Sheer Terror - Old, New, Borrowed and Blue 10"

Label: Blackout! Records; Year: 1994; Format: 10" Vinyl EP

Sheer Terror is one of those bands that in many ways bypassed me throughout the decades. I never dismissed their existence but for some reasons they never grabbed my attention as much as they probably deserved to. A few days ago I listened to a recent podcast interview with Paul Bearer (link at the end of this post) and I must say I not only had a good laugh but also learned a bit about the band's history which I always find fascinating. That was reason enough to pull out my only Sheer Terror record this morning and play it loud while exercising my arthritis knees to the mean beats blasting out of the speakers. What a shame that so many of these records have become so expensive if you want them on vinyl as this little 10 inch containing four songs is definitely well worth tracking down. What I probably like the most about it is that no song sounds like the other one and the three Sheer Terror originals deliver everything people expect of the band. While the typical brutal and mostly fast "Walls" is probably my favorite song on the record, the other two are equally great but slower, darker and heavier. Last but not least the record also contains a great cover version of the Saints' hit "Everything's Fine". Well, this leads me to the conclusion that at least when it comes to their old material I hope to find some more of it out there in the wild. 

Update August 1,  2023: Blackout! Records has reissued the 10" as of last week. 

Link to the Post-America Podcast with Paul Bearer

https://soundcloud.com/the-post-america-podcast/160-paul-bearer

Tony Rettman - Straight x Edge - A Clear-Headed Hardcore Punk History

Publisher: Bazillion Points; Year: 2017; Format: Book

It's time for another book review as I haven't done one in a while and trust me there are many to get through and as it happens to be with a lot of books I have read in the past the one being reviewed tonight I have finished some time ago, well back in 2020 to be exact. Straight Edge in general is not a lifestyle that ever really appealed to me but there were times in my life when I didn't drink booze at all or when for a relatively short time I was a vegetarian, but to be really honest with you I could not give up drinking alcohol nor eating meat for ever. I look at it from a point of view that always do what's best for you and what you enjoy the most while not forgetting to have some fun. In general I am not against Straight Edge per se but have my limitations as to understand why a subcultural scene as the punk and hardcore scene ended up being split into even more fractions and sub-fractions based on whether one drinks or smokes, or not. I fully understand that that's not exactly what Minor Threat set out to achieve and I enjoyed reading the first two to three chapters of the book. I must admit though that it is at a very early stage of Rettman's Straight Edge bible when I started to struggle more and more and with each page turning as most of the quotes of the people being interviewed just become repetitive and boring. In my view books written in the oral history format are just not that good in general, something I have noticed over the years reading many books on punk history written in different formats. So in that sense even for a non Straight Edge guy like myself the experience could have been much different had this book been written and researched in a different way. Tonight I sat down and briefly reread the chapter about Straight Edge in Europe and the UK. While I was able to relate to a lot of it as I lived there in the past, I also realized that for someone else who didn't grow up in Europe and maybe has little knowledge about the scenes there probably a lot reads like gibberish as there is little to no context to the quotes provided. Reading the European chapter again it made me think about those times around '87 when I was living in Zurich, Switzerland. While we had a few Straight Edge people at shows I personally recall very little in terms of friction between the drinking crowd, which was the vast majority, and the Straight Edge crowd. Personally I thought it was a shame that towards the end of the '80s the Straight Edge kids started to splinter off and create their own scene, a scene I never had any interest in as it was exclusive and had a specific agenda, something I could not embrace. Of course it's just human nature to be wanting to be involved with like minded people, and I am not here to judge but in hindsight I think it turned many people off and away from hardcore, including myself. But, back to the book and the early days of Straight Edge where I thought that the chapter on Boston serves as somewhat of an appetizer of what is to come when some people just take their own convictions a bit too far but obviously nowhere near as to what would follow in the '90s with bands like Earth Crisis and militant outliers within the Straight Edge scenes. After some mostly interesting chapters concentrating on scenes in Southern California, Nevada or New York City the book becomes a fest of repetition and umpteenth renditions of Youth Of Today clowns spread around the globe and that's really about it. To wrap this up I recall that about twenty years ago I interviewed Slapshot after a show in Germany and made a joke about it being no surprise that Choke turned Straight Edge with the prospect of having to drink crappy beer like Budweiser. Let me tell you that if looks could kill I certainly wouldn't be typing this here tonight. Time for a beer now. 

