Wretched Ones - S/T LP; Live EP; Tributes Suck EP and Live on a Five Single 

Label: Headache Records; Year: 1993; Format: Vinyl LP

I had planned to do this Wretched Ones entry quite a while back as May 23 of this year marked the 25 year anniversary of seeing them in Hamburg, Germany supporting the Angelic Upstarts. Anyway better late than never so here we go with a longer entry dedicated to this quartet from Midland Park in New Jersey. Not too long ago I posted about one of the Headwound EPs on Headache Records and had a bit of a look on their FB page since they seem to be still going strong. There I stumbled upon a German podcast dedicated to Headache Records, which was run by Pit, the singer in the Wretched Ones. Quite frankly not much is to be found on the worldwide intranet about the New Jersey '90s Oi scene, or the Wretched Ones in particular, but in a way I really like that even though the band deserves much more recognition for their output. In said podcast the guys talked about quite a few bands that appeared on Headache Records, but I was really mostly interested to hear what they had to say about the Wretched Ones. It was no surprise that they too thought the band brought a fresh wind to the Oi genre. I have never been much of a fan of Oi per se but during the '90s the Wretched Ones from the East Coast and Bonecrusher from the West Coast were two of my favorite bands, both capable of fusing elements of '80s hardcore punk with mean and raw Street Rock'N'Roll. In that sense the American Oi bands set themselves apart from the more traditional '80s UK Oi sound, which in my opinion was more often than not quite lame in contrast. The Wretched Ones have a history in hardcore punk as two of their members, Pit on vocals and B.T. on guitar, were members of The Burnt who released an LP on Mutha Records back in 1985, followed by a few EPs on Headache Records. The band transitioned into the Wretched Ones as early as 1988, but it wasn't until 1993 when the first LP was released, and what a cracker of an LP it is. I am nearly ashamed to say that at one point I had almost the entire catalogue of the Wretched Ones in my collection but when I needed money the records exchanged hands and wandered to a friend of mine in the UK, at least they are in good hands. Luckily some years ago I was able to find a copy of this LP for cheap and I will continue buying back whatever I don't have anymore. The 16 songs on the LP can be described as American Oi classics, and I do mean each one of them. Stand out tracks are "Going down the Bar", "Working Man" or "Time marches on" but again they're all brilliantly simple yet ass-kicking songs. The Wretched Ones had a habit of writing as many songs as possible about drinking beer and working bonebreaking jobs without ever getting boring, and I mean that as a compliment. In all fairness Schaefer Beer should have paid the guys large sums for their free advertisement and the Toxic Avenger should have hailed these guys when saving New Jersey from the next chemical disaster. Fill your fridge with beer and give this one a spin, you won't regret it.  

Label: Knock Out Records; Year: 1999; Format: Picture 7" EP

God knows how many days I have lived now in my nearly fifty three years of existence on this screwed up planet, but in all fairness how many of those days do I or any of us remember? I think it's fair to say not many. But, there are those days which we'll never forget, and for me May 23 of 1998 is certainly one of them. On said beautiful Spring Saturday I boarded a train heading from Zurich, Switzerland to Basel early in the morning and from there I got on a Deutsche Bundesbahn express train that got me to Hamburg by around 4pm. I recall heading straight to the Hafenstrasse by Hamburg's vast port and there was already a large contingent of Punks and Skins drinking cans of beer and generally having a good time. A friend of mine from Switzerland was meant to come along on the trip but had to cancel last minute. I had no problem going up to Hamburg on my own as up to that point I had never seen the Upstarts and the Wretched Ones alone would have made that trip worthwhile for me hence it was a no brainer. On top of that the gig took place at Grosse Freiheit 36, a renowned venue that hosted early Beatles gigs and is up to this day one of the most famous locations for live music in Hamburg. The atmosphere leading up to the gig in front of the venue was absolutely electrifying as people from around Europe had made the trip to Hamburg to witness an unforgettable evening. It so happened that at some point I was approached by a group of Skins who had made the trip from the Eastern parts of Germany (former GDR) asking me where I came from. Somehow they were fascinated by the fact that I had come up from Switzerland and bought me several rounds of beers throughout the night which I definitely didn't mind. What can be said about the gig, and in particular the Wretched Ones? I thought all bands put in a great shift, including Oxymoron who jumped in last minute to replace the Dropkick Murphys. By 1998 the Wretched Ones were not as unknown in Germany as one would think as Mosh of Knock Out Records has licensed the first two LPs by the band and as a result of that the guys from New Jersey had a dedicated fan base in Europe, mainly in Germany. The fact that the band was flown in just for the one show in Hamburg baffles me to this day, but I am glad they were. The Wretched Ones sure as hell didn't disappoint and the crowd of more than 1'000 thanked them loudly. The four songs on this Live EP are proof for the remainder of this civilization that New Jersey produced some fine music, and the Wretched Ones are never to be forgotten for that. After the gig I joined some of the people of Klasse Kriminalle from Italy, members of Red London and B.T. from the Wretched Ones on a trip to a bar on the famed Reeperbahn and I'll never forget how B.T always ordered two beers at the same time, one to down really fast and the other one to last a bit longer. After a long night of great live music and drinking I walked down to Hamburg's train station and took a train to Cologne to catch Motorhead the next day, a Sunday night. It wasn't until Monday morning that I finally returned to Switzerland, tired and with my ears ringing, but full of memories I will never forget. Cheers! 

