Big Wheelie and the Hubcaps - Christmas Grease LP

Label: Wheelie Records; Year: 198?; Format: Vinyl LP

A day too late I arrive with this post, but I am sure most of you are still in the holiday spirit and won't mind a Christmas record post. I bought this a year ago after having just moved to Buffalo and found this for next to nothing at my local record shop. I played it twice last year, and again this Christmas and always enjoy it. Big Wheelie and the Hubcaps were a local rock'n'roll revival band that started out in the early '70s and kept going for forty and some odd years. From what I heard singer Chuck "Big Wheelie" Vicario sadly died of Covid not all that long ago. Christmas Grease was according to an interview with Chuck recorded in Florida where he lived for some years during the '80s. Since there is no release year mentioned on this record and also since it was self-released on Wheelie Records it might actually be hard to track down a copy should you be a Big Wheelie Fan or a collector of rock'n'roll revival records. Big Wheelie have in the past performed with the likes of Little Richard or Chuck Berry and have to my knowledge been hugely popular in the Western New York area. And I can see why as this record is nothing short of good tunes putting you instantly in a good mood should you enjoy Christmas at least a little bit, which personally I do so call me a sucker. Eleven rockin' and rollin' tracks will have you dance and twistin' around your tree while singing along to cheesy Christmas songs. I for one know for sure that I will put this record on again next Christmas. 

Abrasive Wheels - When The Punks Go Marching In! LP

Label: Riot City Records; Year: 1982; Format: Vinyl LP

Recorded and released in 1982 on Bristol's Riot City Records should give you quite a hint as to what to expect from this album. It is one of my favorite UK82 records as it just ticks many boxes. It's well produced, it's full of hits and quite frankly there isn't a single bad song on this first full length by Leeds' punks Abrasive Wheels. I haven't listened to this cracker of an album in some time but almost instantly I was able to sing along to most of the songs as they would be played on many a mixtape or punk disco after a show. Paying a bit more attention than usually it did not escape me that the album has a very '79 feel to it in the sense that while most of the songs are played at high speed with Dave's buzzing guitar sound and Shonna's aggressive singing typical in the foreground the choruses and melodies will be more reminiscent of 2nd generation punk acts like Sham 69 or Angelic Upstarts for instance. It all makes sense as I opened my copy of "Burning Britain" and read over the story of the Abrasive Wheels reminding myself that they actually had their beginnings in the late '70s hence those influences do not surprise at all. On this LP the band had also their strongest and most stable line up which led them to signing with Clay Records and releasing another LP in 1984 which in my opinion was nowhere near as good as this one having attempted to sound poppier and more accessible and failing miserably. The band reformed years later and actually released a record in the more recent years but I have never heard it. This one is a pure classic and whether you have the original or not what counts is that you have it and crank it up loud! 

 Mojo Nixon And Skid Roper - S/T LP

Label: RBI Records; Year: 1985; Format: Vinyl LP

I recently bought this album as it was for one sitting for a cheap price at my local record shop and secondly I had a vague knowledge of Mojo Nixon hence why not. I wasn't disappointed when giving this a spin this past weekend. This album will take you on a wild ride on a mixture of blues, country and rockabilly with Mojo handling the guitar, singing and the foot while Skid is operating the washboard and a stick drum. Throw in some hilariously funny and witty lyrics reminiscent of literally madmen of the past and you get an album that never gets boring. The first track "Jesus at McDonalds" sets the tone music and lyric wise and other hits include "I'm in love with your girlfriend" and "Art Fag shuffle" amongst others. Enigma Records marketed this album worldwide but I doubt it made any waves whether it's here Stateside or anywhere else. It is one of those albums that in my opinion most likely went under at the time and needs to be rediscovered decades later. Glad I grabbed this one, and so should you. 

