THE HASKELS - Taking the City by Storm [USA punk rock, power pop 1980-82] 2020 Sptunge SPL 026

 

Rising like the phoenix from the ashes of the first version of the band; The Haskels served up heavy doses of three minute, adrenaline-fueled hard punk pop, as evidenced on the highly sought after, Killed by Death bootlegged, “Taking the City by Storm” EP released in 1981 on their own Milwaukee Hits label. Now the full story of the band can be heard, seen, and told.

As the decade turned from the rust belt 70’s to the Reagan-era 80’s, the original Haskels (see their self-titled LP released last year on Splunge) split into two factions, with the local punk/new wave/post-punk scene moving to the gritty Starship club in downtown Milwaukee. The Haskels were instrumental in getting bands to play the venue, including the Oil Tasters, Plasticland, Ama-Dots, Shivvers, Die Kreuzen and a burgeoning Violent Femmes.

The version of the Haskels represented here initially included Presley Haskel and Gerard LaValliere, fresh from the first line up of the band; joined by the crack rhythm section of Bobby Mitchell and Vodie Rhinehardt. Later tracks, including the EP were recorded by the Presley/Bobby/Vodie trio. In either case, the material is a match made in punk pop heaven; coupling Presley’s knife-sharp songwriting sensibilities with a tight unit of A-Team musicians driving the music forward.

“Taking the City by Storm” includes 14 tracks of rare and never before released material from the Splunge Archives. The release is comprised of demos, live tracks and the entire, highly coveted “Taking the City by Storm” EP, remastered for the first time.

The Haskels

THE TUNNELRUNNERS - Neath Abbey Road [UK punk rock 1978-82] 2018 Only Fit For The Bin Records OFFTB024

 

This Release Rounds Up Everything The Band Have Ever Recorded From Late ’77 Up To The Early 90s. This Band Were Known As The Welsh Ramones. The First Five Tracks Are From The Bands Only Release That Came Out In 1981, The Next Five Tracks Are From The Bands Unreleased Second EP And The Remaining 18 Tracks Are ALL Unreleased.

Neath

ZOOM - Sweet Desperation [Canada garage, rock, punk 1977] 2016 Ugly Pop Records UP061

 

ZOOM formed in Toronto in 1976, going on to release (arguably) the city’s first punk 45 before parting ways and joining The Viletones and The Diodes. The duo tracked their material anyway, culminating in this blistering, 13-track masterpiece.

Zoom

VVAA - Ork Records New York, New York [USA punk rock 2015] Numero Group NUM060

 

In August of 1975, the world’s first punk record label was born. Ork Records: New York, New York is a tale of Terry Ork, a film-obsessed fugitive of Warhol’s Factory set. Ork’s impresario ear would pull damaged, literate new rock music from the pregnant Bowery grime of CBGB, resulting in debut 45s by Television and Richard Hell, as well as landmark recordings by the Feelies and Lester Bangs. It’s a tale of Charles Ball, who’d steer Ork Records through solo exploits by Big Star’s Alex Chilton and the dBs’ Chris Stamey. And it’s a tale told in scorching sides by Richard Lloyd, Marbles, Prix, Mick Farren, Cheetah Chrome, the Idols, the Erasers, the Revelons, Student Teachers, and more.

Ork

THE DOLE - Flashes Of Brilliance, Warts 'N All [UK punk rock 1978] 2018 Only Fit For The Bin Records OFFTB034

 

The DoLe were one of Peterboroughs most successful bands in the late 70's along with The Now. 

On this historical and must have release, it features both sides of the bands lone single from 1978, Five tracks that have been taken off the original reel to reel master tape that was recorded at the legendary Spaceward studios in 1978 that are unique in its self as it has a two prong male / female vocal attack… plus a whole heap of other recordings from various rehearsals etc....

The Dole

SLOW - Against The Glass [Canada, punk, garage, rock 1985] 2017 Artoffact Records AOF278CD

 

It is almost impossible to over-estimate the effect of Slow on Canadian music. Formed in the mid-80s in Vancouver, and releasing only one album and one 7" on Zulu Records, the band has consistently been called one of the most influential punk rock bands in Canada and forerunners of the Seattle grunge scene. Perhaps most infamously, Slow is also the band that brought Expo 86 to its knees.

