The GRUESOMES (Canada)

GRUESOMANIA
- LP
1987 (Og! Records)


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"Gruesomania. It started in a basement. It spread to the small clubs. It conquered Canada. Now it's threatening the world...You too can get infected with Gruesomania. The only needle you need is the one on your record player. So what are you waiting for? Slap on the platter, kick out mom and dad, and crank it up!" - liner notes


"SUMMER 1987… Downtown in Montreal, Canada. It’s towards the end of a great holiday, visiting my sister and her husband.
I’m standing in a record store called Cheap Thrills, having decided to buy a Canadian LP as a souvenir of my stay. In the ‘local music’ section a sleeve catches my eye: four guys with bowl haircuts, fringes almost down to their noses, standing outside an American gothic house that could have come straight off an Addams Family set. The Gruesomes. I ask the assistant, ‘Who are these guys?’ He tries to sell me a Canadian country-pop LP, dismissing The Gruesomes as, ‘Okay, but kinda pointy boots, sixties...’ I ignore him and buy the LP anyway, having been convinced by the sleeve notes (by Fuad Rainses) which promise ‘...primitive raunch, maracca- shakin’ rave-ups, harp wailin’ R&B and other teenage sounds...’

I return home. All the way from Heathrow the rain is pouring, as it should when you come back to England. I put the record on as I unpack...I am hooked forever. The sound is like The Pretty ‘Things and The Downliners Sect, but, if anything, louder and cruder. I have discovered 1980s garage punk...



The Gruesomes sound developed, but always remained true to
the same crude snotty garage R&B. Like The Tell-Tale Hearts, they
always sounded as if they had more in common with the wilder
British R&B merchants than the more American Nuggets/Pebbles
bands. They also had a fondness for covers of obscure ’60s
Quebecois R&B sung in French." - Phil Suggitt


"Montreal quartet who specialized, originally in '60's garage style cover tunes with an affinity for punk formed in 1985. With all the members between the ages of 16 and 19, they derived their influences from bad TV and listening to obscure mid-60's record. The band took its name from an episode of The Flintstones.

After garnering attention with two EPs on Primitive Records in 1985, and less than a year after picking up musical instruments for the first time, they released their debut album, 'Tyrants Of Teen Trash', in 1986 for Og Music.

The album sold well in Europe and North America and frequently landed at the No.1 position on many alternative playlists across Canada.

Their following grew which led to back-to-back LP releases of 'Gruesomania' (1987) and 'Hey!' (1988) making them one of Canada's biggest selling underground acts.

However, the extreme pressures of touring and recording finally took their toll on the band and they broke up at the height of their popularity in 1990." - Wes Doerksen and Patrick LeBoutillier

Gerry Alvarez - guitar, vocals
John Davis - bass
John "Jed" Knoll - drums
Bobby Beaton - vocals, guitar, harmonica

Tracklist:
Way Down Below
I'm glad for you
Leave my Kitten Alone
Ain't got Nothing
Whirlpool
I Can't Tell
Buzz off
Je cherche
Why Me?
Time's Gonna Come
Jack Knife
Outta my Mind
You Said Yeah
Heart Full of Pain

-PRODUCED by Pete Moss and The Gruesomes

Download (160 kbs, 42 Mb)

THEY CAME FROM THE NORTH (Sweden) - V/A

THEY CAME FROM THE NORTH
-cd
2003 (Zorch)



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"This comp is a pretty solid document of today's Scandinavian garagerock scene, mostly 'pure' 60s fuzz style r'n'r and r&b/garagepunk since Zorch wanted to show what the scene has evolved into after the 80s garagerock reign of bands like Nomads and Stomachmouths. There's known bands like Sweatmaster, Baby Woodrose, Flaming Sideburns, The Maggots, The Chronics and The Strollers but also great tunes by bands I'm not that familiar with like Maharajahs, Voladoras, The Satans, Glendoras and The Skreppers (The Seeds meets Dead Kennedys!?). Lotsa other names could easily have been included on this CD, I mostly miss The Defectors, but that's Zorch Productions' choice and a minor complaint on my behalf since there's not a weak track on "They Came From The North". More unreleased and rare tunes could've been included though. Zorch, why not make this into a series of comps? In 20 years those could be the Scandinavian "Nuggets" albums." - Jens, LowCut Magazine


Tracklist:
01 - Satans-She ain't kind
02 - Skreppers-Hot pants
03 - Maharajas-Summer nights
04 - Sweatmaster-Precious
05 - Nocounts-Blown away
06 - Roadrunners-Can you be true?
07 - Flaming Sideburns-Up in flames
08 - Giljoteens-Empty soul
09 - Baby Woodrose-My flash on you
10 - Glendoras-Bloodsucker
11 - Voladoras-Geetar slut
12 - Maggots-It is time
13 - Strollers-Captain of my ship
14 - Chronics-Make you move