Update 2-8-2024: RIP Mojo Nixon (1957-2024) Below find link to a nice obituary:

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/mojo-nixon-dead-obituary-1234964257/?fbclid=IwAR0Im4eevm7k2MIiivBgGnpdFynbo8tgISSm-Ms1CZG-IUZXEoVfoAAXXF0

Welly Artcore - Directions To The Outskirts Of Town

Publisher: Earth Island Books; Year: 2021; Format: Book

Look at me actually reviewing a book that has been published just very recently and which I just finished reading. To those of you having been into punk/hardcore since the ‘80s or ‘90s the name Welly Artcore should ring a bell as he is the man behind the excellent Artcore Fanzine still running to this day. “Directions To The Outskirts Of Town” basically combines Welly’s two tour diaries from the ‘90s, once as a roadie with Chaos UK in ’94 and then again with his own band Four Letter Word four years later. While the chapters with Chaos UK are funny and entertaining, they are often also short and could have used a bit more detail considering how crazy this tour was as it took them across the United States. Welly does make up for it big time when it comes to his entries for the ’98 tour with Four Letter Word. Not only did the band cover an insane amount of miles across the United States and Canada, but the tour was really in support of their album released on BYO Records. Welly himself admits that his band having been released on such a renowned label was due to the gold-digging punk rock decade the ‘90s was. This should in no way discredit Four Letter Word, a band I quite frankly am not familiar with at all though. Regardless, the tour diary of their tour is worth alone to get this book as it is full of funny and honest stories of four guys from Cardiff, Wales traveling thousands of miles across North America and quite often playing to a handful of people not knowing how to react. On said tour Four Letter Word did quite often open up to well-known acts such as Youth Brigade or 7 Seconds and it is during those shows that the hierarchies within the punk rock circuit are described with a high degree of honesty and humor by Welly. The DIY spirit of those days literally seeps through the pages of the book with bands crashing at the parent’s houses of people in attendance and surviving on shitty food and cheap beer for weeks on end. I am too old to know whether tours like the two in this book are still organized the way they used to but with Sat Navigation in the cars or on phones life as we know it is different from the ‘90s. Reading the book I often reminisced about those days where spontaneity ruled in the pre-internet days. 

Ronan Fitzsimons - I'm An Upstart - the Decca Wade Story

Publisher: Ardra Press; Year: 2013; Format: Book

Very little is known about this book, and if it wasn’t for a specific mail-order operating from the North East of England I probably would have never even heard about it. Taking into account that Mensi of the Angelic Upstarts sadly passed away this past Friday I thought it was about time to revive this blog of mine as I haven’t made an entry in literally years but always planned on keep going. It’s been a while since I even read this book, and while it’s not about the Angelic Upstarts per se, the band definitely plays a big part in it due to Decca Wade having been their original drummer. The author of this book is Ronan Fitzsimons and he draws on dozens of interviews with Decca and those who know him best. The author himself was born in Newcastle upon Tyne in the North East of England and one would assume not only grew up with punk rock, but punk rock specifically from that region. The book provides readers with an excellent picture of the landscape of North East England far away from the relatively bright lights of London. In this landscape Decca was among the people who were inspired by the likes of the Clash or the Sex Pistols and who knew that they too could start a band and make something of it. The chapters on the early days of the Upstarts are a fascinating read bringing to light the many challenges the band had to endure, including a management that acted outright criminally ending in the main person actually being locked up in 1980. While Decca played an integral role in the early Upstarts days he did leave the band only to reunite with them some years down the road. The book takes us on a rather shaky road of a highly influential and gifted drummer with many a funny story shared but sadly also deals with Decca’s succumbing to alcoholism. All in all this comes highly recommended to fans of the Angelic Upstarts and/or fans of regions neglected in the history of punk rock. 

GRB - Estoy Tan Contento! EP

Label: Self Released; Year: 1986; Format: 7" EP

GRB hailed from Catalonia's capital of Barcelona, and formed out of the ashes of Ultimo Resorte and Frenopaticss. While I am a huge fan of Ultimo Resorte I cannot say I am equally enthusiastic about GBR. This EP is by no means a bad record, but at the same time it is not a Spanish hardcore punk classic. The band surely played a major role in establishing a new hardcore scene along with bands such as the Subterranean Kids but to me this record sounds like a weird combination of hectic hardcore punk played as fast as possible with some flashy guitar parts thrown in. The result sounds like a mixture between Negazione and Iron Maiden with a poor production. The best song on this EP is by far the one where the band steers away from any Metal influence and delivers a tuneful mid-paced hardcore punk track. A shame not all seven tracks are like that, and my review would have been quite a different story. Not a horrible record per se, but just because it's rare don't be under the assumption that it's a must have.

