An American Punk in Suburbia

No Milk On Tuesday

2006-06-02T07:37:00.000-07:00

1983 Spoiled Records

Didn't have anything else ready so this is what I got today. Other than knowing that: the band hailed from Connecticut, had tracks on the Connecticut Fun comp, were in the vein of other "funny" punk bands like Adrenalin O.D., that the record has some "interesting" guitar work, and that an old friend of mine used to mimic the chorus of "U Lied" sometimes because of it's "unique" phrasing, I don't know squat about the band. Anyone?

Damn, shoulda posted this on Tuesday, then at least I could've claimed some kind of theme.

No Milke On Tuesday - s/t 7"
Pressure Sensitive
U Lied
Killing Myself With Drugs
I Don't Know
USA Today
Polyester Pigs

Red Scare

2006-05-24T15:00:00.000-07:00

1984 Upstart Records

Okay, I admit it, I had a bit of crush on Bobbi Brat as a kid. Alas, only from afar. With looks and attitude aplenty, she was more than a bit intimidating. She seemed to have a talent for drawing attention at shows, although, it must be said, she was hard not to notice. Sadly, while googling the band a while back, I was shocked to find out that Bobbi passed away due to cancer at the age of 26 way back in '88.

The band had tracks on several comps, including the third and final Rodney On the Roq record, but this was their only proper release. I believe Grand Theft Audio released a CD of this and a bunch of bonus material a decade or so ago, so grab it if you still can.

A frequent visitor to this site sent a couple of old snapshots of the band including one of Bobbi Brat's headstone. So, thanks go out to Stephanie. BTW, anyone with pics of old shows and what-not, please send them in. I'd love to include relevant photos to the posts.

Red Scare - Then There Were None
Last Request
Don't Look in the Basement
Mind Inertia
Red Rum
Looking for Why
Then There Were None
Flight 007
Sunny
Anything Goes
Way Out West
Street Life

Shot taken @ The Olympic Auditorium, April 13, 1984 (on the bill that night: Subhumans, The Dicks, MDC, Red Scare)

American Bands w/ English Singers, Pt.1 of a 1 part series

2006-05-22T21:54:00.000-07:00

Okay, I'm not sure if the singer from Subterfuge is actually English but he may as well be, hence their inclusion in this series. This is another one of those records I've owned forever but don't think I ever actually listened to. Maybe it was the dorky cover that turned me off initially (what made me buy it then?), but again, as with the Breakouts EP I posted awhile back, I was actually surprised to find myself liking it. Very UK82-ish sounding, which is okay by me, and from Las Vegas no less.

Subterfuge - Who's the Fool?
Mercury
24 Hours
Irish Eyes
Jodie
Darling
Who's the Fool
Macho Man
Solitary Confinement
Legal Who
Stance

The Dischords did, however, definately have a British singer and were from the So-Cal area. Sadly, I sold my copy* of this one a few years ago. The audio here is from one of my many, dozens of obsessively made cassettes which I've somehow managed to hold onto, all these years later. Sorta miss making those. One things for sure, it was a lot easier than this digitizing crap; just put the needle down, hit play & record, and go. Even with the hours I used to put into drawing agonizingly faithful representations of the bands' logos on the cassette J-cards (what can I say, I was young...and lonely, apparently), I feel like it takes longer now.

*see my "Wall of Shame" over there to the left

1982 Reckless

Dischords - Dirty Habits
When You're Young
Just Another Day
Dirty Habits
Amphetamine Love

Damned - Dodgy Demo

2006-05-18T16:00:00.000-07:00

1979 Dodgy Demo Company

The Damned's "Love Song" has to be one of the best punk rock songs of all time and, in my estimation, qualifies as one of the best "rock" songs of all time as well. It's really a perfect song; great melodies, great guitar parts, attitude to spare, speed, and a perfect arrangement. The fact that they were able to inject some clever humor into the whole mess via Vanian's tongue-in-cheek lyrics is an added bonus as well.

According to the excrutiatingly detailed Damned Discography, this 7" "was given away free at the bands gigs at the Croydon Greyhound, London on 7 January 1979 and the Electric Ballrom, London on 23 January 1979" several months ahead of the official release of the "Love Song" single on the Chiswick label. Both tracks are demo versions. The b-side, "Burglar", is pure novelty and features drummer Rat Scabies on vocals.

I remember reading somewhere that a certain Damned performance in D.C. had had a profound impact on that city's then fledgling scene. Makes sense to me. You can really hear the echos of "Love Song" and some other Damned tunes, such as "Melody Lee", in material from bands like Scream, Minor Threat, and Black Market Baby.

Damned - Dodgy Demo
Love Song (demo)
Burglar (demo)

Vox Pop

2006-05-16T21:17:00.000-07:00

1980 Bad Trip Records

Vox Pop - Cab Driver b/w Just Like Your Mom
Cab Driver
Just Like Your Mom

This post marks this website's first foray into nudity, and wouldn't you know it, full-frontal male nudity to boot. Does this mean I need to get one of those splash-screen/disclaimer/warning things?

Vox Pop were started by the uber-prolific Jeff Dahl (Angry Samoans, Powertrip, Jeff Dahl, etc.) and several members of 45 Grave; those members being Dinah Cancer, Don Bolles, and one of my all-time favorite guitar players, Paul B. Cutler...oh, and two other guys whom I'm haven't a clue about (maybe someone will be nice enough to clue me in?). According to the bio on Dahl's site the band was known for their "volatile shows and decadent behavior". As I never saw them play, I'll take his word for it, for as the title of his site proclaims, Jeff Dahl Rocks! But seriously, the 7" is definately a little more straight forward and generally less weird than the 12" EP, however both are worth a listen.