Download (192 kbs, 48 Mb)

The HISTORY OF VANCOUVER ROCK AND ROLL Vol.4 (Canada) - V/A

THE HISTORY OF VANCOUVER ROCK AND ROLL Vol.4
-LP/CD
1991 (Vancouver Record Collectors Association)






"If ever there was any doubt that Vancouver's '60s bands were the creative equals of their American counterparts, this CD should settle that issue forever. From raw punk and blue-eyed soul, to folk-rock and sublime psychedelia, all bases are covered. Highlights include Mock Duck (a silkier and more sophisticated Iron Butterfly), the Northwest Company (whose fiery guitar bursts strafed the musical landscape with Kinks-like intensity) and William Tell & the Marksmen (surely on anyone's short-list of great undiscovereds).

Mock Duck's "Do Re Mi" is a stunning original which richly deserved, like many tunes here, U.S. exposure that it never received. With its dark, time-shifting melody and ethereal organ, it had all the makings of an international hit. So did "Mary Jane" by William Tell & the Marksmen -- a finer slice of psychedelia you'd be hard pressed to find. "Hard to Cry" perfectly embodies the Northwest Company's rhythm blitzkrieg approach (circa 1967) and stands proudly beside any Yank or Brit garage punk of that era. West Coast guitar stylings à la Moby Grape or Spirit are suggested by Long Time Comin's "Paper Rose." "My New Love," by the Eternal Triangle, seems a hybrid of "Put the Clock Back on the Wall," by the E-Types, and We Five's "You Were on My Mind." English-flavored bubblegum best describes "In a Whirl" by the Look. The Collectors' "Eyes" gets a thumbs-up as a catchy folk sing-along.

Neither the Shockers nor the Silver Chalice Revue particularly impressed this reviewer, but that's a matter of taste. And while the One Way Street's offerings are middlingly strong psychedelia, the fact that their tunes mistakenly appeared on Louisiana Punk, Vol. 2 (Eva) merely confirms the obvious -- they sounded just like everybody else. Spring's "A Country Boy Named Willy" is unmistakably an early '70s tune -- it just has that countryfied-boogie feel. If you're looking for variety in your pop-music diet, you can't ask for much more than this compilation serves up. Check it out. It's definitely worth a listen." - Stansted Montfichet


TRACKLIST:
Side 1
1. The Northwest Company - Hard To Cry
2. The Northwest Company - Get Away From It All
3. The Northwest Company - Eight Hour Day
4. William Tell & The Marksmen - Mary Jane
5. The Shockers - Love Is A Beautiful Thing
6. The Eternal Triangle - My New Love
7. Long Time Comin' - Paper Rose
8. Long Time Comin' - Part Of The Season

Side 2
1. The One Way Street - Listen To Me
2. The One Way Street - Tears
3. Mock Duck - Do Re Mi
4. The Look - In A Whirl
5. The Collectors - Eyes
6. The Collectors - Don't Feel Bad
7. Silver Chalice Revue - Soul Drifting
8. Spring - Country Boy Named Willy


DOWNLOAD (320k, 75 Mb)

The FLAMENCO A GO GO (Japan)

THE FLAMENCO A GO GO
- CD
1993 (Cranky Disc/Wonder Release Records)


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"The Flamenco A Go Go were a legendary, but short-lived, trashy garage rock band from Japan. Three girls & one guy on drums. Some really funny lyrics - probably unintentional! Check out the song titles like "Make Me Stinked." Singer and guitar player later went on to form Hawaiian influenced Petty Booka." - S. Pross "iamarobot"


"A good, fun, rockin’ band. Ryosuke Izuhara wrote the songs. They’re sung in English; they’re adventurous; they’re pleasingly clever; and they couldn’t be pretentious if they tried. Their first CD’s production is wanting, but the songs are so strong, I recommend everything this band did. Between this and Fully Fed Freaks (their 2nd CD), I like these songs better, and the less raucous nature of the band here presents them as a celebration of adolescent fun! They’ve left us something well worth remembering." -Rock of Japan

Satomi Asano--vocal & kazoo
Fusae Oyanagi--guitar
Wakana Katsuta--drums & bg vocal
Ryosuke Izuhara--bass

Tracklist:
1.No Smile
2.I'm Ace
3.Blow Jobs
4.The Lust Of The Sick Silly Boy
5.Holly Supper
6.People Say
7.Crazy Sound
8.Stuff's Loaeded With Fun
9.Please Don't Tell A Lie
10.Pitty Thing

