often in and around Seattle and scored the occasional show opening for bigger bands (including the Ramones, Public Image Limited, and John Cale), like most Seattle bands of the day, their popularity failed to spread outside the Pacific Northwest. While they never broke up, the group's activities slowed down in the mid-'80s, and it wasn't until 1987 that they released their first full-length album, ...And His Orchestra. Bloch joined the Young Fresh Fellows as a guitarist in 1989 and started producing other bands; Warnick began working at the offices of Sub Pop records, and Gargiulo pursued her career as a cinematographer. But Fastbacks had a small but loyal fan base, and when Seattle became the epicenter of the rock world in 1992 in the wake of Nirvana's commercial breakthrough, the group finally began receiving national attention. Sub Pop released a collection of the band's many singles and compilation tracks that year, The Question Is No, which became their first widely distributed album; while sales were modest, the press was wildly enthusiastic. Three more albums for Sub Pop followed, with 1994's Answer The Phone Dummy offering the group the luxury of being able to record an entire album in one studio over a period of two weeks. Even more importantly, some of their local fans had become rock stars, and the Fastbacks began opening for the likes of Mudhoney and the Presidents Of The United States Of America.

The big payoff was when Eddie Vedder invited the band to open three West Coast arena shows for Pearl Jam in 1995, and then twenty eight dates in America and Europe the following year. These high-profile dates didn't propel Fastbacks in rock stardom (which they certainly weren't expecting anyway), and the band continued to schedule themselves around Bloch, Warnick, and Gargiulo's other commitments until 2002, when Warnick, to the surprise of her band mates, announced that she was quitting the band, telling a reporter "As much as those songs mean to me, I've just grown tired of having to be a singer in a rock band."

A collection of stray singles tracks and unreleased recordings, Truth, Corrosion & Sour Bisquits was released in 2004; it captured the band in typically tuneful and energetic form, and proved that the Fastbacks called it a day every bit as fresh, enthusiastic, and powerful as when they began."

Great band, great music, great record - A Must Listen!

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THE STRANGLERS - The Great Lost Stranglers Album 1983

Fresh on the table and an excellent August finish with a real rarity and this interesting piece of vinyl is a Japan only compilation of non-album tracks, released via Liberty, by the Stranglers. Fourteen songs that underline their versatility, sometimes punk, sometimes poppy, but always unmistakably their sound with which they have earned a positive reputation worldwide and always remained true to themselves. Although they rose to fame during the initial explosion of UK punk, the Stranglers always stood apart from the other bands from the class of 1977. They had been together before punk became the "next big thing", and while they had a great talent for being suitably rude and transgressive, their music didn't sound or feel much like the fast-loud guitar-based fury of the well-known bands at that time. The Stranglers from Guildford are an integral part of the scene and belong in every well-stocked record collection and this slab is definitely one of them, even if difficult to obtain.

- Great Thx to Reinhard -

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AKUT SKJUT - Leva I Smyg 7'' 1984

In Karlskrona started 1980 this awesome band called Akut Skjut (their name means something like "can't wait to fuck your brains out") and the band consisted of Markus (vocals), Stefan & Mats (guitars), Nicklas (bass), Per (drums) and during their six years of existance they played a lot in southern Sweden. This 7Inch is their only release, handcrafted in small editions, and it contains two motherfuckin' numbers which burns hotter than hell ever can be. Rough and dirty guitars mixed with a hard melodic tempo and again this pretty cool swedish language. Fantastic!! - These two burners belong on every sophisticated Killed By Death compilation, but weren't discovered for this. The band broke up in 1986. In 2003 there was a reunion gig. That's all folks - listen!

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V/A - Bored Teenagers Vol.9 2016

And exactly what I described earlier applies to the following compilation; emotional authentic music by bands that perfectly reflect the zeitgeist and with their attitude towards life bought a few instruments and founded a band to express their emotions, some made it to a single and that was it. The baby is called Bored Teenagers and this is the Volume 9 in this highly collectable series that has done for Punk what the Pebbles series did for the obscure gems from the 60s. We have unearthed another batch of Punkrock Gems! This time only five bands but they had so many great tracks we couldn’t leave any off.

Info: First off is a band called the Crabs that most people are aware of as they appeared on the decent Farewell To The Roxy compilation back in 1978 with their ultra catchy track Lullabies Lie. Sadly no further recordings were released as the band folded in 1978 and became the backing band for Max Splodge but little did we know, the band did record four studio tracks for the highly collectable Lightning label and were scheduled for a release in March 1978. One thing led to another and the band never signed the contract and the tracks were shelved. Rough cassette copies circulated over the years but Tony the singer still had the master tape. This band should of made it and is criminal they are not up there with the likes of some of the bigger bands!

The second band to feature is FU-2 from Southend-On-Sea. Their roots can be traced back to late ’77. After years and years of trying to track this band down after seeing some Youtube footage, we hit lucky and found the singer. He had moved so many times and to our astonishment, he still had in his possession the original five trackmaster tape. The really interesting thing about these tracks is that all the recordings feature a certain lady who was made famous by appearing in the Sex Pistols film The Great Rock'N'Roll Swindle, Yes…. Helen Of Troy. Her vocals are so unique and some might say out of tune but blend perfectly with the opposing vocals of Terry Piper. All five tracks can be heard here! Be warned!!!! These tracks are catchy and you will be singing them all day! Once again, three out of these five tracks have never been heard before!