You know, I've always just assumed that Bolles was the nude guy on the cover of the 12" but now that I look, I'm not sure. Anyone?

Vox Pop - The Band, The Myth, The Legend
Become A Pagan
Production
Procession

Salvation Army

2006-05-15T10:13:00.000-07:00

1981 New Alliance Records

I feel that someone might have posted this already and if so, sorry, but oh well, here it is again.

Salvation Army, later to become The 3 O'Clock, were great 60s infused punk rock from Carson (not far from were I grew up). I never saw them as SA but did catch them shortly after changing their name, still pretty cool. They're credited with starting the "paisley undeground" "scene" which seemed more a loose grouping of bands with vague, psychadelic leanings than any coherent music scene. Some others usually lumped into that category are Dream Syndicate and Green On Red, both of which put out pretty cool EPs during '81.

Anyway, one of the best from the label that brought you other South Bay greats such as the Descendents, Minutemen, and Secret Hate.

Salvation Army - Mind Gardens
Mind Gardens
Happen Happened

Tooth and Nail

2006-05-11T17:38:00.000-07:00

1978 Upsetter Records

Another day, another comp. Released on Upsetter in '79, this one's often touted as the first all LA/OC compilation. Not sure if that's really accurate as Negative Trend is from SF which sorta squelches that whole claim. Nonethelss, it has tons of great tracks including "Love is Just a Tool" from Middle Class which, in retrospect, sounds like "the" model song for so many "hardcore" bands that would soon follow. Also I believe most, if not all, of the tracks were recorded exclusively for this record.

Tooth and Nail
Controllers Another Day
Controllers Electric Church
Controllers Jezebel
Flesh Eaters The Word Goes Flesh
Flesh Eaters Pony Dress
Flesh Eaters Version Nation
UXA Social Circle
UXA UXA
Negative Trend I Got Power
Negative Trend Mercenaries
Middle Class Love Is Just A Tool
Middle Class Above Suspicion
Germs Manimal
Germs Dragon Lady
Germs Strange Notes

The Adverts

2006-05-03T17:10:00.000-07:00

To some of our readers this post will seem as obvious and hackneyed as a Sex Pistols post. However, I'm willing to bet that many of my fellow countrymen are as ignorant of the Advert's legacy as I was, not so long ago.

The first time I heard their records, in particular Crossing the Red Sea with the Adverts, my first thoughts were, "holysh@t, this is great!" and "how the f*@k did I miss this??!!". Guess I was too busy listening to the latest hardcore release back then to bother to delve deeper into punk's earlier roots (something I routinely accuse today's music fans of doing). But hey, better late than never.

Armed with truly great songs, The Adverts played with total sincerity and that exhilarating sense of urgency that all your best punk rock has. They may not have been the tightest band ever (they're sorta sloppy) but that actually adds to the excitement. Unfortunately the band followed the all to familiar career arc of "fast rise / hit song / celebrated first album / adventurous sophomore record / alienated fan base / inevitable break-up and fade into relative obscurity". It seems the fans weren't ready for keyboards and the like mixed in with their punk rock just yet. Nevertheless, Cast of Thousands, their critically and commercially unsuccessful last album, seems every bit as brilliant today as their earlier material.

There's more to their story for those that are interested but rather than regurgitate it here, go to the Punk77 site. They've got a pretty comprehensive discography/biography as well as interviews with singer TV Smith and bassist/heart-throb, Gaye Advert.

Their records aren't particularly rare or obscure, just good, so check 'em out. Also, there's a good anthology out now, The Adverts Anthology that has pretty much all of their output, including a disc of live performances.

From Gary Gilmore's Eyes b/w Bored Teenagers - 1977 Anchor Records
Bored Teenagers

From Crossing the Red Sea with the Adverts - 1978 Bright Records
One Chord Wonders
Bombsite Boys
No Time to be 21
Great British Mistake

From Cast of Thousands - 1979 RCA Records
The Adverts
I Surrender

Savage Beliefs

2006-05-02T15:14:00.000-07:00

1983 Wasteland Records

It's getting harder and harder to find something to post that either hasn't appeared already on one of the other blogs or which hasn't yet been re-issued. So here's one which, I think, fits that criteria.

Hailing from the greater Chicago area, it's Savage Beliefs with their one and only proper release (other than comp tracks, of course). Yes, believe it or not, I do own some non-LA records. I bought this because of the Brian Gay connection. He being the original guitarist for D.C.'s infamous Government Issue. But it seems that what excites people most, is the connection to Chicago's Big Black. Bassist Dave Riley went on to play for that band, as many who care, know. This record has a undeniable Naked Raygun thing to it as well as, I think, that underlying "working class" vibe that most Chicago punk has. Not that I would know if these guys were actually "working class" or something, just sounds that way to me.

Savage Beliefs - The Moral Efficiency of Savage Beliefs
Outskirts
Big Big Sky
Jake
Theme
Way of the World
Pink Shirt
What's Left in the Fridge

The Crowd

2006-04-30T10:50:00.000-07:00

1980 Posh Boy Records

The sun is finally starting to come out here after what has been one of the dreariest Aprils in recent memory so I think some beach punk is definately in order. So here's another request and with it, another O.C. Posh Boy classic. The Crowd, of course, are arguably one of the first, if not the first, O.C. punk bands. They have the best tracks on the Beach Blvd. comp as well as one of the best songs, "Right Time", on the first Rodney on the Roq comp (also featured here). I never got a chance to see them back in their heyday so any first person accounts are welcome.

