SABOTAGE - Sveriges Apor 7'' 2014

#007 from the popular label Slyngel Rekords has been sold out for a long time and you know why: 300 copies and more is not. Sabotage are from Solna (Swedish province of Stockholm län) and the four Thomas & Johan (guitar/vocals), Peter (bass), Matte (drums) recorded these two smasher as a demo at Sveriges Radio in Stockholm 1982 and they weren't even of legal age when the recordings were made, at least that's what the cover offers and that's amazing I think. I wish I'd gotten into Punk when I was seventeen, I sure wouldn't be doing a fucking slave job right now. Fact is, that unfortunately only these two nuggets survived and possibly the band was only conceived as a small project to make school days more pleasant, who knows? "The band started as SEG DEG in the new year 81/82 and soon the name was changed to Sabotage because there were other bands with the same name we didn't know about. We (Sabotage) shared a rehearsal space with Thorsten Flinck's band Rockvindar, later Casablanca. In autumn they recorded a number of demo songs and shortly after that, the bassist was fired and we continued without a bass player for a few months. In total, Sabotage managed about ten gigs between 82-83. Mostly we played at Solna's leisure parks, but also at a youth rock festival in Huddinge and at the big Gräsrockfestivalen in Solna. The last performance was at the theater school in Stockholm after an invitation from Thorsten. By then, Sabotage had hired a bass player and interest in continuing with the band had cooled significantly and in 1983 the band broke up. Johan has continued in the arts and there also in a musical context, i.a. in the group Hedningarna and in own music projects and songwriting. Matte has not touched or owned drums since the age of 12, but started again in his 40s by co-founding the Punk band Strindberg Som Tortyr - SST. Peter sometimes plays in cover bands. Thomas no longer plays, but is still loyal to Punk music." Check both goodies via Slyngels bandcamp base and enjoy! 

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THE CLERKS - Dancing With My Girl EP 1988

"The Clerks were a four-piece group of schoolfriends living amidst the burgeoning Punkrock scene in Birmingham Mart & Paul (guitars/vocals), Martin (bass), Paul (drums). From the start they wrote their own songs with a '60s Pop sensibility. The guys didn't consider themselves to be Punks or Mods although they did share some of the same influences. Indeed, the Clerks name was taken from a line in a Velvet Underground song, 'Sweet Jane'. Starting to gig around London and with a demo tape in hand they were picked up by ROK Records to be on the Odd Bods, Mods & Sods compilation which came out in spring 1979. After some line-up changes they recorded four pieces and things seemed to be going well and by now there was some record company interest but by the end of 1980 for reasons lost in the mists of time, the band had enough and go their separate ways. A couple of years after their demise came this EP out via Puddiscs in a limited-edition with all the four goodies. And again more few years later, Detour Records brings us three more 7inches with lost rare recordings, all strictly limited to 250 copies; an LP is planned with live noises from a gig in London 1980. Delicious stuff, so watch out!"

- Great Thx to Fredrik -

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SOFT CELL - Tainted Love 7'' 1981

Finally weekend and today's post/song is a real Pop icon and I'm sure, even if some of you don't have much to do with pop, everyone has probably heard this catchy anthem somewhere, sometime. Released via Vertigo, this was the second best selling single of 1981! Who is behind this? Marc (vocals) & David (keyboards), better known as Soft Cell, a synthi-pop duo which met as art students at Leeds Polytechnic in 1977. They quickly recorded their debut EP on a two-track recorder. Originally funded by family members, Mutant Moments was eventually released by Big Frock Records (2000 copies) in 1980. That led to a record deal with Some Bizarre Records, which would release all of their early studio albums. Their lyrics often focused on love and romance as well as the darker side of life, with subjects such as the nightlife, kinky sex, transvestism, drugs and murder. They had a huge world-wide hit with a cover version of Tainted Love, a northern soul classic originally sung by Gloria Jones in 1965. Four studio albums followed until the duo broke up in 1984. Both reunited for a brief reunion tour in 2001 and stayed together to record their fifth album. Lots of more gigs were played and during the damn Covid-19 pandemic, they released the sixth album (Happiness Not Included), their first with new material in twenty years.

