BAD RELIGION - @ Volksbildungsheim, Frankfurt 21.06.1991

Let's end August with a fantastic bootleg from Bad Religion, which I myself was present (see ticket). Who was guest at the time, I don't know anymore, but what I know is the Volksbildungsheim was one of the best locations in Frankurt, I saw many bands there, punk/hardcore and metal bands, the sound was just great and today it's a mainstream cinema. This gig was released under Loosing My Love (a piss name in my opinion) and there are thirty songs to be heard instead of twenty-eight and the sound quality is consistently okay. I find it astonishing what career Bad Religion has completed, today their concerts are mostly sold out in a short time and small halls can't meet this demand, but they are still punkers without taking off. So a gig is always a great experience. I've seen them three times and I've always been satisfied with their performance; authentic and alive. I hope you feel the power and energy of the four and the song selection is also very successful, Bad Religion at its best. I re-upped all previous posts in the blog, Enjoy the Gig!

Modern Man/Change Of Ideas/Big Bang/Suffer/Doin' Time/Damned To Be Free/Operation Rescue/Along The Way/Do What You Want/Faith Alone/You Are (The Government)/1000 More Fools/Yesterday/You/Get Off/Sometimes It Feels Like/Automatic Man/What Can You Do?/Tomorrow/Sanity/Henchman/Flat Earth Society/I Want Something More/We're Only Gonna Die/Pessimistic Lines/21st Century (Digital Boy)/Anesthesia/Turn On The Light/I Want To Conquer The World/Best For You

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BAD RELIGION - Even Worse EP 1991

A band that me highly impressed in their early days are the 1979 in Los Angeles founded Bad Religion and their first three albums (without Into The Unknown) are quite milestones in the U.S. Punk rock history. I think, I must not much report to the band, you can read a lot of them anywhere in the network. This small soundboard bootleg here was recorded live somewhere in Germany in 1988 and the quality of the eight songs are consistently brilliant. It is a pity with just under twelve minutes the whole is much too short. But here is clearly heard how diaphoretic was a Bad Religion concert in these days. After the release of Album #4 'No Control' I lost my interest in the band because they become too big and had still less to do with snotty punk underground, you know.

Frogger/Along The Way/Do What You Want/You Are The Government/Yesterday/Suffer/Politics/World War III

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BAD RELIGION - No Control 1989

Now another classic fucker from the great wide ocean of the outsider-league and we're talkin' bout Bad Religion with their fourth record and it's not difficult to write a positive review. If you like Suffer you will also like No Control and the Eighties were the best time for Bad Religion from Los Angeles in my opinion. It's stylistically faster than its predecessor, owing more to HardcorePunk. Additionally, it was the bands first album not to feature a line-up change from the previous one. "This record simply and forcefully continue the shift, delivering a pummel of melodic songwriting made sharp by Greg Graffin's populist cynicism and the stinging barbs of a twin-guitar strike." (Johnny Loftus) A sentence that sums up fifteen songs in a short, fitting way and it's no wonder this piece of wax has received generally favorable reviews in the years since its initial release and I always enjoy listening to the aggressive and expressive pieces, that helps me survive, you know (note: this is an old vinyl rip in 192kBit/s but kicks excellent) Today's a long strawberry soccer day - I'll be back!

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BAD RELIGION - 80-85

October starts with a comprehensive retrospective of classic Bad Religion stuff. The first album plus the rare EP and more.... Enjoy!