For all things L.A./O.C. punk, check out the really nice site Michelle, from Flipside, has up. She's got great, personal snapshots of the Crowd, as well as many other bands and scenesters from the era.

Also, I'm not aware of any pending re-release of this one, so hopefully no menacing emails (ala, the one I received from Doug Moody) will be coming my way again any time soon.

The Crowd - A World Apart
Something Said
Can't Talk
Right Time
Desmond and Kathy
As You Were (Tomorrow)
On My Own
Pleasure Seeker
He
What's In a Name
Melody Hill

Suburban Lawns

2006-04-25T22:33:00.000-07:00

1979 Suburban Industrial

Suburban Lawns - Gidget Goes to Hell 7"
Gidget Goes to Hell
My Boyfriend

Someone wrote in recently professing his love for Sue Tissue of Suburban Lawns after first seeing her New Wave Theatre clip here on this site. So here are their first two self released EPs. Both were released prior to their two IRS albums. This site has a little biographical info for the curious as well as a discography. Also, for an interesting bit on the genisis of the lyrics to "Janitor". go here.

1980 Suburban Industrial

Suburban Lawns - Janitor b/w Protection 7"
Janitor
Protection

New Wave Theatre Pt. 3

2006-04-24T11:58:00.000-07:00

45 Grave "Black Cross"

Plugz "Elizabeth"

Monitor "I Saw Dead Jim's Shade"

Legal Weapon "Equalizer"

Fear "F**k Christmas"

Hi again, here's the last installment of the New Wave Theatre clips. Awesome 45 grave performance as well as some good stuff from Legal Weapon complete with Kat Arthur's snake-draped mic stand. Have to admit I don't know the title of the Plugz or Monitor songs so if you do, let us know. I've always really liked the Monitor song; great new wave? no wave? whatever. 'til next time.

New Wave Theatre Pt. 2

2006-04-16T15:12:00.000-07:00

Suburban Lawns "Janitor"

Fear "Mengele"

Circle Jerks "Wild in the Streets"

What would a New Wave Theatre post be without some new wave, so here's some Suburban Lawns along with the requisite punk rock stuff. Ya gotta love the freeze frame they do on Sue Tissue's scary grimace towards the end of the song. Also, notice the stage diving action during the Circle Jerks clip. It's actually from a Dead Kennedy's segment which I'll also be posting.

It's funny how inarticulate most of the bands were when interviewed by Ivers. You'd think somebody would have something interesting or funny to say. But no, they mostly just stand there looking helpless and awkward, apparently wishing it would end.

New Wave Theatre Pt. 1

2006-04-15T10:09:00.000-07:00

Angry Samoans "Gas Chamber / Not of This Earth"

45 Grave "Wax"

Sorry for the long lapse between posts, but I've been fighting a nasty cold these last 7 or 8 days. Even now, I'm coughing up a lung as I type this.

This is the first of several posts of clips from the classic New Wave Theatre show, hosted by the late Peter Ivers, which aired here in LA on UHF channel 56 in the early 80s.

I used to have a bunch of original episodes taped (on Beta no less), but my father erased them long ago. I remember him telling me that the reason the host wore those sun glasses while delivering his monologues was because he couldn't look we, the audience, in the "eye" and say those things. Oh, Dad!

Anyway, enjoy. There's more to come.

Devo

2006-04-04T19:52:00.000-07:00

1978 Stiff Records

I was really feeling this today so thought you might too. It hasn't stopped raining here in sunny Southern California since my last post over the weekend, so let's see if some new wave won't send it packing.

This here 12" is on the legendary Stiff label which brought you The Damned and many other punk and new wave luminaries. This being the French version, it's also on lovely yellow vinyl. Funny how colored vinyl can somehow make the music sound even better.

I haven't listened to Q:Are We Not Men? in a while, so don't quote me, but I'm almost positive these versions are different (and better) than the later Warner versions.

Devo - Be Stiff
Jocko Homo
Satisfaction
Be Stiff
Mongoloid
Sloppy
Social Fools

Super Heroines

2006-03-31T21:12:00.000-08:00

Nothing goes better with seemingly endless rain than a little good ole fashioned death rock from our friends at Bemisbrain Records.

I first heard the band, as most did, on the now legendary Hell Comes to Your House comp. While the tracks on this, their first LP, aren't as fast as those on HCTYH there are still some pretty nice moments. "Cry For Help" , "Blue Blood", and "Run From Reality" would be my first choices off this "beast".

Looking around on the web I see that singer/guitarist Eva O was still pretty active in the goth scene up until around the time Rozz from Christian Death killed himself but is now apparently a Christian. Hmph, I mean I've heard of vegatarians marrying butchers but I'm not sure I saw that one coming....but wait a minute, I just went to her My Space page and holy crap, now I'm scared. Those don't look like any Christians I've ever seen. Well looks like Eva's keepin' it real after all :) (Guess Wikipedia isn't the place to get your info)

1982 Bemisbrain Records

Super Heroines - Cry For Help
The Beast
Cry for Help
Convicts
Super Heroine Theme
I'm Not Here
Red
Remember To Die
Black Wedding
Blue Blood
Run From Reality

Super Heroines - Hell Comes to Your House
Death On the Elevator
Embalmed Love

You Can't Argue With Sucksess

2006-03-28T22:02:00.000-08:00

1982 Mystic Records

A while back someone suggested I post the You Can't Argue With Success LP in its entirety after I'd posted the No Crisis track from it. So here we go. We've got some good Secret Hate tracks here, as well as the best Crewd tracks on record, and who can resist those rascals, or should I say "little devils" from Mad Society (sorry, it's getting late and I'm getting slap happy).

