LÄRM - Nothing Is Hard In This World If You Dare To Scale The Heights EP 1987

Lärm (Noise) were a Dutch straight edge thrashcore band formed in 1981, first playing under the name of Total Chaoz and Holland's Lärm are a band that had something for everybody: sincere leftist politics, a strong straight edge philosophy, a lighthearted, humorous attitude, and most importantly devastating music played at never-before-heard speeds. They played "extreme noise" style: short, fast, and out of tune. The band practiced in a barn at Jos' house, and when they started playing the cattle would invariably start running. The cow image would stick with the band over the years as a sort of mascot. This EP appear in 1986 and came out in a self-released pressing of less than 800. High speed Dutch S.E. Hardcore from one of the most important and pioneering European bands of the 80's.

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ANGESCHISSEN - @ Hamburg/Störtebeker 21.12.1994

Here is an amazing live recording from Angeschissen, a Hamburg combo which existed from 1984 to 1988 and they were one of the influential and stylistic punk bands of the Hamburg scene in the 80s and consisted of: Jens (vocals), Christian (guitars), Daniel (bass) and Stephan (drums + vocals). Christian was guitarist of Slime from 1980 until his first dissolution, where he had played together with Stephan; he was also drummer of Torpedo Moskau. Both brought hardcore punk into the style that hit American influences like Wipers and Rites Of Spring. In addition to singer Jens, Stephan also wrote some of the lyrics. The musical style of the band can be described as powerful dirty snotty melodic punkrock which is, in my opinion, live more intense and dynamic as on plate. In 1987 they released their first EP 'Angst Macht Keinen Lärm' via Buback. A year later comes the first longplayer, Angeschissen, with twelve goodies out and it was exclusively as vinyl record released. Then the band was supported by the studio guitarist Atli Grund and a split slab with Rachut's second band Das Moor came out also in 1988, shortly after the band was carried to the grave. In 1997 the Hamburger label Schiffen released a double album with all the recordings, this time also on CD. Follow-up projects by Jens were then Blumen Am Arsch Der Hölle, Dackelblut, Oma Hans and Kommando Sonne-Nmilch. So this is an excellent live document in a very good quality and I saw them a few times and I like to remember their great, impulsive and funny performances. Their only important compilation contributions are on the great Hamburg '88 album by Bitzcore.

Wolf/Rücken/Hallo Tod/Strangulieren/Treibsand/Wissen Wohin/Liebesfalle/Omega Mensch/Good Good Things/Hund/Angst Macht Keinen Lärm/Blut Im Urin/Over The Edge/6 Jahre Sind Genug/Picture This/Weltschmerz/D-7/Schwein/Kreislauf/Window Shop For Love/Es Gibt Millionen/It's Not You

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EINSTÜRZENDE NEUBAUTEN - Kollaps 1981

Blixa Bargeld, F.M.Einheit & N.U.Unruh: this was the first line-up of the 'LÄRM' musicians called Einstürzende Neubauten from Berlin. I don't know if I've already told you, but at some point I heard their sounds on the TV, some eighties music show, and I stopped immediately and had to hear and see it: hammering, drilling, atonal bass noises, distorted guitars and a sudden loud & psychotic screaming voice. At first I didn't know what to think of them, but gradually I started to like the stuff and thought: "Wow, they're crazy but they're doing an excellent job with their homemade instruments. This is fucking innovation!" Well, dear readers, that was forty fucking years ago and do you know that? You see the past clearly in front of you and look at yourself now... that's absolute horror and I hate getting fucking old. Well, anyway, I became a fan of their artistic work and after a few years they finally became more melodic, and a little more commercial (but only a tiny bit). Finally, a good review from someone who can do it better than me:

"Einstürzende Neubauten's first album, as one might imagine, is their most primitive and radical effort, the purest expression of their original aesthetic. This makes the album both historically significant and conceptually intriguing, of course, but what's most interesting about this album is that it still sounds surprising decades after its release. Often, albums that are considered extreme art statements upon their debut sound almost quaint a few years later, but while Kollaps perhaps sounds less extreme to ears that heard industrial music turned into disco pabulum by the likes of Nine Inch Nails than it did before, songs like the eight-minute title track and the rumbling live closer, "Negativ Nein" are still a fascinating blend of rhythm and random bashing, tonality and atonality, with anguished vocals by Blixa Bargeld that often seem to have little connection with anything else in the piece. The brief tracks, like the 80-second "Sehnsucht," are even more extreme explorations of pure noise. Starting as early as the next album, Einstürzende Neubauten would begin slowly introducing more mainstream musical concepts into their aesthetic, making Kollaps as undiluted a listening experience as there is in the entire catalog." (Stewart Mason)

Released via ZickZack Records and the first edition included a sixteen-page DIN A4 black and white booklet with song lyrics + photos. A record for Die-Hards. Enjoy!