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BAD RELIGION - Suffer 1988

Back With A Bang! You can say this without hesitation. After a five-year break and their foray Into The Unknown 'ProgRock' business, which was more a bummer, they returned to a somewhat mellower Rock&Roll version of their original sound with the Back To The Known EP (1985), but disbanded temporarily soon after. It was time to think and Bad Religion remembered what they can do best; writing short meaningful melodic energy Punk anthems and Suffer is the essence of it all and came out at the end of the Eighties, a time when HC/Punk was beginning to sprout and no wonder many critics praised the album as a Hardcore Milestone. Thirty-six versions of this slab confirm its popularity and my copy is the second press, I think. My review is short and sweet: I love this record, the only manko is the short playing time, but half an hour of Pogo makes you feel alive and on course again, and Greg's haunting voice pierces your body and bounces from the wall back at you. My absolute favorite is Do What You Want with its fast, dynamic, no-frills riffs and awesome lyrics, a fucking lightning strike of finest California Punkrock. Shit, why am I writing so much anyway? Buy this little fucker because you need this listening pleasure for REAL, and not those shitty uninspired digital files.

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BAD RELIGION - Silencio @ Vienna 28.08.1989

Yesterday I was totally exhausted and nothing goes so today I'm feeling better and have time for this next post by Bad Religion and this Bootleg is a excellent come back. Twenty-seven nuggets from their first three album (and I mean the Punk ones) in a solid quality. I think, I must no write further useless words because anyone who has already visited a gig by the gentlemen knows how sweaty ninety minutes can be. So open a beer and spend a little time with finest California smasher.

Land Of Competition/1000 More Fools/Doing Time/Damned To Be Free/Part II (The Numbers Game)/Latch Key Kids/When?/Along The Way/Do What You Want/White Trash (2nd Generation)/How Much Is Enough?/Delirium Of Disorder/Drastic Actions/You Are (The Government)/Yesterday/Faith In God/What Can You Do?/Frogger/Voice Of God Is Government/We're Only Gonna Die/Part III/Give You Nothing

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D.R.I. - Live @ CBGB'S New York 1984

This brings back a lot of memories. In the early 80s I listen to a lot of Metal stuff because I was a Metaller with all my heart. I leave this style when I came in touch with American Hardcore bands like Black Flag, Circle Jerks, Bad Religion, Dead Kennedys, Warfare (UK) etc.... so also with D.R.I. The Hardcore sound was an integral part in this scene and then more and more concerts took place I rather visited of course those gigs as Megadeth or Anthrax. 1986 then D.R.I. live in my city, together with Holy Moses (ARRGGHHH!) and this show changed my lifestyle completely. I will not say that they made me a punk because I've also heard some German punk bands, EA80, Slime, Daily Terror, OHL for example, but they were rarely present live as the ami bands. I would say my interest in metal was deleted this evening, First-class performance with pogo till the shack crashed, unforgotten. Who ever saw a D.R.I. gig can attest to this. A little info:

D.R.I. (Dirty Rotten Imbeciles) is a crossover thrash band from the United States that formed in Houston, in 1982. The band currently comprises founding members, vocalist Kurt Brecht and guitarist Spike Cassidy, as well as drummer Rob Rampy and bassist Harald Oimoen. D.R.I. never gained a mainstream audience, but the integration of their hardcore punk roots with thrash metal influences was a stylistic catalyst for their contemporaries - most notably Suicidal Tendencies, Corrosion Of Conformity and Stormtroopers Of Death - alongside whom they are considered pioneers of what would later be called "crossover thrash." They have released seven original studio albums, the last of which was released in 1995. Since then, the band has continued touring and intermittently going on hiatus. In 2004, D.R.I. released a web-only demo track "Against Me", their first recording in a decade. For years, there has been talk of an eighth D.R.I. album, which has yet to materialize.

The first three albums are all terrific and as '4 Of A Kind' came out the music was too monotonous to me and I lost interest. I love more the rapid, wild aggressive sound and here on this CD are all their hits. Forty songs in Thirty-Nine minutes. A Must Listen!!

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V/A - No Control At The Country Club (Live) EP 1990

Well, it's time for a fancy compilation with live recordings by four U.S. bands, released by Nemesis Records (600 copies). Three unknown combos (to me) and one that every Punk must know. I guess this 7Inch is an unofficial piece of vinyl but the recordings are consistently acceptable and after ten minutes the short gig is already over. I think, it was a cheap buy at a record fair and since fucking Covid there hasn't been one here. Well, everything comes back... A bit info from the back cover: "On December 1989 the last great West Coast Hardcore show of the Eighties was held, for those of you who were there, great, and for those who weren't, oh well. Here's an audio documentation of classic and upcoming Hardcore bands." Yeah, that should be enough, enjoy!