It's sorta funny to see Mystic Records' stock rise, so to speak, all these years later. Not that they didn't put out some good stuff, they did have a few including this one, it's just that the label always seemed a little on the cheesy side. In fact, I was floored at the response another Mystic release got on one of the other blogs. People seemed to be really geekin' over it. Now that I sound like a major record snob, I'll stop.....although, all the hubbub did get me to take another listen and, I have to admit, the record in question did sound alot better than remembered.

However, I am reminded of a certain line from Raider's of the Lost Ark that the character Belloq utters to Indiana Jones with regard to the nature and value of antiquities while he and......

And now a word from our sponsor:

Thank you for the promotion of Mystic Records....I am all for and always have been for the unknown and the unheard.....after achieving 41 gold and platinum records...I deceided to devote the rest of my life and money.....to unknown groups who had something to say.. Myustic took half a million dollars in the 80s to build and I was the only investor.....Mystic is a platform of voices and not sales as are most other record companies are....still it takes some sales and income to keep going and I still have 300 full reels of unknowns to release.........Personally I do not care what you or any one else says or thinks about me...BUT do not play games with MYSTIC...it will bite you....it will always be bigger than any bad mouth......Now about downloading.........ALL RIGHTS HAVE BEEN ASSIGNED TO The Orchard an internet distributor........before you decide to have a Mystic downloading site I suggest you contact the legal guardian of the Mystic downloading rights The Orchard.com for permission.....again thank you for helping the groups and Mystic Doug

Tracks removed by request, see comments for the whole, sorted story.

Picture courtesy of Killed From The Heart. I really don't like scanning LPs; It takes like 4 passes to get the whole thing.

Pitchfork Demos Pt. 2

2006-03-26T22:57:00.000-08:00

Don't have any thing else ready at the moment so thought I'd put a few more tracks from that Pitchfork demo. Check out part 1 of this post from earlier this month for the skinny on this stuff. Enjoy!

Pitchfork Demo
Demo Track 2
Demo Track 3
Demo Track 4

Lost Cause LP

2006-03-22T11:26:00.000-08:00

As promised some time ago, here's the Lost Cause 12". Some would say that this is better than the 7", but, if you've been following this blog, you know that I disagree. Not that it's bad, just not as good, in my humble opinion. In fact Lost Cause guitarist Scott Mitchell wrote, following my initial post, and agreed with my assessment...so there. (Perhaps because I was so complimentary of his guitar playing?)

Also, apparently there were 8 tracks in total recorded for the 7", which means there are 4 more floating out there that I'd personally like to hear. Next, he went on to tell a tale of the band having been managed at the time this LP was recorded by then Metallica manager, He-Who-Shall-Remain-Nameless, who then went on to die in a drug deal gone awry.

Anyhoo....you'll be happy to know I did try to get him to cough up the 4 unreleased tracks. At that point I was directed to contact the drummer, which proved fruitless as I couldn't find anything on him when "googled". There is, however, talk about a comprehensive re-release of all their stuff, so stay tuned.

Oh yeah, I'll scan the cover and post it later.

Lost Cause - Forgotten Corners
No Intro
Can't Find Myself
Misfit
Living In Hell
Don't Take a Chance
Airport Religion
Firing Line
Constipated Rage

Breakouts & No Alternative

2006-03-20T12:00:00.000-08:00

1980 Accelerator Records

Hi again, just got back into town and thought I better do double post to make up for the long gap since the last one.

The first is a follow up to the post I did of the Breakouts 12" several weeks back. One of our site visitors sent these two tracks to me complete with front and back cover scans. Thanks again, you. I've gotta say, I really like the first track on this one. I believe this was the bands second release out of three total. One of these was up on eBay last week for $50 Buy It Now but was snatched up almost immediately after being listed.

Breakouts - All We Wanna Do
All We Wanna Do
Waiting For A Change

1981 Subterranean Records

Next, is the No Alternative 7" from 1981. This one's mine.

They had a track on the MRR comp, "Not So Quiet On the Western Front", as well as another really catchy Social Distortion-esque song, "Johnny Got His Gun", on the SF Underground 7" sampler.

Is it just me though, or do they sound a bit like the Effigies on this one?

No Alternative - Backtracks
Make Guns Not Love
Metro Police Theme
Rockabilly Rumble

The Straps

2006-03-14T15:32:00.000-08:00

1982 Donut Records

Here's one of my all time favorite UK 7"'s, The Straps' "Brixton", and yet another band I was turned onto via the old MRR radio show. Both tracks benefit from nice raw, yet powerful, production and the A-side is a punk-rock hit if ever there was one. All you anglo-phobes out there, do yourselves a favor and check it out.

Straps - Brixton
Brixton
No Liquor

Who Cares

2006-03-11T12:00:00.000-08:00

1981 American Standard Records

Another classic LA compilation today. I must be some sort of masochist for posting another record with this many tracks. My favorites are Shattered Faith's "Trilogy", Cheifs' "No Justice", and Suspects' "Hollywood Nightmare".

The Political Crap stuff ain't too bad either and it features the original skate punk himself, Duane Peters. I think MXV over at the Punk Vault posted a couple tracks off of this a while back, but for those who wanted more, here's the whole damn thing. Enjoy!