Angelic Upstarts - Live LP

Label: EMI Records; Year: 1981; Format: Vinyl LP + 7" Flexi Disc

Once this blog of mine will have established itself, and I will have gotten off my lazy arse more often in order to write about music I love and own, you will notice that there will be bands that will appear more often than others, and quite frankly for a good reason. Rest assured that the Angelic Upstarts will make future appearances on this blog since they are one of my favorite bands, or at least their early material. This LP recorded live in June of 1981 at City of London's Polytechnic University is a rare example of a great live LP. I am sure EMI was able to provide the band with the necessary technical know how to make a live LP sound great, and it sure does! At this point in their career the Upstarts have just released "2'000'000'00 Voices" so it shouldn't come as a surprise that there are quite a few tracks off said record to be heard on these live recordings which in my opinion is a good thing as I personally love that LP. Of course you'll also get to hear some of their early classics such as "Teenage Warning", "Police Oppression" or "I'm an Upstart" to name a few. If you are an Angelic Upstarts fan then you will most likely own this record, but if you're not that familiar with their back catalogue then track down a copy of this, preferably with the free flexi disc. Enough said, stay tuned until another Upstarts entry in the future.  

Panx Romana - Antartes Poleon LP

Label: Wipe Out! Records; Year: 1989; Format: Vinyl LP

There is really not all that much I know about the Greek punk rock scene, and that is truly a shame. While I have heard some of the bands from the '80s, and am well aware that Greece always had a politically minded active punk scene, it has to be said that the records released in this southern European country were hard to get. Somehow many years ago I managed to get a copy of Panx Romana's 2nd LP in a trade, and I'm glad I did. There are just records that you haven't placed on the turntable in a long time but you remember damn well that you've always liked this record. Well, this is a prime example for one of those records, and let me tell you that the more one listens to this record the more it grows on you. Thirteen songs (one of them a Ramones cover) full of '78 punk inspired songs, and very much influenced by the likes of The Clash or Angelic Upstarts, this quartet sure knew how to write catchy yet aggressive and tuneful punk songs. The melodies are addictive, the greek language suits punk rock very well, and these guys were very gifted songwriters. The little bit I was able to learn about the band told me that Panx Romana originally started out in 1982 and the singer came from another fairly well known punk band named Stress. Panx Romana continued to record after this LP but I have never heard their '90s material. For now my aim will be to track down a copy of their 1st LP, and for all of you out there who don't own this little gem here, don't waste time and get it! Oh yes, and I nearly forgot to say that the LP comes with a nice zine, albeit in greek language.

Steve Miller - Detroit Rock City: The Uncensored History of Rock'N'Roll in America's Loudest City

