THE NITWITZ - The Scorched Earth Policy 12'' 1981

Amsterdam's youngest punk band were formed in 1978. They released several singles, a mini album and a split LP with Götterflies. Here's a short look at their biography: "In the press they got less attention. And when they got some, they got negative critics. The English press called them imitators of English bands. New Musical Express about their first single: "Too late for the Pistols, or even Sham 69, they take their lead from the likes of the Rejects and the UK Subs. Do I need to go any further?". The lyrics of The Nitwitz were not political at all in the beginning. It was about girls, Wickie the Viking and get beaten up by disco-visitors. In March 1979 they played in Paradiso (The Netherlands) with the anarcho band Crass from England. Crass decided to sabotage the set of The Nitwitz by turning of the soundinstallation. After all, The Nitwitz were sexists. This shows how narrowminded the free-thinkers from Crass really were. In 1981 The Nitwitz discovered new music like bands as Weirdos, Germs and Dils and the LP Group Sex from the Circle Jerks. The Nitwitz broke up in march 1982. Eric quit and started the band Outrageous. The others go on with on the vocals the 17 year old singer René van de Meer, formerly Dustman. With the new singer B.G.K. (Balthazar Gerards Kommando) was formed. 1996, the Nitwitz played together with the original members since may 1982." You can read the full Biography here. For me they are a fantastic punk band with their own sound and this little album here proves that a lot. 9 Songs in 15 minutes, snotty guitars blew me away, excellent tempo and very consistent too. The Nitwitz are cool and I can listen to them at any time.

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THE NITWITZ - The Worst Of... EP 1980

Last one in May and with an average age of sixteen The Nitwitz were the youngest of the Amsterdam punkbands. In 1978 the boys were on stage for the first time at the Spinoza-lyceum in south Amsterdam. In 1980 the band released their first single on their own Vögelspin-label. This here is their second one. The Nitwitz were famous for their melodic carefree happy punk tunes and were influenced by Australian bands as Saints, Radio Birdman and by Ramones, MC5 and Stooges. Not by any English punkbands. They said their biggest influence were the Dickies. In the press they got less attention. And when they got some, they got negative critics. Cool sound, cool band, cool record - The Nitwitz broke up in march 1982. Test their Scorched Earth Policy 12'' too.

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V/A - Als Je Haar Maar Goed Zit 1982

This compilation from the Netherlands features seven bands, the hottest in my opinion are the Outlaws, Nitwitz and Amsterdamned. Runs the gamut from '77 punk to full-tilt thrash. Recorded between April 5th and April 8th, 1982 @ Joke's Koeienverhuurbedrijf, Schellingwoude, six hours per band. Released by the legendary label Vögelspin Records, a garant for pretty cool punkrock. In 1983 the label released Volume 2 which is also a classic one. - Pick this up you Fuckers! -

1.Ballroom Dancing - AMSTERDAMNED

2.Blind & Doof - PISTACHE B.V.

3.Artificial Smile - THE NITWITZ

4.Dummy - OUTLAWZ

5.Desert - RAKKETAX

6.Deo Volente - FRITES MODERN

7.Menace - A4

8.Vacuum - RAKKETAX

9.Traditie Amme Balle - AMSTERDAMNED

10.Philips - PISTACHE B.V.

11.General - OUTLAWZ

12.Ammunition - A4

13.Television Games - RAKKETAX

14.Genocide - THE NITWITZ

15.Chocomel - OUTLAWZ

16.OSL - PISTACHE B.V.

17.Formulier - FRITES MODERN

18.Dope - AMSTERDAMNED

19.Security Service - THE NITWITZ

20.Blind - A4

21.Ayatollah - AMSTERDAMNED

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TRÖCKENER KECKS - Schliessbaum 1981

Another nice record is the bebut album by Tröckener Kecks. Founded in May 1980 by De Leeuw and Kenter, know each other from the boarding school and they take the initiative to set up a band. Unlike other Amsterdam punk bands in those days they were apolitical. Belong to the second wave of Dutch punk bands (The Ex, The Work Mates, and The Nitwitz) the band release their first EP in the 'do it yourself' principle. Rik Ringers comes out in 1981 and shortly after their first LP, all on TK Records. Musically inspired by the Buzzcocks and the Undertones with great lyrics. The melodic vocals by Edward Tilburg is especially notable for the lyrics: macabre, absurd stories that demonstrate a flawless sense of language. After missing the connection with the punk movement, they are not surfing along on the wave of Dutch bands in the early eighties. With the German-sounding band name has been deliberately pursued other not to be associated with the English upturn already quietly announced in 1980. More records followed but they changed their sound away from the good old dirty punk rock. Anyway, this record is rare as hell, according to my information only 500 copies were pressed.

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V/A - Punkrock From Holland 1996

Monday is the fucked up day of the week and it's a splendid choice to start the week with a decent compilation (unofficial) by outstanding Dutch bands with rare blasts + every fucking song is worth hearing. 100 copies each on blue, clear and orange vinyl and a bunch on black vinyl (my copy). A slab that doesn't hurt anyone, because it only contains long-forgotten classics from the late seventies and the spirit of the songs still packs a punch and the feeling captured in these recordings are as relevant as ever. Sound-wise, it's not the killer production, but that's how it was at the end of the seventies and the beginning of the eighties, raw & simple. Frenetic recordings and you won’t feel alone anymore, interesting and effective.