AKA - Tomorrows Theme
Cheifs - No Justice
Cheifs - Riot Squad
Shattered Faith - Discontent
Suspects - Baby Maybe
Suspects - I Had Fun
Civil Disobedience - Confused
Political Crap - Rejected
Civil Disobedience - Too Drunk Last Night
Suspects - Hollywood Nightmare
AKA - Liza Jane
Cheifs - Scrapped
Shattered Faith - Trilogy
Civil Disobedience - Campaign Promises
Suspects - Make Me
Shattered Faith - I Love America
Political Crap - On Your Own
Political Crap - Slow Death

Pitchfork Demo

2006-03-10T11:00:00.000-08:00

Okay, here's another exclusive (at least I think it is). This one's for all you Rocket from the Crypt / Drive Like Jehu / Hot Snakes / John Reis fans out there.

As I'm sure most of you know, prior to all of those bands was Pitchfork. If you aren't familiar with them, Pitchfork was a great band out of San Diego started by John Reis. They released both a 7" and LP on Nemisis Records in the latter half of the 80s.

This demo predates both of those and features not Rick Froberg, but Reis himself on vocals. This being his first foray into singing, the voice here is not as strong as it would later become but the music more than makes up for that.

None of the tracks here were ever released later on and show Pitchfork as they were originally conceived: a sometimes fast, melodic punk band in the vein of Dag Nasty and other D.C. area bands.

I think I'm just gonna start off with a couple today and see how it goes. The sound isn't so hot being that it's an old cassette and, oh yeah, I don't remember any of the song titles. That is all.

Pitchfork Demo
Demo Track 1
Demo Track 9

Breakouts

2006-03-05T20:52:00.000-08:00

1983 Accelerator Records

Wow, I've had this record forever and honestly, I don't think I ever listened to it 'til today. And what a surprise, it's actually really good. What the hell was wrong with me? Check out the track "Junkies All Around You", it's a good one.

They also have a 7" or two, both also on Accelerator, which I don't have and would love to hear. So if any of you have them, please drop me a line. This one's been bootlegged apparently, but then what hasn't been at this point.

No More
Join Me Don't Join Me
Trouble
BDA
Junkies All Around You
Teeth In the Gears
That Don't Apply To Me

Life Is Ugly So Why Not Kill Yourself

2006-03-03T21:58:00.000-08:00

1981 New Underground Records

First of three in the Life Is... compilation series and a pretty diverse and interesting cross section of LA bands it is. Many of the acts were from the South Bay area of Los Angeles which, coincidentally, is where I grew up. As with the later two editions, side one is a little more "punk" while side two is a bit more experimental and consequently, more, um, interesting?

Funny, how different things sound to you when you get a little "older". Can't say I listened to the second side much as a "kid", but at the moment I'm really liking it. I've gotta admit, all I was really interested in back then was "speed"...in my music, that is. I'm not sure how well these comps did outside of the LA area, but it seemed like just about everyone owned at least one of them.

The Ill Will tracks are pretty ferocious and if memory serves, I used to have a demo of theirs. Unfortunately, that's one I haven't been able to find.

Also, what's the deal with Red Cross? Is it me, or were they on just about every LA comp ever released? I mean, we got this here one, Life Is Boring, Hell Comes to Your House, Sudden Death, Public Service, American Youth Report, Rodney On The Roq vol. 2,...am I forgetting any? Don't get me wrong, I love Red Cross and surely their Posh Boy EP is one for the ages, but who were they blowin' back then.

Life Is Ugly So Why Not Kill Yourself
Red Cross -Rich Brat
Descendents -I Want To Be A Bear
Anti -Fight War Not Wars
Anti -I Don't Wanna Die
Ill Will -Paranoid
Ill Will -Midnite Deposit
Civil Dismay -You're So Fucked to Me
Civil Dismay -Warhol Genius
Civil Dismay -Filch
China White -Criminal
China White -Solid State
Mood of Defiance -Empty Me
Minutemen -Shit You Hear at Parties
Minutemen -Maternal Rite
100 Flowers -Sensible Virgin
Urinals -She's A Drone
Zurich 1916 -The Childrens Song
Plebs -Payday
Saccharine Trust -Disillusion Fool

No Crisis

2006-02-27T09:44:00.000-08:00

1982 Ultra Mega/Thunderbolt Records

With several songs produced by The Dickies' Stan Lee, back cover art by the legendary Shawn Kerri, engineering by Thom Wilson, and a track on the Rodney on the Roq vol. 3 comp, not a bad list of associations and accomplishments for this relatively short-lived LA area band and their 6-song mini LP.

While "She's Into the Scene" is the obvious "hit", the real treasure to be found here is "Take It" which boasts one of the best Rikk Agnew-esque guitar leads ever to be committed to tape. Also, check out "On Your Head". Sound familiar? You may also know it as "Money Machine" from Agression's Don't Be Mistaken LP. Both bands shared a member in common who, apparently, really liked that tune.

Also, I've included the earlier version of "Change Your Name" from the You Can't Argue With Sucksess comp.

No Crisis - She's Into the Scene
She's Into the Scene
Take It
About Face
Change Your Name
Damnation
On Your Head

No Crisis - You Can't Argue With Sucksess LP
Change Your Name

Nog Watt - Fear EP

2006-02-25T16:33:00.000-08:00

1985 Revenge Records

This one was requested a while back and as I'm out the door, I'll let you guys offer up any and all info on the band. How's that for democracy? :) Freedom is indeed on the march.

KFTH has a good Nog Watt page with complete discography and what-not, so check it out.

Nog Watt - Fear EP
Hunted
Fear
Big Warning, Big Mistake
Neighborhood Watch

Conflict (US)

2006-02-22T07:43:00.000-08:00

1983 Unjust/Placebo Records

Some really cool music from Tucson, AZ today...and female fronted. That seems to be a thing on this blog.