Publisher: Da Capo Press; Year: 2013; Format: Book

I am glad to have found this book very recently for close to nothing at a place I've never been to before in Manhattan. Rest assured though that the price tag does not reflect the quality of the contents in this book. I have heard about Steve Miller's book a while ago, and I certainly wanted to improve my knowledge of Detroit based Rock'N'Roll so having to read this one book one day was definitely inevitable. Many of you will know Steve Miller as the vocalist for much famed Lansing, MI hardcore punk band The Fix, or as the editor of the Touch and Go book that was published a few years back. Some of you might not know that he's actually a veteran when it comes to investigative journalism, and author of several books outside the music genre covering real crime. Needless to say that for a massive project such as writing on the rich history of Rock'N'Roll out of Detroit he was the right person to succeed at it. There are not many books that manage to cover as much ground as this book does, and let's be honest which other book will give you the pleasure to read about bands and artists such as MC5, Alice Cooper, Ted Nugent, Mitch Ryder, Destroy All Monsters, Negative Approach, Laughing Hyenas, The Gories or the White Stripes, all at the same time? My guess is as good as yours, ladies and gentlemen. What I find really fascinating about this book is the fact that Steve has not only found a way to describe many anecdotes for the reader to feel like one is right there in the middle of the chaos, but at the same time he has done an outstanding job when it comes to the chronology of the debauchery that took place in Detroit and its surrounding towns. The only part I didn't really enjoy in this book was about Bob Seger, and this was when he was already a well known act on the national circuit. I yawned a lot through that part only to be awaken by more crazy stories from Wayne Kramer and other luminaries that were fed up with the status quo, and were starting to form new bands. And believe me, that was the only slow part in this book as the rest of it will take you through clubs such as Bookie's and bands associated with that scene, the early '80s hardcore punk explosion with Negative Approach on the forefront, the aftermath of hardcore and some crazy drugged stories involving John Brannon and Larissa Strickland of Laughing Hyenas, and the start, or shall we say return to garage rock from Detroit with The Gories and bands and scenes that evolved out of that time including Bantam Rooster, White Stripes or Von Bondies. Have I told you this book covers a lot of ground? Okay, there are two omissions I was disappointed with. For whatever reason the bands Death and Cinecyde get very little to no mention at all, and members from those two bands contributed little to nothing for this oral history. That sucked but still, it takes very little away from what this book gives the reader, and that is a detailed and at times mind blowing account of what was happening in Motown. This is widely available, and even your local library has probably a copy of this book, hence I really don't see an excuse for any of you out there for not reading this!

Craig Ibarra - A Wailing Of A Town - "An Oral History Of Early San Pedro Punk And More 1977 - 1985"

Publisher: END FWY Press; Year: 2015; Format: Book

First and foremost I'd like to point out that this book is almost hot off the press, and was published not all that long ago, and therefore I am excited to not already having finished reading it, but also reviewing it after having purchased it a couple of months ago on my quick visit to Southern California. When it comes to the punk history of Los Angeles then much of it has been covered extensively by having covered the Hollywood scene with the bands and scenesters associated with the more glamorous side of punk rock made in L.A. This book here concentrates on the South Bay of Los Angeles, and in particular the seaport town of San Pedro. Trust me, I too had to look up where exactly San Pedro is located in the Los Angeles area. When I first heard about this book, I already liked it, and I tell you why. I too was once a young kid discovering punk rock and hardcore, and I was also living in a suburb albeit thousands of miles away from San Pedro. Still, I can truly associate with the scene, and its people as the stories to be found in this book resemble in so many ways my personal story. This book does not talk about people sporting punk fashion, frequenting famous punk clubs or taking in an immense amount of drugs. Instead this book concentrates on real DIY ethos, and how a few people were able to create an open minded community that helped each other with putting on gigs, doing flyers, recording and distributing records, and so on. I have to admit that I don't own a single record by the Minutemen - whom hailed from San Pedro - but after having read this book I will need to change that. Sure, many pages in this book do deal with the history of the Minutemen and in particular the sadly deceased D. Boon but they also cover the very beginnings of punk rock in San Pedro with the Reactionaries, as well as later acts such as Saccharine Trust, Hari-Kari, Mood of Defiance and others. This book also covers crazy stories involving a certain Jimmy Smack, a talented local dancer who was tremendously helpful with putting on punk gigs, many accounts involving Black Flag and SST Records and their help getting the San Pedro scene off the ground, venues that opened their doors to punk rock, and the eventual arrival of big bands such as the Dead Kennedys making it to San Pedro and putting the town on the punk rock map. Craig has done a fabulous job by covering every little detail of this town's rich history of punk rock and beyond, and can only be congratulated for his efforts. One can only hope that more books of this kind will start to spring up, and people in different parts of this country and far beyond will start writing about their own punk rock adventures beyond the lights of hip inner cities. This is a true must read!

