MARK & THE SPIES (MARK & THE SPIES)

Thanks to all of you for your comments, I hope all of your Christmas's went well and I'd like to wish all of you a Happy New Year. Ya know how every once in a while a band comes along that's so good that from the very first listen your just totally hooked? Well, if great hook laden 60's influenced pop is your thing than your gonna love this. Easily one of the best garage lp's that I heard in a long time. MARK & THE SPIES, hail from a village called Veenendaal in the Netherlands. They started out as a rock'n'roll trio, only having a few vocal songs, but mostly instrumental Link Wray kinda stuff. After some gigs they broke up, reunited and broke up again. After that Mark (bass/vocals) and Arjan (guitar/vocals) started writing songs of their own. They found themselves a new drummer (Gerrit), a keyboard/saxophone player (Jelle) and things got finally pushed in the right direction. At the beginning of 2007 their first official release saw the light of day, a 7' EP on the Spanish label Butterfly Records and people all around the globe immediately started to rave about it. These guys have singles, a New lp, and a new singe available in January. Give this a listen and then go buy everything available from these guys, you wont be disappointed.
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REFERENCES - SOUNDFLAT MAILORDER - MYSPACE - OFFICIAL SITE
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SCREAMING APPLE RECORDS 2007
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!!!!!!DOWNLOAD!!!!!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Here's a Christmas present for you. There's really no rhyme or reason to this, other than I was looking through my records and theses songs happen to jump out at me. I hope you and your families have a great holiday season.
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Frank
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1. The Jets--Paper Girl
2. The Headboys--The Shape of things to come
3. The Toasters--Teenage Tease
4. The Crowd-- Living in Madrid
5. The Metros--In With The Crowd
6. Sincere Americans--Contact
7. Elton Motello--Victim of Time
8. 999--Lets Face It
9. Fast Cars--Cry
10. The Acceclerators--Radio Blues
11. Squad--Flasher
12. Scream--Screaming
13. Buzz and The Gang--Hearts Waiting
14. The Reaction--Talk Talk Talk Talk
15. Blondie--Picture this
16. Flys--Fortunes
17. Close Lobsters--Let's make some plans
18. The Knack--That's what the little girls do
19. Utopia--I Just Want to Touch You
20. Posies--Under Easy
21. 3--Swan Street
22. Hot Dates--The heart of You
23. The Rattlers--I Wont be Your Victim
24. The A's--Words
25. The Outlets--Not too Late
26. Post Raisin Band- Pink Lincoln
27. K-tels--I hate music
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Merry Christmas

THE JONESES (JONESTOWN SINGLE)