Did you know that vocalist Karen Nurse was actually head psychiatric nurse at a Tucson area hospital? That the cover was designed by a local tattoo artist? That their lyrics inspired a hardcore-feminist cult following, the Fester Girls, in Los Angeles? I didn't, but this page has the scoop straight from the horses mouth, the band. Also, there are some great Conflict flyers and photos from the era to be found at this one.

Conflict - Last Hour
Fester
Listen to the News
Bad Idea
Nails From the Sky
It's Easy
Not Guilty
Last Hour
Crawl Away
I Don't Kill
Itai
Human Cargo
Living Off Mom
American Woman
You Choose

Double-O Demos

2006-02-18T09:30:00.000-08:00

These tracks are from a tape that was traded among friends some time back. I can only imagine how many generations it saw before making it to me. There was more hiss than actual sound on the tape before I used some rather sophisticated noise reduction plug-ins to filter out the crap. Don't get too excited though, the sound is still god-awful. Believe it or not, it actually sounded worse before.

I understand, from doing some research on the web, that these tracks were bootlegged as a double 7" at some point under the title Double Barrelled. I used the Double-O page at KFTH to attempt to match song titles to the tracks but was only able to get three. Feel free to try your luck at guessing the others.

Musically this demo is much heavier than the later 7". In fact it could easily be mistaken for some forgotten Youth Brigade (DC) release. Which makes perfect sense, as the band was made up of members of Youth Brigade and Red C.

A definate must-listen for fans of early DC hardcore, which I am most certainly one.

Note: you can still get the 7" tracks and some other good info and links over at SILT.

Double-O Demos
No Limits
Putting D.C. on the Map
03
04
05
No Reply
07
08

Lost Cause EP

2006-02-17T09:45:00.000-08:00

1981 High Velocity Records

Oh brother, another LA post. I just can't seem to stop.

From the City of Orange, we have some cool, trashy punk which, in some ways, reminds me of early Middle Class. Maybe it's the guitar tone? Speaking of the guitar, I like the way this guy strums it. He gives it a nice staccato feel that is pretty unique. Check out Senior Citizen, it's the hit

They also have a 12" which I'll post if anyone is interested. I prefer this one though. The LP, I think, suffers from what so many punk LPs suffer from...better production value.

Now I like a well-produced sound as much as the next guy, but sometimes that indefinable spark gets lost along the way. Allow me to elaborate, take Second Coming by the Battalion of Saints. A fine album, by all accounts, but it pales in comparison to the ferocity and energy of their live performances. Anyone lucky enough to have seen the band back in their "Chris Smith" heyday knows what I'm talking about.

Anyway, sorry for the detour.

Lost Cause - S/T 7" EP
Born Dead
No Justice
American Hero
Senior Citizen

Funeral - Waiting for the Bomb Blast EP

2006-02-15T10:10:00.000-08:00

1981 Peace Is Shit Records

At the risk of seeming too LA-centric in my posts, here's yet another one from sunny Southern California.

Not a whole lot is known, by me anyway, about Funeral other than they hailed from the Long Beach area, put out both a 7" EP and a 12" EP, and appear on many a collector's "want" list.

I'd swear that the band chose the name in order to take advantage of the abundance of "funeral" stickers plastered on cars going to actual funerals at nearby Green Hills cemetery.

Update: Apparently there is much that is known about Funeral and I'm just an idiot. It was pointed out that several members went on to form Tex and the Horse Heads and that Grand Theft Audio rereleased all of their material some time ago.

Funeral - Waiting for the Bomb Blast EP
Waiting for the Bomb Blast
Politicians Are Sick
Plastic God

The Insane - Last Day EP

2006-02-14T23:58:00.000-08:00

1981 Riot City Records

From the over-saturated guitar tone to the loud and trashy drums, this gem came as a somewhat welcome relief to the then prevailing Oi! sound of UK punk rock.

It was also the first non-Vice Squad release on that bands own Riot City Records. Next to No Future, Riot City was probably the most prolific and consistent UK label of the early 80s and was responsible for releasing early classics from the likes of Chaos UK, Varukers, Abrasive Wheels, and Chaotic Dischord. I was an avid collector of everything they put out. The track "Last Day", as many of you know, was immortalized on the infamous Punk and Disorderly comp released here in the States on Posh Boy in '82.

The band went on to release two more EPs and a split 7" with the Skeptix, one on their own Insane Records, another on No Future, and lastly, one on White Rose. The later stuff, while good, lacked the funky charm of this first EP. If anyone knows of any other releases, I'd be interested to hear about them.

The Insane - Last Day EP
Politics
Dead and Gone
Last Day

Hari Kari Demo

2006-02-12T19:00:00.000-08:00

Here's an obscure one and something you're not likely to come across anywhere else. This is a demo tape from the LA band Hari Kari. They were active around '81-'82, as far as I recall, and are known more by name and/or reputation than by any actual recorded material. I've seen references to them floating around on the internet here and there and thought it might be time to put some music up for people to check out.

The first track, "Prey 4 Peace", appeared on the Life is Boring So Why Not Steal This Record comp and may have been the only "released" material the band ever had. Musically, it's a tad on the metal side. Actually, it sounds a bit like Red Scare to me, now that I think of it...a very metal Red Scare.

The tape itself is/was very old, tired, and rusted. So tired in fact, that I had to extract it from the original housing and transplant it into a new one in order to play it. But hey, anything for you guys.

I'm a bit fuzzy on how this got into my hands but I have a vague recollection that my guitar-player friend, Nick, may have known the band, was possibly going to play with them, and then, one day, left the tape at my house after rehearsal.

Anyway, back from the dead, here's Hari Kari.