1.Protect And Serve - CARRY NATION

2.Money Is Freedom - VISUAL DISCRIMINATION

3.Feel Their Pain - INSTED

4.I Want Something More/We're Only Gonna Die - BAD RELIGION

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VOID SECTION - Virus 1995

Classic melodic punkrock from one of the oldest -still active- Belgian bands. Void Section find its roots back in 1989. "They from the Antwerp/Heist-op-Den-Berg and they are one of the oldest melodic punkrockbands of Belgium and they are already active for about 15 years, spewing out fast and catchy punkrocktunes. Having played with bands like NO FX, Bad Religion, Ten Foot Pole and so many other classic punkrockbands, they've gained a loyal fanbase that feels related to the music this combo is playing. Void Section has released several albums in the past, working together with various record labels like Tune records or the Brussels based I Scream records, but were looking for a label where they would feel part of the family and that's how they got hooked up with funtime records. With labelmates/punkrock collegues like Five Days Off, Homer, Cranck or Shandon, they're more than motivated to join the punkrocktrain. In october of 2003, Void Section has spend a month in the Grindhouse Studio to work on their new album. This album is their 2nd, released on Tune Records and is a blistering collection of fifteen melodic punkrocksongs." (info from Funtime Records).

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RAZZIA - Menschen Zu Wasser 1989

Next, another German Punk classic from a band which I appreciate very much and has been with me from the start of my punk life: Razzia from Hamburg. My first encounter with the band was in 1988, together with Bad Religion, a sweaty affair, YEAH! - Founded 1979 by brothers Andreas (guitar) and Peter Siegler (drums) and Rajas Thiele (vocals). Completed with Sören Callsen (bass) and Frank Endlich (guitar). They were not a purely politically motivated punk band like Slime and in their lyrics they were all kinds of grievances often quite dark and cynical formulated and very aggressively implemented by Rajas in the early years. In 1981, the band were with two pieces on the compilation Underground Hits on Aggressive Rock Produktionen. It was followed by an engagement with the Hamburg label Weird System, which also brought out the first album Tag Ohne Schatten. A brilliant D-Punk record. Atypical for punk bands in the mid 80s Razzia used keyboards in their songs and the result is quite superb. Th second album Ausflug Mit Franziska is the perfect example of their musical development & diversity. I bought this record at a concert in the HH/Fabrik in Altona in 1998. On the 3rd album the band is more experimental, electronic beats, spoken vocals ('Stahlherz') and also the synthesizer again targeted use. Together with the morbid typical lyrics and the unique voice of singer Rajas was made a dark, multi-layered album with threatening parts and a dense atmosphere but always offensive. With this album the musical development was promoted again, thus Razzia stood out from the more traditional German punk of the 80's. Released on the bands own label Triton is this one of my favourite Razzia albums. The band is still active and you shouldn't miss them on stage.

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SOCIAL UNREST - Before The Fall 1986

European pressing of the second album on Konkurrel by Social Unrest from Hayward, part of the lively northern California Punk scene of the Eighties, Social Unrest were a hardcore outfit whose abundant energy and defiant anti-authoritarian stance set a standard followed by many of their peers. Formed in 1980, with the initial line-up featuring Creetin (vocals), Doug & Danny (guitars), John (bass), Mark (drums). Before The Fall is still fast and aggressive. All instruments harmonize very sensitively and create a feeling of well-being, only Bad Religion can keep up with. Apparently that's why many fans/critics consider this as the bands masterpiece. Lend your ears to the debut SU-2000 and decide for yourself.

