THE DICTATORS (USA)

FUCK 'EM IF THEY CAN"T TAKE A JOKE
-CS
1981 (ROIR)


Re-Up!



"Once upon a time, there was this loud music called rock'n'roll which people started to take too seriously and it became rock. Then they really fouled things up and took rock seriously and now we have horrible crap. Luckily, even years after the fact, there were a number of brave, hopeless individuals who somehow remembered that rock was supposed to be loud, fun, and crazy. One bunch of misfits was called The Dictators and even though they managed to make some of the best music of the 70s or any decade you could name, they also managed to sink into obscurity while they watched their peers and opening bands move from small clubs to arenas." - Billy Bob Hargus

"Punks before punk was cool, junk culture freaks before the rest of us realized there was such a thing as junk culture, wrestling fanatics at a time when most of America didn't even know who Andre The Giant was and the Hulkster was just a muscle-bound gleam in some pharmacist's eye - New York's Dictators were cranking out loud, hard, fast, fun, dumb and obnoxious years before a market for loud, hard, fast, fun, dumb and obnoxious even existed." - Al Muzer

"Fuck Em If They Can't Take A Joke was ROIR's third release, a sonic atomic bomb from a five-headed street monster that was the perfect bridge between the urban glam of the New York Dolls and the punk edge of the Ramones. The Dictators kicked ass and took names, a dynamic blend of white heat and solid songwriting. They were loud and obnoxious, but if you looked closely you could see that tongue planted firmly in cheek. Not too closely, though...former roadie turned lead vocalist "Handsome Dick" Manitoba prowled the stage like a rabid rhino, keeping time with Richie Teeter's thunder drums. Ross "The Boss" Funicello played blistering lead guitar while Scott "Top Ten" Kempner held the fort on rhythm and Andy/Adny Shernoff handled bass. A Dictators show was a party and a war zone at the same time, and this night was no exception." - Bill Holmes


Tracklist:
1. Next Big Thing
2. Science Gone Too Far
3. Weekend
4. Rock And Roll Made A Man Out Of Me
5. Two-Tub Man
6. Moon Upstairs
7. Loyola
8. What Goes On
9. New York New York
10. Search And Destroy
11. Borneo Jimmy
12. Minnesota Strip


Download (192 kbs, 85 Mb)

UNDERGROWTH 85 - v/a (Canada)

UNDERGROWTH 85
-CS
1985 (Undergrowth/ Collectors R.P.M.)





"The second wave of punk bands in Vancouver started to get respect and better gigs with the help of friend and No Means No manager to-this-day Laurie Mercer who worked at Collectors RPM Records, who put out the first Another Kind of Blues record and Death Sentence and, No Means No 2nd record and more as well as 2 Vancouver Compilation tapes that are very rare and awesome." - Screaming King Neil Embo


"If you go into the city, into Vancouver, you should try and score the following-
1. Any old 'I, Braineater' posters.
2. The 'Undergrowth 85' comp. cassette.
3. An 'Expo Hurts Everyone' shirt." - Cali


From Maximum Rock'n'Roll #36 (1986):

"VANCOUVER-Home of the giant Expo
86 hockey stick. We have a really healthy
scene here with an average all-ages show
bringing in about 300+ people, and
out-of-town bands sometimes raking in about
500 people. There are never any fights nt
gigs and we don't have a skinhead problem.
Local shows are usually put on by Norm
Allity or by bands. Collectors RPM record
store puts on almost all the HC shows with
touring bands, but at, fucking ridiculous
prices (usually 10-12 bucks!)...
Places booking HC arc the Edge (doing most
gigs), New York Theatre (caters to the bigger
bands, with assholes for security!), and the
UBC Sub Ballroom (occassional) . Oh yeah,
John Barley's closed its doors to punk in
November--no big loss)...

Local bands: NG3 (No Guns, No
Gov't, No God) have sadly broken up,
caspecially without any releases to remember
them by. It's rumored that singer/guitarist
Nev has a new hand In the works. Other
bands that have broken up include SOCIAL
MENACE, IRRITANTS, BAD ATTITUDE,
and the FITZ. DOA are back from their tour
of Europe and North America .

DEATH SENTENCE has : released their long-awaited
EP, Not a Pretty Sight. During the summer
they added ex-FITZ drummer Jimmy on bass,
with Tim moving to guitar . This has
improved their live show and they've become
one of the most popular bands In town.

UNNATURAL SILENCE have gotten back
together after 2 years, with Ray as their new
singer. They have a sound like
ANTI-SYSTEM and CONFLICT with fucking
great music and very aware lyrics dealing
with things like animal and human
exploitation, ecology, rape, greed, etc.
They've done 6 gigs so far--a great band
gaining quick popularity!! Wicked with a
crimping iron too!

IMMORAL MINORITY are a hot 3-piece
that's been together for a while . They play
melodic thrash with really cool lyrics and
very positive attitudes . Their sound is in the
7 SECS/YOUTH BRIGADE vein and they
have a tape called Betalliation that rips! (see
MRR #29). They toured the East over the
summer and are rumored to be touring again
with DETOX, so watch for 'cm.

BILL OF RIGHTS have been gigging occasionally but
lost bassist Mike and possibly drummer Stu.
They recently put out a neat tape (Surf.
Skate Sk() which followed up on their
Meltdown 85 EP and previous single.

HOUSE OF COMMONS have been dormant
for the last year except for a tour of Canada
which got them stuck back east for a while.
Their great patriot EP may still be available.

A.K.O.B., featuring a couple of ex-H.0.C.
members, have done only 1 gig since
summer. They are highly influenced by GBH
and UK SUBS and have a 6-song EP out.

LEGION OF DOOM are a cool band
who sound a bit like S.L.F. They're
currently going through a little line-up
change and have got a really good tape out.

ACTIVE GLANDS are a fairly new band with
4 gigs to their name. But fuck are they
intense! Great stop-and-go thrash here
(reminds Inc of CHRIST ON PARADE) and
their singer Roneid has a Biafra-like stage
presence.

LITLE RATSKULLS recently won
1st prize in the Shindig finals (local band
competition). The prize is 24 hours of free
recording time, so they should be in the
studio soon . They have a cool RAMONES
meets the BUZZCOCKS meets the DICKIES
sound.


WITCHES HAMMER are probably the
only speed metal band Vancouver has, and
have a SLAYER-like sound.

