Appendix - Ei Raha Oo Mun Valuuttaa LP 

Label: Puke N' Vomit Records; Year: 2021; Format: Vinyl LP

After a somewhat stressful week at work it felt nice this evening to crank open a bottle of beer and spin this hardcore punk classic from Finland. Years ago I used to have the original 1982 Propaganda pressing of this LP but quite frankly who gives a shit as long as reissues such as this Puke N Vomit are available. Nice to see this one coming alive again with the original artwork and including one insert and two posters. Nice job! I am currently also reading the book about Rock-O-Rama Records from Germany and as some of you will surely know in 1983 this full length was licensed to said rip off label and according to the band all they ever got was twenty free copies. I shall review said book soon but it is clear that not only Herbert Egoldt of ROR but also Heikki Vilenius of Propaganda Records were just shrewd business men taking advantage of an international boom in hardcore punk. What I didn't know though is that the very first Appendix line up from 1981 included Olli and Juha of well known Finnish Rock act Yo. Yo went on to a successful career in mainstream music and had several No. 1 hits in the Finnish charts. That line up didn't last too long and Ei Raha Oo Mun Valuuttaa was recorded in 1982 and is in my opinion a true classic of early Finnish hardcore punk. The Puke N Vomit repress also includes the two tracks recorded for the 'Russia Bombs Finland' Comp. LP as well as the two tracks released on the Pultti Comp. EP. What I like the most about this record is that it is really varied when it comes to the songs. As expected there are plenty of typical powerful hardcore thrashers on this album but equally there are great mid-tempo punk stompers reminiscent of the UK Subs or Blitz. The production is loud and clear and the songs are carried by a great dominant bass sound backed with a buzzsaw guitar and a singer shouting on top of his lungs. It is no wonder that forty years ago along with US hardcore there was a real hype in the punk underground about bands from Finland as they just stood out. Don't be wasting your money on Money is not my Currency on ROR..;-) Kippis!!