Ace - Five-A-Side LP

Label: Anchor Records; Year: 1974; Format: Vinyl LP

So, here a bit of a peculiar one in the sense that I probably would never have gotten this LP unless I stumbled upon it somewhere. The reason I have a copy now is thanks to a friend of mine in Switzerland (Thanks Pat!) who was kind enough to think of me when he spotted a copy at a record shop in Europe knowing that as a Liverpool FC supporter I would appreciate the gesture, which I absolutely do and even more so since he's an Arsenal FC supporter. He kindly told me that with that front cover he couldn't help himself but that most likely the music sucks to which I replied that we shall see and I'll post about it. So this week I familiarized myself not just with Ace's music, but a little bit with their history as well. The band formed in late 1972 in Sheffield, UK and had somewhat of a successful stint during the '70s, mainly thanks to their hit single "How Long", which I must have heard a million times on the radio not knowing who it was. I must say that as skeptical as I was sitting down to listen to the LP I came away thinking that it's not a bad LP at all. As a matter of fact in my opinion there is a real hidden gem to be found on the record with "24 Hours", a really strong heavy Funk number of which I wish the record had more of. Also quite enjoyable are the first two tracks "Sniffin' About" and "Rock & Roll Runaway", both decent Pub Rock songs leaning on the tame side but never the less still rockin' and rollin'. The rest of the LP is listenable but let's be honest somewhat forgettable. Interestingly enough two of Ace's members used to be in the '60s Mod band The Action, a band whose catalogue I might explore at some point. Ace relocated to the United States in the '70s and released their third and final LP on this side of the pond disbanding in 1977. Paul Carrack who was the main singer and pianist in Ace went on to have a successful solo career as well as joining Mike & The Mechanics during the '80s. His re-recording of "How Long" in 1996 landed the song in the charts again and must be bankrolling him up to this day. Since I became a Liverpool FC supporter around 1983 as far as I remember I looked up the team of 1974 recognizing players like Ray Clemence, Emlyn Hughes and of course Kevin Keegan amongst others. Judging by the five white and blue scarfs waving Ace members plugged into the sea of Liverpool supporters on the front cover I would assume the band were Sheffield Wednesday FC fans and with that I just say "You'll Never Walk Alone". 

Warsaw - An Ideal For Killing LP

Label: Galaor Records (Unofficial); Year: 2002; Format: Vinyl LP

I am currently reading Deborah Curtis' "Touching from a Distance" book which was published a long time ago and was gifted to me a few days ago. More about the book when I do a review, so stay tuned. When I woke up this morning I scratched my bald head and was wondering what record I should review today as I intend to put in a shift for the blog. It then dawned on me that I have an old Warsaw bootleg LP and that it would make an ideal soundtrack to what I am reading, so here we go. As many of you will certainly know before Joy Division became known under said name they went by the name Warsaw, which in turn they took from David Bowie's 'Low' album song "Warsawa". Ian Curtis missed the first Sex Pistols gig in June of '76 but attended the second Lesser Free Trade Hall gig on July 20th of the same year. Peter Hook, Bernard Sumner and Terry Mason were also at that gig and were eager to start a band of their own. After Bernard had bumped into Ian at several local gigs they decided to recruit Ian as their singer after having placed an ad at Virgin Records. Judging by what Bernard had to say about recruiting Ian it could definitely be argued that his decision was based on pure instinct and gut feeling:

"Because I knew he was all right to get on with and that's what we based the whole group on. If we liked someone, they were in."