UNKNOWN FIBERS haven't done a gig in a long time
(not sure what they're up to .

A.O.T. (Abortions On Toast), our very own thrash
fuck band, are going through another line-up
change.

Some newer bands are SHATTERED
AMBITION, A.W.O.L., AFFLICTED
(skate), DRY HEAVE (fun, party cover
band), and LETHAL VIRUS.


Lotsa vinyl action lately.
The SPORES (garage/funny punk) have an LP called
Schizofunoi.
SLOW (demolition rock)second piece of vinyl is their
Against the Glass, LP.
SHANGHAI DOG (progressivepost punk) have a
really good LP out his Revolution).
INDUSTRIAL WASTE BANNED
(our all-female version of CRASS/POISON GIRLS)
will be featured on a couple of comps from eastern
Canada and have a demo out.

Lotsa bitchln' zines like Cheeky Rebel,
Soagscum- Brano- Generic Drivel. Death To
The Sickoids. Terminally Stupid. Piledriver,
gnd Positive Outlook (formerly Thrash Trax).

All bands: play Vancouver. Don't let the
stupid 100 ft. hockey stick scare you away.
Write me and I'll get you a gig . Think
positive, communicate, cooperate, and
support your scene and the world scene.
Later, John Tsolinas


TRACKLIST:
A01 - HOUSE OF COMMONS - Here Today Gone Tomorrow
A02 - NG3 - Nuclear Death
A03 - AKOB - Pogo Blues
A04 - AKOB - 5 Finger Discount Blues
A05 - BILL OF RIGHTS - Surfrenzy
A06 - BILL OF RIGHTS - The Unknown Surfer
A07 - BAD ATTITUDE - Sinking Time
A08 - OTIS DOG - Welfare Punks
A09 - MECCA NORMAL - Are You Hungry Joe?
A10 - SHANGHAI DOG - American Desert (acoustic)
A11 - SORE HEADS - Teenage Crimewave
A12 - THE KRAUTS - America
A13 - SEXUAL INFECTIONS - Shock Therapy
A14 - ACTIVE GLANDS - It'll Be Me
A15 - IMMORAL MINORITY - No Toys For You
A16 - CELEBRITY DRUNKS - Lift Up That Dress

B01 - EMILY - Fuck The Dog
B02 - INDUSTRIAL WASTE BANNED - Thank You For The Hole In My Head
B03 - IDYLE AND UNDESIRABLE - Kamikaze
B04 - MIA - Louise
B05 - BEAUTY FOUNDATION - The Party
B06 - STAB 'EM IN THE ABDOMEN - Memories Of Kilgore
B07 - BELGIANIQUES - Looking At You
B08 - OMINOUS CINEMA - Stand In The Sun
B09 - A MERRY COW - Bed In The Gutter
B10 - ELECTRIC PURPLE CARROT - Boredom
B11 - BLOOD BBQ - I've Got YOu Babe (Sex Depression Mix)
B12 - SAM - I Am Hitler's Son


Download (256k, 180 Mb)


Update:
You can get Undergrowth '84 over at the mighty fine Model Citizen...Zero Discipline blog.

MC5 (USA)

BABES IN ARMS
-CS
1984 (ROIR)


Re-Up!


"If you don't like them I'll personally give you your money back. Actually, I won't, 'cause if you don't like the MC5 I don't wanna know you." - Jack Feeny



"The MC5's story is important because it's five guys from Detroit who, against all prevailing wisdom, at a time when the music business really didn't wanna know, tried to make something happen. I think there's something to be said for that. Unequivocal commitment to trying to achieve. The sense of possibility...

But we were part of a great community that was really unique. It didn't really exist anywhere else. It had to do with Detroit being a factory town, being a hard working town. This work ethic cut across to everything. The people worked hard and they wanted to see their bands play hard. It also created an openness for the cross-pollination between black music and what we did as white rockers, that didn't exist anywhere else. We had friends in P-Funk. Detroit had a kind of proletariat, utopian thing happening because everybody worked. There wasn't the class distinction that I think existed in other parts of America at the same time. I didn't realize til years later that in other cities all the white people grew up in one place and all the people of color grew up in another place. It wasn't like that in Detroit. There was room for everybody 'cause everybody had jobs and that's the real issue.

So, the cross-pollination and the influence of Motown... we all wanted to grow up and be the Motown recording band. Those were our idols. Even later in the MC5, we still did Motown covers 'cause that was the most stretched-out music happening in pop... It made more of a community- 'we're from Detroit and proud of it.' " - Wayne Kramer



"Despite all the rare mixes and original versions adduced in the notes, the only great track totally unfamiliar to this proud (and lucky) owner of the 5's three albums is a cover of Them's "I Can Only Give You Everything." The rest of the obscure stuff merely augments a superbly paced compilation. The raw songcraft and new-thing chaos of Detroit's other great protopunk band were further ahead of their time than it seemed five years ago. And drummer Dennis Thompson was a motherfucker. A MINUS" - Robert Christgau


MC5:
Rob Tyner - vocals
Fred "Sonic" Smith - guitar
Wayne Kramer - guitar
Michael Davis - bass
Dennis Thompson - drums



Tracklist:
Shakin' Street
American Ruse
Skunk (Sonically Speaking)
Tuttie Fruttie
Poison
Gotta Keep Moving
Tonite
Kick Out The Jams
Sister Ann
Future Now
Gold
I Can Only Give You Everything
One Of The Guys
I Just Don't Know
Looking at You


Download (192 Kbs, 68 Mb)

FLAT DUO JETS (USA)

LUCKY EYE
-CD
1998 (Outpost)


Re-Up!


"Flat Duo Jets have made the kind of record that you listen to on a crackly AM radio in your parked car on a dark '50s night. The only thing to illuminate the road is two sets of headlights and the odd cherry of a cigarette flickering at the sides. Engines rev, tires spin and a whole lot of gravel fires into the air. Beads of sweat rest on your brow to make speed demon history. The dust clears and the only thing left behind for the crowd to see is the glimmering tailpipes of two hot rods shooting off into the distance like firecrackers." - Aubrey McInnis


"If you have known the 'Jets for any length of time the first thing you will notice about Lucky Eye is the strings. Strings on a rockabilly record? Yeah, strings. What many do not, will not, realize is that Dex has a much wider range than the psychotic rockabilly cat we have grown to know and love. Dex has style. Dex has grace. Dex has it all, but has never been in a position to show it before." - bmodern


"From the start, Flat Duo Jets shows became legendary for the fierce drumming of Crow and the blazing guitar work of Dex Romweber. The image of Crow lanky and hovering over his tiny kit, staring through his stringy black mane of hair toward Dex as he looks to the ceiling, briefly, before ripping into the opening riffs of a tune etched into the setlist inside his head is indelible. This WAS the Flat Duo Jets.