Back of the Live EP as well as the ticket to the gig and to my surprise I even kept the train ticket in the record, great memories!

Label: Headache Records; Year: 1998; Format: 7" EP

In 1998 the Wretched Ones and Headache Records had enough of waiting on some labels to release Tribute records and decided to put their contributions on an EP appropriately called "Tributes Suck". The four songs enshrined on this EP are all classics in their own right, and I'll be a lazy bastard and just type up what the back of the EP says: 

1. Pirate Love - Originally recorded for Sky Krebs Records (who?) over four years ago. This guy was gonna put out the best tribute ever, blah...blah...Last we heard the master tape was stolen out of his car (yeah right). 

2. Just To Get Away - We agreed to get this in right away, the release date, after all is already next month. Half a year later we get word it's out. We are lied to a few more times that copies are in the mail. We figure we'll never see it. (Note: we got 'em now as this goes to print, thanks)

3. No More Heroes - Recorded for Elevator Records, this guy has bullshited us along for two years now that this thing would be out in another "month or two" Our feeling is he's about an hours drive away from a punch in the head. 

4. America The Beautiful - Dictators! OK now we're cooking. What song do you want us to do? What's that? America? That's note a Dictators song. Huh? It was on a Japanese 45 or in a movie? Can we do something else? Oh well OK we'll do this if it's that important. Well it's been way over a year ago, we've heard nothing about a release date, and our contact has since quit the label. Serves us right I guess. 

Well, hopefully in the end the band got copies for all those wonderful Tribute records, but even if not, this EP rules as the Wretched Ones obviously paid tribute to those songs the right way. 

Label: Headache Records; Year: 1996; Format: 5" Single

Well, time to grab a beer, some food and finish this off with the last record for this extended Wretched Ones blog entry. And guess what, it's a 5" record, and the only one in my collection. Two live songs are to be found on this tiny piece of vinyl with "We're not stopping now" recorded live in Wanaque, NJ by Harry Baggs one one side, and correct me if I am mistaken but I think that's the place I looked up when reviewing the Headwound EP hence the show was probably with them. And by the way the town seems almost as small as the 5" record. On the other side you get "I hated school" recorded live in Newark, NJ by an unknown audience member. Who knows and maybe this blog entry will solve the mystery and we'll finally find the unknown audience member. Please contact the HQ of HFTP as soon as you can! Cheers! 