The Misfits - Static Age LP

Label: Caroline Records; Year: 1997; Format: Vinyl LP

Back in 1997 when this lost LP by the Misfits was released I was very much in the known about its release and the hype surrounding it but for some reason - and this has happened in more than one instance - I chose not to buy a copy only to come to regret it as the record would turn from scarce to very rare. Luckily just a few weeks back now in the year 2022 and unbelievably already a quarter of a century after its release I was lucky to find a first pressing for a very reasonable price at a local dealer. Turns out that patience pays off even for people lacking hair and at times a brain. "Static Age" was recorded in the early days of 1978 and was financed by Mercury Records in a 30 hours free recording session. Mercury was planning to release the recorded material but eventually after months of not getting back to the band decided to drop the project as sale numbers for the release of Pere Ubu's "Modern Dance" were low and the label decided against any further punk rock related releases. It sure as hell is a shame the LP didn't come out in 1978 as I am not the only one to think that had that happened it would be included in every list of the greatest and most essential punk rock LPs of the early days. In 'This Music leaves Stains - The Complete Story of the Misfits" author James Greene Jr. states that "the record might have been counted as one of the last great gasps of Punk Rock's founding East Coast wave alongside the Ramones 'Road To Ruin', the Talking Heads' 'More Songs about Building and Food' and the Dead Boys' 'Young Loud and Snotty'. In the same book Mike Stax notes that on "Static Age" the Misfits had not quite fallen into the formula yet and that the records that came later, like "Walk Among Us" weren't as pure. In 1993 Jerry Only theorized that had the record come out back then everything would have moved up five years and the Misfits would have been the forerunners of the new scene. Well, that might have very well been the case but as history often shows us not everything goes according to plan hence better late than never the LP came out in 1997 and has been rather successful me thinks. I think those words by Stax and Greene sum it up perfectly. Listening to the LP today having heard most of the songs over and over in one form or another throughout the decades I still couldn't help to feel in awe as the record is like a "Best Of" would be for many bands, that's just how great it is. The songwriting is simply put incredible and shows how well rehearsed the band was already at that point. All seventeen songs are a perfect mix of early punk rock paired with a healthy dose of pop infusion on top of Glenn's voice and outlandish lyrics resulting in nothing else than seventeen hits. We are 138!!! 

Krieg Kopf - War On Terrorism LP 

Label: Radio Raheem Records; Year: 2021; Format: Vinyl LP

I think you would have had to have grown up in the New York City area to know Astoria, Queens based hardcore punk outfit Krieg Kopf back in the day. Funny enough just like with the Italian band bahnhof reviewed not long ago on this blog I have learnt about Krieg Kopf years ago through a friend of mine back in Europe who has one of the two rare tapes released back in '84 and '86 respectively. So for all those years since briefly hearing their music their name registered with me since how can anyone forget such a band name meaning Warhead in German. Well, last year Radio Raheem released an LP compiling 20 songs originally appearing either on the "Passen Sie Auf Es ist" cassette from 1984, the "S/T" cassette from 1986 or the tracks that were recorded for an unreleased LP back in 1987/88. It is obvious that this NYC quartet must have been ready to put its mark on the NY hardcore punk map with an LP release for quite some time back in the '80s and it remains unclear as to why it never worked out. 

I for one think that either of the two tapes would have made for a great record back in the day as the songs on each one of them are definitely worth hearing on vinyl, hence better late than never. Some songs are typical fast paced hardcore thrash while others are mid-tempo and leaning more towards traditional '80s UK punk not dissimilar to Cockney Rejects et al. Stand out tracks for me are 'Terrorism', 'The Work Song' and 'Immortal' to name a few from those two tapes. The songs recorded in 1987/88 which were planned to end up on an LP are a little different in the sense that they sound more muffled and played with slightly less energy in my opinion. Nevertheless they are still solid and good hardcore punk tracks with the typical New York sound. If you like your NYHC to sound like Kraut, Even Worse or Nihilistics you will dig Krieg Kopf as some of the songs on this LP are truly outstanding and definitely need to be heard by a wider audience interested in New York's rich punk rock history. Grab a copy while you can!