1.Sex - FILTH

2.Nothing For Me - FILTH

3.Facist Fuckers - NEON PUNKZ

4.Speedtwins - SPEEDTWINS

5.Boring City - THE NIXE

6.Lost And Lonely - THE METS

7.Welfare - SUSPENSE

8.O! Zit Dat Zo - THE MIRANDA'S

9.Dead Or Alive - PANIC

10.Goodbye - FLYIN' SPIDERZ

11.Wap Shoo Wap - IVY GREEN

12.Fine Words - THE BROMMERS

13.City Cowboys - THE SQUATS

14.Camera Security - DIE KRIPOS

15.Oppression - NITWITZ

16.Dancing With God - RAILBIRDS

17.Duty - BVD

18.Hang The Pope - THE RAPERS

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V/A - Bloodstains Across Europe 1996

Friday morning and my computer mouse is broken and I torture myself as I write this line. Anyway, let's start with this delicious compilation by rare 7Inches from Europe and except the Aheads one are all complete, A and B side I mean, I think the same concept was taken for the Killed By Death # 77 comp. - well, we need sometimes something new and in these rapid days we all have to be flexible, so the big machine requires that....all right, musically brilliant, artwork & infos perfect, and the back cover says: 500 copies, but with bootlegs nothing's true....only the music.... who cares? (and don't forget, flexibility)

1.British Refugee - SPITFIRE BOYS
2.Mein Kampf - SPITFIRE BOYS
3.Poliisi Pamputtaa Taas - EPPU NORMALI
4.Elvisken Kuolema - EPPU NORMALI
5.Nei Nei Nei - KJØTT
6.Blålys - KJØTT
7.Et Nytt Og Bedre Liv - KJØTT
8.Freedom Of Speach - AHEADS
9.No Idea - AHEADS
10.In Down Out Up - AHEADS
11.Cola Freaks - LOST KIDS
12.Rådden Dig - LOST KIDS
13.Alle Taler - LOST KIDS
14.Pelle I Skogen - TROGSTA TRÄSK
15.Sommarbarn - TROGSTA TRÄSK
16.Hot Love - NASAL BOYS
17.Die Wüste Lebt - NASAL BOYS
18.Charlie Was A Good Boy - DOGS
19.No Way - DOGS
20.Nineteen - DOGS
21.She's My Fan - NITWITZ
22.I Saw Her Again - NITWITZ
23.Reasons - NITWITZ
24.You're So - NITWITZ

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B.G.K. - Jonestown Aloha! 1983

Now we rev up with the first album by this hardcore legends from Amsterdam. I quote infos for you from the unfortunately inactive KFTH page and it's sad that is layer there: "Named after a Dutch historical figure who assassinated the king of the Netherlands in 1584, Balthasar Gerards Kommando was formed in the early '80s by members of Amsterdam punk band the Nitwitz. Rejecting the then-popular trend to emulate British Oi! bands, B.G.K. took their musical cues from American hardcore bands such as MDC, and soon developed an ultrafast style of their own. The band was also committed to following through with its leftist political stance, both in terms of the punk scene (the band set up DIY shows with low door prices, and put out affordable records on their own label) and in a wider political spectrum (they often played benefits for various causes, and helped run the Emma squat in Holland)." On many compilations welcome, one is called Viva Umkhonto! from 1987 - Let's enter now twenty spiffing powerful snacks.

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OUTRAGEOUS - s/t LP 1984

A Dutch band completely unknown to me, who made three albums in the 80s, everything on their own and the five-piece named Outrageous consisted of Eric (vocals), Ruud & Niall (guitars), Bardo (bass), Frank (drums) and more info is not available. What I found is this: "Eric quit the Nitwitz and joined this Amsterdam band. The band belonged (with the Boegies from 1982) to the pioneers in the field of playing fun punk. Their debut album was especially popular abroad. Jello Biafra hailed the album in the fanzine Maximum RockRoll." And this review: "Not a thrash album, but a good old-fashioned punk LP. Holland’s OUTRAGEOUS displays a fast, heavy, two-guitar punk attack with strong hooks on most of this record, but they also play occasional poppish ditties (like “Beziers”), rockabilly thangs (“British Bikes”), or thrashers (“Say Cheese”) to mix up the stew and keep things interesting. I found myself happily singing along with many of these tunes, which is as good a recommendation as most." (Jeff Bale, MRR #16, August 1984) - I think, they do their job very well and fourteen songs in just under thirty minutes provide relaxation.

- Great Thx to Fredrik -

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V/A - Feel Lucky Skunk?! 1997

Long announced by me, now finally here. A visit to our dutch neighbors where we find this excellent compilation with ultra rare kbd punkrock of the early days.... as always. Twenty-two crackers from seventeen bands, onec again a nice colored artwork with info-sheet inside and orange vinyl, not common for a bootleg. I really have to say that I liked those records and it is really worth to make the purchase regardless of losses, assuming you like dutch punk rock, in this case. The original 7 inches nowadays difficult to obtain and then so fuckin' expensive blablabla.... you know what I'm talking about. Enough words, from my collection, all scans, have fun!