Not bad for a band that recorded only eight songs.

Slow was formed by Thomas Anselmi, Christian Thorvaldson, Stephen Hamm, and Terry Russell. Ziggy Sigmund was added to the line-up soon after as a second guitarist. The band released the 7" I Broke the Circle in 1985, followed by Against the Glass in 1986, which featured the legendary "Have Not Been the Same," one of the most iconic songs in Canadian music history. The song's name was even taken as the name for the CanRock Encyclopedia, published by ECW Press.

Slow's brand of rock n roll and punk rock has not aged one bit: Anselmi's voice is monstrous, the guitars seriously rock n roll, and the drummer is all energy and destruction. Against the Glass is the kind of album that could only be delivered by a veteran act of 20 years---or a bunch of genius teenagers with not much better to do. Artoffact Records present the first-ever official reissue of Slow's only album, complete with both tracks from the first 7".

Slow

WICKED LESTER - You Are Doomed [USA rock, punk rock 1981] 2012 Numero Group NUM702

 

No, not the first incarnation of Kiss, just three wasted kids from Cleveland, Ohio, infatuated with the new wave of british heavy metal. Kick-started in Cleveland in 1979, girls, drugs, sports, and jock rivalry fueled Wicked Lester's aggressive "fuck the draft" sound. Minted at Boddie in 1981, Wicked Lester's lone single paired "Here Comes My Girlfriend" with the lovesick, late-Pink Floyd moves of "Say Your Prayers," recorded on the same ominous day that John Hinckley Jr. shot President Ronald Reagan. We've added two unreleased tracks, thrown all four sides into a beautiful gatefold 7" sleeve, and added a couple thousand words about their near-meaningless existence.

You Are Doomed

THE SKABBS - Idle Threat [USA new wave, punk 1977-78] 2012 Jackpot Records JPR020

 

A collection of never before issued recordings from 1977-78 Lawndale, California punks, The Skabbs. In tandem with the birth of punk, these music obsessed nerds, bored and listless at the end of the 70’s, became disenchanted with the increasingly plastic tendencies of modern music. The Skabbs concocted some truly outsider sounds, melding jagged Devo-esque rhythms with lightning-fast technical touches that predicted the Minutemen by a few years.

Skabbs

IVY GREEN - Ivy Green [Netherlands punk rock 1978] 2016 Pseudonym CDP-1132

 

Originally issued by WEA's short-lived subsidiary Pogo in 1978. Ivy Green's simple but charismatic rock and roll was raw and fast enough to propel them right into the vanguard of the fledgling punk rock movement of the day. Edition with remastered sound includes two bonus tracks. Highly recommended.

Ivy

JOHNNY THUNDERS - Live From Zurich [USA rock, punk 1985] 2020 Chunklet Industries JTA-01

 

Spectacular sound. Great set. 

From Johnny Thunders’ personal tape archive, this recording is among hundreds of live, studio and writing session tapes he stored away for safe keeping in a box simply labeled ‘Thunders Tapes’. Cleaned up and mastered, our attempt is to reveal the recordings Johnny felt worthy of keeping and to release only the best audio quality and performances that live up to his musical legacy. In the debut release, we hear Johnny and his band performing at a Swiss radio station in 1985. The digital version includes extra songs not on the vinyl.

JT live in Zurich

NERVOUS EATERS - Eaterville #1 [USA punk rock 1973-75] 2007 Penniman PENNCD001 + NERVOUS EATERS - Eaterville #2 [USA punk, rock 1976-79] 2020 Penniman Record PENNLP009

 

 

Nervous Eaters #1

Remastered/improved reissue of Penniman Records' Nervous Eaters compilation, Eaterville #1, originally released in 2004. Ace of Hearts Records recently reissued their '86 classic Hot Steel and Acid. The band has released Record 10 in 2019 and is working on another album. To do true justice to the band and earn them the dues they deserve as one of the best R'n'R bands ever. This great compilation brings together rare stuff recorded between 1973 and 1975, from studio sessions and demos along with their official Rat singles -- "Just Head" and "Loretta" -- and their fans favorite anthems -- "Degenerate" and "You Smell Like Fish". Also included are demos like "You've Heard These Chords Before" or "Planet Fever" on which Steve Cataldo and company place themselves on the crucial dividing line between the best Stones and the Stooges. CD version includes 32-pages booklet.

