SHAM 69 - Tell Us The Truth 1978

It's time for a classic and today we meet the debut album by Sham 69 from Hersham on Polydor and the a-side was recorded live in concert, while the other was recorded in the studio. Formed 1975 by Jimmy (vocals), Neil & Billy (guitars), Albie (bass) and Johnny (drums). They played at many of the famous Punk hotspots during this time and the band name is said to have derived from a piece of graffiti that Jimmy saw on a wall. They didn't have the art school background of many English Punk bands of the time, and brought in football chant backup vocals and an implicit political populism, they attracted a large skinhead following (left wing, right wing and non-political) and their gigs were plagued by violence. Anyway, some line-up changes were made and a deal with Step-Forward Records was landed and the first 7Inch (I Don't Wanna) was finally released at a suitable time. Then they switched to Polydor (four albums were released) and this remained their label until their first dissolution in 1980. What happened next you can read for yourself, the fact is, the debut is simply brilliant and they've been cited as a major influence on the Oi! musical subgenre of UK Punk in the late 1970s, and also on the working class street Punk musical subgenre of the Eighties.

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VAGRANTS - A Disappointment [Demo] 1989

Let's come to the Vagrants, a four-piece from the late Eighties and they were formed in El Cerrito, California/San Francisco and consisted of Brian (vocals), Nick (guitars), Craig [bass), Dave (drums) and they made three Tapes plus one 7Inch, and this band really has it and never got the attention they deserve. Even the toughest Punkrocker has a heart and goes through difficult times and that's exactly what these guys bring to the fore here, pure melancholic songs whose vocals combine excellently with the dark spirit and drive of Nick's guitar, even if it sounds pretty gruff and doesn't feel that way at all, the Vagrants are a must for every snotty person. The single is a lot more concise in this regard and I'm surprised that it's not on the blog, but that's coming soon because after they changed their name to Pot Valiant they released three singles and an album and a lot of Compilation stuff, and recently a double album was released with all that shit which I will be receiving shortly and then you get the full blast. The cover is also remarkable and reflects the fear & despair of various situations in life, especially as an adult when you know how all the shit in and around you starts to torment you and wants to rip your heart out. Must Listen!

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STALAG 17 & TOXIC WASTE - Truth Will Be Heard 12'' 1985

Not really new in Blogland but I must post this 12'' by both of the best Anarcho Punk bands from Belfast of the Eighties with amazing lyrics and catchy tunes and this beauty was released via Warzone/Mortarhate Records in an edition of 1300 copies. Review: A split 12'' by two great Irish bands. Stalag 17 puts forth two harsh, loud songs very much in the Conflict vein. Speed plus the changeover between male and female vocals makes the three songs by Toxic Waste interesting, too. Both bands have serious, hard-hitting lyrics which center on political unrest in Northern Ireland. Recommended. (Martin Sprouse, MRR #30 • Nov. 1985) - Stalag 17 were formed by members of three other Punk combos: The Stillborns, Maimed & Paranoid, and consisted of Petesy (vocals), Gasky (guitars), Joe 1000 (bass), Mickey (drums) and they began writing their own material and covering contemporary Punk bands such as The Mekons. After several gigs in and around Belfast the band recorded their first demo and began playing in the Belfast Anarchy Centre, supporting other Anarcho Punks the Poison Girls and Crass. They havent't much vinyl outputs besides this 12'' there is only one split LP from 1986, also with Toxic Waste, called We Will Be Free on Warzone Records. Toxic Waste were formed in 1982 in Newtownards after being inspired by the Crass gig at the Anarchy Centre in Belfast. Featuring Patsy (vocals), Phil (bass), Colin on drums to then be replaced by Grub and Marty on guitar they wanted to take the D.I.Y. and Anti-Establishment ethos of Punk one step further. They played their first gig at the West Winds Roadhouse in 1982, and regularly played around Bangor/Belfast and the Ards area for the next two years, in the same scene as the Belfast band Stalag 17. In 1984 they moved to Belfast and were joined by second vocalist Roy Wallace. They gigged with Conflict in the Manhattan Club which resulted in them doing a number of recordings for Conflict's label Mortarhate. Members of the band were involved with the Belfast-based Warzone Collective, which included a vegetarian cafe called Giros, practice space for bands, and screen-printing studio. They toured Europe twice before they eventually split in 1986. Roy Wallace released Belfast in 1987, performing with Deno and Gary from DIRT to re-record old Toxic Waste tracks (as well as previously unreleased tracks). Marty and Roy used their experience from their time in Toxic Waste to form Bleeding Rectum. The band was revived briefly in 1991 for a benefit tour, with Deno from DIRT on vocals. Fazit: a magnificent, powerful record that forgives nothing.