V/A - Oi!....rare & exotica LP

Label: Teenage Rebel Records (Fun & Glory); Year: 1997; Format: Vinyl LP

I suppose it's Oi-week or something along those lines. Firstly, earlier in the week I listened to a German podcast with one of the members of the well-known band Loikaemie, and secondly I am actually going out tonight to see some Oi bands of which two are local Buffalo bands, and yes believe it or not Buffalo is starting to have somewhat of an Oi scene apparently. So in order to get myself in the mood I thought I listen to some Oi even though I don't have many records of said genre, but there are a few. The initial plan was to listen to both Volumes of Oi!...rare & exotica but to tell you the truth I can't remember ever seeing an LP packing more music onto one single piece of Vinyl than the first volume, hence I am sticking with just one. Also, I am actually not sure how this Compilation came about originally as I do recall ordering it from Germany at the time, and at the same time I also remember a friend of mine telling me that Ruediger of Teenage Rebel was behind it, but the record does not indicate such anywhere. I assume it was compiled and released by Ruediger, just not official. Regardless, there is a lot of great music to be found on here so in that sense I am glad I gave this one a spin today. In total there are twenty-two songs from equally as many countries clocking in at over fifty minutes on one LP, so make sure your fridge is well stocked with beer or whatever it is you fancy drinking. With the exception of very few acts such as Reich Orgasm from France, Kohu-63 from Finland or Zona A from Slovakia the bands contained on this record are definitely obscure and unknown, most likely even to some Die-Hard Oi freaks. Some of the stand-out tracks are by bands from South America, such as the excellent "Eternos Amigos" by Central Do Brasil (obviously from Brazil), the superb kick ass aggro contribution by Argentina's Comando Suicida with "Grito Proletario", "Lautaro Rocanrol" by Ocho Bolas from Chile or an outstanding cover version of Vice Squad's 'Last Rockers' by Antisociales from Mexico. Of course there are also standouts from Europe with Greece's Birthward '82 song being one of the best on the whole record (someone please reissue their EP from the '80s!). Stromberg Polka with "Hoffnung" were interestingly one of the earliest German Oi bands taking a strong stand against right wing attitudes, while Psychoterror from Estonia deliver a hit with "Let's Oi!". Not to forget are bands from really far away countries such as No Tag from New Zealand or Cockney Cocks from Japan. As you can see the list is long and there are only two to three songs that I think could have easily been left out, which would have helped with the sound quality I imagine which isn't bad though considering how much music was squeezed onto this. I've got to say that I am going to see if I can find some more recordings by certain bands on here as a quarter of a century after this was released lots has happened in terms of reissues by some of these really obscure acts. Stay tuned for Volume 2 down the road and keep it real! Oi!

Headwound - Look good...? It is! EP

Label: Headache Records; Year: 1996; Format: 45RMP EP

It is early on a Sunday morning and this week I set out to do at least three entries so here goes my slap-up, albeit not sure whether it's as good as the one depicted for Headwound's fourth EP from the good ole' 90s. I have no idea as to how Headwound got their start but my guess would be that the idea came in a basement in New Jersey where the guys sat around some beers and thought it might be a good idea to start a band. The wonderful thing about that is that even more remote scenes - of which Northern New Jersey bands like Headwound hailing from a little town in Wanaque county were part of - had an outlet for their music, and in their case it was Headache Records, which was run by Armen of the Wretched Ones. The four songs on Headwound's fourth and last EP they released in said decade are typical of that time period and for that particular sound, hence comparisons to Blanks 77, Wretched Ones or early Dropkick Murphys come to mind. So, if American Oi Punk is your thing you will dig this as I sure as hell do, especially on a Sunday morning when I don't want to think too much and just sit back and relax. The '90s were a fun time in many ways and to my surprise Headwound seem to be still going strong according to their Facebook page. I am hungry now and looking at that sleeve in front of me I can't stop thinking of breakfast and coffee. Oi!  

Ross Lomas with Steve Pottinger - City Baby (Surviving in Leather, Bristles, Studs, Punk Rock, and GBH)

Publisher: Bazillion Points; Year: 2015; Format: Softcover Book

Apologies for the winter blues, but January can be a tough month for not just getting out of bed every morning but especially for doing much once home from work. Since the days are slowly but surely getting a little longer maybe I am feeling slightly more energized. With age I have become someone that thrives on routine, and one of them is to always carry a book in my backpack which I read on my bus trips to and from work. Currently I am reading Steve Ignorant's book with Steve Pottinger and so it dawned on me that some time ago I have also read Ross Lomas' book with Mr. Pottinger, hence a perfect opportunity to get another review up. I am going to sound like a broken record here but the fact remains that it's tough to review books I have read a long time ago hence I revisited certain chapters a bit here and there. The good thing about this book is that it's divided into about three dozen small chapters making it easy to read the first time or when revisiting. According to an interview with Ross with Spanish blog 'Adios Lili Marleen' the original idea was to involve the entire band for the book but apparently nobody was interested bar Ross. In the end it worked out fine me thinks as it's a great read not just about Ross' involvement with GBH but about his private life as well. Quite often with autobiographies I enjoy the first third or so of the books the most as the author usually digs deep into their upbringing and the environment they grew up in. The fact that Ross and the rest of GBH hail from Birmingham makes it for a fascinating glimpse at life in Britain's "Second City" during the '70s, and it certainly is refreshing to hear about the early punk days with a view of someone from outside of London. As you will know though GBH really took off in the early '80s, and it certainly helped that their label mates Discharge pretty much took them under their wings. Many tours and records followed and it's all there throughout various chapters. And as you will surely also know is the fact that GBH still perform to this day hence the book continues all the way up to more modern days. The last time I saw GBH was in 2007 when I lived in London and when they performed at the Purple Turtle playing with their '83 line up if I am not mistaken. It was a fun and chaotic show and sums up the feeling this book delivers from the beginning to the end. But most importantly if you haven't already done so, grab your own copy and find out how Ross never became the milk delivery boy he set out to be way back when. 

