Sperma - Zuri Punx Single and S/T 12" EP
Some of you will know that Switzerland and in particular Zurich had a thriving and very active Punk scene back in the late '70s. As soon as the punk virus from London caught on in the land of cheese and chocolate bands and fanzines started to spring up, at first mainly in Zurich. Sperma started off as an idea in late '77 after The Clash played a gig in Zurich and then became reality in '78 as a strong bond between TNT and Sperma evolved into not just a friendship but also sharing of a practice space. Urs Steiger, the main force behind so much in the early days of Swiss Punk, started to not just manage Sperma but enabled them also to get into a studio which resulted in two sessions in March and May of 1979. Two of the March tracks ended up on the famous Zuri Punx/Bombs Single, which I have bought decades ago from an ex-Punk for little to nothing and who was happy it found a new home. The song Zuri Punx was featured on one of the first Boot Comp LPs highlighting KBD Punk from around the world, but don't ask me which one. It's a neat little song, but in my opinion much more enjoyable if you understand Schwizer Duetsch (Swiss German). The lyrics deal with the frustration of being stuck in a dead end job from Monday to Friday only to come alive Friday night and go see the local punk bands performing while dreaming of punk and anarchy. That dream doesn't last too long before it's Monday and the shit starts all over again. Probably my favorite Sperma song is the B-Side 'Bombs', an excellent upbeat bass driven cracker of a track sung in English. Should you not have this then get it, and no worries it's been reissued by the nice gentleman behind Static Shock in Berlin so you'll only have to spend the price of a beer.
Label: Static Shock; Year: 2020; Format: 12" RMP EP
A long, long time ago I reviewed the three songs contained on this 12" as they are also to be found on the 1981 released "Rough Mixes from Switzerland" 10" released in Germany. And also a long time ago I was a happy owner of an original of this 12" but that's another story. Regardless I really wanted to have this one again as a 12" and the way it was originally released back in 1979 and Static Shock has done a wonderful job at doing just that including a nice little fanzine like booklet. Unlike the time I reviewed the above mentioned 10" tonight I really enjoyed listening to these three songs. If you are not too familiar with Sperma or early Swiss punk in general do know that Sperma were known for their great punky looks, but there were - at least in my opinion - musically tighter and better acts from Switzerland. Still, they certainly had their heart in the right place and recorded songs that are full of great humor and the spirit of '77. While Sperma's recorded material could be viewed as quite rudimentary, all of their early songs are nevertheless catchy and well produced three chord anthems. Sperma fizzled out by 1980 and released one more Single which is not even worth mentioning as it was an attempt to sound and look poppier and New Wave. I highly recommend getting these two European punk rock nuggets to get your appetite up for more cheese, chocolate and Swiss Punk.
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