Produced by Hiroshi Asada

Download (192 kbs, 37 Mb)

RAISED BY WOLVES (Canada)

HOT BLOOD
-CD
2005 (Stomp And Howl)


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"Raised By Wolves are an action band. All Action. Most of the time. We take some holidays off. Once in a while we call in sick. But almost all the time, we’re all action! We like Rock and Roll. Jerry Lee Lewis, Hasil Adkins, Screamin' Jay, The Mummies. We like to Fuzz it up. Heave it out.
We’re all Go." - Billy Bones


"Raised by Wolves is among the more exciting rock bands prowling the Vancouver circuit nowadays. If you haven’t seen them or at least listened to their smokin’ debut album Hot Blood, there is quite simply no goddamn excuse. I encourage you to feel ashamed. You need guidance. Let my chat with front man Billy Bones educate you. Your salvation is not yet lost.

Nerve: For the poor bastards who are unfamiliar with Raised by Wolves, please describe your music.
Billy: Well, our sound is a jumble of all the things we like, like garage and rockabilly and punk rock and basically anything that really makes you… I don’t really have the right words, but stuff that makes you want to howl, y’know? Anything that requires you to lean back before you go into… I’m into. We like really poppy, hooky kinda stuff but it’s gotta be trashy and aggressive still.

Nerve: Care to comment on the state of rock ‘n’ roll in Vancouver specifically, and Canada generally?
Billy: I think North America as a whole is pretty weak. It seems like in Japan and Europe everybody likes rock ‘n’ roll. Mind you, in Vancouver there are so many great bands. I’d say along with Montreal, it’s got the best scene as far as the bands go. It seems there are more great bands than there are people who want to go out and see great bands.

Nerve: Why do you think that is?
Billy: Maybe it’s too easy? Everything is so easy in Vancouver so maybe people don’t take full advantage. They just think there’s always going to be great shows here so they just don’t go. Places like Saskatoon have to deal with the winter and then summer and the mosquitoes. Here, you don’t have that. You’ve got guys like Frank Rumbletone who work really hard to provide low-cost shows all the time." - interview by Devon Cody

Raised By Wolves:
Billy: guitar, vocals
Krista: keyboards
Marty: guitar
Monkey: bass
Steve: drums


TRACKLIST:
1. I Like To Howl!
2. Outta Site!
3. Burn It All Down
4. Can't Pay My Bills
5. Flat Black
6. Get Off My Back
7. Rats Are Gonna Ride
8. I Saw You
9. She Tore Out My Heart
10. Showtime!
11. Try The Punch
12. Trash Like Me


DOWNLOAD (192 kbs, 27 Mb)

The HIGHBALLS (Canada)

MONTEZUMA'S REVENGE
-CD
2004





"Party hearty! A faux Mexican extravaganza from start to finish, this band is sure to knock you on your ass (if not, the tequila will) with their brand of mariachi-punk-ska-surf-Tex-Mex like you've never heard!" - Zula


"These fez wearing pseudo-Spaniards party like it's 1959. Son como mulas locas." - Red Cat


"The Highballs are lo-fi, light-hearted and lots of fun. That said, they also may have just partied their way into a an entirely new form of musical expression. My first stab at classification would go something like, "acoustic mariachi punk". The sextet have dreamt up not only a completely original style but the personas and pen names to go with it. You gotta smile along with any band that wears flowerpot fez's and has a drummer named Senor Discount. Montezuma's Revenge is a neat little disc recorded with little flourish and a lot of crazed energy.The tracks that blend surf and ska with the south 'o the border like 'Monkey' and 'Lavas Los Dientes' work best. Catch the LIVE experience if you can but don't be a sucker. These guys taunt for tequilas. I've seen it happen and it's not pretty." - Cal Koat


"The Highballs' Montezuma's Revenge hasn't left our CD player in a week. Actually, we took it out momentarily to slip in some Sly and the Family Stone . I mention this only because the two bands are so similar in spirit and coolness. Quintessential Party Bands! Of course, The Highballs are a Mexican party band -- at least as Mexican as a bunch of guys from Vancouver can get. They've got their brass section, guitar, bass, drums, banjo, and funny little hats (are they called pezes?) -- a full-on Mexican wall of sound accented with broken Spanish banter, sung in perfect rock and roll rhythm. Those of you that have seen The Highballs live know what I mean, but to really get the wit and grandiose hilarity of the lyrics, you've got to buy the album. Some of my favourite moments on the disc are Guaco's Cheech-like comments (especially in "Grasshopper"), the desperation in Puerco's voice in "Monkey" (as he tries to get rid of the monkey), the rap in "Lavas Las Dientes", and the myriad of groovy melodies that jump out of each instrument all over the place. Man, these guys are good. When you buy Montezuma's Revenge by "los hombres jovennes que no es testicularos tienen mas bajado", you are bringing the whole party home. Simply, slip the disc into your player, and prop the cover up on your mantle. You too can have a fiesta in your living room!" - Marian