Photo Credit: Frank White (Ritz, NYC, 1987)

SPS - Jsme V Hajzlu LP

Label: Globus International; Year: 1992; Format: Vinyl LP

SPS stands for Snizena Pracovni Schopnost which in English would translate into Diminished Work Ability and the band started out in 1988 in Prague, at the time the capital of Czechoslovakia. The band consisting of three members recorded their first demo in 1989 but it wasn't until 1992 and the years after the fall of communism in former Czechoslovakia for the band to be able to release their first LP on Globus International, one of the very early independent record labels started in Prague. In the early '90s SPS also briefly featured in the British Channel 4 documentary "Punks In Prague" highlighting the increased shift of young people who were punks under communism and drifted to the right after the fall of communism. The documentary can be found on youtube and is an interesting watch if you are curious to learn about international punk scenes you might not be knowledgeable about. But on to the music on "Jsme V Hajzlu" which would translate to "We're deep in shit". One of the main reasons I do this blog is to sit down and actually listen to my records and to top it off I try to find information pertaining to the band and other musically historical facts. SPS are still going strong to this day with guitarist/singer Zdenek the only remaining original member left, and as a matter of fact they are currently playing shows in the Czech Republic in celebration of the 30th anniversary of this album, which in my opinion is one hell of a great record. If you like your punk being played straight forward with lots of drive, a heavy bass and a good production then you really need to seek out this album. There is not a single weak song to be found on this platter and while I sat in the recliner enjoying this record I tried to pin down the influences the band used to come up with the sound and the songs for this LP and I couldn't help thinking of One Way System from the UK, good German 80s punk like Canalterror or Bluttat or French bands from the Chaos En France era. What you get is really outstanding old school punk that will have you raise your fist and sing along no matter whether you speak Czech or not. According to the SPS website the album sold over thirty thousand copies when it came out highlighting how popular punk rock was for young people in the early post-communism years. Punk on! 

Early photo of Zdenek, founding member and only remaining original member left in the current line-up. Source: Official SPS Facebook page.

The Discocks - Voice of Youth EP

Label: New Age Records; Year: 1994: Format: 7" 33RPM EP 

Back in the mid '90s I lived for a couple of years in the great city of Toronto, Canada and it must have been in early '97 that my friend Simon of Ugly Pop and I spontaneously decided to take a Greyhound bus to New York City to see the Discocks support the Casualties at Coney Island High in the East Village. Mind you we really didn't care all that much for the spiked band from NYC but were eager to see a Japanese band on North American soil. The fact that the Discocks weren't even the main act tells you a lot about the ignorance in the punk scene as a band flying in from thousands of miles away should really be the main attraction of any night, but that's just my opinion. We certainly had a good night and stayed over at Neil's of Tribal War to catch the Discocks again the next day in New Haven, CT, this time if memory serves me right with The Unseen. What I do remember vividly to this day though is that on the way up to New Haven we stopped at a gas station somewhere in the Queens/Brooklyn area and the Japanese punks and skins stuck out even for a city like New York as they definitely attracted a lot of looks. Funny enough the same year as the above mentioned gig I travelled to Tokyo, Japan and ran into Peter, singer of the Discocks, at the Antiknock Club in Shinjuku when One Way System were playing five shows in the Tokyo area. We had a brief chat after the show and he handed me the flyer that's been stuck in my copy of the band's first release up to this day. Ladies and gentleman, now after boring you to death with my travel stories let me remind myself that there is actually a record to be reviewed here and while preparing for this post tonight I also found out that the Discocks actually have a Wikipedia entry, now that's quite fancy me thinks. The "Voice of Youth" EP having come out in 1994 on the band's own New Age Records (also licensed to UK's Helen Of Oi) is in my opinion their best release by a mile. Their later stuff on Knock Out is okay, but doesn't come even close to this as this record is nothing short of a great effort of youthful UK82 influenced Oi Punk in the great tradition of Blitz, the Partisans or the Ejected to think of a few. My two favorite songs on this EP are "Street of '92" and "Punk and Proud" with a loud bass guitar and great choruses leaving you with no option as to sing along like a maniac. I sometimes wish I could go back in time and relive those days, great memories. 

