Rare Peel - Discs 1-4 

Label: Fan Club (Unofficial Release); Year: 2010; Format: 4 x 45RPM EP

In true bootlegger fashion this release does not come without hick ups as for instance Disc 1 and Disc 2 contain a sticker mix-up between the Crabs and the Cortinas and the four EPs also don't run on 33RPM but on 45RPM. That put aside I really have no clue why the person behind this bootleg decided to put this out in a cheap 7" box containing four EPs instead of just slapping it onto one LP and maybe put more love into the booklet which seems to have been assembled from various other official releases or stuff found online. Either way I remember buying this when I was still living in London and apparently it's limited to 416 copies but who knows whether that is true. In all fairness something like this deserves a proper official release but that's a discussion for another rainy day. So what you get on these four separate EPs are Peel Sessions from four different bands from the years '77 and '78. While the Drones, Cortinas and Models are probably known to everybody into early UK punk the Crabs might be an exception even to some true aficionado of '77 punk. The band formed in Great Yarmouth in East Anglia as early as 1974 under the names Cosmic Love and Teezer and is known to have supported many well known acts such as Sham 69, X-Ray Spex or the Jam to name a few. The four songs recorded for John Peel in 1978 are a mixed bag in my opinion although none of the tracks are poor per se. "Victim" and "Don't want your love" are the two stand out tracks for me though as they are strong upbeat '77 punk smashers the way we love them while the other two tracks are more mid-tempo and in a way lost in no-man's land between punk rock and R&B. 

The Cortinas from Bristol are probably best known for their two excellent singles on Step Forward Records and the four John Peel Sessions songs are from the same time period with "Defiant Pose" and "Television Families" also appearing on those releases. Since I don't have any of the band's early output (shame on me) I can't really compare the versions but the Cortinas EP from this set is my favorite one as all four tracks are simply superb and hard-hitting tracks in the way that they are aggressive yet still melodic, something I think a lot of the later punk rock bands took away from bands like the Cortinas. The other two tracks from the Cortinas session are "Having It (Have it with you)" and my absolute favorite "Further Education". If my research is correct than seek out the MK1 LP which collects the Peel Session songs and other early material by the band as well. The Drones from Manchester are probably best known for their hit "Bone Idol" or my all time favorite "Lookalikes" but according to Mick Middles in the excellent "no more heroes" book by Alex Ogg the band was not popular at all in their home city. Still "Movement" and "The Change" are solid tracks from their Peel Session and highlight their strong musicianship and roots in R&B. 

Last but not least we get four tracks from The Models who were Marco Pirroni's short lived band best known for their excellent single on Step Forward which shall be reviewed here at some point in the future. While those two songs will be known to many of you and were also part of the Peel Sessions I don't think that "Censorship" and "Brainwash" are of equal quality to round off their disc but they are definitely not bad tracks and still above average. All in all don't be paying some outrageous amount if you find this for sale as again a release like this one deserves much more love and dedication. 

SPS - Jsme V Hajzlu LP

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

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

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