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NEW MODEL ARMY - Here Comes The War 7'' 1993

Not really pop stuff today, but a 7Inch that I also ripped on Sunday. The title track appeared on their eighth album The Love Of Hopeless Causes (last one for Epic Records) and we're talkin' about New Model Army, a fiery British Punk & PostPunk band with strong political and working-class motivations. Formed in Bradford, Yorkshire 1980 by Justin (vocals/guitars), Stuart (bass), Phil (drums). In keeping with the band's intellectual bent, their name was taken from Oliver Cromwell's anti-royalist military force, whose hierarchy was based on ability rather than social class, and which temporarily succeeded in toppling the monarchy in the mid-1600s.

They spent a couple of years gigging around Yorkshire and building a substantial buzz in the British music press and in 1983 they issued its debut single Bittersweet which landed them a deal with the indie label Abstract by the end of the year.... and how things went further with NMA, which record came etc.. is excellently documented by Steve Huey. Musically solid material, although the flip, despite the good title, is a bit lame but after a certain age this is the lesser of two evils. They're still active in the music world and even on a European tour this year, Respect!

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PURPLE SCHULZ & DIE NEUE HEIMAT - Sehnsucht 7'' 1984

A very subtle ballad with appealing words follows now. Sehnsucht is the name of the baby and is a nice 7Inch on EMI and made by Purple Schulz & Die Neue Heimat. The original band (based on the scandalous company) was founded in 1981 by musicians Wolf Maahn and Klaus Heuser and it should be the perfect NDW combo. But especially Wolf soon lost interest in the formation and Mister Schulz then became the lead singer and soon a solo artist. In the transition phase, this single falls during this time and the band is called then Purple Schulz Und Die Neue Heimat. This song still came from their early days but was then published by the bands new name. While Neue Heimat only reached number 33 in Germany with their single "Ich Bau' Dir Ein Schloss", this goodie made it into the top ten and stayed in the charts for half a year. Almost forty years old but still an intense song with depth and a lot of feeling. HUGH!

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BIG COUNTRY - Wonderland 7'' 1984

The second 7Inch of my Pop classics belongs to a four piece which formed 1981 in Dunfermline, Fife: Big Country. Wonderland is already their seventh single and with this, I will say, they achieved their breakthrough. Members at these recordings were Stuart (vocals/guitar), Bruce (guitar), Tony (bass), Mark (drums). The height of the band's popularity was in the early to mid 1980s, although it has retained a cult following for many years since. The band's music incorporated Scottish folk and martial music styles, and the band engineered their guitar-driven sound to evoke the sound of bagpipes, fiddles, and other traditional folk instruments. I liked the song right away but Punk got hold of my heart so I didn't pursue the band any further. There's a lot to read on the web, including Stuart's tragic death in December 2001, so I'll refrain from further words. They're still touring and maybe one day a new record will follow. Interesting band in any case.

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O.M.D. - Talking Loud & Clear 7'' 1984

All right, yesterday I checked my Pop 7Inch box and decided to post five of these this week. Whether you like is another question. It starts with music from England: Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark (O.M.D.) are a four piece formed in Wirral/Merseyside, in 1978. They consists of co-founders Andy McCluskey (vocals/bass & guitar) and Paul Humphreys (keyboards/vocals), along with Martin Cooper (various instruments) and Stuart Kershaw (drums); McCluskey has been the only constant member. Regarded as pioneers of electronic music, O.M.D. combined an experimental, minimalist ethos with pop sensibilities, becoming central figures in the late-1970s/early-1980s emergence of synth-pop. A review:

"This lovely single from June 1984 had whimsy written all over it. The crystalline melody spills out like tinkling bells and the keyboards splash about in effervescent bubbles of riffs, while the synths provide a warm undertow to the sound. But, as evanescent as it all is, the solid rhythm beating underneath pushes a shimmering song straight onto the dancefloor. Although "Talking Loud And Clear" is quite sophisticated in arrangement, musicianship, and production, O.M.D. still manage to create the most childlike of milieus, capturing both the naïveté of youth and a gentle joie de vivre within its atmosphere. This aura dovetails perfectly with the lyrics, which take delight in resurrecting an idyllic moment in time, "lying in the grass with the sun on our backs," and the reaching of a perfect understanding between two companions. Deftly penned, the lyrics could alternately describe the close friendships of childhood or a more adult moment of love. Spun off the group's Junk Culture album, the splendor of "Talking Loud And Clear" wafted straight up the British charts to number 11." (Dave Thompson)

They're still active and certainly a little change from everyday Punk life.

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V/A - Captain Oi! Presents Hits 2002

This nice compilation from Captain Oi! Records came for free to an order I made twenty years ago and as you can see, here are only renowned bands present, who set high standards in the early English Punk/Oi! movement and released some numerous classics, which shouldn't be missing in any well-assorted record collection. Seven small treats were specially served to let us know that new stuff is available and that there is no lethargy on the island. A nice idea I think. Especially since you don't always know when new records from your favorite bands are coming out, at least that's how I feel.

1.Natural Born Loser - ARGY BARGY

2.Fragile - U.K. SUBS

3.Little Black Sheep - THE ADICTS

4.Safe Haven - ANGELIC UPSTARTS

5.Apathie In The U.K. - SPECIAL DUTIES

6.Rattle My Cage - GUITAR GANGSTERS

7.Hell To Pay - THE BUSINESS

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DISSEKERAD / EARTH CRUST DISPLACEMENT - Split EP 2020

Hardcore to the power of two, four smasher, two per band. Released via Rawmantic Disasters in an edition of 300 copies. First, Dissekerad (members of Totalitär & Makabert Fynd), a quartet from Stockholm and consists of Poffen (vocals), Mattis (guitars), Andreé (bass), Pyri (drums) and they deliver no frills. High end classic swedish Hardcore with hypnotic riffs, lovely straight forward in your face as you need it. Earth Crust Displacement from Berlin return with two songs from the 2016 session from the well known D-Takt Noize album. Raw, brutal, noisy and lovely distorted as a Fuck in the desert while it's snowing.

A solid review: "Two tracks of whirlwind Swedish Dissekerad. The pedigree here is formidable (I’ll just mention Avskum and Totalitär, because that should be more than enough), and the goods are worthy. A classic mid-paced cruiser starts off their side, and then they open it up with “Mardömmen Startar,” a pure fist-banging rager that leaves me reaching for 2015’s Mörkret Tilltar LP for more action. Germany’s Earth Crust Displacement takes a little of the nuance out of the mix, opting instead for a relentless high-speed D-beat crust assault. Noisier guitars, and they don’t even take the time to warm up your ears with an intro—they just fucking unload. I like the combination of the two bands—different but equally effective approaches to a tried-and-true genre. The split EP is a much-maligned format (and perhaps rightly so), but this one is worth its weight in wax. I expected nothing less from either band, and they both delivered." (Robert Collins, MMR #445, June 2020)

I'm going crazy, it's raining after so many sunny days. That's really remarkable, the meadows are strawy and anything but green. I guess it's similar across much of Europe & I'm really glad, I won't be here in a hundred years (sad the whole thing, or?), a red marker on the calendar! - Who cares.... enjoy the four single malts!

- Great Thx to Fredrik -

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STARSHOOTER - Ma Vie C'est Du Cinéma 7'' 1979

Little two-sided 7Inch on Pathé by Starshooter from Lyon, active at the end of the 70's and during the beginning of the 80's and made four albums and many 7Inches. Both tracks are from the Mode album with a short version of the title track (after disco). I don't have anything else to tell, I'm a bit tired and I'm retiring for today.

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