Saturday, February 25, 2023

NEUE HEIMAT - Ich Bau' Dir Ein Schloss 7'' 1982

Today I'm fulfilling a request and I know there were a few more, but I have to admit I forgot a lot. I always think I can remember them, so I don't write them down and then find that they're gone. Well, that's the way it is, so I need a reminder from those who have uttered one before. The following 7inch is the best-known song from Neue Heimat and I didn't know until now that it's a cover version, it was originally sung by Dutch Schlager singer Heintje in 1968 (watch). On the flip is with 'König Albert' a snappy non-album track in the typical rockin' band style. Definitely a solid record and I retire because I've got a little fucking cold and want to be fit for today's difficult away game in Leipzig in a few hours.


Friday, February 24, 2023

OFFENDERS - We Must Rebel 1983

A new weekend has begun and new opportunities await you on this memorable day, a year of war on the edge of Europe and with no end in sight. Well, I don't want to waste another valuable thought on it; War Is Aways Fuck!, and if no one can't find another solution, then those people are incompetent and brain-damaged. A small personal opinion and please no political discussions, I just want to make it clear that mankind is not getting any smarter and that history always repeats itself, unfortunately only negatively. Well, let's leave the crap behind and get to the appropriate sound for such occasions.... Hardcore classic by Texas-based four piece Offenders, and their awesome debut came via R Radical Records (MDC frontman Dave's label) out. Only ten tracks but the band became known worldwide as one of the premiere Hardcore combos out of the Lone Star state. This album has been highly regarded for decades. Rightfully so. It’s a perfect record: fast, loud, raw, perfect! A review: "The spirited thrash attack on this album recalls the work of the very best Texas bands, and reveals lyric concerns which mine a blend of youthful outrage and rebellion. “Fight Back” and the LP’s title song rate as my favorites, but the entire record demonstrates remarkable consistency, a factor in no small part due to the wild, raucous production. An exciting and distinctive release." (Steve Spinalli, MRR #11 • January/February 1984) - The record is so hot, it has been reissued three times, first in 1989 on Bitzcore with five bonus songs, the CD even has the tracks from the Fight Back EP on it. Enough words, enjoy fifteen heart attacks in hearty relaxation!


Thursday, February 23, 2023

DEUTSCHE TRINKERJUGEND - Alle Meine Freunde... 2014

A highlight of German Punk music was released by Hörsturzproduktion and Rotten Totten Records and these are always worthwhile because they are lovingly and handsomely produced, sometimes on colored vinyl, and these attributes also stand for the following record: twenty-four songs by Berlin legend Deutsche Trinkerjugend (DTJ) from the 80s! The a-side with twelve studio songs (Scheißegal EP from 1984 and Compilation songs) and twelve on the b-side with goodies from the "Live Im Flöz" tape from 1982. The band was founded by Jenne (vocals), Max (guitars), Bertel (bass), Uwe (drums) and they had their active phase in the alternative and lively scene in West Berlin in the early Eighties and were part of the "unruly youth culture", those years that confused and repelled the bourgeois milieus of West Berlin and contributed to the half-city appearing as an adventure playground for the abandoned, excluded and loafers. The content of the four is about excessive alcohol consumption and refusal to work. The DTJ first became known regionally through live performances, which often took place in squats. In 1982 the first recordings were released as a split-tape Live Im Flöz, together with Frau Suurbier. Most of these recordings were made during the live recording of a concert by both bands at the Etablissement Flöz in Wilmersdorf on August 13, 1982 and is only available on cassette and were mainly distributed regionally. The aforementioned sampler contributions followed, finally their EP on Love & Pils Records (a classic) and within two years, the Deutsche Trinkerjugend had achieved cult status in the scene. In 1984 the band broke up for undocumented reasons; however, its members continued to work together on various projects in the years that followed. After German reunification, the four came together again for a few gigs in the new federal states. Uwe died in 1996, Jenne in 2010. This is their legacy, short funny songs that may not be to everyone's taste but have left their mark on a new genre.


Wednesday, February 22, 2023

NEW MODEL ARMY - No Rest For The Wicked 1985

Second album by New Model Army from Bradford and it is the band's first release on a major label and their last featuring bassist and founding member Stuart Morrow. Whilst having their roots in Punkrock, the band have always been difficult to categorise. Their fight against injustice, war or political grievances they make clear in their lyrics and they also skilfully translate them into melodic songs, and they've been doing it since 1980.