Fatal Erection - Castrated by Love 7" Single

Label: Fatal Erection Records; Year: 1994; Format: 45RPM Single

Sometimes you just have to be thankful for the intranet. The other day I was on Discogs kind of aimlessly looking at stuff and I came across this band by the name of Fatal Erection. Now mind you some people would just keep strolling whereas this loser here of course had to do some investigative work about this band only to come to find out that the band was basically Poison Idea minus Jerry A with Thee Slayer Hippie, Mondo and Pig Champion being the rhythm section and John Lyons on vocals and guitars. This little platter came out in '94 and is unfortunately the only release by Fatal Erection and I say unfortunately for a reason as the two songs on this single are both incredibly well executed Punk'N'Roll smashers obviously not too far away from the Poison Idea sound of that era. While the traditional song "Lorena Lorena" will get you in the mood it is "Castrated Love" on the flip side that will want you smash things up in your living room. As if the record wasn't enough you'll also get a neat little comic book with a wild story about castration in 18th century Russia illustrated by pretty well known poster artist Wayne Shellabarger. I wish they had recorded a full length! 

Bonecrusher - Followers Of A Brutal Calling LP

Label: Knock Out Records; Year: 2000; Format: Vinyl LP

Southern California's Orange County has always been a hotbed for great punk rock acts and bands like TSOL, Adolescents, Agent Orange or Channel 3 just to name a few are household names to anybody into three chords and then some. In the '90s when Emo and Pop Punk ruled it was refreshing to see bands like Bonecrusher forming and such was the case in 1992 when Bonecrusher's story begins. I reached out to Mike Kanel, bass player and founding member of Bonecrusher to answer a few questions with regards to "Followers..." as it is one of my favorite records to have come out in the '90s or in this case in 2000. To cut a long story short the copy I now own is one of those that I was distributing when the record came out, mainly through a record store in Zurich, Switzerland. Years ago I sold a lot of my '90s and early '00s records and unfortunately "Followers..." was part of it, not sure why but I needed the money. Of course I wanted it back so fast forward a few years back and a friend of mine back in Switzerland was selling his entire collection and I was happy enough to snap this one up only to realize that the sticker I used to put on records I distributed was still on there. This copy has certainly travelled the world. So, in order to prepare for this blog entry I wanted to read up about Bonecrusher but even after a 30-year history Google came up with very little to nothing. Mike thinks that "we have always just been a garage band and still are. Music has always been therapeutic and making records is a hobby. We let the music speak for itself." In the end I was glad that I have a copy of 3rd Generation Nation's No. 19 Fanzine from spring 1999 as Rick Bain's of Hostage Records history of the band up to that point is worth gold. OC's Hostage Records alongside Outsider Records also played a vital role in the band's abilities to release material on vinyl. It was the so called 'Life on the Streets' trilogy with the three EPs on Hostage ("Animal", "No Escape" and "Problems in the Nation") that not just solidified the band's standing but led to some serious attention across the pond in Germany. As for Hostage Records Mike chimes in: "Well we all know that if we didn't give them the recordings to the Animal 45 the label might have never taken off the way it has."

I myself used to contribute with writing to 3rd Generation Nation back in those days and a certain Mosh of Knock Out Records most likely paid good attention as to the mayhem Bonecrusher were causing in Orange County. Soon enough Bonecrusher were able to not just release records in Germany but also tour on the European continent. Mike on Knock Out's vital role in the evolution of the band: 

"Mosh and Knock Out Records are the only reason we ever went over to Europe. He has always been our # 1 supporter through all of our ups and downs over the years, and has always been behind us as to what we do as a band, no matter what. I started getting e-mails from this guy in Germany from a record label in the late '90s talking about going on tour, releasing a record and so forth. I did not trust the e-mails because I was new to the internet at that time. I thought he was full of shit talking about tours and playing festivals in Europe, and it just seemed like a lot of bullshit to me as we were just a garage band from Southern California, and who fuckin' cares, right? So after a year or two of e-mail exchanges I suggested to Mosh that if he was to buy us plane tickets and feed us we would come and play all he wanted for ten days. - And the next thing you know we are in Germany playing live at the best gigs we have ever played in our entire lives at that point. That's how our relationship with Mosh and our European fanbase started. The rest has been hell of a ride."                