Germs - Cat's Clause Ten Inch

Label: Munster Records; Year: 1993; Format: Vinyl 10"

I intend on spending much more time talking about Paul Beahm, aka Darby Crash, when reviewing the book about his person, and the Germs. Tonight it honestly also dawned on me why I have bought this 10" in the first place all these years back because quite frankly it could not have been for the quality of the recordings to be found on this piece of wax. The prime reason of this purchase was an elaborate 20 page booklet with plenty of nice photos, flyers, anecdotes and a brief history of the Germs. Back in the early '90s in the pre internet days this was something quite special, and far more appreciated than these days. As for the packaging of this record, I love it. As for the sound quality of the live recordings on this record, I just cannot be equally enthusiastic. Side 1 was recorded at the Starwood in Hollywood and the sound quality is somewhat decent and listenable while the three songs on Side 2 taken from a gig at the Hong Kong Cafe are just pure noise. The highlights are "Circle One" and "Strange Note" which were both taken from rehearsals at the Canterbury house where many early LA punk rockers lived. By no means is this a must have, but if you're a die hard Germs fan then you'll want this, and if you're not than having read this blog entry will suffice.

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!

Cro-Mags - Age of Quarrel Ten Inch

Label: Fan Club; Year: 199?; Format: Vinyl 10"

I never thought I’d be living in New York City one day, and here I am living in the Big Apple grinding away, and trying to pay all those bills while still having some fun. Before this city turned into the gentrified amusement park it often represents today, it was a city where survival of the fittest was on the daily picking order. The Lower East Side wasn’t a hip place to go to but instead offered space for artists and musicians to pursue what they enjoyed the most. I have to further admit that I was also never a huge fan of New York Hardcore with a few exceptions, and Cro Mags would never make it onto any of my lists of Top Bands. Still, if there was one 10” I would be allowed to take with me to a lonely island, it might as well be this one here. Before “Age of Quarrel” was recorded and released as an LP in 1986 a demo tape of all those songs was recorded between late ’84 and early ’85, and subsequently must have made the rounds in tape trader circles. Back in the tape trading days demos often ended up in various countries, and so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that in the early ‘90s someone came up with the idea to press the “Age of Quarrel” demo onto a 10”. While I have heard the more metallic sounding LP version in the past it just never grabbed me the same way as this much more raw and more brutal demo version. Everything, and I really mean everything is perfect about these recordings, as these songs just can’t be beaten when it comes to NYHC straight out of the gutters of the Lower East Side. The loud bass guitar, the screaming vocals, the speed, and above all the sheer brutality of these songs cannot be put into words, you just have to hear them! Essential listening for your bleeding ears!

V/A - Rough Mixes From Switzerland Ten Inch

Label: Konnekschen Records; Year: 1981; Format: Shaped Vinyl 10"

The older crowd amongst the readers of this blog will be in the know that Switzerland had a very active and interesting punk scene in the late ‘70s despite being a country in the middle of Europe surrounded by mountains and not much to do, but maybe that sheer boredom enforced everything even more. Zurich’s Nasal Boys really got the ball rolling in 1977 by releasing a fabulous single that many punk rock scum collectors would love to have the original of. In 1981 even the good ole’ Germans caught on that their southern neighbors were not just yodelers and fond of chocolate and cheese, but could deliver some pretty hefty punk rock tunes too. Konnekschen Records from the northern city of Hamburg released this wonderful piece of wax collecting three swiss punk records originally released in 1979 on one nice shaped and colored 10”. If you don’t want to shell out big bucks for the Sick/Chaos Split 12”, the Sperma 12” and Rudolph Dietrich’s BOF’s 7” then do yourself a favor, and pick this one up as you will not be sorry. If there is a winner amongst the three, then it is the Sick/Chaos split that would be my pick. In all fairness to the Austrians it should be noted that Chaos were actually an Austrian band from a border town near Switzerland but very active on the swiss scene at the time. If you like your ’77 punk upbeat with lots of hooks and choruses then you won’t be disappointed. Second in my book is Rudolph Dietrich with his BOFs 7”, a punk rock gem with saxophone in the background and intelligent song writing. Sperma’s 12” might be a very sought after record but at least in my opinion it is not one of the top swiss punk records at all, but still a decent record. For folks out there unfamiliar with early swiss punk rock this is a nice way to start your collection.

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.