Nervous Eaters #2

The sequel to Nervous Eaters' Eaterville Vol. 1 (PENN 001CD/PENN 002LP), Penniman Records huge seller from 2004/2019. With the usual delay, comes the long-awaited second volume dedicated to rescuing unreleased recordings by this classic, killer band from Boston. After the demos and singles on Rat, included in the fantastic Vol. 1, get ready for the fabulous sequel which includes mostly live material never before released. Eaterville Vol. 2 is not a compilation of lo-fi recordings, rehearsals, etc., but a collection of material taken from radio broadcasts or recorded directly from the soundboard of the clubs where they used to appear almost weekly between 1976 and 1979. Here you will find more potential hits that never materialized ("Someone Else In Your Arms", "Necessities") along with alternate versions of their classics ("Hot Steel And Acid", "Red On White") and completely over the top live versions of their most explosive material ("Just Head", "Degenerate"). All with remastered sound, Paul McGuire liner notes, previously unreleased photos, and vintage press-clippings. Nervous Eaters have just released the new CD Record 10 and the band are working on another album, to be released by early 2021.

Nervous Eaters

 

THE DUM DUM BOYS - Let There Be Noise [New Zeland punk rock 1981] 2019 In The Red Recordings ITR318

 

“Often obscured by the ascent of Flying Nun’s legendary roster is New Zealand’s late 1970s / early 1980s punk scene. Based in Auckland, a cadre of acts influenced by The Ramones and Stooges briefly thrived. The Dum Dum Boys—the first NZ punk band to record and release a full-length in their native country—were hooked on the Ann Arbor sounds of Iggy Pop.

“The Dum Dum Boys’ Let There Be Noise (1981) is chock-full of James Williamson and Deniz Tek riffage; it also contains elements of Iggy Pop’s nihilism. Take the lyrics to “Something To Say”—it’s refrain repeatedly asking ‘What am I living for?’—and juxtapose them to the band’s namesake track from Pop’s The Idiot (1977): ‘What happened to Zeke? He’s dead on jones, man.’ ‘Stalking The Streets’ taps into the meaninglessness of James Taylor and Dennis Wilson’s Two-Lane Blacktop journey through the American Southwest.

“The Dum Dum Boys understood the proto-punk sounds of 1970s Ann Arbor and Cleveland. More importantly, they also got the vibe. Life stinks—sometimes in the places (Auckland) you’d least expect it.

“As the title suggests, Let There Be Noise is anything but a record incessantly focused on introspective doom and gloom. ‘Don’t Be A Bitch’ rivals Radio Birdman’s ‘I-94’ for lyrical thick-headedness—like sticking a hot 454 in a Ford Falcon gasser, the song’s simultaneously awesome and dumb. That’s a difficult balance to strike.

“Let There Be Noise (1981) was self-released and copies quickly became damn near unobtanium, even in New Zealand.

Boys

JOHNNY THUNDERS - Madrid Memory [USA rock, punk, live in Madrid, Spain, on June 14th, 1984] 2019 Cleopatra CLO1157

 

A long lost live concert performance from The Heartbreakers explosive 1984 reunion world tour that included fellow Dolls Sylvain Sylvain & Jerry Nolan plus Billy Rath!

Filmed for TV broadcast at La Edad De Oro in Madrid, Spain, this concert captures powerful performances of songs from throughout Thunders's amazing career including "Personality Crisis," "Too Much Junkie Business," "Born Too Loose," and the beautifully heartbreaking "You Can't Put Your Arms Around A Memory!".