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AGRESSION - Locals Only, Dick! 1986

I'll see if I can get more than one post out this long weekend. The last few days have been full of shit that I've encountered and that has occupied my heart and mind so much that I've had no inspiration for wdthtc. Sometimes it makes me sad and angry when I see young live wasted and I can't find a way to change it. I'm not talking about society here, it just screws me over anyway. Oh, and what am I even talking about here.... I'd rather keep swimming in the ocean of remarkable records and come across an interesting live CD by Agression, who were very active in the Eighties with their fantastic skate-slam Punk sound. This fucker was released via Mystic Records and features twenty-two songs that were all recorded live at different locations; the quality is, as befits Punkrock: modest! But still music with a lot of energy, dirty guitar, Mark's wild voice and power. Enjoy!

Money Machine/Watching You/Locals Only/No Mercy/Insomnia/The Keeper/Stop The Clock/Dear John Letter/I'm Alive/Voodoo Stew/Don't Be Mistaken/Body Count/Rich Kids/Rat Race/Go To War/Intense Energy/Slammin' At The Club/The Keeper/Body Count/It Can Happen/Don't Be Mistaken/Intense Energy

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V/A - Als Je Haar Maar Goed Zat 1992

Holidays are my favorite days and if I can also get a long weekend, I have time for new posts. Today I start with a great Dutch Compilation by mostly material from unknown bands which you can find on some tapes or other Compis and only a few made it to an LP. The range extends from solid Hardcore to Punk and good Rock. I'd say you take a bowl and season it with all your favorite ingredients, and the result is a unique product. And this record tastes one hundred percent good. Got the picture? Released via WRF Records.

1.Ha Ha Ha - MUSHROOM ATTACK

2.Mountain Bike - DISGRACE

3.Fuck You - TRUX

4.Vies En Voos - DE AVONDEN

5.No - N.R.A.

6.Quinquina On The Rocks - MORZELPRONK

7.Juppies - OERBOERE

8.Happy - LA COSA NOSTRA

9.Angst Voor Alleen - MACH-O-KILL

10.Telstar - APHRODITE'S LAWYER

11.Bullets For You - YAMP!

12.Achterlijk - REVENGE OF THE CARROTS

13.The 9th Of July - NOISY ACT OF PROTEST

14.Fin De Siecle - ABIGAIL

15.Imagine Life - COURAGE

16.The Other Side Of The Fence - BOBWIRE

17.Wie De Schoen Past - KNOLCYPERUS

18.Project - VIETZPADDEH

19.Junks/Sicko - DISCIPLES OF TONKA

20.Break Out This Small World - FUNCY CREW

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INSTIGATORS - @ Berlin/University 05.06.1987

Powerful sound from one of my favorite UK bands, and for me there's only one band, well, at least the one whose music always makes me vibrate: The Instigators from Dewsbury and this awesome live record was originally released as Wall Of Sound album by Meantime Records, this re-release came three years later on Mystic Records in purple marble vinyl. Sixteen classics in a very good quality of their hard melodic sound captured in Berlin and pushes the heartily refreshing joy of playing of the band directly into your veins, even a stone would dance, so lively is the performance of the four. There is a lot of live stuff from the Instigators and I don't know all of it, but this album is a good introduction for everyone who likes authentic sounds and wants to get to know the band; they apparently never really broke up, and no current activities or releases are known. Their last release was from 1989, so I guess they're not active anymore. Whatever, enjoy a short time in Berlin and beam yourself into the late Eighties. Cheers!