Flyer courtesy of Weirdotronix

Hari Kari - Demo
Prey 4 Peace
Pighole
The Blade
Childrens Hour

Capitol Punishment - When "Putsch" Comes to Shove LP

2006-02-10T14:30:00.000-08:00

1985 Stage Dive Records

Really solid hardcore from Fresno, California...how often do you get a chance to say that? In many ways, on par with Poison Idea's Kings of Punk or Negative Approach's Tied Down in terms of power, gravel and production value. Am I wrong or were they the first on the whole cookie-monster-vocal-thing? Maybe it's that dry Fresno air....or maybe just Fresno. Love the Shawn Kerri-esque cover art too.

This one's for an old friend who's been trying to get this one away from me for years. It's one of his favorites.

Capitol Punishment - When Putsch Comes To Shove
Ballad of a Broken Home
Capitol Punishment
Child Abuse
Walking Crying Dying
Elephant Man
God of Greed
Racism Is Ignorance
Is This Justice
Smile
Poke Me With A Fork

Decry - Falling LP

2006-02-08T10:10:00.000-08:00

1984 Toxic Shock Records

I figured I may as well post Decry's full-length since most, if not all, of the ancillary material has been posted recently on Dressed for the H Bomb and SILT.

Decry seemed to play a lot in LA back around the time of this record. At least it seemed like that. Maybe they were a reliable last-minute-fill-in when a band dropped-out of a big show? Not that it was a bad thing. They were always enjoyable and had a really good drummer. I was playing drums back then so that kind of thing tended to get my attention.

Some consider this an LA punk classic. Allright, I'll go along with that. It's a keeper. Sorta fast but not too fast. Kind of right-in-the-pocket, know what I mean?

If you've never heard it before or haven't heard it in years, may I make a couple of recommendations? Yes? Okay, how about starting with "Asylum" and then, hmmm let's see, try "Suburban Death Camp". That oughta get you started.

Decry - Falling
Falling
Raven
Suburban Death Camp
Breakdown
Frontier of Evil/Charred Remains
SDHNC
My Bloody Dream
American Way
Subject to Change
Asylum
Making the Grade
Sonic Reducer

Charge - Kings Cross EP

2006-02-07T23:59:00.000-08:00

1981 Test Pressing Records

Allright, I hear what you're saying, maybe the vocals are a little "over-the-top" at times. You might even say they're a little bit "flamboyant", but one thing's for sure, this is one hell-of-a catchy little record. Three great, upbeat, jangly bits of early UK punk.

Can't say I've ever run across another person that likes or, for that matter, is even all that aware of this band. Perhaps it's because they only put out two 7-inches of what one might call "punk" before transitioning into the "post-punk" world. Or maybe it's pictures, like the one below from Punk! Lives, that turned some people off. Nevertheless, here it is.

Charge - Kings Cross
Kings Cross
Brave New World
God's Kids

Please! Help me identify this band!!!!!!!

2006-02-04T18:25:00.000-08:00

Please, someone help me. I know one of you knows what band this is.

I've been tearing my hair out for the last couple of weeks trying to find a really old tape I made back in '82 of an old Maximum Rock 'n' Roll radio broadcast...and I just found it. I thought I'd lost it forever and would die never knowing who this fucking band is.

It's amazing to me, given how good this band is/was, that I've never run across this record/tape/whatever in all this time.

The music is hardcore and the singer is, I think, female. I've labored under the belief all these years that it's a band called Civil Defense because, well, that's how they back-announced it. Of course now that I listen to the tape I don't actually here any back-announcig for that song. Hmmm, am I losing my mind? The only band called Civil Defense that I've been able to find anything about is a band out of the Minneapolis area who sounds nothing like the band I'm looking for.

I've got two partial clips here, the 2nd of which is pretty damn screwed-up being that the tape starting eating itself just as it got to the song I wanted. Shit!!! Apparently I'm not meant to know.

Mystery Clip 1
Mystery Clip 2

Modern Warfare

2006-02-02T11:25:00.000-08:00

Modern Warfare - Dayglo/Shadows/Delivered - 1980 Bemisbrain Records

Modern Warfare - In the Shadows
Modern Warfare - Delivered
Modern Warfare - Dayglo

Modern Warfare - #2 - 1981 Bemisbrain Records

Modern Warfare - No Passion
Modern Warfare - Suburban Death Row
Modern Warfare - Nothing's Left For Me

I got a request for some Modern Warfare...which worked out great for me as I was already in the process of putting this post together.

I love these two records. In fact, I love that whole quirky Bemisbrain-Hell-Comes-to-Your-House-Long-Beach thing that was happening back then. To me it represents a time when the more avant garde side of the LA punk scene still flourished and had yet to be all but completely driven out by the rise of hardcore. Both records are cool but those of you familiar only with the Hell Comes to Your House tracks (also availabe below) may prefer #2.

I've had a hard time finding any good supplemental info on the band. So if anyone knows anything, please leave a comment. Also, my copy of #2 has an insert that has lyrics for 4 additional songs not on the record, which leads me to believe that there must be other material floating around out there.

Note: I've put up both front and back cover .jpg's for those who may have the new iPods and want to take advantage of the cool thumbnail art feature.

Modern Warfare - Hell Comes to Your House - Out of My Head
Modern Warfare - Hell Comes to Your House - Street Fightin' Man

The Decline of Western Civilization - Circle Jerks

2006-01-31T21:59:00.000-08:00

Circle Jerks - Redtape

Circle Jerks - Back Against the Wall

Circle Jerks - I Just Want Some Skank/Beverly Hills/Wasted

1980, A Penelope Spheeris Film

Okay, from the Decline again we've got the Circle Jerks. Arguably the most potent clips from the film. Full tilt thrash with great crowd interaction. We've even got the obligatory and completely incoherent on-mic ramblings of a stagediver.