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ZYKLOME A - Made In Belgium 1984

Bonheiden, 1980 Zyklome A were founded and in the beginning the band consisted of four members but soon Mark (vocals & bass), Toon (guitars) and Robin (drums) remained and with this line-up the band has done one gig in Mechelen. Punk Etc. Records showed interest and a number was released on the "Second Time Around" compilation tape. After this, many performances were done in the surroundings of Antwerp/Turnhout. In 1983, a split EP with Moral Demolition was released by the same label with three goodies of Zyklome A. After the release of "Made In Belgium" in 1983 the band played a lot in the Netherlands with bands such as B.G.K., Lärm and Pandemonium. Because of the many gigs there was no time to make new songs. Partly because of the conscription (fleeing) from Puttemans, the band stopped performing. In 1988 and 2016 the band did some reunion gigs. Brilliant record!

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PROTES BENGT - In Bengt We Trust EP 1986

Now we come to music extreme and such records exist only a few. Protes Bengt started 1985 and was a blast off hardcore project by Åke (guitars) from Mob 47 and Per (vocals) from Filthy Christians, Ola (bass) & Chrille (drums). The band was mainly formed to break some guys who did a tape with loads of songs. Protes Bengt never rehearsed but made two recordings. The first recording contains 74 "songs" of which thirty-two were released as the In Bengt We Trust EP on Röj Records. Most of the lyrics are really stupid but some have serious contents. The second recording was a twelve track demo called Bengt E Sänkt, the style had change to more one beat hardcore like Heresy, D.R.I. or Lärm. If you haven’t heard this band before and if you’re into Mob 47, Anti-Cimex or Shitlickers you’re probably going to die in a few seconds, they just fucked shit up with this one! Crazy, over the top euro thrash, just a millisecond before others combinded this with Replusion and others. A bit of collector trivia: 1000 copies were made and when the band ordered a second press, the pressing plant mixed up the plates and pressed 1000 more of the Mob 47 EP. They kept them, made new sleeves and sold them. Represses of this came with different sleeves. And yes, the demo that followed after this blows it to pieces. It’s incredible!!! This dittie has thirty-two tracks... so let's smash a window!

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EINSTÜRZENDE NEUBAUTEN - Strategien Gegen Architekturen 1983

I can still remember very well, how I came to this musical effusion. This sucker was given from a very close youth friend and he knew that I like music far from mainstream, he asked me if I know Einstürzende Neubauten. I said yes and then he gave me this work of art. He said, it's just pure LÄRM and absolutely not his cup of tea, haha... I understood him because EN are very special. So immediately I went home and listened to Strategien gegen Architekturen, the first compilation album which features rare single-only tracks and live material from 1980 to 1983, and I was delighted.. here an excellent review for you which I like to quote:

"Einstürzende's compilation album summed up all that was brilliant and thrilling about the young band, who perhaps more than anyone else encapsulated exactly what "industrial" consisted of -- honest-to-goodness mechanistic pummeling and musique concrete remade for a newer generation. Selections from Schwarz and Kollaps feature, along with rare 7Inch tracks & various live performances as well, giving a striking picture of the group's varying approaches. Bargeld's rasped, whispered vocals and sudden screams crawl with threat and dread in a consciously dramatic but never overtly hammy fashion, while the rough rhythms and harsh clattering which serves as a bed for his delivery touches on everything from free jazz to minimal Krautrock rhythms. That the volume often gets amped to its absolute highest is only to be expected, but silence and space between sound matters just as much, especially on a slew of songs toward the end. Guitars and bass appear more often than might be expected, but the way they're played is something else entirely, muddied deep in the mix or roaring as undifferentiated noise stabbing in here and there. It's also interesting to hear the earlier version of the band in contrast with the later, when a slightly more formal rock presentation took the fore. Given that on the recordings here the group consisted mostly of percussionists beating on metal and whatever else was to hand, it's little wonder things sound even more aggressive. Maybe for some this will only sound like the backing music on a Sprockets sketch, but the impact on any number of sound terrorists then and since from this album can't be measured." (Review by Ned Raggett)

I couldn't praise this album better, remarkable retrospect!