Now with a band in place Ian had finally achieved what he always wanted to be: a singer in a band that had a vision setting themselves apart from the rest. "An Ideal For Killing" is a bootleg compiling different sessions, two of which were recorded as Warsaw, and two other ones when the band had already changed their name to Joy Division. The first five tracks on the first side are also known as "The Ideal Beginning" Demo Sessions and the first four tracks on the second side ended up being the "An Ideal For Living" EP. But enough of all these nuanced details as the music is what matters the most and there isn't a single dull track to be found on this LP. Sure, the first Side (Tension-Side) sounds a bit rough but even at this very early stage of the band's career one can already detect the sheer talent of which these Manchester lads had in abundance. Without a doubt those July '77 sessions were influenced by the Sex Pistols and Johnny Thunders and the Heartbreakers but Warsaw's style had already a twist of its own setting them apart from many other '77 Punk acts with tracks like 'At a later Date' or 'You're no good for me'. The second side (Reaction Side) is where the change in style and the growth as a band become tangible and loud and clear. At the end of '77 Warsaw played the last gig under said name and most of the tracks on the second side were recorded a few weeks prior to said gig. This side is filled with absolute killer tracks including 'Ice Age' and 'Walked in Line'. As is common with bootlegs not all information is correct but at least the person behind this boot put some love into it and printed up a glossy insert. I am pretty sure that all the tracks are to be found on other records, but if you can hunt down a copy of this particular LP do yourself a favor and grab it as it's worth every penny. 

Wayne Kramer - The Hard Stuff (Dope, Crime, the MC5 & My Life Of Impossibilities)

Publisher: Da Capo Press; Year: 2018; Format: Hardcover Book

I had bought this book back in 2018 when it had come out and as per the price sticker on the back I only had to shell out fourteen bucks at Strand Book Store in NYC, a steal for a truly fantastic book. I remember reading it the same year or the year after so my memory as to the details contained in the book is shoddy to say the least. Hence this week I made it a little project to revisit certain chapters and by doing so I quickly realized why I liked the book so much in the first place. Just like the subtitle of Wayne's memoir suggests this book will take you on a wild ride around the U.S of A. starting off in Detroit where Wayne's story originates, and where of course the MC5 formed. From early childhood on Wayne is obsessed with Rock'N'Roll and after having discovered Chuck Berry he knows that one day he will be the badass on stage churning out mean riffs to hard and soulful music. Something I always enjoy about memoirs, and this book is certainly no exception to that, are the early chapters where readers are drawn into a world of the past, a world that is largely forgotten now. Detroit has a rich history when it comes to popular music as well as a history of a former economic powerhouse where many people could live comfortably on one family member's salary thanks to a good union job in the auto industry. It is hard to believe how bustling this city once was before the economic downturn has turned it into a crime ridden ghost town ultimately being forced into bankruptcy a few years back. Capitalism simply doesn't give a shit about people and Detroit amongst other cities in the rustbelt has been rebuilding for decades to gain back a little bit of its glorious past. Wayne's life in a way resembles Detroit in the sense that when it's good it's really good and when it's bad, it's really bad. I don't have to go into details when it comes to the MC5 as they are rightfully regarded as one of the most important Rock'N'Roll acts ever having walked this earth. The fact that they had a pretty significant impact on the '70s punk rock explosion definitely bypassed Wayne up to the point when he meets Johnny Thunders with whom he played in Gang War for some time. After the MC5 fell apart, so did Wayne's life and drug addiction and a career in petty crime and as a cocaine supplier eventually led him to serve a lengthy stint in Federal Prison where he befriends Red Rodney, a colorful jazz character. After life in prison Wayne's life is a steady up and down and takes him from Detroit to the Lower East Side of NYC, Key West in Florida, Nashville Tennessee and Los Angeles where he meets Brett Gurewitz of Epitaph Records who enables Wayne to have another go at a career as a recording artist. Anybody who has been following Wayne in recent years will know that at seventy five he is still very much active on stage, as a matter of fact I just saw this morning that last night he performed with Pere Ubu in New York City. Thanks to a collaboration between Billy Bragg, Wayne and his wife Margaret since 2009 Jail Guitar Doors has been a successful independent initiative to provide musical instruments to inmates locked up in prisons across the United Kingdom and the United States which just proves that Wayne has learned his lessons and wants to give back as much as he can. I understand that amongst die-hard MC5 fans Wayne is a divided figure as he for instance blocked the release of the MC5 documentary which is a true shame in case you are lucky to have been able to see it on a burned copy like myself. But, this book is not about who is to blame and for what but about redemption and a life lived on the edges of society while recording some fantastic tunes throughout the decades. If you haven't read this book yet then you should kick out the jams and get to it fast! 

Spread from the book with photos of Wayne with Mick Jones of the Clash, Johnny Thunders etc.