Thunders

THE RADIATORS FROM SPACE - Studio, Demos 1977 and More [UK rock, punk 1977] 2021 Beat Generation BEAT 82

 

Never before released on vinyl, this record presents the amazing live in the studio demo by Irish punk pioneers The Radiators, recorded in the very same sessions as their legendary and seminal first album from 1977. With amazing sound and so much energy they sound as if about to explode, these ten songs are absolutely essential in the collection of any classic punk rock fan. To round the sweet package even more you get four extra songs (two from a rare cassette release with Steve Rapid on vocals and two live at the legendary Vortex in 1977).

Radiators

BANNED FROM CHICAGO - 1978 [USA punk rock 1978] 2018 Alona's Dream Records ADR CD 026

 

BANNED FROM CHICAGO formed in Chicago’s nascent punk scene circa 1977. Not content with their hometown, they decamped for NYC in early 1978. But before they departed Chicago, they recorded a set at a studio on the south side. The eight songs sat unreleased until rediscovered in 2017. Banned From Chicago is twin guitars, throbbing bass, heavy drums and a unique take on punk’s early sound.

Chicago

THE SCIENTISTS - The Scientists [Australia punk rock 1981] 2015 Numero Group NUM1233

 

The Scientists’ 1981 wild debut bewildered Perth, Australia’s punters with its charging anthems centered on themes of young love and alienation. Obvious in its rebellion yet more pop than punk, the self-titled “Pink Album” deftly embodied the tough-yet-danceable outsider aura of The Ramones, and its unheard of, feverish clip shook the shores of the geographically confined Swan Coastal Plain of down under. Recorded just as the lineup of guitarist-vocalist Kim Salmon (The Cheap Nasties), drummer James Baker (The Victims) and bassist Ian Sharples were breaking up, the album stands as a testament to the contagious chops of Perth’s swelling pool of musical talent, and to the promise of Salmon’s unwavering vision that would become one of the most celebrated acts of the Aussie underground.

1981

TELEPHONE - Telephone [France punk rock 1977] 2006 EMI 094637117729

 

Telephone fused the swagger and energy of hard rock with the urban aggression of punk to emerge as the most admired and influential French band of the post-student revolt era. Their roots lie in Sémolina, an unheralded trio formed in late 1975 by singer/guitarist Jean-Louis Aubert, bassist Daniel Roux, and drummer Richard Kolinka. When their lone WEA single, "Et J'y Vais Déjà," vanished upon its mid-1976 release, Sémolina quickly split; Aubert and Kolinka remained roommates, however, frequently jamming in the cellar of their Paris home.

In late autumn of 1976, Kolinka secured a gig at Paris' American Centre, but when his regular band was unable to commit to the date, he and Aubert recruited Louis Bertignac, a gifted guitarist previously known for supporting singer Jacques Higelin, and bassist Corine Marienneau to assemble a set list comprised of classic rock hits and Aubert's first original compositions. On November 12, Telephone made their debut performance, playing a largely improvised set to a few hundred patrons; loud, snotty, and defiantly primitive, the band effectively reinvigorated French rock in one fell swoop. Though by no means the classic frontman, Aubert nevertheless transcended his limits as a vocalist and guitarist with sheer aggressive energy, becoming the poster boy for a new generation of French rock icons, while Bertignac's raw, electrifying guitar solos evoked antecedents from Keith Richards to Jimmy Page.

Crache Ton VeninAfter a famously raucous March 1977 appearance at the Paris Metro, Telephone toured in support of British act Eddie & the Hot Rods, followed by a date opening for the seminal American band Television. A June 8th performance at Paris' Bus Palladium yielded Telephone's debut single, "Hygiaphone." Six weeks later, the quartet signed to Pathé-Marconi, teaming with producer Mike Thorne for its self-titled debut LP, issued in November. Telephone supported the album's release with their first headlining tour, culminating in a free show at Paris' Pantin racecourse.