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ZEB & THE FAST ONES - Raggare Beware + 1 EP 1983

One more highlight from Sweden today with Zeb & The Fast Ones from Linköping and they released two incredible 7Inches in the early Eighties on Eugen Records. And Ola tells you a bit about the band that is captured on B-Sound which I of course reproduce here for you lazy bitches: "This is the story about Zeb & The Fast Ones as I can remember it. All I will tell has hopefully happened and it is in fairly right order as I remember it. You should remember that it was over seventeen years since Zeb and the fast ones were active, so to you who think you can the history better I hope you will overlook. Spring 1983, Zeb were established by Ola (vocals), Lärm (guitars), Martin (bass) and Ove (drums). All members had known each other since nine-year compulsory school. With just a pocketful of own songs and some cover we made our live entrance the summer 83 on an outdoor event in Valla. With about the same number of tunes the band did enter Bosses studio the fall 83 to record what became our first single Raggare Beware. After this a number of plays at home ground. Especially was a play at Kvinnebygården when we entered the stage without guitarist, not the worlds most successful concert but it was appreciated by all who at this time liked experimental music. Zeb & The Fast Ones did also manage the trick to go outside Linköping.

Sometime the winter 83/84 the way was to Stockholm and the famous stage Tre Backar. We were the last band on stage this evening and the arranger cut the power just after a pair of tunes, not exactly what we had expected. A play same winter in Jönköping resulted that we got the opportunity to be warm-up band to Peter and the test tube babies. 6. June 1984 we entered the stage in Jönköping’s cultural art center accordingly for the biggest audience we ever should meet. If we had been some older and more experienced we should certainly solve this mission better, but as I remembered the play (or the little I remember) we mangle as possessed by a devil and then the result was accordingly. Well, 1984 was a delicious time and to Jönköping many of that times celebrities as Black Flag, G.B.H, Adicts and Johnny Thunders. It was also at that time the second Zeb single was recorded. If it was at the spring or the autumn I cannot say. Worth to be mentioned about the second recording was that Bosse had become tired of our huge consumption of medium-strong beer and gave us the advice to drink strong spirits then it should result in a lower amount of empty bottles.

On autumn 1984 also a second guitarist was recruited named Finken and the time with him was however very short. The tune writing accelerated autumn 84 but the writing of lyrics didn’t. At a concert on Arbis with its fine old traditions (as warm-up for the Vibrators) certainly 3-4 tunes lacked a real text. This caused me and also Martin change our roles. Thus I started to play bass and Martin began to sing. It showed to not work either and the consequence was that Martin left the band in spring '85. Myself I throw in the towel after an outdoor concert in Trädgårdsföreningen the summer 1985.

Some time a wise man said probably: "If you want to quarrel with your mates you should establish a punk band". Exactly this happened Zeb & The Fast Ones. The personal chemistry might not have been the best from the beginning and the fact that all members had different opinion on how seriously you should look at things did not make the situation better. Anyway we were a Punk band in the crowd, not better than or worse than anybody else and the memory still lives as a batch of wear singles as from time to time change owner on some vinyl fair. We had our moments and I still remember this period with happiness."

So folks, many thx to Ola for his authentic impressions and now: ENJOY!

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V/A - Cultural Compost Pit! 1985

Pretty awesome tape from Mothra Productions with thirty five bands from around the world with huge tophits. Excellent selection I can only say!, a brilliant Hardcore Punk onslaught pulled by rare 7Inches and other secret sources with nice little info-sheet makes this an excellent stew with hot spices and bite-sized chunks, add a slice of rye bread and beer and it's done... but beware! breaks through well, so don't forget toilet paper.

1.Violacion - KANGRENA

2.Funk Is Dead - HEIMAT LOS

3.Dreamworld - PÖPEL MÖBEL

4.Poison Food - BLACK VAMPIRE

5.Hočem Stran - III KATEGORIJA

6.Medalje Eller Dom - BANNLYST

7.Fight For Your Freedom - ABADDON

8.Alibi - NEGAZIONE

9.Antisexism - NO LIP

10.Dueling Banjos - F

11.Gerechtigheid? - LAITZ

12.Le Râleur - KROMOZOM 4

13.Bock Auf.... - DIE MÄNNER

14.Slere Bomber, Mere Magt - ENOLA GAY

15.No Friends - SOLUCION MORTAL

16.Air That We Breathe - DEATH SENTENCE

17.Isto E Olho Seco - OLHO SECO

18.Mädchen Mit Den Roten Haar'n - THE IDIOTS

19.La Valse - SHERWOOD

20.Dom Styr Våra Liv - MOB 47

21.Pogo - SCHLIESSMUSKEL

22.Louder - ANGOR WAT

23.Psychose Komplex - INDIREKT

24.Nation On Fire - CCM

25.Lies - PSYCHO

26.Vendeurs De Mort - FINAL BLAST

27.Nichts Zu Tun - HOSTAGES OF AYATOLLAH

28.Glutton For Punishment - CHRONIC SUBMISSION

29.Fuego En La Moncloa - ANTI-DOGMATIKSS

30.It's Not What It Seems To Be (Remix) - LÄRM

31.Torture - RAPT

32.Mikä On Totuus - MASSACRE

33.Straßenfest - RIM SHOUT

34.Eres Una Pose - GUERRILLA URBANA

35.Declino - DECLINO

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