FLAT DUO JETS (USA)

LUCKY EYE
-CD
1998 (Outpost)


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"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)



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"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)




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"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)


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"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)


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"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


Download (192 Kbs, 56 Mb)

Die LOWLANDER (Germany)

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



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"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)