Eye To Eye/Dine Upon The Dead/Hedonism/Computer Age/The Fix/Doomsday Plus One/Rules/Old Is Sad/Situation Desperate/Dark & Lonely/Summer/Wrong Word/Free/The Blood Is On Your Hands/The Church Says/It's Got To Be Stopped

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HELL - Summer Night 7'' 1979

Weekend and I want to see who is allowed to enter this theater on those two days. Besides, there's a bit of housework to do, laundry, dusting, cooking and tonight's DFB Cup final and I also have to answer a few emails, but nobody cares about that anyway, hahahaha..... well, let's head west and visit Belgium and there we'll find a band that nobody knows, this is a self released and lone 7Inch by a four piece called Hell and they consisted of Alan (vocals/lead guitar), Jeremy (guitar), Yves (bass), Othax (drums) and 200 copies of this rare record exist, and that's where my infos end, but musically it's more in the direction of late Seventies Rock with a light dose of Punk and that's reason to grab this slab out and what's interesting is that the A-side is a quiet and nice love song and the flip is more an loud-beat song, in the sixties it was the other way around. I like both songs because they have catchy melodies and an energetic rhythm and a full-length would certainly be a sought after rarity today. Superb Stuff!

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THE SCABS - s/t EP 1979

Today's post is more of a mix-up, and I won't go into it in detail. Those who are informed know what I mean, and everyone else doesn't need to know. First of all, a bit of info from the brilliant Punk77 site since I'm feeling a bit lazy right now: The Scabs were five Exeter University students and consisted of James (vocals), John (guitar/organ), Steve (bass), Patrick (drums), Simon (saxophone) and their sole record was released via Clubland Records (their own label) and containing all the ingredients needed to make a minor Punk classic; tinny guitars, cheap keyboards and over the top sneering vocals. Recorded in nearly two hours the songs are fast and fun and have been constantly bootlegged over the years on various Killed By Death Compilations. Two pressings of a thousand each. The first in a blue sleeve, the second in red and they resorted to selling copies to their fellow students at the school cafe. After the Scabs split, a couple of members moved onto the more new wave orientated M5s. Drummer Patrick remained active on the Exeter Punk scene, promoting shows throughout the 80’s before becoming a partner in Exeter live venue The Cavern Club. More background about the band is waiting at JustSomePunkSongs in an interview with singer James. Cool Stuff!

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WRECKING CREW - Balance Of Terror 1989

Wrecking Crew were Boston Hardcore’s that is often credited with putting Boston Hardcore back on the map and was part of the Straight Edge scene there. Founded 1987 during the Boston HardcorePunk era, when most of the older bands like SS Decontrol, DYS, and Jerry's Kids had disbanded, by members who had not yet made a musical impact and the initial line-up included Glenn (vocals), John & Ralph (guitars), Keith (bass), and E.K. (drums), who was quickly replaced by Taras. In contrast to the aforementioned bands, they chose a more metal-oriented style. Their inspirations included Agnostic Front, Discharge, Broken Bones, and Battalion Of Saints. The band's first performance was on May 27, 1987, opening for Corrosion Of Conformity. After further shows in Boston, they entered the studio in January 1988 and recorded a total of eight songs, four of which were released as 7Inch on Mark MacKaye's (Slapshot) label Vortex in an edition of 1000 copies. At one of the shows, the band met John Bello of Hawker Records, who offered them a recording contract, and their debut album, Balance Of Terror, was released shortly thereafter. The band recorded live tracks at CBGB’s for the Compilation Free For All and two additional songs for the Thrasher magazine Noise Forest - SR7 sampler. The band then embarked on their first (and only) US tour, which was not very successful. After the tour, Wrecking Crew attempted to record material for a new album but Hawker went bankrupt. The recordings at Synchro Studios were recorded as a demo in 1991 and later released on the 1987–1991 Compilation. They were able to negotiate a recording contract with Maze Records, but this label also ended their collaboration shortly thereafter. So in 1994, the band finally disbanded. Playing along side peers such as Agnostic Front, Sick Of It All, Cro-Mags, Slapshot and many more, Wrecking Crew was a Hardcore/Metal Crossover style band that collapsed upon themselves before breaking up. Most of the bands records are long out of print but a few were re-released and I’m sure if you search for you will get one and discover another chapter of Boston style riffs by checking out Wrecking Crew.

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GYLLENE DIVOR - Ni Har Ingen Tunnelbana EP 1981

Rare EP by this five piece from Stockholm called Gyllene Divor and they founded circa 1980 by Anders (vocals/bass), Claes & Måns (guitars), Håkan (piano/vocals), Bosse (drums) and this three song record was released via CTR in a small edition I think. I don't have any information about the band, but the EP is an excellent example of typical Swedish pop from the early Eighties. The songs are catchy and have a positive vibe that reflects the spirit of that era, with clear melodies and a fresh mix of a light PowerPop sound. Not found anywhere on Compilations and the 7Inch seems to be very sought after these days. Feels good after a long hard day at work.

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