Update 2-3-24: Unfortunately brother Wayne Kramer passed away yesterday, February 2, 2024. Rest in Peace, Wayne. 

Blue Angel - S/T LP

Label: Polydor Records; Year: 1980; Format: Vinyl LP

A few months ago when on a quick visit to New York City my wife and I went to an interesting photo exhibition called 'New York New Music 1980 - 1986' highlighting photos, flyers and other artifacts from that time period, presenting all kinds of music of different genres, including of course punk rock. But, this entry isn't about anything punk rock related but rather about Cyndi Lauper and her first band, Blue Angel. The reason I am bringing up the exhibition is that photos of Blue Angel gigs were on the wall and reminded me that I finally need to get a copy of the LP as I have been an admirer of Cyndi since the '80s. Just this past weekend I went to a garage record sale up the street from our house and guess what, for a few bucks I got a mint copy of the Blue Angel album. Recorded and released in 1980 it is very much a New York record encapsulating the mood and state of the Big Apple in said year. With a new decade on the horizon and a fresh start palpable in every possible way it truly is a positive record in the sense that the twelve songs will instantly lift your mood, which is never a bad thing. I listened to the record this morning being off from work for Juneteenth while doing my stretching exercises to help with my joint problems, and instantly felt better, okay it's a slight exaggeration folks. Truth of the matter is though that it's a great pop record, while also being a good power pop, new wave or rockabilly record as it stylistically draws from all those genres mixing them seamlessly from one song to the next. Cyndi Lauper started to sing at the age of twelve and by the time this record was released she was already twenty-seven years old, hence there were many years in between even though at some point she was told by doctors she would never be able to sing again after having damaged her vocal cords. Needless to say those doctors were wrong, very wrong...Having grown up in the pre-Beatles era it is clear that Cyndi must have been fascinated by early Rock'N'Roll as the Rockabilly influence on this record is to be heard on several tracks. But, at the same time let's not forget that Blondie and the B-52's had already released several albums by 1980 and it would be wrong not to mention that there is a vibe throughout this record closely reminiscent of those two bands. Unfortunately, or as in the case for Cyndi actually more fortunately, the band didn't last too long as they broke up after a fall out with their manager. As a result of that the band was sued for a large sum of money which forced Cyndi to pick up odd jobs at stores and such. In 1981 while singing at a New York bar she was discovered by David Wolff, who would become her manager and the rest is history. I highly recommend tracking down a copy of this, you won't regret it. Cyndi Lauper is turning 70 years old later this week - Happy Birthday! 

Cyndi Lauper with Blue Angel (Photo taken at NY New Music 1980-1986 exhibition)

Gestapo Khazi - S/T Mini-LP

Label: Dead Beat Records; Year: 2009; Format: 12" 45RPM EP

First and foremost this is somewhat of an abnormality when it comes to my blog entries as this record was recorded and released in 2009, which for this blog seems like yesterday. It's funny how records sometimes find their way into your house as up until I had bought this 12" about a year ago I have never heard of Gestapo Khazi from Long Beach, CA unlike the label this was released on - Dead Beat Records - a true household name when it comes to solid releases by bands from around the world. As a matter of fact I used to trade with Tom from Dead Beat quite a bit during my active label/distro years so in that sense sometimes things come full circle. I found this scorcher of a record at my local record store up the road and since finding punk records there doesn't happen very often I took this one home with me, even though I don't really buy anything beyond the '90s. Still, this was well worth the few bucks as it sure as hell really is a terrific record. I presume the guys in the band were inspired by the old UK band The Blood when it comes to the band name and they without a doubt were inspired by the underground sounds of the '80s when it comes to the songs on this Mini-LP which really should have been a full length, that's just how good this is. Take the melancholy of the Wipers, throw in a heavy Jeffrey Lee Pierce vibe, and mix that in a blender with the post-punk sound of Gang Of Four and more traditional early '80s Southern California punk and voila you get Gestapo Khazi. The funny thing is that this trend seems to repeat itself throughout the years and while I haven't followed new bands actively in years, I am well aware that bands of that ilk are quite the hype in the underground scenes of 2023, hence I suggest that you kiddos seek out this record while it's still available for next to nothing as any of the songs could appear on Killed By Death # 166 to be released in the year 2030.   