What distinguished this band from other retro outfits is that the Duo Jets were not really retro at all. While their music was certainly inspired by the rock-n-roll of the 1950's, one got the feeling that nothing was calculated. There was no marketing ploy on anyone's part to capitalize on a trend or movement at the time. Dex and Crow brought the music to life with such vitality and passion that the styles did not seem antiquated in their hands. This was the genuine article." - Jeff Arndt


Tracklist:
1. Lucky Eye (Romweber)
2. String Along (Romweber)
3. Go This Way (Romweber)
4. Virginia Surf (Romweber)
5. Dark Night (Romweber)
6. Lonley Guy (Romweber)
7. Creepin' Invention (Romweber)
8. Hustle 'N' Bustle (Romweber/Stamey)
9. Blues Wrapped Around My Head (Romweber)
10. Hot Rod Baby (Romweber)
11. New York Studio (Romweber/Stamey)
12. Sharks Flying In (Romweber)
13. Boogie Boogie (Romweber/Stamey)
14. Love Is All Around (Romweber)
15. Ludwiggin' (Romweber)
16. Rockin' Mode (Romweber)
17. California Luau (Romweber)
18. Little M (C. Smith)


Download (192 Kbs, 60 Mb)

The SPITFIRES (Canada)

The SPITFIRES
-cd
1998 (Sonic Swirl)



Re-UP!


"High energy garage rock'n'roll from Vancouver group, THE SPITFIRES, whose numerous recordings have been released on Junk Records, Estrus, Sonic Swirl, Tee Pee, Rockin' Bones and Twenty Stone Baltt...
Weaned on cheap beer and the likes of the Dead Boys, reviews compare them to the Hives on the one hand, saying that both are "peddling the same wired rock'n'roll", and even going so far as to claim that the new album "eclipses anything the Hives have done, being that extra bit sharper and on the money". At the same time other reviewers state that this band is what you get "if AC/DC retained the killer riffs and power they somehow lost with the death of Bon Scott and then fused it with punk energy". Another review said, "F-ck groupies, blow and tour buses - for bands like the Spitfires rock'n'roll is more about broken bottles, skull-splitting hangovers and enough swagger to impress 1970s-era Keith Richards." Sounds good to me! "
-Bomp List Archives

Tracklist:
01 Social Club
02 Bringin' Me Down
03 Goin' Up For The Downfall
04 Gotta Go
05 Go On Girl
06 Hit-n-Run
07 Drop Kick Me Jesus
08 High Test Sucka
09 In Your Underwear
10 Little Girl
11 Brand New Wave


Download (192 kbs, 44 Mb)

The CHOADS (Canada)

THE WORLD AIN'T ROUND IT'S SQUARE
-CS
1993 (Louie Records)




Re-Up!



"Ever heard of the Choads?
A Pre-Forbidden Dimension/ Pre-Von Zippers band, which released only a fantastic tape; a fake 60s band, really funny. One side is "Live in the 60s", but of course, isn't really!"
- Mitch Useless
(who submitted this amazing gem!)


"I was pretty fortunate to live in Calgary during what i like to call the "good" years (late eighties/early nineties), 'cuz there were a lot of cool bands playing at the time. Th' Legendary Few were the main reason i started playing in bands (along with Color Me Psycho, The Bad Housekeeping, Beyond Possession, The Ted Clark Five etc.). These were bands that understood rock and roll, and had a lot of fun doing it. Th' Legendary Few were together for a couple of years and only put out a tape called "Smokes"('cuz it looked like a pack of cigarettes!), but it's amazing! Singer Bill E. Stew went on to sing in the Coffin Nails and The Choads,who had Al(Color Me Psycho, Von Zippers) and Tomb among their ranks, and they only put out a tape called "The World Ain't Round, It's Square!" TLF's drummer Brent played in Ninth Configuration (again who also released a tape called "Vegas"-can you see a fucking pattern here?)." - venomvenom

"For those who missed the Choads in the early 90's, you missed a good thing... five-piece: keys, guitar, bass, drums and a lead singer who was a dead ringer for Fred Flintstone. " - Monkey Suit

"Not to be forgotten: Shonen Knife, Yo La Tengo, The Choads, Jesus Lizard, and all those Calgary bands who ever played a gig at the Republik... all dynamite." - Chad Saunders (former CJSW program director)

The Choads are:
Alan Wayne
Rex Greed
Claude Hopper
Bill E. Rubino
Frank Furter


Tracklist
1.Spit And Polish
2.Another Day Another Man
3.The Jolly Green Giant
4.Depth Charge
5.I Want Some Of That
6.Grandmas Panties
7.God Damn The Choads
8.Smokes
9.Tiger By The Tail
10.Bamboozled
11.Monkey Man
12.Hungry Man
13.Strange Rampage
14.The Wiggler
15.Keyholes Are For Peeping

Download (192 kbs, 47 Mb)

The CRUSADERS (Australia)

KEEP IT UP
-CD
1996 (Larsen)


Re-Up!


"Some of the things that have been thrown at this band would do the Iggy of "Metallic KO" times proud..." - The Barman

"The Crusaders are a band from Sydney that play excellent 60's fuzz. Their records are a bit hard to get unless you live in France, but they play live in Melbourne and Sydney on the odd occasion and these occasions turn out to be very odd. Don't ask them for a single because they'll give you a slice of cheese." - Jo Ward, Almost Human Fanzine


"Think hard-boiled fuzz songs with the safety catch off, spat out scatter-gun fashion and in rapid-fire time. It's ragged round the edges and delivered with a phlegmatic vocal style lifted wholesale from The Sonics and 30 other lesser-known '60s bands, in the best Lime Spiders traditions. And it's delivered by four grown men in masks and knight outfits." – The Barman


"I think the punters just got sick and tired of all those shitty little indie jerk off bands, those shallow-chested, navel gazing wankers. They just want to some rock'n'roll, have a good time and go out and get pissed at a pub and see a band that does exactly the same thing, one that doesn't worry too much about angst and depression and all the shit that no-one wants to think about anyway. People just dig rock'n'roll and we're here to please.