- Great Thx to Fredrik -

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RF7 - All You Can Eat 1995

This one's from the Wanted-List and I'm happy to have this finally. This CD is a compilation from early records and it's called Volume 1 (Details in the file). A litte info from wikipedia: "RF7 is a long-lived, southern California punk rock band that began in 1979 by Felix Alanis and small time child star of the Sheriff John show Nick Lamagna. Felix also began the record label Smoke Seven Records and signed his band and many others who were ignored by the big labels then, such as Bad Religion, JFA, Crank Shaft, Sin 34, Youth Gone Mad, etc. From the beginning, the RF7 sound was not clearly punk but really what would be called today hardcore punk. Felix Alanis has always mixed middle class virtues with strange religious imagery in his lyrics. Nick Lamagna added guitar and music that had a twist more "rock" than some punks preferred. Walt Phelan added a drummer's drumming, and the bass player seemed to always change, with Robert Armstrong perhaps being the most solid recorded bass man from 1980–83, and again on 1990's classic Traditional Values album." And a review: "Musically to the point is absolute no melodic here, not Orange County or stuff like this, rather coarse HC/punk sound à la Germs. Music from a time when punk rock, especially destruction was ("Punk then what about taking speed, waiting in line, bumming change, drinking, and if all went well, a really big fight," said Nick LaMagna of RF7) and songs, which was titled "Violence" and just sounded." More in an interview can be read here. I say, this sound is fuckin' delicious at a boring day.

- Extra Special Thx to Reinhard -

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V/A - Espresso [Tape] 1991

My late evening post comes with a fine tape rip and for all of you who like's a scrape live sound like me this special gem is a must!!! 37 tracks recorded live on different places in Germany and this cassette shows a good overview who 1991 visited our pretty locations. I acquired this tape that time over a still existing german mailorder and I think it was a good idea, or?? Side A is full with German Punk bands while the B side belongs to the rest of the populated human scum world, Yes, I hate people (you know which one). Ninety minutes wild & rough sound. An awesome tone document in my opinion. Get It!!!

1.Nazischweine - HASS

2.No Escape - P.V.C.

3.Ein Tag An Meinem Fenster - EA80

4.Australien - CANAL TERROR

5.Der König Ist Tot - THE LENNONS

6.Alle Könige - ABWÄRTS

7.Sweet Sixteen - NERDS

8.Third Try - NOISE ANNOYS

9.Disco Queen - SHARON TATE'S CHILDREN

10.Go Away - SHADDOX

11.Chequered Love - ROCK'N'ROLL DISNEYLAND

12.What You Did To Me? - CHARTBUSTERS

13.Nice Boys - COLOGNE CITY ROCKERS

14.Screaming For A Better Future - DIE SCHWARZEN SCHAFE

15.Know About You - WOMBELS

16.In Dieser Zeit - BOXHAMSTERS

17.Guns & Rockets - GUTTERSNIPES

18.SPG - RED ALERT

19.Photo Love - THE URGE

20.Rock'n'Roll Hero - THE BIPS

21.Faut Pas S'Y Fier - PKRK

22.Lemonheads - SECT & JASON

23.Away - IDENTITY

24.Outside Your Room - THRILLED SKINNY

25.Fuckin' Finnish - KLAMYDIA

26.Bloody Hungarian - AURORA

27.Damned Croatian - KUD IDIJOTI

28.Boyfriend - BROKEN TOYS

29.What Kind Of Love? - SNUFF

30.Let Me Alone - ASEXUALS

31.Eve Of Destruction - THE DICKIES

32.I Don't Need To Tell Her - LURKERS

33.No Control - BAD RELIGION

34.After 45 - ANHREFN

35.Yellow Man - U.K.SUBS

36.I'm In Love With The G.T.O.'s - JEFF DAHL

37.Joking - ERIC WRECKLESS

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STIFF LITTLE FINGERS - Get A Life 1994

Get A Life is the sixth studio album by Belfast pioneers Stiff Little Fingers and since 1977 they celebrate refreshing punk music. This album helped renew interest in SLF just as newer bands that sited them as a major influence, such as Bad Religion, Rancid and Therapy, were coming to prominence. Thirteen catchy songs, including some ballads, provide variety and entertaining listening pleasure. Still touring and if they coming to your city I recommend a visit and listen on the way to Go For It because SLF are still at the forefront of the punk movement. And now....