The Highballs:
Puerco guitar
Guaco bass
Senor Discount drums
Manuel Labour banjo
Marco Esperanza saxophone
Jépé trumpet

Tracklist:
01 La Pachenka
02 Juanita
03 Frio Bandelero
04 Grasshopper
05 Donde Esta El Bano
06 Monkey
07 Quiero Bi Bueno
08 Lavas Las Dientes

DOWNLOAD (192k, 58 Mb)

The LUST-O-RAMA (Norway)

21 LUSTFUL SONGS
-CS
199? (BFTBCD)


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"$150 for Lust-O-Rama?!? Which 45 was that?
I have all those Norwegian garage releases from the late 80s/early 90s... I think Lust-O-Rama were one of the best acts from that period, regardless of nationality. I even used to buy crappy bootleg live tapes from their fanclub, I'm sure I have them stacked away somewhere......" - pfft


"Lust-O-Rama was definitely not a pop band. We were a down'n dirty garage-punk band, which was exactly what I wanted as the Cosmic Dropouts had started to turn more and more into a hard rock act. Credit to the boys in the beginning, they were absolutely up for it and it didn't take us long to get some gigs and a single released in Germany. Soon we were off touring in Europe. Now, that's what it's all about. Playing music for people in another country who are actually showing up because they bought the records and liked the music. It was fantastic...

Virgin Records wanted to sign us at one stage, but I guess they saw no future in a garage band like us in the midst of grungemania, which today would have made every record company in the country come running with fat contracts. We did much better in central Europe and had a good and steady following there. For some odd reason we attracted quite a lot of mods at our gigs, which didn't make any sense, as we were more of a punk rock band live. It must have been our razor sharp stage outfits that did it.

Since nothing happened, the boys seemed to be satisfied with what they had already achieved and they ended up as lethargic couch potatoes. They didn't want to do anything. No touring unless it was in a luxury van, no recordings, no nothing. Shame is though, we had started working on what would be the second album and we had some fantastic things going, but I didn't have time for all the bollocks so I fired the whole band." - Arne Thelin

The Lust-O-Rama:
Arne Thelin: lead vocals, harmonica, tambourine, maraccas, screams
Erik Hovde: guitars, backing vocals
Sjur Fladager: organ
Rolf Yngve Uggen: bass, backing vocals
Bulle: drums, cymbals

Tracklist:
01 - I want you
02 - Trasher
03 - Baby baby
04 - Yeah!
05 - The way things should be
06 - Hey hey hey
07 - Gotta be loved
08 - I'm down
09 - Been so long
10 - That's okay
11 - Again and again
12 - Candyman
13 - Night of the sadist
14 - Run from her
15 - Soapy
16 - Gloria
17 - Game of love
18 - Won't be runnin'
19 - Trip me up
20 - In and out
21 - Can't give you anything

Download (192 kbs, 73 MB)

Update: Arne contacted me shortly after I first posted this bootleg, concerned that it might actually be for sale. Turns out that this is a fan-made (artwork and all) comp of unreleased material.
Lust-O-Rama material is still available for purchase, contact info is in the comments.

F*UCKING F*UCK F*UCKERS

All files that were hosted by GigaSnooze have "somehow" been magically deleted.
Re-ups galore coming up, stay tuned...

LULU'S MARBLE (Japan)

AFRO GIRL
-CD
1997 (Sexcite Records)


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"Four young women kicking out some classics in a ruthless garage mode. This powerful, rockin’ band’s signature is the background screaming (nearly every song). I swear, it doesn’t get better, or wilder, or crazier than this! Technically, they could be better, which only proves how totally unnecessary that would be. The whole band’s great, and there’s a definite SONICS influence in the way they pound these songs out like they own them all!