"That album 'Keep It Up' was recorded using the usual technique that The Crusaders employ. Substandard equipment, cheap mics, old tapes and plenty of beer, as you can hear, the product is garbage but hey, you pay peanuts you get us. It's released in France as part of the treaty between Australia and France; If they keep letting off A-Bombs in the Pacific, we keep recording. It may escalate into an invasion. If you want it you have to come to our gigs or order it or go to France." - Sir James


Stamping their custom woody fuzz pedals and letting the rhythms travel from the hips, The Crusaders have recorded this for you. If you've followed the seminal recording history of these Sydney surf/garage trolls you'd be aware that these tracks include efforts from various giveaway tapes, singles and compilations. 'Keep it Up' collects them on an equally obscure release, delivered via French label Larsen Recordz.
With animated Sonics/Scientists-like abandon their holy war is on the veil complexities that detract from the simple experience of FUN. Tracks such as 'Sabrina', 'Yeah Yeah', and 'Danger Beach' are infectious motions of energy.
Themes clasp the hedonistic and romantic. The style is blatantly derivative. The vision is simple - stain it with fuzz. A boss release from Australia's underground surf kings. - Luke Warm, Punters Club Form Guide


The Crusaders:
Sir James (g,v,hrm)
Sir Chris (g,v)
Kendall (b,v)
Sir Mick (d,v)
Sir Jason (k)


Tracklist:
Waiting For The Day
Seasick
Addicted To Fuzz
Sabrina
Hell Surf
Why Not Me
Danger Beach
C'mon
Yeah ! Yeah !
Man With No Name
Wave To The Grave
Turns Blood Red


Download (192 Kbs, 51 Mb)

The WORST (Canada)

LIVE 'N' DEAD +2
-CS
1991 (demo)





Eight snarly 'n' gnarly tracks from The Worst's classic line-up. Bloody raw, fuzzy-drenched primitive sounds, blah blah blah...

A must-have. Did I say raw?



Interview with Greg Johnson
(February 2004)

When did it all start with The Worst?

We started about 1989 if I remember correctly. Grant and I started the band with me playing organ and him on guitar and Jim Bescott of The Young Canadians/K-Tels who played drums and sang. Then I moved to singing and playing with my organ and we picked up a guitar player and a new drummer. I got kicked off organ for I couldn’t play anyways, and it wasn’t any better when I was trying to sing as well.


Who were the members back then and who were till your break up?

Went through too many to name them all. The key ones are Grant Shankaruk who I started the band with and Rieuwert Buitenga who I ended the band with. Brian Olinek who I started the Fiends with also played bass on our last unfinished album. Hope to finish it one day. When we played with the Cynics, Carl Newman from Zumpano/New Pornographers played guitar for us.


Were you involved in any other bands by then?

No I wasn’t. We put out a version of “Jack the Ripper” as the Graverobbers.


What was The Worst’s main inspiration?

The Kinks, Shadows of Knight, Seeds, Wailers and the Painted Ship.
Bill Hay from the Painted Ship (Little White Lies, Chesterfield Kings covered) produced our first single Creepy Thing.


Did you have any inspiration from the 80s garage punk scene?

The Cynics, Gravedigger V, the Gruesomes and Grant's record collection.


You are from Canada but every records release came out from Europe. How come that happened?

We first put some songs out on fanzine compilation tapes. They got over to Europe and Screaming Apple liked what they heard and contacted us. The singles where better distributed I guess there also.


Did you play live outside Canada?

We played with the Undertakers in Tumwater Washington. We were pretty awful. I didn’t have a band at the time. It was a bunch of friends who helped me out. We shouldn’t have drunk so much and we should have practiced more…


Were there enough people in Canada to attend your shows and buy your records?

Yeah, there was a scene going on I think. The Smugglers were just starting around the same time. Nardwuar (Evaporators/Goblins) was promoting a lot of Garage shows. He gave us our first show with the Mighty Squirrels and the Mono Men. We also played in town with the Fastbacks, Marshmallow Overcoat, Mummies, Headcoats, and the Cynics.


Suddenly after three great vinyl releases and while waiting for the second LP to come, The Worst finished their creepy career. What exactly happened?

The band wasn’t going where I wanted to and Brian and I started The Fiends. Our last record wasn’t really in the the Worst vain. Rieuwert and I should have changed the name. We were in a different direction in music styles. I liked FUZZZ and monsters and he liked more pop 60’s. I like that also but it doesn’t really match with the 45’s. Like The Creeps first record and then to the WEA release. The Fiends let me have Fuzz, Organ, and Monsters…


Do you know what the other members of the band do today?

Grant is playing in a surf band next week at a place half a block away. Rieuwert and I are planning on finishing our last efforts. He also re-mixed the last LP and created a CD out of it with some bonus tracks. Just need to finish the cover.
- interview by Thee Cave

The Worst:
Greg Johnson - Vocals
Gord Smithers - guitar
Grant Shankaruk - bass
Karen Edgar - organ
Brad Coates - drums

Tracklist:
1. Writing On The Wall
2. Creepy Thing
3. She's Wrong
4. I Don't Need You (Bonus)
5. Hang Up
6. One Step Closer
7. The Phantom
8. I'm A Rock (Bonus)


Download (256k, 38 Mb)

The WORST (Canada)

THE WORST
-LP
1993 (DIG!)



Re-Up!


