CHRON GEN - Live @ The Old Waldorf San Francisco 1985

In 30 minutes is kick-off and I hope for the miracle of London, I'm already excited and therefore now a few words to this nice slab by Chron Gen, published by Hard Court/Picasso, whiche are not mine but fit: Chron Gen (short for Chronic Generation) are a British punk band formed in January 1978 in Letchworth, Hertfordshire. Chron Gen initially comprised former members of The Condemned and Optional Xtras. Band members included Glynn (Baxter) Barber (vocals/guitarist), Jon 'JJ' Johnson (drummer), Adam Warwicker (bass guitar), and Jon Thurlow (rhythm guitar), with Pete Dimmock replacing Warwicker after the band recorded their first demo. The band released their debut EP Puppets Of War in 1981 on their own Gargoyle label; It spent almost ten months in the UK Independent Chart, peaking at # 4. With the success of the EP, Chron Gen were invited to join The Exploited, Discharge, Anti-Pasti, and The Anti-Nowhere League on the now infamous Apocalypse tour in the UK in the summer of 1981. They released a single on the Step Forward label before moving to Secret Records, who issued the band's debut album, Chronic Generation, in March 1982. It reached # 53 on the UK Albums Chart, and was the last release to feature Thurlow, who was replaced by Mark 'Floyd' Alison. The band toured with Anti-Nowhere League on their 'So What' tour and toured the United States in support of the album. After a further single, Dimmock left to join Chelsea (and later Bandits at 4 O'Clock), and was replaced by Roy Horner. The band's final release was the 1984 mini-album Nowhere to Run, which was recorded before Horner joined and featured session musician Nigel Ross-Scott on bass. It didn't match their earlier success and the band split up in October 1984. The band have played occasional reunion shows since. Floyd later joined The Occasional Tables. He died on 31 October 1999 and Pete Dimmock died on 12 August 2011. - Enjoy!

Lies/Jet Boy, Jet Girl/Clouded Eyes/Reality/Fiasco/Hounds Of The Night/Behind Closed Doors/Misadventure (Nowhere To Run)/Wasted Love/Breakdown/Outlaw/Mindless Few/Subway Sadist/L.S.D./Abortion/Living Next Door To Alice

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CHRON GEN - Outlaw EP 1982

Nothing new but a real classic and the fourth 7Inch by Chron Gen (Chronic Generation) has the best three songs they ever recorded on it. I came first in touch with the band via the essential Punk & Disorderly 3 compilation and it was a superb start to put them on my radar and it took not long I had the album, their only studio until 2016. What more shall I say? Melodic UK punk of the finest with very versed lyrics, so if you like the Hertfordshire sound click over to FPFTP and enjoy the full boom.

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SELF ABUSE - Unestablished Since 1982 [2019]

Let's continue with an interesting combo and a record, which now are already hard to get. But from the beginning: Self Abuse were formed in Bournemouth 1982 at the height of the second Punk wave by Andy (vocals/bass), Dave (guitars/vocals), Roger (guitar), Steve (drums)... age 16/17 respectively. They've been trying to form a band for some time and hit it off right away when they met through a local recording studio. In the next few months they wrote their first songs. Played their first gig in Poole/Dorset and released the State Of Mind demotape on their own Abused label during that year. In March 1983 followed the second demo Teenage (again on their own label), which was recorded in the famous Poole studios and it shows that the five made technical progress: the simple, rough monotony gives way to a playful style, whereby drums, bass & guitars have an outstanding feature and only bassist and singer Andy still sings naively infantile. The improved sound also implied old songs from the 2nd demo in a better way and also ensured that they could increase their local and national awareness after the release and played in the south of England together with Screaming Dead, Amebix, Idiom Tribe, Breakout, Shock To The System, Madmass, Cult Maniax, etc.. Sound-wise they were described by fanzines as being a cross between Stiff Little Fingers & Chron Gen.

In 1984 the ‘(I Didn’t Wanna Be A) Soldier’ EP was released by the Radical Change label, the late great John Peel played it on his radio show and the record climbed to number two in the Independent charts. Two tracks from their not released ‘Third’ demo were taken for Party Pooping Punk Provocations! compilation on by Xcentric Noise records late in 1984. Despite a mostly triumphant year, there is considerable unrest between the band members and friends, with disagreements about almost everything. Self Abuse played their final gig on 29th Dec. 1984 in Bournemouth to a packed house, two days later they split up. - Twenty years later in 2004, the original line-up reformed to play a gig in Bournemouth and released the No Change EP on Abused Records and the next year saw them play the Wasted Festival [now Rebellion Festival] in Blackpool. And since then, they're still hungry, and continue to indulge in anthemic mid-tempo Punkrock and still can't get enough of the rock circus. This classic compilation was released via Mad Butcher Records, 250 copies exist, and features sixteen delicacies [Demos, EPs & Outtakes], which outline the development of the band as well.

- Great Thx to Fredrik -

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V/A - The Bright Side Of Oi! 1994

Morgenstund' hat Oi! im Mund... Oi! Classics Vol.1, ebenfalls auf Street Kids Records veröffentlicht (gab's in unterschiedlichen Vinylfarben) sind hier vorwiegend Bands aus Engeland vertreten die jeder kennt. Man hat auf die klassischen Hymnen verzichtet und Songs ausgewählt die eher nicht so bekannt sind, wie ich zumindest finde. Sicher hat jeder eine 7inch oder eine LP im Schrank stehen und wird das Dingens ohne zu zögern ziehen. 16 mal Streetpunk vom feinsten, nicht übel doch ich bevorzuge Vol.2, weil eben drum. Würde mich freuen wenn mir jemand vernünftige Scans zukommen ließe. - Ich schätze, ich hau mich noch eine Stunde hin, viel zu früh um weiteren Scheiß zu schreiben.

1.Red London - SHAM 69

2.Don't You Ever Let Me Down - THE CRACK

3.Clouded Eyes - CHRON GEN

4.Feel The Rage - INFA RIOT

5.Mull Of Kintyre - THE OPTIMISTS

6.Ragazzi Come Tu E Me - KLASSE KRIMINALE

7.Loves Young Dream - GUTTERSNIPES

8.No Hope For Anyone - DEAD WRETCHED

9.The Sun Never Shines - ANGELIC UPSTARTS

10.Count The Dead - SKIN DEEP

11.Revolution Times - RED LONDON

12.Rich & Dirty - THE RADICTS

13.Soldier - CRIMINAL CLASS

14.Loud And Clear - SUBCULTURE

15.Victim - THE STRIKE

16.City Invasion - RED ALERT

- Special Thx to François -

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