The Warriors - Movie Soundtrack LP

Label: A&M Records; Year: 1979; Format: Vinyl LP

Back in 1982/83 I was a 12-year old living in the suburbs of Zurich, Switzerland. At some point I saw this gang-related movie from New York City called "The Warriors" for the first time on TV, dubbed from English to German. I remember that one of my friends that lived on the same street saw it also and we instantly became huge fans of this cult movie trying to figure out how this Coney Island gang navigated their agonizing trip from the Bronx all the way down to the Ocean. Of course we had no knowledge whatsoever about the geography of NYC but to the two of us the movie remained an all time favorite until today. Forward thirty years after that experience and in 2012 I actually moved to "The Big Apple". Little did I know back in the early '80s that one day I would live where they filmed "The Warriors", but you never know where live takes you. Even though I don't reside there anymore but still live in the state of NY, a little part of me will be a New Yorker for the rest of my life. I have fond memories of my wife and I taking the bus from Bay Ridge in Brooklyn to Coney Island to take a walk on the boardwalk and grab some unhealthy but yummy food from Nathan's while taking in the fresh air from the Ocean. In 2015 I was lucky enough to witness one of the reunions of some of the actors from the movie. If I am not mistaken the person that organized the event had punk rock roots which is not surprising at all taking into account that quite a few bands took their band name from the movie. Sick Of It All headlined the musical aspect of the event and John Joseph of the Cro-Mags was the interviewer at the end of the event when there was a Q&A with the actors (see photo). But this entry is really about the music on the movie soundtrack LP. I am by no means an expert on soundtracks and in general not even a movie buff but "The Warriors" is always worth an exception. So today I sat down on a trip down memory lane and gave this a spin and if you ask me for the most part it's just a really enjoyable record. If you are a fan of the movie then you will know the big hits announced throughout the movie by a female DJ we never learn much about. Barry De Vorzon, a progressive Disco producer of the time was tasked with the soundtrack to the movie and succeeded on all levels in my opinion. From his own electro-disco themed tracks to the heavy soul hitter of 'Nowhere To Run' by Cleveland born Artist Arnold McCuller to the fantastic Joe Walsh written song about making it in the city entitled 'In The City', a song that later ended up on an Eagles album to Desmond Child's 'Last Of an Ancient Breed' the soundtrack immensely helped carrying the movie. Maybe a little less known are the equally great 'You're moving too slow', an energetic blues-rock stomper or 'Love is a Fire' by Polish-born Solo Artist Genya Ravan. Interesting was also the inclusion of Bed-Sty, Brooklyn based band Mandrill who in 1971 started to fuse Afro-Carribean sounds with Jazz, Latin and Rock, something that would in years and decades to become known as World Music. Walter Hill's movie based on a novel by Sol Yurick is not just a great watch but also a great listen people. Warriors, come out to plaaaaayyy! 

Testors - Original Punk Recordings New York City 1976 - 1977 Ten Inch

Label: Incognito Records; Year: 1995; Format: Vinyl 10"

There are truly not that many original punk rockers still touring the world, year in and year out. Sonny Vincent is one of the rare human species that is not only still doing that, but is still rather damn good at it too to this day. Back in 1975 Sonny formed the Testors in NYC with a guitar in his hand and lots of anger in his stomach. The band named itself after the Testors glue company, which would eventually get them into legal trouble, and set out to provoke the audience, sonically and physically. They did that with two guitarists, a drummer, and no bass player, and that seemed to work fine at venues like the CBGB’s or Max Kansas City but at one point Sonny got himself even arrested in Philadelphia for inciting a riot. The band never had any ambitions to record so thank god Incognito Records from Germany unearthed the recordings of this wild bunch that created some damn fine noise all these years back. Four studio songs, and two live songs are to be found on this 10”, and they not just kick ass, but are delivered with such furiousness and aggressiveness that many hardcore punk bands years later must have taken note of. The liner notes were penned by Cheetah Chrome and a second volume with more madness from this trio was also released on 10”, and will be reviewed in the not so distant future. 

Ramones - L.A. Explosion Ten Inch

Label: Fan Club; Year: 200?; Format: Vinyl 10"

In August 1976 the Ramones played for the first time in Los Angeles, and two of those shows took place at the Starwood in West Hollywood – a club that would be instrumental in forging many musicians’ careers in the years to come. Many moons later some bootlegger has managed to get their greedy hands on decent sounding recordings of the show from August 16 of said year, and a bootleg 10” was born by the name of L.A. Explosion. Make what you want of bootleggers but I for one am grateful for this piece of wax as it delivers twelve tracks of the Ramones in their early days yet sounding like a well-oiled machine already. The probability of these recordings to have ever appeared somewhere legitimately has always been very slim, and in this day and age with all four of the original members unfortunately no longer with us it is simply out of question. Rest assured that when putting down the needle on this little treasure you will not only feel like you are traveling back in time by nearly forty years to a period in time when the term punk wasn’t even coined, and Los Angeles was waking up from an overdose of English disco and glam rock but that you feel like you are actually witnessing a time when kids couldn't wait any longer for something new to kick off, and the Ramones had all the answers for them. We all know that it wasn't just LA that needed a proper kick up its arse, and that these four New Yorkers really got the ball rolling for which we ought to be grateful to this day. 