"Sacrificing the experimental Post-Punk doodling that worked so well within defined songs on the first LP Vengeance strangely enough works here for this incredible band that won't hear any malarkey about how bad second LPs are supposed to be. A more direct approach works wonders, rendering every song a possible single, every one a flaming, emotion-wracked foray into human thoughts, customs, and politics. And Justin got some unparalleled British lyrics for this kind of statement-oriented music and tremendous songwriting on side one. "There is no rest for the wicked ones," he sings, like a saddened preacher, a sentiment you see again on the terrific 'Drag It Down', like a guy standing at the edge of a pointless fray wondering why human beings are always so stupid. But he's also capable of great empathy for the times in England as they are in the 2010s, when so many young people are struggling economically, as 'Young, Gifted & Skint' makes clear. Don't miss 'Grandmother's Footsteps' & 'Ambition', too; you won't hear busier bass playing on a hotfoot U.K. Post-Punk record this year. The evidence here is that New Model Army are getting even better when you might have expected the usual decline, suggesting that Justin is an artist with great ideas you can't exhaust, and all three members have the talent to make it something other than regurgitation." (Jack Rabid)

Over the years, New Model Army have gathered a wide selection of fans, many of whom dedicatedly follow the band. Originally calling themselves "The Militia", after the song "Christian Militia", they later universally adopted the term "The Family" for their multi-generational and gendered group. - Great Record!


Tuesday, February 21, 2023

IDEAL - Der Ernst Des Lebens 1981

Almost a year earlier, Ideal had set a milestone in the young NDW scene with their debut album and it's still a fantastic record and a year later the second followed, which is again a strong statement from the Four. Der Ernst Des Lebens has become a bit more mature and smooth in terms of sound and the rough Punkroots (so I want to call it) are a bit lost to the mix, but the record still impresses with its good variable songs and they do this in an expressive way, no Ideal album is fucking boring!! As you can easily see, this is the promo version with a different cover and the lyrics are printed in English and French. Recorded again with the line-up of Humpe, Deuker, Behrendt & Krüger. Conny Plank was the producer and all songs were recorded in his studio, released then at WEA. At the time, the label emphasized almost like a prayer wheel that it was a "dance combo (from West Berlin)" and that the music was "definitely dance music". There was talk of "strict rhythms that demand movement and pop music" as well as "music without frills, without superfluous ornamentation. The roots in the New Wave movement are not denied. And yet the possibilities of studio recording have not been neglected". The descriptions may seem wooden, but ultimately the hodgepodge of descriptions is understandable. Ideal combined melodic features of the Schlager with the drive of New Wave, mixed with a bit more offbeat passages. Catchy, hard riffs and the typical subtly psychedelic interjections, with South Seas/Caribbean flair and an emphatically decadent mood, eleven nuggets that still sound fresh.


Sunday, February 19, 2023

THE CURE - More Rarities 1979-1989

Well, this nice compilation I have made a few years ago and sheds light on the first ten years and the phases the Cure have traveled through. I joined the band at the time of their first records, where they recorded short, almost punky songs, changing to dark sounds with Faith and Pornography, but always reflecting my emotions and accompanying me until the early Nineties. The last interesting album for me is Wish and after the formation changed and I couldn't relate to the '96 album anymore. The Cure were an important band and left remarkable traces in the music world and the range of their songs creates room for interpretation and listening pleasure that definitely doesn't get boring and if a band manages to accompany me a long time of my life, it is exceptional and innovative enough to recommend its name to others. Got a bit of a sore throat and the beer tastes kinda weird but I want you to enjoy every single song on this compilation and I'm sure you'll find tracks you may not have heard of. Enjoy this sucker with a glass of wine and a kiss!

It's Not You/Winter/Faded Smiles aka I Don't Know/Play With Me/I'm A Cult Hero/Going Home Time/The Violin Song/A Normal Story/Throw Your Foot/All Mine (live)/Play For Today (live)/At Night (live)/A Forest (live)/Forever (live)/Push/Lime Time/A Night Like This/The Exploding Boy/Hey You!!! (12'' Mix)/Fear Of Ghosts


Saturday, February 18, 2023

V/A - This Is Mod Vol.1 (Rarities 1979-1981)

Let's round off the small mod phase on wdthtc with the following compilation called This Is Mod, a small series by Anagram Records and a total of six CD's were created in the mid Nineties. The focus is on rare 7Inches, mostly by English bands, which only made it to this format and very sought nowadays. The British mod revival may have been a fad, driven by fashion and most of the time too derivative, but it did produce some cool singles. Musically they move in a decent PowerPop area with smart clothes and the artwork is also impressive, plenty of infos about each band. Consistently interesting and the last post for today, Bundesliga is waiting, Cheers!