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!

Slapshot - Back On The Map Mini-LP 

Label: Taang Records; Year: 1986; Format: 33 1/3 12" EP

On my daily bus commute heading home this afternoon I thought I better get my lazy ass up and write up a blog entry tonight. Several records came to mind, but then I thought we are in the midst of the Stanley Cup Final hence Slapshot would be the perfect fit after all they wish their beloved Boston Bruins had not exited the play-offs in the first round after outplaying the entire league in the regular season by a mile. If you are reading this and happen to be an ice-hockey fan like myself then let me tell you that the Vegas vs. Florida final has not grabbed my interest whatsoever as I don't believe in hockey under palm trees, but to be fair to both teams they deserve to be where they are. On to music though now and a classic record that belongs in every record collection, something that must be said. Back in 1986 Crossover was in full swing and while said sub genre without a doubt gifted us some great records there were a lot of lame bands that the world has forgotten about a long time ago. Out of the remnants of Last Rights, Negative FX and DYS came Slapshot in 1985 and while they stayed true to their classic Boston Style Hardcore Punk they definitely threw in a good measure of UK Oi Punk in the vein of Blitz, Business et al. The seven songs contained on this Mini-LP are all simply fantastic melodic yet aggressive songs that on top of that were recorded 24 Tracks which makes a huge difference, and which I wish a lot of bands had done back in the day. Shoot that puck hard and stay out of the penalty box!

Human Expression - Love At A Psychedelic Velocity

Label: Mississippi Records & Moi J'Connais Records; Year: 2017; Format: Vinyl LP

The beauty of discovering old music is that there really is no end to it, especially if you open yourself to different genres. As you might have noticed I am open to different genres so depending on my mood I am in I like to specifically buy something suitable. A couple of weeks ago I stopped at the record shop of my choice here in Buffalo and told the proprietor that I was in the mood to buy something that's definitely not punk/hardcore. The nice gentleman pressed the Human Expression LP into my hands and told me that he thinks I'd like it and if not to bring it back. I not just like it, I love it. Human Expression were from Orange County in Southern California and were active for just a brief time period between 1966 and 1967. To be honest I didn't even have to look up their history and knew that they had to be from California as their songs have that very distinct feel to them. Being minors at the time I read that they had a hard time getting gigs, especially on the Sunset Strip. After cutting an acetate with 'Readin' Your Will' the band went on to release three singles on Hollywood-based Accent Records, all of them very sought after and obviously very expensive. Interestingly on their third and last single then unknown Mars Bonfire of the Sparrows and later Steppenwolf offered two songs to Human Expression; the one they took being the excellent 'Sweet child of nothingness' and a certain song they rejected called "Born to be wild". You make your own conclusion as for that one, but I suppose it wasn't meant to be for Human Expression. Still, it's obvious that whether it was back then or over the decades their music has remained popular, and with good reason. Some of their songs have appeared on Comps. such as Pebbles or the famous Nuggets series amongst others and this LP collects to my understanding everything the band has recorded including some songs that have previously not been released, and let me tell you that you're in for a very special treat. All fourteen songs are just mind-blowing in their own way, whether it be the tough garage rock tracks, the slower and moodier psychedelic rock songs, or just simply beautiful singer/songwriter ballads. All I can say is that it is a perfect psychedelic garage rock record you don't want to miss out on, end of. 

 