"More garage revival nonsense. By the 90s, I was not nearly so interested in the tunnel-vision Chesterfield Kings wanna-bes as I had been in the previous decade. It seemed that by then most of 'em were more concerned with getting their hair to look right than in knocking out a decent chorus. Inexplicably, the debut LP from these Canadians is a rock-solid monster, with every track full of stinging fuzz, squalling organ, and a cool, sinister vibe. Atypically for such affairs, all of the tracks here were written or co-written by guitarist/organist Rieuwert Buitenga, and most feature either a memorable hook, or an interesting production treat; often both. Six tracks clock in at under two minutes, which never hurts anything. "Little White Lies" is not the catchiest thing on the album, but I love the organ riff, the ghostly backing vocals, the fuzz tremolo, and the sneer. The Worst have a skill and passion that so many of their gear-ically correct peers can't even sniff from where they're standing. They articulate rather than re-create. Dig it." - Jon Harrison

The Worst are:
Greg Johnson, vocals
Rieuwert Buitenga, guitar/organ/vocals
Chris Williscroft, bass
Colin Raesler, drums

Tracklist:
Sleepy Town
The DT’s
Little White Lies
Stop Wasting My Time
Telling You True
Afraid Of The Dark
Get That Thing/Heretic
Can’t Stand This Love
Your Love TonightI
Don’t Want You
Gonna Change Your Mind
Lucky Guy
Set Me Free


Download (160 kbs, 32 Mb)

Thee HEADCOATS (UK)

HEADCOATITUDE
-CD
1991 (Shakin' Street)





"This album can stand alongside the debut recordings of the Downliners Sect and the Pretty Things (not to mention the compiled work of the Liverbirds, so we're talking really, really extreme) as some of the finest primitive rock ever to emerge from England. From the bluesy British Invasion-styled "My Dear Watson," Thee Headcoats engage in a crude but compelling assault on their instruments that's as clever as it is unpretentious -- "Hog's Jaw" takes the central riff from Ian Samwell's Brit-rock standard "Move It" and turns it sideways on the opening, while "By Hook or by Crook" could have been the early Who (of "Anytime You Want Me") rehearsing on a good day with a fill-in for Keith Moon, and "It's Gonna Hurt You (More Than It Hurts Me)" is a delightful rewrite/reconception of "All Day and All of the Night," except that it makes the latter song seem overly sophisticated. And "Neither Fish nor Fowl" may be the finest Bo Diddley track that the rock & roll legend himself didn't write or record, and also manages to conjure up echoes of the Rolling Stones' "Please Go Home." ~ Bruce Eder




TRACKLIST:
01 My Dear Watson
02 Everybody Lies
03 Troubled Times
04 Hog's Jaw
05 By Hook Or By Crook
06 It's Gonna Hurt You (More Than It Hurts Me)
07 Neither Fish Nor Fowl
08 I Wonder Why People Don't Like Me
09 Snitch Baby
10 Gotta Get Inside That Girl's Mind
11 Headcoatitude
12 I Don't Like You


Download (192k, 37 Mb)

Thee HEADCOATS (UK)

W.O.A.H!
BO IN THEE GARAGE
-LP
1991 (Get Hip)


Re-Up!


"Out of print forever! Thee Headcoats take on Bo Diddley in thee finest fashon, lo-fi and Childish as hell!" - Dionysus


"If it's Friday, there must be a new album by THEE HEADCOATS." - epulse


"Thee Headcoats -- consisting of singer/guitarist Billy Childish, drummer Bruce Brand, and bassist Jonny Johnson -- were the garage-punk kings of the world during their decade-plus career, which ended in 1999. Their music featured all the elements that made Childish a cult figure: raucous, irrepressible energy, astonishing emotional directness, and sly subtle humor in spades -- oh, and an undying love for American blues and British punk, the two influences that have always informed Childish's musical output.

Thee Headcoats' sound was incredibly lo-fi; as you listen to Childish's dirty guitar and accented vocals, you really feel like you're right there in the garage with him, drinking whiskey and hanging out. Sophisticated production has never been the point for Childish, and neither has technical prowess. He has always focused on the visceral, the immediate, the honest -- and that's what you hear when listening to Thee Headcoats. You also hear the sound of a serious band that took nothing seriously, a bunch of mischievous pranksters who never cracked smiles. Despite the fact that they never do anything especially innovative -- every Childish song is in essence a tribute to the music he loves -- Thee Headcoats' music quickly begins to sound like the most original and personable music you've ever heard." - Jesse Ashlock



"When Thee Headcoats assembled to record Headcoatitude the studio were forced to cancel the session. Rather than gripe about it or descend into narcotic lethargy as so many bands would, they merely went to their rehearsal room and recorded a lo-fi album of covers. " - Bizarre (Feb 2001)



TRACKLIST
1. Road Runner (Intro)
2. Crackin' Up
3. Can't Judge a Book
4. Who Do You Love?
5. Greatest Lover in the World
6. Diddy Wah Diddy
7. One Ugly Child
8. Keep Your Big Mouth Shut
9. I Can Tell
10. She's Fine, She's Mine
11. Dearest Darlin'
12. Before You Accuse Me
13. Road Runner


Download (192 Kbs, 48 Mb)

The SINISTER SIX (USA)

OUTTA SIGHT!
-cd
1993 (Empty)


Re-Up!


"From the great Northwest's dark side comes Sinister Six. They play hard, bluesy Garage Rock with no punches pulled. If you know anything about Seattle's underground, you know of its love of garage music and the legendary bands it's spawned (Night Kings, Fallouts, etc...)." - Empty Records


"James Burdyshaw (aka Brother James) was already a legend in the Seattle music scene by the time the Sinister Six got underway in 1992. He had been involved with the mid-'80s trio 64 Spiders, the late-'80s rock group Catbutt with members of the U-Men and Girl Trouble, as well as the short-lived, early-'90s garage outfit Yummy. Burdyshaw founded the Sinister Six with vocalist Doug White, bassist Mark Ferkingstad, and drummer Erik Hildahl. Together the new quartet found themselves under the influence of various garage band luminaries -- the most mentionable being the Sonics, who'd preceded the Sinister Six by three decades on the Northwest scene." - Stephen Howell


"The band is a veritable force of nature on the debut Outta Sight (Empty, 1993). Singer Doug White skins cats with a psychotic grin in I Hate You and Out Of My Way and boasts the howl of a wolfman in Psycho Train and Pain In My Head, songs that rarely deserve to be called "music" but that serve a high-octane dose of vibrations. Guitarist James Burdyshaw's solos are heroically repugnant: having vividissected the voodoobilly I Don't Know and stabbed to death the garage blues Backwards Funny Car, his guitar launches into the glorious distorted riff of Kill You Tonight, thereby sealing one of the few Seattle albums that deserves the title of "masterpiece"." - Piero Scaruffi


Tracklist:
Kill You Tonight
Do You Understand
I Hate You
Psycho Train
Go Away
I Don't Know
Outta Sight!
Mother Joseph
She Starts My Motor
Out Of My Way
Black Berry Brandy
Backwards Funny Car
Whirlwind


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Die LOWLANDER (Germany)

MUMMIEN, MONSTREN, HANSEATEN
-cd
1997? (Crauts Recordings)



Re-Up!