Telephone

PROTAGONISTS - 1983-1985 [USA punk rock, power pop 1983-85] 2020 Alona's Dream Records ADR 12 034

 

Mid-1980’s suburban Chicago (Naperville!) punk. Includes the band’s hard to find 7” alongside unreleased studio tracks, demos & live cuts. Protagonists drew their motivation from sources as diverse as punk icons Buzzcocks, The Dickies and The Damned to prime era 50’s and 60’s teen anthems (Buddy Holly, Dell Shannon, and The Monkees). The group formed in a Naperville high school, played local talent shows and teen dance parties, and hooked up with older kids (Reaction Formation) who helped them get radio gigs and put out a tape recorded by Phil Bonnet, influential recording engineer and long time friend. The band followed up with a 7” for Reaction Formation’s label Nova which garnered positive reviews but they were shortly after pulled apart by the usual strains on the end of adolescent trajectories.

This compilation gathers their original tape, unheard outside of the suburban Chicago teen punk scene, and pairs it with the songs from their hard-to-find 7” EP (originally pressed in 1000 copies in 1985). The b-side features basement demos of original songs recorded by the band as well some great covers which show they could rock as a punk dance band.

Protagonists

LES OLIVENSTEINS - Les Olivensteins [France punk rock 1979-80] 2011 Born Bad Records BB0031

 

The best-ever French '77 punk band, next to Metal Urbain. Killer and cult and a true must-have. This is an official reissue, with a lot of unissued tracks. "In a particularly raw moment captured on the disk you are holding, the singer (whose name escapes me) shouts derisively at the audience, 'Vivement que je sois vieux, tout sec et tout rugueux?" (trans. 'I can't wait to be old, dried out and bumpy'). And indeed, it required not only the passage of three decades, with their corresponding toll on these two-bit heroes, but also the benevolent determination of JB Wizzz and the utilization of space-age technology to transform crusty cassettes, forgotten in a dusty corner, into something vaguely listenable that resembles an album of the Olivensteins. Obviously, this is not precisely the record that we dreamed of making in 1979. It certainly would not have contained bits of concerts. (But finally, who knows?) However, the sonic dabbling that you will discover on the demo of 'Euthanasie' and some rather strange tracks like 'Le Spécialiste' are surely examples of what we wanted people to hear at the time. All this will astonish you, proving that (yes, yes!) the Olivensteins possessed unsuspected abilities, had a taste for originality and could occasionally transcend being simple morons. Naturally, certain compulsive freaks, itching for their nerdy thrills, will complain that we have not unearthed other morsels from our repertoire for this album. But even if certain 'songs' like 'Le Doryphore,' 'Né Pour Dormir' or 'Pétain Darlan C'était Le Bon Temps' (which takes direct aim at the stupid 'Nazi Chic' that was trendy at the end of the '70s) are not found on this somewhat incoherent compilation, it is only because no version exists that is even close to listenable. If you don't manage to understand all the words, or if the wretched singing bothers you, don't worry about it: fortunately, this is not an album of syrupy French 'chansons!'" Eric Tandy

Olivensteins

JOHN COOPER CLARKE - Word Of Mouth - The Very Best Of [UK spoken word, punk 1978-1982] 2002 Epic 5063432000

 

Maybe John Cooper Clarke's brief window of fame passed with the demise of punk. But his poems are every bit as arch and funny now as they were in the '70s. There are sly wordplay, groaning puns, and also plenty of strong social observation. He essentially took the ethos of the Liverpool poets of the '60s, using common language and bringing in lots of humor, but made his mark through speech, not print. This collection, cherry-picked from his major-label work, is an absolute joy. Backed by the relatively all-star Invisible Girls (which included Pete Shelley of the Buzzcocks), the Bard of Salford deadpans his way through the epic "Psycle Sluts (Parts 1 & 2)," "The Day My Pad Went Mad," and the piece that really gave him his first big exposure, "I Married a Monster From Outer Space." But in "Beasley Street" and "Postwar Glamour Girls" there's a more serious undercurrent happening, while "Kung Fu International," for all its lightheartedness, shows that little has changed in English street violence, and "Twat" remains as deliberately outrageous and hilarious as it was on its initial release. Culled from the four albums Cooper Clarke did for Epic, it shows that what was good then is still good. The world needs a Cooper Clarke for the new millennium.

John