1.Another Subculture Going Bad - IVY GREEN

2.He Was O.K. - THE NITWITZ

3.Luns - DE STRAKS

4.Eet U Smakelijk - DE STRAKS

5.Duty - BVD

6.Teenage Depression - PRIME MINISTERS

7.The System - LULLABIES

8.Looking For A Job - VULTURES

9.Van Agt - RAKKETAX

10.We're So Glad Elvis Is Dead - THE TITS

11.Sunday Fools - NOXIOUS

12.Vieze Katholieken - DE STRAKS

13.Koningin - DE STRAKS

14.Ain't No Hooker - GOD'S HEART ATTACK

15.Stupid Americans - THE EX

16.Working Girl - BVD

17.Dead Entertainment - THE VOPO'S

18.Zwolle - THE VOPO'S

19.You Say - NIXE

20.Don't Come To Earth - OBSESSIONS

21.Run To The Station - COITUS INT.

22.I Am - MOLLESTERS

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MIRANDA'S - For Promotion Only EP 1981

First and best record by this punk group from Breda, released in 1981 on Mirandas Records. Can't say much about the band and I must confess that this is not my rip. But these 4 tracks are worth to post here again because I love this cracker. The punk scene in the Netherlands is, as in many other countries, more or less coincided with the squatters and therefore strong political orientation. Compared to the UK, calls the existence of punk in the Netherlands hardly to the public at large. Some many bands were formed, Svatsöx, Grrr, Vopo's, Filth, Nitwitz to name a few, and the punk scene grows and is for me one of the best here in Europe. Musically very aggressive and very varied, sometimes experimental and with strong attitudes. Always a welcome guest in my room. Enjoy this 4 snotty punk tunes and start a pogo-party!

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SUBWAY - Jesus Loves Me 7'' 1978

Subway was a band from Groningen I think. Their first apperance was a song on the Keihard En Swingend! compilation in 1978. One year later they released this killer 7'' with two tracks on No Fun. After a majestic church intro starts Jesus Loves Me and the fuzzy guitars are awesome. These guys master their instruments and like the Nitwitz they play cool punk'n'roll. One year later they made a second slab in form of a mini-LP called One Way Subway on Universe Productions and this tops the 7Inch double. The band can be found on numerous compilations, the two best in my opinion Killed By Epitaph ('98) and Killed By Death #24 ('99). In February 1983, the group finally took leave at the My Generation festival.

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V/A - Killed By Epitaph 1998

And we stay geil with this unofficial reissue of the CD that originally appeared on Epitaph Europe in 1996, called "I'm Sure We're Gonna Make It - Dutch Punk Rock '77-'82". This double vinyl is limited to 1000 copies and compiled by Jeroen Vedder and released in Europe only; some wise punk put it out in it's proper form, for kids 'round the world to enjoy. And unike so many comps, this one is again full with rare and dirty heavy KBD stuff. Lotsa good information too. Jeroen, being a native dutchman, did his country a great service with this record. An excellent compilation of the early dutch punk scene, most tracks are really good with very few losers and some of which I've never heard before.

1.I'm Sure We're Gonna Make It - IVY GREEN

2.I Don't Care What The People Say - HELMETTES

3.Requiem For Martin Heidegger - PANIC

4.City Boy - FLYIN' SPIDERZ

5.Football Song - SPEEDTWINS

6.Teenage Abortion - SUZANNES

7.Van Agt Casanova - PAUL TORNADO

8.Daddy Is My Pusher - TITS

9.Plastic - MOLLESTERS

10.Don't Hide Your Hate - FILTH

11.Treat Me Like A Doll - GOD'S HEART ATTACK

12.Half Twee - HELMETTES

13.Face Cover Face - MECANO LTD

14.Jesus Loves Me (But I Don't Care) - SUBWAY

15.Ich Liebe Ulrike - MORT SUBITE

16.Miracles - THE BROMMERS

17.Look Out The Cops - BVD

18.She's By My Side - SHITH

19.I Shouldn't Go - COÏTUS INT.

20.Menten - VOPO'S

21.Human Car - THE EX

22.Searching - NIXE

23.A Black & White Statement - RONDOS

24.I'm So Lazy - NITWITZ

25.Lang Zo Aardig Niet - TRÖCKENER KEKS

26.Bionic Adventure - FRITES MODERN

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COLD WAR EMBRYOS - Pretty Words EP 1981

Top lone release by Cold War Embryos, a band from Utrecht and they were founded somewhere in the early eighties. Classic nederpunk with eight straight candles and they a bit softer as Rakketax or The Nitwitz but if you like these bands then you will choose this fuckin' rare self-released EP too. Check a little video on YouTube. I think despite the minimalist recording, they sound refreshingly antique, as well as my dresser from 1869. Can't much say about the band, no info at all... but I think CWE is a typical example how quickly a career as a punk muse can be over, so enjoy this little document of a another hot short-lived band.

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