"The Morlocks are dead, but Die Lowlander are their sons and are alive !!! I love them ! - Sylvain


"This is a fist directly in your fucking face. ULTRA hot german far out garage TRASH!!! With a brilliant cover of LIGHTENING BEAT MAN's "Hurt Me" and a PRETTY THINGS styled "I Got My Mojo Workin' "..." - Subterranean.org


"Holy primitive wildness! Während auf der ganzen Welt die Mummies verehrt werden, kennt kaum jemand die um Welten besseren Lowlanders. Eine Fuzzgitarre dröhnt dir den Kopf voll, irgendwo ein Scheppern als Schlagzeug und darüber ein verzerrtes, verlangendes Schreien geschlagen zu werden, das ist "Hurt me". "Gotta go" dann im geliebten uptempo Trash-Rocknroll-Stil schlicht eine Wucht. Und "I got my mojo working": Englischer 60's R&B so aufgedreht dass selbst Teengenerate Mühe hätten dazu nur schon zu Lip-Synchen. Ein Party-Smasher der bestimmt in jedem noch so gediegenen Club ein Bild der Zerstörung hinterlässt!" - Mephisto

"Holy primitive wildness! While in the whole world the Mummies are admired, someone hardly knows the Lowlanders better around worlds. A Fuzzgitarre roars to you the head fully, somewhere a Scheppern as Schlagzeug and over it a distorted requiring crying to be struck that is “Hurt ME”. “Gotta go” then in the loved uptempo Trash Rocknroll style simply a force. And “I got my mojo working”: English 60 ' s R&B so untwisted that even the gene rate trouble it would have in addition only already to Lip Synchen. A party Smasher certainly in each still so gediegenen club the picture of the destruction leaves!" - Transgoogled from German


The Band:
Christian Lowfeld, vox
Boris Lowzovic, buzzz
Guilo Mueller, drrrms
Lutz Langelow, grrrtar
Lowland, sax
Malte, orrrgan



Tracklist:
01 - Gimme that ( Live)
02 - Crisis
03 - In my corner
04 - Gimme that
05 - Dr.Feelgood
06 - Gentlemen prefer blondes
07 - Standing on the corner
08 - Roadrunner
09 - Goin' home
10 - Pretty quick
11 - Strychnine
12 - Bullets over Bremen
13 - Reiß dich zusammen
14 - Melanie
15 - Glory days
16 - Boris
17 - Never had a feeling before
18 - Wild baby low
19 - You gonna miss me
20 - Like no other man
21 - Girl in the pines
22 - News for you
23 - Now it's you I need
24 - Hangin' on
25 - Hurt me
26 - Low-man - Strychnine
27 - Hard lovin' man
28 - Good lookin'
29 - Stop it, baby
30 - I got my mojo workin'


Download (192 Kbs, 98 MB)

BUBBLE (USA)

CHAPTER 7
-CDEP
2003 (BasementBoy)





"The cutesy name might imply a more sugary pop sound, but make no mistake: When Bubble starts blowin' up onstage, what you get is as gritty as it is pretty. Led by hubby-and-wife musicians Share (vocals and guitar) and Bam (drums), the band writes irresistibly tough and trashy tunes enhanced by the pink-haired singer's smoldering rasp (which goes from sounding like Joan Jett to Janis Joplin to Wendy O to Rod Stewart)." - Lina Lecaro

"I'm addicted to BUBBLE, and I invite you to join me right now." - Laurent


" Share, Bam, Luke and Brian are Bubble. Guitar, drums, bass and another guitar are Bubble's machines. One of LA's best bands promised a lot of new stuff from new CD, Chapter 7, at this performance. That they did...Strong clear hard guitars and drums. Sharp hooks and spit-out lyrics with edge and anger. Basics and fundamentals. Integrity and credentials. Dedication and delivery. (The new governor should be this good.) Textures and waa waa pedals. A nice crowd of friends, fans and peers packed in to the Dragonfly for an all too short set, barely a half hour." - MakeaStar.com


"Combining disgustingly hooky melodies, raspy vocals, loud guitars and punk attitudes, Bubble went from being an exciting unpredictable group to becoming brash, alterna/pop/punk leaders at the forefront of the new "glitter" scene." - FiveMilesHigh*



"4 killer rock'n'roll tracks, yeah! there's a few rock'n'roll bands left in the US and BUBBLE is among them, there's no doubt about that. There's been some changes in the line-up since the first album (which is sold-out now) but it didn't have a bad influence on the music. The first song 'I Hurt Myself' directly puts the listener in the atmosphere of this CD EP and those who already know the band will recognize the BUBBLE touch with the first guitar chords.If you're not familiar with the band yet, I can say that those songs are in the punky glam pop rock'n'roll vein. my favourite ones are "I Hurt Myself" and "Love Stains" but "Deadender" and "Kiss Or Kill" (which is more melodic) are good too. Well, you should get this as soon as possible!" - Laurent

Share Ross - Vocals, Guitar and Keyboards
Brian Wong - Bass and Vocals
Bam - Drums and Vocals
Luke Bossendorfer - Guitar and Vocals

TRACKLIST:
1. I Hurt Myself
2. Deadender
3. Kiss Or Kill
4. Love Stains


DOWNLOAD (192k, 13 Mb)

The VILETONES (Canada)

A TASTE OF HONEY
-CD
1996 (Other People's Music)


Re-Up!


"one of the most important punk bands of all time" - Lester Bangs


"Way back in the Spring of '77, in a mere two hours (utilizing a mere two-track recorder!), four guys from far-off Toronto more or less set the tone for all that was to become - albeit all-too-briefly - the phenomenon known as (N.American) punk rock.

Sure, them Ramones were already inching towards the bottom of the Billboard charts, and such pretenders-to-the-gutter as the Dead Boys and Dickies were busy tightening their Levis and chopping up their Bowie shags. But The Viletones, propelled by the fierce six strings of guitarist Freddy Pompeii and the anything-Iggy-can-cut-I-can-cut-deeper antics of vocalist Steven "Nazi Dog" Leckie, had by early 1977 already defiantly distilled their Pistol-y attack in the bars and college basements of Southern Ontario, Canada.