- Great Thx to Fredrik -

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ZYNTHSLAKT & THE PAST - 7 Låtars EP 1983

This rare split EP has to bands from Köping on it and their sound is clearly at home in catchy dirty fast punkrock.

Zynthslakt (Swedish for synth slaughter) was a band that started around 1982. Mikael Thörngren, who played drums, was impressed by the energy of bands like the Clash and the UK SUBS. Together with Per Granberg's twin brother John (guitar in Charta 77) Zynthslakt were born. Because it was expensive to make records, explored other bands to share the cost with. Result was the split single with N.O.S. The band released another split EP called 7 Låtars with with The Past. They played a lot outside Norrköping, Mikael remember once in Västerås they liked the band that just played on stage was so bad that they took over the instruments. But it did not get better because everyone was a little too round underfoot. In Kolsva they would play along with Kent Impotent. No one knows exactly what happened, but Zynthslakt never played. According to "Goofy" was the band members had to go home to Köping the evening. The album 'Spraya På En Vägg' came out 1984 on Rosa Honung Records. That same year the band folded. A posthumous EP 'Hit Med Stålarna' saw the light of the day in 1986 containing all the Zynthslakt tracks from the split singles. The track 'En Stad, En Bomb' was contributed to the 1983 cassette compilation 'Bara En Dröm'. 1993 Rosa Honung released another sampler containing the songs 'Religion Blood' and 'Land Of War'. The fact that some members were in the army, disbanded around 84-85. Then started the band J. Hex and the Scarecrows, which did not have much in common with Zynthslakt and its punk.

The Past started by the turn of the year 80-81 and consists of on Roger Andersson (drums), Pelle Hedblom (bass) and Linus Linder (guitars). Everybody was singing just to not hear who sung most false. Later Linus got to take over most of the singings. They started to play covers jut to learn how to play. Because no one in the band know how to take one single chord in the beginning. As fast as they got ready they started to write own songs with influences from bands like S.L.F., Sham 69, Sex Pistols a.o. 1983 they recorded their first record which was splitted with Zynthslakt, also a band from Köping. It was a 7-song EP sold in 1000 copies. Then they struggled on to get money to record a 7” which was supposed to be released on Birdskit, but the sound was damn bad so it was never released, but Birdskit sponsered them to record a MLP “In The Future With The Past” 1987, the single got to be included as a bonus with the first outgoings. Then they contibuted on “Swedish Stand” a compilation from the Indie labels in 1990. The Past still exists...

Great stuff from both which makes you hungry for more. ENJOY!!

- Special Thx to Fredrik -

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NICK CAVE & THE BAD SEEDS - Ring Of Wild Roses 1996

Friday, weekend and we come to a man who can't be more versatile. I'm talking about Nick Cave, Australian musician, singer-songwriter, author, screenwriter, composer and occasional actor, his music is generally characterised by emotional intensity, a wide variety of influences, his baritone voice and lyrical obsessions with death, religion, love and violence. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds were formed in Melbourne 1983 by vocalist Nick Cave, multi-instrumentalist Mick Harvey and guitarist Blixa Bargeld after the demise of the Birthday Party. So far, they have released sixteen albums and they're still active. These live recordings were released via Kiss The Stone and were taken: tracks 1-9: Bizarre Festival 07/17/1996, tracks 10-11: White Room 1996, tracks 12-14: Brixton Academy 08/14/1996 and I find the song selection very successful and shows an appealing cross section of his music. Enjoy & be enchanted!