...Though it remains based in the pounding garage mode that was theirs, the growth here is exciting, and much of it is in their songwriting. This is my favorite version of ‘Inside Looking Out’, but ‘Spice Powder’ is a promise of the future this band could have had, with dancing girls in scarves and caravans rolling through your mind. This band was growing, and yet not losing any of what made them great, until they lost Akko, their singer/guitarist in ‘99, and then it was gone." Rock Of Japan

Akko--vocal & guitar
Toshie--bass & bg vocal
Miwa--drums
Oka--organ & bg vocal


TRACKLIST
1. Afro Girl Go A Go
2. Lulu & Lover’s Lover
3. How Much Is Love
4. New Orleans
5. Kitsch Girl
6. High & Low
7. Spice Powder
8. Girl Give Me Love
9. Hey Mother
10. Inside Looking Out
11. Choc Ice (Chocolate Ice)
12. Choc Ice~Mono Mix


Download (128 kbs, 28 Mb)

The DROPOUTS (Canada)

THE DROPOUTS
-CDep
2003 (Dropouts Music)





Dark, sexy, and as morbidly seductive as a Quentin Tarantino flick, this female-fronted foursome has been breaking hearts and stealing souls with their tales of love, betrayal, revenge, and bloody demise.




AFTER SCHOOL SPECIALS
-CD
2005 (Dropouts Music)





The front cover only looks innocent. A quick flip to the songlist on the back gives ample warning of what's to come: "In The Shadows", "Six Feet Under", "Suckerpunch"... With narrative imagery that's as vivid as the best film-noir classics from Blue Velvet to Chinatown, each and every tune is an erotic pulp thriller that dances with the macabre.


"Some people will call it garage-punk-rockabilly, or psychobilly, or Kill-Billy or even Jezebilly. We call it rock and roll." - The Dropouts


"So there's this band from London, Ontario you should definitely check out. And no, this isn't some street-team b.s. either. I've seen them a few times, but most recently on Saturday night and they tore the roof off.
They're called The Dropouts and they play mashed up garage-punk-rockabilly rock'n'roll stuff. I don't wanna call them psychobilly because they're not a cookie-cutter cartoon schlock band with giant hair and 500 sacred heart tattoos. They have a great, original sound and play tight as all fuck.
They have a chick lead singer whose voice is really distinctive.. Let's just say she can really sing for real. The rest of the band really knows how to play, too." - LDHBA, Groupie in Training



"A healthy combination of the Misfits and Crash Vegas, The Dropouts capitalize on their female singer. Her borderline operatic vocals are the ray of light shining through the band's dark, yet catchy riffs." - matt

The Dropouts:

Candace Beaul - vocals and organ
Corey Shipp - guitar
Chadwick Shipp - bass
John Augustine - drums

THE DROPOUTS S/T:
1. Painted Moonlite
2. Laid 'Em Low
3. Bored Stiff
4. Monster Bash
5. Loaded Gun
6. Loudmouth, Quiet Days
7. Horror Hotel
*. Idle But Deadly (Live Broadcast) - bonus

"This 7-song EP debut by London, Ontario's monsterbilly quartet is striking in its fusion of surf, garage and rockabilly; not simply a throwback to what other bands have done but The Dropouts instead have captured a sound they're defining on their own terms.

Corey Shipp's licks reinterpret 50s and 80s rhythms, and Candace Beaul's countryesque punk vocal sensibilities complement his guitar work better than any of the current revivalists would be able to muster. John Augustine's timely, head-bopping drumming and Chadwick Shipp's bass don't miss a single beat, and the maturity in this outfit sounds well beyond their years: there's no grandstanding or one-upmanship, just four in-sync rock and rollers giving life to an obtuse local music scene currently overrun by emo/screamo sound-a-likes.

The first six tracks are all original numbers and the energy is constant; the pace scaling down to mid-tempo for their fabulous cover of The Misfits' "Horror Hotel" which ends the record much too soon. Andy Magoffin of London's House of Miracles again does a masterful job of producing a band that allows The Dropouts to keep their own voice, and at the same time bringing out the best of each member.

Put The Dropouts in San Francisco, Austin, Texas or Chicago's underground and you would have heard of them long ago..." - Andreas Gripp, Music Director, CHRW 94.9 FM 2002-2004


AFTER SCHOOL SPECIALS:
1. In The Shadows
2. Six Feet Under
3. Sucker Punch
4. Don't Make A Move
5. Blissful Torture
6. Bleeding On The Sabbath
7. Murder Following
8. Fallen Crown
9. Black Dress
10. The Night The Caddy Died

"Good ol' twang-tinged, laydee fronted Rock n' Roll from Vancouver's soon to be secret lovers. If you take the honest to Garage sounds of Holly Golightly and mix them with the sultry country sensibilities of Coal and the Rawkabilly sneer of Nashville Pussy you would end up with a band that would be skipping classes with The Dropouts." - Red Cat

DOWNLOAD (256k, 99 Mb)