Little Richard - Here's Little Richard LP

Label: Specialty Records; Year: 1957; Format: Vinyl Stereo LP

Let's face it, if it wasn't for Little Richard, born on Christmas Day in 1935 in Macon, Georgia, I most likely wouldn't be writing about all these exciting records that were released way later then this one here,  dating all the way back to 1957. It all has to start somewhere and when it comes to Rock'N'Roll then Little Richard is often referred to as the "Architect of Rock'N'Roll", and I for one certainly don't think that to be an exaggeration. I got this LP not all that long ago and it's definitely seen better days, but it's tough to come across Little Richard LPs out there in the wild hence I was happy to shell out three bucks for a somewhat beaten up copy which still plays perfectly fine though. And let's be honest here; I am far more excited to buy old records than reissues as the smell and feeling of the old ones just can't be beaten. But back to Little Richard now, who I am sure most of the losers reading this blog will be familiar with, and if not, then I seriously have to ask myself under which stone you were hiding for the last god knows how many decades. I think what fascinates me most about Little Richard is the fact that he was one of the earliest black artists bringing people of all races together, and let's face it back in the roaring fifties that was a big deal as segregation here in the United States was unfortunately a daily thing. I hear the words 'game changer' way too often these days and honestly I really don't like them and never use them, but there are exceptions as to when they can be used and this is one of them. Little Richard transformed popular music and had a huge impact on so many artists and bands that the list would be endless. Lemmy of Motorhead for instance is just one of many who always made sure he mentioned Little Richard when asked about his main influences. The world of Rock'N'Roll, Soul, Funk, Rhythm & Blues and the list goes on was changed once and for all by Richard Penniman and we should all be thankful for that. Oh right, what about the record? Well, all of you will have heard "Tutti Frutti" or "Long Tall Sally" at some point in your life, but the rest of the LP is just as good, if not even better. My favorite is "Rip It Up". Little Richard lived a long life and passed away in the spring of 2020, RIP. Luckily his music lives on forever.  

Treblinka - Ihmisyyden Taideteos? EP

Label: Hataapu Records; Year: 1988; Format: 331/3 7" EP

Back in 1988 I remember having this EP on a tape after having bought it to play this over my friend's cheap little cassette player terrorizing the unassuming citizens of suburban Zurich, Switzerland. Saturdays or Sundays we'd buy a few beers and sit on a bench mostly by the train station blasting loud hardcore punk from around the world, but quite often from Finland as we both loved bands from the dark northern country. I haven't listened to this one in decades but somehow yesterday while on my lunch it popped up somewhere online and I figured why not pulling it out of my 7" boxes today to review it for my blog. It's a great little platter and it's a shame that Treblinka from the city of Vaasa on Finland's west coast didn't release more records as this is their one and only release except for songs they contributed for the Waasa Comp. EP as well as the Stop Vivisection Comp. LP. I guess one could say that they were one of the short lived bands that spearheaded the next generation of great Finnish Hardcore Punk bands. It must be said that by the late '80s the classic Finnish hardcore punk sound changed stylistically somewhat as well hence other influences having seeped into the worldwide punk scenes over the years were absorbed and more predominant. Still, the Finnish language is so unique that records from Suomi have always fascinated me and this EP is no exception. All eight songs are strong and there is no filler to be found on this EP. Influenced by UK bands such as Anti-Sect, Amebix or Hellbastard I would say that Treblinka's sound was slightly metallic, yet at the same time melodic and played very tight. The echoey vocals combined with a sharp back up unit lead by a loud bass guitar are forever enshrined in my memory as the sound of good times way back. Definitely a gem from the land of a thousand lakes. 