Brother, My Cup Is Empty/Loverman/Mercy/Your Funeral My Trial/Where The Wild Roses Grow/The Weeping Song/The Mercy Seat/Nobody's Baby Now/Jack The Ripper/Stagger Lee/Henry Lee/Do You Love Me?/Into My Arms/Where The Wild Roses Grow

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JELLO BIAFRA with NOMEANSNO - The Sky Is Falling And I Want My Mommy 1991

Kick off March and to a record which is still fresh after more than thirty years and revitalizes the Punk in you when it's a little rusty. Well, when I bought the album in Hamburg back then, I was of course very excited and wanted to know if Jello Biafra, who had two years before jammed with D.O.A. and conjured up a superb album, would top this with his second trip to Canada, this time to Victoria where NoMeansNo was at home back then. And the result is one more musical and optical highlight in all respects. Eight energetic songs plus Jello's cynically apocalyptic words, that sums up this brilliant record. I would particularly like to mention the artwork, which was again designed by Winston Smith and connects the history with reality and let us see that not much has changed and mankind is stagnating in its actions and thinking, profit-oriented and without regard for losses, especially nature and minorities suffer vehemently and all the generations that will follow can be happy. When man entered this planet, the earth was doomed. Nevertheless, I want to close with an apt review from my favorite site for this, because they can do that:

"After working with Canada's D.O.A. on his previous collaboration album, Jello hooked up with fellow Canucks and Alternative Tentacles signees NoMeansNo for an abrasive, brilliantly skewed thrash of a record, The Sky Is Falling & I Want My Mommy. NoMeansNo, with their angular art aggression, makes for a more distinct vehicle for Jello than D.O.A., bursting with power and screwy inventiveness both. The title track alone is worth the price of admission; Jello's rant about nuclear satellites and paranoia perfectly is matched by the music, and in ways the track serves as the missing link between an older style of Punk and the work of underground '90s acts like Unwound. White-hot guitar lines scrape and snarl over the stuttering rhythm while Jello rages through as only he can. "Chew" starts with minimal guitar snarls and whines floating around a low-key rhythm before fully springing to life, alternating between epic explosions and low-key tension over the song's length. Other tracks have a more straightforward, thrash feeling but still kick along very nicely, often throwing in odd solos or other touches to prevent sound-alike disease. Jello's pithy way around any number of subjects doesn't fail him here, with everything from recontextualized religion ("Jesus Was A Terrorist") to the joys of white-knuckle trips down mountain rivers ("Ride The Flume" with its lyrics "forget log rides in amusement parks, this one's 50 miles long!"). NoMeansNo's Ramones-worshipping alter egos, the Hanson Brothers, sneak in for the song "Bad," which is delivered in appropriately quick time, though Jello avoids sounding like Joey Ramone. The album wraps up with two great stormers, "Sharks In The Gene Pool", which constantly shifts tempos and feels over its length, and "The Myth Is Real-Let's Eat", with a wickedly snarling bassline that helps carry it along. Jello lets go in full effect over both, with all of the energy that fans would come to expect." (Ned Raggett)

One note before you ask, my copy doesn't have a lyric sheet for some fucking reason... well, I think more words aren't needed. In the same year, one more short group therapy convened, Tumor Circus, and is one more pleasure at own risk.

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STRAHLER 80 - Das Kann Jeder... EP 1996

Emotional Punk from Linz/Austria here with Strahler 80 and the band introduce themselfs as follows: "... after a not clumsy-needled system, consisting of state, religion, capital, media, sexuality, gender, race, math, science, prison, + myriad other components, us all the possibility takes (you notice that you fucking hippies) to get out of this, we want at least donate some confusion in it, and search for the weak point. Domination, go shit yet. Furthermore we are präpotent wankers." That sounds quite decently I think. Strahler 80 released a few singles and one album which is called Knuth on Lufthanfa Records. Musically they play a nice mix of energtic punk with a touch hardcore and emo. And they're loud! They disbanded probably at the end of the 90's. Not bad :)

- Special Thx to Reinhard -

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