1.Opening Up - THE CIRCLES
2.Billy - THE CIRCLES
3.Can We Go Dancing - THE AMBER SQUAD
4.You Should See What I Do To You In My Dreams - THE AMBER SQUAD
5.Can't Sleep At Night - THE CIGARETTES
6.It's The Only Way To Live - THE CIGARETTES
7.Choose You - DEAD BEATS
8.Julie's New Boyfriend - DEAD BEATS
9.On No - DEAD BEATS
10.Nobody Loves Me - THE LETTERS
11.Don't Want You Back - THE LETTERS
12.Happy Song - THE NIPS
13.Nobody To Love - THE NIPS
14.Saturday Night - THE ODDS
15.Not Another Love Song - THE ODDS
16.Circles - THE CIRCLES
17.Summer Nights - THE CIRCLES
18.They're Back Again - THE CIGARETTES
19.I've Forgot My Number - THE CIGARETTES
20.All I Want Is Your Money - THE CIGARETTES
21.I've Got Me Parka - THE SUSSED


TEENBEATS - Strength Of The Nation 7'' 1979

Formed 1979 in Hastings and the quintet consisted of Huggy (vocals), Ken & Paul (guitars), Eddie (bass), Dave (drums) and they signed to Safari Records and released two singles. Neither of the singles made the UK charts but I Can't Control Myself was a hit in Canada. Info: The Teenbeats were one of the better bands on Britain's late Seventies mod revival scene. Their timing was impeccable and making their debut just as the mod revival was gathering steam, they further stoked the fires with a killer cover of the Troggs' 60's hit "I Can't Control Myself", and followed this up with the even better "Strength Of A Nation". They had the attitude, the look, and the sound (recalling but never, ever mimicking the Who, the Troggs at all) but somehow never rated cutting a complete album, at least in the eyes of the record companies of that era, but their songs made it onto many a mod revival compilation, most recently Castle Records' 2003 Mod Revival Generation: Time For Action. They broke up around 1981, and are fairly well memorialized on the March of the Mods website. (Bruce Eder) - Good record in my opinion.


Friday, February 17, 2023

CRASS - Demo 1978 + The Peel Sessions 1979

This unofficial release came out in 2021 and feautures the demo recorded on February 27th 1978 & the Peel Sessions from March 28th 1979 by Crass, an English art collective and Punk band which formed in Epping, Essex 1977. They promoted anarchism as a political ideology, a way of life, and a resistance movement and were the brittlest and most hard-line radical of the first Punk wave, Crass issued a blitz of records that were ruthless in both their unrelenting sociopolitical screeds and their amelodic crash of noise. The line-up changed a bit over the years, but the group's mainstays were Steve (vocals), Eve & Joy (vocals), Penny (drums) and G. Sus, who did tape collages and provided the distinctively bleak black and white artwork on the fold-out posters that usually enclosed their LPs, were also important contributors. The Feeding Of The 5000 was their first album and for me, their best, with eighteen emotional statements and perhaps the most uncompromising early British Punk record (was in my collection and had to be sold at the time because of my ailing financial situation). Before disbanding in 1984, they made four albums and a few singles, mostly on their own label Crass Records, and are fondly remembered as an innovative and extreme band of the early Punk movement.


Thursday, February 16, 2023

REDNECKS - Blitzkrieg Bop 2007

"We called ourself the Rednecks because we hated boring sloppy hippies! We played Kick-Ass Rock'N'Roll. The New York Dolls and the Ramones inspired us. The second concert saw us open for our idols, the Troggs. They watched our show and dug us too! We're in heaven! Listen!!!!.... and Kick!!!" All tracks were recorded live on October 18th, 1978 @ Salle Du Faubourg in Geneva, Switzerland (opening for the Troggs). The Rednecks were a Punk band from Geneva and consisted of Francis Seilern (vocals/guitar), Babine (bass), both from Jack & The Rippers, Sandro Sursock (vocals/guitars) from the Bastards and Paul Zouridis (drums) from the Scelerates. The band was specializes in cover versions of their favorite crunchy Punk and Rock & Roll songs by the Ramones, Heartbreakers, Pirates, Chuck Berry, etc.... and these recordings shows the band in absolute top form and all tracks are present here in a consistently recording quality. Hit after Hit and I can imagine how incredible this show was. I think, these songs are the only releases by them, so relax and listen to this limited to 300 copies CD-only!