Hans-A-Plast - S/T LP

Label: Re-Force Records; Year: 2005; Format: Vinyl LP

Timing is everything they say and was also the title to an album by Chris DeBurgh. But don't you worry I am not at the point in my life to review Chris DeBurgh records, at least not yet. Timing is right to review Hans-A-Plast's first LP originally released in 1979 on Lava Records. I have been meaning to pull this one from my shelves for quite some time now as the band has been mentioned so many times on my favorite German speaking podcast "Und Dann Kam Punk" that it basically begged to be reviewed. And so it happened that this week Annette Benjamin who fronted Hans-A-Plast was a guest for said podcast hence everything I wanted to ever know about the Hanover band was answered, or at least most of it (Link to podcast for German speakers at the bottom of this entry). What I found most fascinating about the interview with Annette is that she hasn't lost her wit and sense of humor one single bit. Now in her early sixties she talked about her formative years and how she ended up joining Hans-A-Plast as the last member of the original line-up. Born in Braunschweig and not far from Hanover in Northern Germany Annette had a somewhat unhappy childhood and at the sweet age of seventeen she decided to take matters into her own hands and via Amsterdam she ended up in London in 1977 where she spent several months. She was lucky enough to experience the punk rock explosion firsthand, and in early '78 she struck gold by seeing X-Ray Spex live on stage. According to Annette it was a life-changing moment in the sense that after having seen Poly Styrene on stage Annette knew what she wanted to do in her life, yep you guessed it right: she wanted to be a singer in a band. After having returned to Braunschweig fate was very much in her favor as she met Hans-A-Plast during a gig in a small venue in Hanover. Annette was singing in a different band during said gig and because Hans-A-Plast were initially a quartet with drummer Betty also taking up singing duties, the band approached Annette whether she would like to be their lead singer, and the rest is history. Things moved quickly from there onwards and in September of 1979 the band entered the studio to record their first full length. When I say that this record should be in the Top 50 of the best Punk records ever then I not only mean it, but I have reasons as to why I think so. First and foremost up to this day unfortunately too many people still think that Punk records either having been released in the UK or the United States are the non plus ultra and nothing beyond is of importance, very wrong. Secondly, punk rock took a while to develop and depending on the geographical location things might have been moving slower, but not necessarily in a less interesting way. Whereas in 1979 punk in London might have been forgotten to a degree, in Hanover that was certainly not the case. The thirteen songs on this record are all brilliant in their own way as they just scream youth and loud abrasive rock'n'roll. The three women and two men in Hans-A-Plast were simply put very gifted songwriters, capable of writing funny and edgy songs having taken clues from the '77 punk explosion as well as the more angular sounds of post-punk while backing it with socio-critical lyrics dealing with sexism or police brutality as well as issues as simple as having fuck all to do on a Friday night in 'Rock'N'Roll Freitag'. It really is not a surprise that the album sold in the thousands and was reissued as early as 1980 on Hanover's No Fun Records selling again in the thousands. The band toured extensively through Germany as well as Austria and Switzerland, and went on to release two more LPs until they split up in 1984. Spontaneously Lost Kids from Denmark came to my mind today as a comparison and I think that either band wouldn't disagree with said comparison. Do yourself a favor and get this LP, no matter which pressing. Grandiose Platte!

Link to Podcast interview with Annette (in German): https://www.audible.com/pd/Podcast/B08K56W8WJ

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!  

Paranoia - Shattered Glass LP

Label: Rot Records; Year: 1984; Format: Vinyl LP

Stoke-On-Trent in the West Midlands gifted us one of the most prolific Rock'N'Rollers ever, being the one and only Lemmy of Motorhead. But said city also gave us Paranoia, a band I assume not many are familiar with. I for one came across Paranoia around 1988 when I bought a copy of the Double-LP "The End of an Era - The Best of Rot Records". Said two-record set which I shall review here at some point is a representation as to what Rot Records released until it ceased to exist with bands like Riot Squad, English Dogs, The Varukers or Skeptix kind of representative of what the label's sound stood for. Even though at the age of eighteen I was very much into the more chaotic and fast sounds of above mentioned acts the two Paranoia tracks "Dead Man's Dreams" and "1984" really stood out to me and I instantly fell in love with the female-fronted melodic punk sound equally influenced by gothic rock and post-punk. Ever since those days back in the late '80s I set out to find a copy of the "Shattered Glass" LP released in 1984 but it would take more than twenty years to do so. In 2007 when I moved to London from Switzerland I thought I'd have a better chance finding a copy but I was proven very wrong. Even in England the band was not known, not even to some of the older Punks I had gotten to know. In 2008 I started a job for an EU Government Agency located in East London (thanks to Brexit no longer there) and one of my co-workers in the Archives was a fellow from Spain who was funny as hell and let's just say crazy at times too. One day he asked me what I liked to do in my free-time and I told him about my passion for records. He then proceeded to ask me whether there were any records I really liked to have and I told him about Paranoia's "Shattered Glass" and that they were from Stoke-On-Trent. Daniel (the co-worker) immediately googled Stoke-On-Trent's record stores and came up with some geezer's stall in Stoke. He picked up the phone and called the fella in Stoke and told him in somewhat broken English the following: "Hey, I am Daniel and calling you from London. My friend here is looking for a record by a band from your city, Paranoia. Do you know them?" Record Stall guy: "Yes mate, I do know them but that LP is rare as hell and I sure don't have a copy. Sorry mate and good luck finding one". It must have been around 2011 that I not only won my copy through eBay for about forty bucks, but pretty much at the same time found another copy for a similar price through a used record site. So, after all those years I ended up with not one but two copies and gave one to a good friend of mine in Switzerland who was after the record for a long time as well. 