Cheetah Chrome - A Dead Boy's Tale: From the Front Lines of Punk Rock

Publisher: Voyageur Press; Year: 2010; Format: Book

Every fan of first generation punk rock will be familiar with Cleveland's Dead Boys and their guitarist Cheetah Chrome, no doubt. Even though throughout the years I have read many stories linked to the history of this notorious band, I was over the moon when I heard this book announced a few years back. As a matter of fact I had my then girlfriend turned wife go to one of his book readings here in New York City, and have her buy and sign the book for me while I was still lifting ales in good ole' London. But that's beside the point here, and I have just recently finally gotten around to read this tomb. And yes I do have a habit of buying a fair amount of books without reading them immediately, in case you wonder. Eventually I'll get through them all, or so I hope at least. Cheetah's book certainly didn't disappoint, and as one can only imagine it is filled with crazy, drunken and drugged up stories on life on road with the Dead Boys, as well as the numerous bands and projects Cheetah has been involved with over the years - before (Rocket From The Tombs) - and also after the demise of the Dead Boys. As with many rock autobiographies though I must say that I probably enjoyed the pages about Cheetah's childhood and his becoming an adult the most. Cheetah spent his early years in rough parts of the industrial wastelands of Cleveland where he wasn't able to find many friends until he discovered the magic of rock'n'roll. The fact that Cheetah's mother has always been generously supportive of her son shines throughout the entire book, and for that he adored and loved his mother up until she passed away which was towards the end of the book. One other person that Cheetah had unlimited love for was his good buddy and partner in crime Stiv Bators. Even though their friendship took many hits and had at times a very bumpy road ahead of them, Cheetah and Stiv had a mutual admiration for each other, and as we all know unfortunately Stiv has departed this world way too early. As for the author's alcoholism and drug abuse, you will find him openly talk about his problems, and how he eventually became a clean and sober man. I find it a great pity that Cheetah - like many other talented musicians - paid a high price by being an addict, and could quite likely have had a more fulfilling career had he not chosen that path. Still, he will always be remembered as one of the greats of punk rock, and so will the Dead Boys. The only minus of this book is the fact that the editor must have been either dead tired or dead drunk when editing this book as there is a fair amount of absolutely unnecessary grammatical mistakes. Never mind though as it won't take away from the quality and the honesty with which Cheetah has written this book, and I applaud him for that. Great read!

Donna Gaines - A Misfit's Manifesto; The Spiritual Journey of a Rock & Roll Heart

Publisher: Villard Books; Year: 2003; Format: Book

I don't even know where to start with a review for this book as it is 380 pages long, and it has taken me a good while to get through it. Many books occupying my book shelves were bought a long time ago, but I am only getting to them in recent days and months, one by one. I wouldn't even remember where I got this memoir by Donna Gaines, but that's not the point here. In my honest opinion, this book could have easily been just 250 pages long, and it would have packed everything of interest in, which would have helped with the flow of this memoir. Instead I must say that in parts this is a difficult book to get through, but in the end it's definitely worth to read from cover to cover. Dr. Gaines is a well known sociologist and cultural examiner, and her memoir really covers her entire life with its many ups and downs up until publication of this book. The early part of the book covering her childhood and jewish upbringing in Rockaway Beach is for the most part interesting and educational, especially if one wants to gain knowledge how that particular part of Queens was developing back in the '50s and '60s, really fascinating. Donna was from her childhood onward a music fanatic, and early on she developed a real love for doo wop, later to be replaced by the likes of Frank Zappa. It should come as no surprise that one of the most interesting parts of the book, at least for me, is the part when Donna moved out to Long Island and started dating a member of legendary punk'n'roll act The Slugs. That's where I really got into this book, and enjoyed every single bit of it. Other bands that get quite a bit of mentioning due to also being from Long Island include Corpse Grinders, Nihilistics, Sea Monster and a few others. Her stories from Slugland, as she referred to the band members and extended family members and fans, are often hilarious, funny and definitely rock'n'roll. One musician Donna really admired was Johnny Thunders, and good ole' Johnny is being celebrated in many pages throughout the book. The Ramones get mentioned a lot too, but it isn't until very late in the book that Donna actually gets to meet Joey, Johnny and the rest of the gang. 'Life in the Post-Ramones empire of NYC' is another great chapter covering Donna's friendship with Joey Ramone, up until his tragic death. Really touching, sweet and an absolute highlight of this book. In between all these musical anecdotes there is a lot of ground covered that pertains to personal issues Donna was getting through, such as fighting alcoholism, drug overdoses in her circle of friends, and above all also many issues related to her blood family. Many of these parts are not always interesting, often too detailed and messy to get through, but as I said, in the end it's all worth it. All in all this should appeal to New Yorkers, as they would be the ones understanding the finesses the best. As someone that has moved to this city not that long ago, I didn't experience difficulties understanding the geographical aspects of the stories, but would have probably appreciated it even more had I been brought up here. In conclusion I must say that if you decide to pick up this book, be patient, but rest assured that you can learn a good lesson about life and human beings, amongst some entertaining rock'n'roll stories.