I've split the whole into 3 easily downloadable parts but have included a link here to the unedited file as well. The Circle Jerks were a great live band and one of the best things about them was their tendency to run one song into the other, without breaks, to keep the energy at a fever pitch. So if you don't mind downloading a 60 mb file, I recommend it.

My old friend and punk mentor, Nick, claims to be in the crowd-shot on the cover of Group Sex which was shot in a pool at the old Marina Skatepark here in LA. Don't know, never could pick him out, but it's a nice story. I ran into him in New York a few years ago. He's a librarian now. I wish him well.

The Decline of Western Civilization - Black Flag

2006-01-28T22:19:00.000-08:00

1980 - A Penelope Spheeris Film

SILT posted tracks from the soundtrack recently so I thought I'd toss up some pictures, moving pictures actually, to go with the sound. I haven't been able to find any downloadable clips from the movie so I'm gonna just assume that noone else has posted them. If I'm wrong, my apologies.

They keep threatening to rerelease this damn thing on DVD but it still hasn't actually happened. The official website doesn't offer much specific info at the moment either, but does promise that some release is imminent.

So, here's my first post from the movie in the form of the Black Flag performance clips. I don't know about you, but for my money, Ron Reyes (Chavo) was the best of Black Flag's many singers and this footage is ample testament to that. I only wish that I'd been able to see them in this incarnation. Instead, I got the Rollins-in-Dolphin-shorts years...not that I'm bitching.

As a side note, whatever issues some may have with certain aspects of the movie and its depiction of the LA scene at the time, I think we'd all agree that the live footage of the bands is priceless.

P.S. This is my first attempt at this video stuff so fingers crossed. Do the right-click-save-target-as thing on the above pictures to download the clips.

Potential Threat - What's So Great Britain!

2006-01-27T12:31:00.000-08:00

1983 Out of Town Records

A little punk rock from England today. As Minor Threat was to American hardcore, so Discharge was to English and European hardcore. This, in my opinion, is one of the best of the many examples of the profound influence Discharge had on the sound of punk in that region. Here's the twist though...Potential Threat was fronted by a female singer, Pauline. Bet you didn't see that one coming. They released quite a bit of material later, but none quite as good as this one. This page has a good history of the band complete with discography and lots of pictures.

Potential Threat - Nuclear Threat
Potential Threat - What's So Great Britain!
Potential Threat - Don't Conform
Potential Threat - Animal Abuse
Potential Threat - Cheap Labour

Symbol Six s/t 12" EP

2006-01-24T13:33:00.000-08:00

1982 Posh Boy Records

It's such a nice day here, I think it calls for a good ole classic LA Posh Boy release. Word is, these guys were from Malibu, which might make them the only ones to my knowledge. A little more rock than punk, nevertheless, this record has all the elements you've come to expect from a Posh Boy EP of the era: catchy, anthemic punk rock ala Social Distortion or Shattered Faith, and with great production to boot.

Symbol Six - Ego
Symbol Six - Symbol Six
Symbol Six - Taxation
Symbol Six - Beverlywood

Image courtesy of www.spontaneous.com

Exclusive: Bad Religion on the Punk Show circa '88

2006-01-22T23:10:00.000-08:00

I came across this while digging through a box of old cassettes this weekend. Here's the story...good friend and ex-bandmate of mine did a local cable public-access show in Long Beach called "The Punk Show", some time ago (I'm in LA, by the way). I helped out occasionally, running one of the three cameras.

He'd had some luck already, getting SST to send over some of their more avant-garde artists to perform on the show (Elliot Sharp, Swa, Dos, etc.), and decided to try and get Bad Religion to come on down. They'd just re-formed recently, and, apparently having nothing better to do that day, accepted the invitation.

I have to say, I was more than just a bit surprised to hear how great their new material was. This, by the way, was a little while before their "comeback" album, Suffer, was to come out and the misadventure that was Into the Unknown was a not too distant memory. Time-wise I'd place this sometime in '88 but it may have been late '87.

The bad thing is:

We didn't save a copy of the video
I only made an audio tape of songs, not the interview afterwards, which was really funny.

Oh...one more thing, gotta give it to Greg Graffin...no monitors in the studio that day, which meant no way to hear himself over the band, and he still managed to nail it.

So here's some audio from that day. Please excuse the not-so-great sound quality (public access, remember?).

Extra: Link to Fuck Fixed!

Bad Religion on the Punk Show - Do What You Want
Bad Religion on the Punk Show - We're Only Gonna Die
Bad Religion on the Punk Show - Fuck Armageddon
Bad Religion on the Punk Show - Politics
Bad Religion on the Punk Show - Competition

Welcome!

2006-01-22T00:00:00.000-08:00

Hey there friends, inaugural post here. Been combing the many great punk blogs out there these last few months and thought it was time to give a little something back. So, whether the tracks I'll be posting in the coming months are new to you, or if they're not but, like me, you've just been too damn lazy to digitze them and upload them to your iPod (seriously, it's kind of a pain).... enjoy!

I'll try not to post any redundant material here (there's so much good stuff available out there right now) but can't guarantee it. I'll be focusing mostly on American punk but think there's a slight lack of good UK punk posted at the moment so I'll probably change it up a bit.

Now for the standard disclaimer:

Any bands that would like me to remove their tracks and/or pictures, all ya gotta do is ask.
The .mp3's won't be available forever so get 'em while they last.
Please leave a comment if the mood should strike you, I'd love to hear from you.