So, at this point you probably ask yourself what the deal is with this LP. Paranoia came out of the remnants of Civil Defense, a band that was started by the two brothers Paul on Guitar and Phil on Drums. At some point their sister Janet or 'Jan' joined the band along her husband Mick and by 1983 changed their name from Civil Defense to Paranoia. "Shattered Glass" is a truly outstanding LP in the sense that it effortlessly combines melodic punk rock with elements of goth rock and post-punk drawing influences from bands such as Siouxsie and the Banshees, Penetration and Joy Division to name a few. The ten tracks on the LP are all winners in their own way, be it the absolutely brilliant opener "Dead Man's Dreams" the fast and furious "Graveyards from Hell" or the more subtle and tribal sounding songs such as "Vietnam", "Man in Black" or "The Gig". What you get on this LP are songs that will draw you into a post-apocalyptic world through their lyrics but will leave you with hope at the other end. At some point I will want to interview Phil and hopefully other band members about the band's past but for now I will leave you with Phil's thoughts about how they ended up on Rot Records after having reached out to him over e-mail. 

"We came to be on Rot Records when I saw an advert ‘Punk Bands Wanted’. If I remember correctly, the ad was in the classifieds of SOUNDS, the national, weekly music publication. We had just recorded a demo tape, so I just thought I’d send one to see what the feedback was.

The advert had been placed by Dunk of Rot Records and formerly of Riot Squad.

We had previously been a 6 piece band with keyboards and an additional guitarist, under the name of Civil Defence. The guitarist decided to leave the band and so his wife (keyboard player) also left. So we were now a 4 piece, changed our name to Paranoia, and had started to experiment with a different style. So sending the tape to Dunk was mainly to see what people thought about the new style and new songs, cos although we’d done lots of gigs as ‘Civil Defence’, we’d not done any gigs as Paranoia.

We got a reply from Dunk, a letter saying that he liked the demo tape and asking if he could include one or two of the tracks on a new compilation album (Wet Dreams) that was to be released by his label. Of course, we agreed, as we had still not done any gigs and would be a good opportunity for more feedback. 

The compilation was released and the feedback was awesome! We received so many letters, from all over the world, asking about the band, fanzines wanting to do interviews and people asking if there was more material/tapes available of Paranoia. It was at this point Dunk wanted us to sign up to the label, go into the studio to record an album and a single to be released on Rot Records. We signed to Rot Records, still having done no gigs as Paranoia.  Now signed to Rot Records, that changed quickly as Dunk set up gigs for us in Nottingham and London aswell as a gig we set up locally with Resistance 77, who were also on the compilation album.

Our single was getting ‘AirPlay’ on radio stations including John Peel’s BBC Radio 1 show.

I remember the day that the single was released. Dunk said he would send us a few complimentary copies of the single but we hadn’t received them yet and we couldn’t wait to hear it.  So me and my brother took a trip over to the local record shop to buy a copy of ‘Dead Man’s Dreams’ and walked up to the counter…

“Have you got a copy of Dead Man’s Dreams by Paranoia?”

“Sorry no, we’ve just sold the last copy”.

That was the only time ever I’ve had the feeling of disappointment and buzzing at the same time!"

Well folks, good news is that the LP has finally been reissued and has just very recently come out through Radiation Records from Italy. It just proves it's never too late and I can only hope that Paranoia will find a new generation of fans as they bloody deserve it! Grab a copy while they last! 