Once I heard about Bonecrusher were headed for Germany I asked a friend of mine whether he would drive from Zurich to the Ruhr Valley in Germany, about a six hour ride. My friend loved driving to gigs on  weekends hence he agreed and so three of us headed up to the town of Marl to see Bonecrusher for the first time. It was a blast, but to be beaten by the band a year later when a whole group of us from Zurich caught the band in Freiburg in Southern Germany were they delivered one of the best shows I have ever witnessed. (Thanks for the free shirts in Marl, Mike! Still have them, LOL)

Having lived in Europe for the most part of my life and now Stateside I asked Mike about the experiences the band has made touring over there and how he would compare it to playing locally in Southern California: 

"Well, there is really no comparison. In Europe the promoters, the fans and the hospitality are top notch and better than any situation you will ever experience in Southern California. The only time being in a band really matters is when you are up on stage playing live to people. That is when the magic moments happen feeding off of the energy of the crowd with the amps cranked up loud."

Ok folks, congrats to making it up to here as if you are not familiar with the "Followers..." LP you certainly might wonder what my hype is all about. In my honest opinion this was the album that solidified Bonecrusher's trademark sound that would continue to this day, with quite a few line up changes having taken place over the years. The music will hit you straight in the face like a ton of bricks but at the same time while absorbing all the aggression in the songs you will find yourself tapping your feet to great melodies, hooks and choruses. Take a bit of Cockney Rejects, Chelsea or Angelic Upstarts, a good dose of Motorhead and certainly some '80s US Hardcore and voila you get an idea as to how Bonecrusher sound. The lyrics are on the dark side of life, and there is a reason for that according to Mike: 

"In the early '90s we were recovering from the '80s punk scene, drugs, jail time, prison and running the streets. So what else would you expect us to include in the songs? Lol. The second half of the '90s gave Raybo, George, Gino (RIP) and myself a second chance at life."

As to the most vivid memories recording "Followers..." Mike reminisces: 

"At that time a lot had gone on with the band. George and myself have always been the 'instigators' with writing and recording. We were making demos with Ray, but had no drummer at the time and it was after having put out the "Working For Nothing" album. We had seven songs that ended up being the A-Side on the "Followers..." album. Then, Raybo disappeared and George and myself really liked the songs so we had a friend of ours, Steve H., filling in on drums on those tracks and George and I worked on the finishing of the bass, guitar and back up vocals. As for the direction of the band in those days we really had no plan, and we never have. Things just happen organically and fall into place. We tracked all of the "Followers.." songs at George's house in his home studio. Side B of the album was put together from earlier recordings and stuff we had been working on at the studio."

Bonecrusher have been in existence for 30 years now and for old time fans like myself their original singer Raybo personified the band to a degree. His on stage presence was just immense, if not scary to some people I suppose. Mike remembers: 

"Ray had a natural talent for belting out words and stories and some of my best memories are of me and Ray sitting in the garage of my house and writing new songs right there on the spot. Simply magical times." Update 10-6-22: RIP Raybo

Should you be new to the world of Bonecrusher "Followers..." is a good entry point into their catalogue in my honest opinion. According to Mike a lot of the old material might be repressed in the near future and I sure as hell hope so in order to fill some of my gaps. Cheers to Mike & Bonecrusher! 

Blanks 77 - Up The System Ten Inch

Label: Quality of Life Inc.; Year: 1993; Format: Vinyl 10"

I don't know how you feel about the '90s when it comes to underground music but I remember it being a rather dull and boring decade. Looking back though there were certainly some highlights, and some retro scenes really managed to spit up some great bands that were worth paying attention to. The whole UK82 punk rock sound enjoyed a fine revival, particularly on the US East Coast. New Jersey's Blanks 77 were one of the earliest purveyors of that retro sound, and were part of a whole new generation of punks and skins that celebrated long forgotten UK acts such as the Ejected, Abrasive Wheels or the Partisans to name a few amongst the many that have appeared on leather jackets around the world. In the early '90s the Blanks started to release a whole slew of 7"s while this fine 10" was released in 1993. The funny thing about this release here is the fact that I have not pulled this record off the shelve in a long time but when I put down the needle on this record tonight with a beer in my right hand while rocking back and forth in my recliner chair, I all of a sudden remembered each one of the eight songs on the record. Sure, some might say that bands like the Blanks 77 didn't create anything new and lacked in originality but rest assured that any lack of creativity on behalf of the band was made up for with plenty of enthusiasm, dedication and the deliverance of some great fucking pogo punk. There is really nothing negative I can say about this little 10" as it is a fun listen. Now, get your pogo stick out, and up the system!