Next up is a band from Caterham in Surrey called Nuffin’ who were mates with The Damned & Johnny Moped. Their claim to fame so to speak of is that they had Roger Bullen (aka Dee Generate) as their drummer before being head hunted by Eater. Things were looking good for Nuffin’ as in November 1976 London Weekend Television broadcast a documentary by Janet Street Porter on a new youth cult called punk rock that was sweeping the nation. You can hear one of their tracks being played in that program. Here we have all four of their studio tracks that have never been heard before and are direct off the original reel to reel master tape.

The next band are Norwich’s first Punk band the Toads. These tracks that are featured are the essence of Punk, no messing about, straight in with 1234.. Bang! Short and sweet! After only a year or so theywere gone but the nucleus of the band re-appearing as Silent Noise.The last band are the Coils from out of Morpeth in Northumberland of all places… Once again, no  messing about, 1234 and singing about what was happening around them! Just take a listen to Fascist and Smash The Front! - Once again, a fucking ass kick on vinyl!

Enough for today, I'm tired and drunk, I only chilling now and I'm hungry...

1.Victim - THE CRABS

2.Save My Skin - THE CRABS

3.Lullabies Lie - THE CRABS

4.Blue Unction - THE CRABS

5.PG Tips - FU-2

6.Maybe - FU-2

7.Sorry - FU-2

8.Soho - FU-2

9.Sindy Michelle - FU-2

10.Centre Point Anywhere - NUFFIN'

11.Red Day Blues - NUFFIN'

12.We're Plastic - NUFFIN'

13.Pigs Can't Fly - NUFFIN'

14.All I Wanna Be Is A Star - THE TOADS

15.Suppression/Oppression - THE TOADS

16.I Don't Care About You - THE TOADS

17.In The Subway - THE TOADS

18.Nowhere To Go - THE TOADS

19.Bank Job - THE TOADS

20.Eyes - THE TOADS

21.Mixed Up Kid - THE TOADS

22.Blood On My Wheels - THE TOADS

23.Supermousse - THE COILS

24.Fascist - THE COILS

25.Upper Class Cretin - THE COILS

26.Land Of The Dead - THE COILS

27.Smash The Front - THE COILS

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THE CURE - @ The Zenith/Paris October 1992

There is music that remains timeless, emotional and will never be forgotten, and especially when the sound for years accompanies you through your ups and downs. For me it's the Cure whose records I own all the way up to the Wild Mood Swings record, from then on they weren't the same. I'm not sure, in addition to the numerous bootlegs, the first official live records came out in the early nineties, this one and the fantastic Show double album. Yesterday evening after ripping vinyl I listened to these two records after a long time and thought: what great music and why not post it? And then the thought occurred to me what a blessing to grow up with such a brilliant band. Nowadays there is no comparison and I regret the music lovers who grow up with the short-lived artificial formations whose music always sounds the same and completely shitty is and doesn't have any character, compiled by the majors, only to earn money, without a heart or attitude to life. That's the modern musical world; radio compatible, dumb, uncritical, non-reflective, mass-produced and a waste of time. And that's why it is important to rediscover such classics like this album. Of course, I recommend all those who aren't yet familiar with Cure records, get them and enrich your musical horizon.

The Figurehead/One Hundred Years/At Night/Play For Today/Apart/In Your House/Lovesong/A Letter To Elise/Dressing Up/Charlotte Sometimes/Close To Me/A Night Like This/Trust/A Forest

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THE DOUBT - Contrast Disorder EP 1980

On this rainy Saturday music is announced and before I rip vinyl a quick post by another band from Ireland with their only record that was only pressed 500 times, but was re-released by Incognito Records as Incognito Punkrock Classix Series 2015, also 500 copies. Info: formed in Bangor around 1978 by Hugh (vocals), Paul (guitar), John (bass), Steven (drums) and their main inspiration came from an earlier Bangor band called the Standards. After a few months John Clarke was replaced on bass by Robert Scott from recently disbanded Bangor outfit The Ski's. Over the next year The Doubt played as many gigs as they could. Arguably, their best show ever was a charity gig arranged by the band which also featured slots by Fifth Column and Belfast bands Ruefrex and The Androids. For the first (and last) time the Doubt had use of a proper PA and played a storming set to a crowd of several hundred. The band split in October 1979 despite having discussed releasing a single. As the principal songwriters, Corken and Scott decided to go ahead with the release of an EP and roped in Adrian Maddox (Fifth Column’s guitar player) to play drums on the recording while Corken took over vocal duties. Contrast Disorder was eventually released on Solo Records in early 1980 after numerous delays and sold a couple of hundred copies locally. It featured four brilliant tracks. In 2003, Rave Up Records released a compilation which featured the four songs of the EP plus ten unreleased demo sessions. When the Doubt split Steven and Hugh went on to play in the Co-Ordinates whilst Scott and Maddox formed Palace Of Variety. Later, Scott would form Carpenter Joe. Represented on relevant compilations, for example Bloodstains Across Northern Ireland I recommend for you.

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