Solger - S/T EP

Label: Bag Of Hammers; Year: 1995; Format: 33RMP 7" EP

After my previous review of the "We're not here to entertain" book I was in the mood to put something on that would match the contents of the book and came up with Solger from Seattle, WA. I'd probably go as far as saying that they are the soundtrack to the book as they are not a big name in terms of US hardcore punk and they came from somewhat of an outlier city away from trendier and more hip places on the West Coast, at least until Grunge hit... There isn't a ton of information on the intranet when it comes to these guys but do check out the link at the end of this review with an informative interview with Kyle of Solger. When researching Solger I was reminded as to how many great bands originally hailed from Seattle, for instance the Lewd who relocated to San Francisco or love em' or hate them The Mentors who moved to sunny California as well. Solger was a very short lived band having released an ultra rare EP back in 1981. In 1995 Seattle's Bag Of Hammers reissued the EP and a few years later Empty Records released a CD/LP with the EP and some extra tracks. Five raw hardcore punk tracks influenced by the Germs and Black Flag can be found on the EP with "Dead Soldier" being the winner in my opinion. It is not a great record by any means but as is often the case with records like this one it's the stories leading up to the release and what came after that's really fascinating. Simply put the guys in Solger were fed up with the more artsy approach to punk rock in their city and wanted to create an ugly and raw sound calling it hardcore punk. They definitely succeeded at that and don't get me wrong despite the poor sound quality the EP is enjoyable in its own way and supposedly sounding better than the original thanks to some cleaning up in a studio. It's interesting to read that at least one of the Mudhoney guys was at the Black Flag show when Solger opened up and was blown away. The same goes for Blain of Fartz/the Accused. What I am hinting at here is that Solger may not have been the most prolific band but they certainly left a mark that led to bigger things in hardcore punk and other forms of underground rock. Definitely an interesting piece of US hardcore punk history from the West Coast worth checking out. 

Interview with Kyle of Solger and band history: http://www.dementlieu.com/users/obik/arc/solger/index.html#basics

Kevin Mattson - We're Not Here To Entertain (Punk Rock, Ronald Reagan, and The Real Culture War of 1980s America)

Publisher: Oxford University Press; Year: 2020; Format: Hardcover Book

Let me tell you that between last night and this morning I spent probably two to three hours preparing for this entry as Kevin Mattson's book not only deserves that, but literally requires that in terms of the depth of his book. Mattson's book was published in the middle of the pandemic and I remember being instantly drawn to it. At the time I also listened to the New Books Network podcast interview (see link at the bottom) with the author and knew that I had to get the book immediately, which I did. I read it a while ago and last night I re-read bits and pieces of certain chapters on top of listening to above mentioned podcast again as well. I think by now you get the drift that Mattson's book is packed with information and with that I mean historical facts that are the result of probably hundreds of hours of research the author has put into for this tome. I am of the firm belief that more books such as this one need to be published in order for us fans of '80s hardcore punk, scholars and curious minded people out there to be able to gain a better understanding as to what really happened across America between 1979 and 1985 to be specific about the years Kevin covers for his book. I didn't grow up in America, so to this day after having lived here for something over a decade now, I still learn a lot about cultural history, and for that this book is just significant. It is important to point out that Kevin Mattson is a Professor of U.S. cultural and intellectual history at a University in Ohio and was an active participant of the early '80s Washington D.C. hardcore punk scene, as well as being one of the cofounders of Positive Force in 1985. When we think of punk books then most of the time oral histories come to mind and an endless amount of books have been published in such way, some more interesting than others. This book is a very different proposition in the sense that Mattson succeeds to juxtapose the punk rock world versus the 'Entertainer In Chief' Ronald Reagan highlighting in detailed chapters how the death of the 1st wave of punk rock and the record industry opened up the doors for an energized and politically minded youth across the U.S. to take matters into their own hands to counter the mainstream culture and the advent of MTV. What's outstanding about Mattson's approach and research into this matter is the inclusion of film, art, poetry, fanzines and other forms of communication that helped to spread DIY culture outside of the cultural epicenters on either Coast. Vic Bondi of Articles of Faith sums up the book as follows: "Firmly establishes American hardcore in the politics of the moment and the economics of the music industry at the time. An essential read for anyone wanting to understand the cultural history of the 1980s." I couldn't agree more with the statement and will have to revisit the book again soon to dig deeper into certain sections of it to learn more, and more. Highly recommended! 

New Books Network Podcast Link: https://newbooksnetwork.com/were-not-here-to-entertain-1