Fortunately for us and, yes I suppose history's sake, the 'tones had the foresight to one afternoon record their entire repertoire and its release now, two whole decades later, not only proves this band to be one of the few genuine practitioners of p-rock at the time (before the neutered pap of the Costellos and Cars took over), but demonstrates just how positively trite modern-day interpreters of this genre really, really are. To sum up then, this disc's one history lesson you certainly can - and should - slam away to. Have fun!" - Gary "Pig" Gold

Viletones
Steven Leckie: vocals
Freddy Pompeii: guitars
Chris Haight: bass
Motor X: drums

post produced by :
Peter Moore and Chris Spedding


Tracklist:
Never Feel Sad
I Hate You-Without You
Just For You
Dog Style
Screamin' Fist
I Don't Care
Little Girl
Possibilities
Danger Boy
Rebel
C.O.N.T.R.O.L.
Richard Speck
Swastika Girl
Rather Be With Me
Does She Jump
KGB
Won't You Let Me
Bonus Track


Download (192 Kbs, 65 MB)

The ROCKY HORROR SHOW (UK) - Original London Cast

THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW
-LP
1973 (UKAL 1006)





".....The album that started it all.....
Although TRHS has become a huge pop culture phenomenon today, back in 1973, the original production was a very simple show put on in a very small, intimate theatre. Since there wasn't much of a budget to speak of, very few props and special effects were used (unlike most of the official productions staged by Rocky Horror, Ltd. today). The fact that the first production of TRHS was such a low-budget, experimental piece of musical theatre MUST be considered when listening to the Original London Cast album for the first time.

The album is very different in that it was actually recorded in a day (and you can tell.) The musical arrangements and the orchestrations sound very amateurish, but that's how the music was originally written. Plus, it was recorded back when the show had only been running a short while. This recording is really the only official release of the score as it was originally performed.

Technically speaking, this album leaves a lot to be desired. Compared to the professionally produced Original Roxy Cast album it sounds like a demo recording...

The great thing about this album is the nostalgic value, it's the VERY FIRST production, and the fact that five of the members from this ensemble went on to do TRHPS makes it more appealing...

Another interesting note is that when this album was released in 1973 on UK/King Of England Records, it had a few engineering flaws in the first pressing. The errors were fixed with a bit of re-mixing, and the album was re-issued a short time later. ALL versions of the Original London Cast Album are the re-mixed version EXCEPT for the vinyl UK/King Of England release (UKAL 1006).


***Here are the differences in the 2 versions of the Original London Cast album:

# On the first pressing (UKAL 1006), 'The Time Warp' is mixed very poorly. During the chorus, the voices are mixed unevenly, and all you can hear is Richard O'Brien's voice. This make the song sound like a Riff solo. (Some Ritz junkies may argue that this makes this version superior...) The REMIXED version (all other releases) features an evenly mixed chorus in which you can hear all the right performers.

# On the first pressing, there's a small flaw in 'The Sword Of Damocles'..... in the beginning of the song when Rocky is being created and the music starts, Rocky sounds like he lets out a belch to start out the song. In the REMIXED version, the flaw has been fixed, and the song starts fine.

# On the first pressing, 'Hot Patootie (Bless My Soul)' is a few seconds longer, and the song ends abruptly with Eddie's death. In the REMIXED version, the song is shorter, and it ends in a fade. (Why they remixed this is beyond me.)

Remember that ALL versions of this album are the re-mixed version except for the original vinyl UKAL 1006 release. This first pressing is a bit difficult to find, but the differences in the two versions are few and far apart that it would probably only be of value to the extreme die-hard collectors." - sanityfortoday.com


CAST:
Narrator: Jonathon Adams
Frank-N-Furter: Tim Curry
Riff-Raff: Richard O'Brien
Brad Majors: Christopher Malcolm
Janet Weiss: Belinda Sinclair
Rocky Horror: Rayner Bourton
Usherette/Magenta: Patricia Quinn
Columbia: Little Nell
Eddie/Dr. Scott: Paddy O'Hagan

MUSICIANS
Richard Hartley: piano and organ
Count Ian Blair: guitar, electric and acoustic
Dennis Cowan: bass guitar
Martin Fitzgibbon: drums
Phil Kenzie: sax


TRACKLIST:
01 Science Fiction Double Feature
02 Dammit Janet
03 Over at the Frankenstein Place
04 Sweet Transvestite
05 The Time Warp
06 Sword of Damocles
07 Hot Patootie (Bless My Soul)
08 Touch-A-Touch-A-Touch-A-Touch Me
09 Once in a While
10 Rose Tint My World
11 I'm Going Home
12 Superheroes
13 Science Fiction Double Feature (Reprise)

DOWNLOAD (256k, 68 Mb)

OUTSIDEINSIDE (USA)

SIX POINT SIX
-CD
1994 (Hell Yeah)


Re-Up!


"Lee Joseph used to be the guy with the weird 'bowl-haircut in the Yard Trauma and he more recently played in the Outsideinside. He also owns the excellent Dionysus, Hell Yeah and Bacchus record labels that have gained a lot of respect in the garage and surf community throughout the years and more blabla..." - Dan Podakin

Cosmik: Why did you start Hell Yeah Records?

LJ: When the "garage" bands dried up and there was a lot of cool non-60s music happening in the 80s, we released some records that...fans of Dionysus didn't dig. At the same time, I'm sure that a lot of others would have liked the records but..they couldn't get past the name Dionysus cause they expected a 60s sound. Stuff like Kings Of Oblivion,Trash Can School, Dana Lynn, Lance Kaufman, Axel Grinders, later Yard Trauma... So, we decided to get a new identity for the release of these kinds of records. - Cosmik Debris Feb/96

"Meandering between feedback-heavy punk raves to near distortion-free pop gems and then finally descending into a hellish storm of electronic squeals, OI have what it takes to satisfy.

I've liked everything I've heard from the folk, and well, this is the most coherent bunch of songs they've committed to disc yet. I can hear a real band sound developing. While this does limit their scope a bit, it's probably for the best.

And don't worry about a lack of experimentation. Just flick on the title track and find yourself lost.

Perhaps the slightest bit mellower, but still light years from being mistaken for Green Day. Outsideinside is still foundering in the gutter, and I couldn't be more pleased. "
-reviewed in Aiding and Abetting issue #52, 4/15/94

Vocals, Lead and Rhythm Guitar: Lee Joseph
Lead and Rhythm Guitar: Eric Arn
Bass: Melanie Bruck
Drums and Percussion: Allen Baxendale
Produced by Geza X., Lee Joseph, and Billy Bizeau

Tracklist
Sky's On Fyre
Big Hero, Big Zero
Two Weeks In Twelve Hours
Crimson Witch
Goldstar
Baklava
Desire
Non Sequitur
Chaos
Wet Majik Sex Dream
You Make Me Laugh, You Make Me Die
Truth, The
Sea, The
Six Point Six


Download (192 kbs, 57 MB)

The BUGHOUSE FIVE (Canada)

DARK DAYS PASSING
-CD
1996 (East Side Records)





"Coming from a world where Gene Vincent and Leonard Cohen share the same brain... Bughouse 5 produces some of the most melancholy Rockabilly to ever stay at home, smash up the furniture, and drink itself to sleep every night." - eastvanmungo


"BUGHOUSE FIVE was formed in September, 1991 by the members of several of Vancouver's most notorious bands; The Nervous Fellas, The Rocking Edsels and Art Bergman, to name a few.

Fronted by the charismatic Butch "Big Boy" Murphy and backed up by the rock solid drumming of Taylor Little(Furies), the band quickly earned a name as one of the hardest working, most entertaining rockabilly bands around.

Their two early releases on East Side Records, Solid and Dark Days Passing, gave evidence to the strong songwriting and cool musicianship that are Bughouse Five's hallmark to this day." - Dense Milt


"Far from a mere rockabilly band, Vancouver's Bughouse Five stretch out in all directions on their first CD. Guitarist Russel Schindel's Peter Green-like slinky blues guitar, clipped country staccatos and pure pop strumming are excellent throughout, and he particularly shines on the opening cut "Move." Not that the rest of the band is to be ignored -- far from it. Upright bassist Ron Hayward is known all over town for his hard-hitting Railway Club jam sessions and he smokes here as ever; drummer Taylor Little has played with almost everyone of note in town, for good reason; and singer Butch Murphy holds down the ruckus with as soulful a set of pipes as Eddie Cochran.

This band kicks up some serious fun and furious frenetic boppin' on cuts like "Really Ugly," and covers like the classic "Tell Me Mama" and Dave Alvin's "I Don't Want To." Or they play sensitive country blues numbers, like Hayward's great "601 South Delta Blues." If they're chasing down a single it would be hard to best Schindel's "Old Tom Mullen," one of those catchy folk ballad rockers that has a timeless quality about it.

It's a hard road to travel down these days, being a rockabilly-influenced country rock band in the nineties, but genuine emotion should stand for something, and the Bughouse Five have plenty." - Stuart Derdeyn

BUTCH MURPHY - vocals, harmonica
RUSSELL SCHINDEL - guitars, backing vocals
RONNIE HAYWARD - Upright Bass
TAYLOR LITTLE - Drums, percussion

TRACKLIST:
01 Move
02 Really Ugly
03 Soothing Green
04 Leaving
05 Old Tom Mullen
06 Linger On
07 Tell Me Mama
08 Dark Days Passing
09 Colour Bearer
10 Truth
11 601 South Delta Blues
12 Sweet Virginia
13 I Don't Want To

DOWNLOAD (192k, 58 Mb)

The MUMMIES (USA)

RUNNIN' ON EMPTY Vol.1
-LP
1996 (Estrus)


Re-Up!


"Garage rock played by psychos who wore nothing but mummy bandage over their naked bodies using instruments who didn't cost more than their clothes and sucking everything from The Sonics. THIS IS ROCK AND ROLL!!" - danelectro


"This is a classic album." - Dirk Ungawa



"Say dig you punkniks this, and lend me your ears. For ‘tis i that have been given the unfortunate task of swaying your better Judgement. To hip you to this swinging group of recking no counts, The Mummies! In the record bizz-nizz that’s got promises no more of blueswailing this, or wilderness that, I say HAH! Dig that this hairy group of hellish Nothings have pounded a bloody trail from BumF#ck Egypt, to San Francisco California, using outta this world Teenage Disaster Hell sounds emitted from the Cheapest of Thrift store instruments. Dig that in which every Mummies show was required by law to be a hard-hat wearing area, and the site condemned immediately thereafter. Dig that daring humans to withstand the onslaught and stench of the Uncooked, Gut-churning throw-up noise those masters of sloppedness call Rythem and Blues (hah!) either run screaming (like a regular L7) , or let out the honest to Gawd Skull-Skorching ugliness burn into there souls. so dig this you wiggy ones, this flaming chunk o’ wax, convulsing with sounds if 4 Ball-Blasting Mofos, and 3 times as many screw ups. Yeah, 3 times as many. It just wouldn’t be the Mummies any other way. So What have you got to say about that, Boys? “ If you Dont like What you hear, BLOW IT OUT YOUR ASS!!!” The Mummies rule of Thumb: “ When in doubt............Punk it out!!!!” ---Yeah!"- prof. Pap Amen-Kortex March 1990


"The first installment of yet another post-mortem batch of Mummies gems culled from the corroded corners of the wrapped ones' cavernous crapper this LP unearths the very first recordings attempted by the band recorded between the last months of 1988 and the first part of 1989 and a complete, uncut and uncensored Mummies show recorded live at the Chameleon 9/5/91 which is perhaps the best fidelity you're likely to hear from a recorded Mummies show, bootlegs be damned." - Estrus

Trent Ruane: organ
Russell Quan: drums
Maz Kattuah: bass
Larry Winther: guitar

side one are all previously unreleased recordings:
side two is live at the Chameleon 9/5/91:

Tracklist:
1. One Potato, Two Potato
2. The House On The Hill
3. Die!
4. (They Call Me) Willie The Wild One
5. The Mummies' Theme
6. Shit
7. The Double Axe
8. Come On Up (Felix Cavaliere)
9. What A Way To Die
10. The Fly
11. Uncontrollable Urge (Devo)
12. Justine (Don Harris, Dewey Terry)
13. (My Love Is) Stronger Than Dirt
14. Skinny Minnie (B. Haley, A. "Rusty" Keefer, C. Cafra, M. Gabier)
15. One Potato, Two Potato

Download (192 kbs, 56 Mb)