Excellent first release from the Joneses. Criminals in my car is one of my favorite punk tunes. Pill box from the Somebody got their head kicked in comp is great too. I never liked much else after that. The Joneses formed as the Southern California Punk movement found new life at the beaches: Venice, Hermosa &
Long Beach. After 1978-79, this 2nd generation of Los Angelean punk-rockers filled the breach caused by the demise or
major label contract-signing of Hollywood punk role models The Weirdos, X and The Germs. Drawing from influences as
diverse as Hank Williams and The Hollywood Brats, the Joneses arrival on the scene heralded much that was to follow in
coming years. They were years ahead of their time in appearance and sound: both were the aftermath of a high-speed,
head-on collision between an Exile-era Stones and The New York Dolls - with The Ramones riding shotgun and The
Clash being pulled behind in a trailer. This, while surfers at the beaches finally cut their hair, only to chase and curse
The Joneses and their ilk, yelling: "punk rock faggots!" and suchlike.
The Joneses first seven-inch, 45 rpm single was "Criminals in My Car" b/w "Jonestown." Less
than 1,000 copies were pressed. They next released a pair of songs, "Graveyard Rock" and
"Pillbox," on the seminal 1982 SoCal Punk, 1st BYO Records compilation, "Someone Got Their Head
Kicked In." "Pillbox" has been critically acclaimed as one of founder and sole permanent member, Jeff
Drake's, finest moments. "Pillbox" presaged many of the best of Drake's songs that were to follow. At it's
finest, Drake's songwriting combined wicked hooks and melody with a world-weary, intelligent humor. His dirty Les Paul
Jr. guitar, whining vocals and lean-though-potent instrumentation, started early references to the Joneses as "The
Heartbreakers, West."
The EP "Criminals" was the Joneses next released recording.
Another essential L.A. punk rock compilation, "Hell Comes to Your House, Volume 2," included the three
Joneses tracks: "I'm Bad," "She's So Filthy," "Black Cat Bone."
The Joneses were voted "Best Live Band" in the 1985 L.A. Weekly Readers' Poll. Arguably the best-loved
incarnation of the Joneses, the 1985-86 line-up included, in addition to Drake, three ex- or future-ex members of The
Mau-Mau's: Scott Franklin (the Cramps), Paul Black (L.A.Guns) and Johnnie Sage (Christian Death).
A full-length LP, "Keeping Up With The Joneses" was ultimately released. Unfortunately, as most critics
noted, the version of the band that Drake assembled for the record was second-rate compared with previous
incarnations. Furthermore, any mere recording of the Joneses material could never capture the tumultuous on-the-edge
live performances of the Joneses at their peak. Their reputation was made and maintained on the barely controlled
chaos of these shows. Bulky Steve Olson, rock-steady on bass; the whirling and twirling John James; Johnnie Sage
careening around on -- sometimes falling off of -- the stage, never missing one of his G-string bending notes; and always,
in the eye of this storm, Reverend Jeff Drake himself, regaling hundreds in his audience with wry humor and a deadserious
slide guitar.
In any case, the Joneses moment to break big had passed. Bands like Guns 'n Roses and L.A. Guns tried to use the
Joneses singular look and sound as a template. To it they added guitar-hero pyrotechnics, self-serious lyrics and vocals,
and a general excess of self-indulgence. What band from that time -- so close on the heels of the explosive Clash and
Sex Pistols -- what band could cover Paul McCartney and Wings and still respect itself in the morning? To these bands,
it was as if punk never happened. Their hair-metal music, it must be noted, while ridiculously profitable, was reminiscent
of nothing if not mid-1970's Progressive rock. Prog-rock and it's attendant excesses caused punk to happen. The
innovative collision of punk and blues that Drake and his Joneses perfected could not be duplicated by many would-be
imitators.
It is commonly said that The Joneses were too far ahead of their time. Because of it, they were overlooked by the staid,
conservative Corporation for Rock and Roll Recording and Profit-Making, Inc.
"Criminal History," released by "Sympathy for the Record Industry" 2/29/2000, is a 20 track
retrospective of the Joneses recorded material.
As of this writing, Jeff Drake is a professor in northern California, Scott "Chopper" Franklin recently retired
from the Cramps, Paul Black is a father in Hollywood and plays shows with "Paul Black's L.A. Guns" around
the world and Johnnie Sage graduated from nursing school as an R.N. in 2007.
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REFERENCES - WIKIBIN.ORG http://wikibin.org/index2.php?option=com_content&do_pdf=1&id=6834
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SELF RELEASED ?? LABEL DOESN'T SAY 1982
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1. JONESTOWN
2. CRIMINALS IN MY CAR
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***DOWNLOAD***

THE PSYCLONE RANGERS (SWING,BABY,SWING E.P)

I always thought that if I went to hell someday, that these guys would certainly be on the jukebox. The first time I saw them live The Devil May Care either was about to be released or had just been released. It was at the Funhouse in South side Bethlehem P.A. Anyway, They were really loud but not distorted. They were a wall of swirling, sonic power. I had never heard them before but, It was easy to get lost in their chanting evil sound. I came away very impressed. I saw them a few times after that and they were never quite that good again but, they will always have a special place in my head for that show. For my money The Devil May Care and this single are their best records. I love the great cover of the Beat Happenings Bad Seeds. The story of the Psyclone Rangers starts at Moravia College, outside Allentown, about 60 miles northeast of Philadelphia. There, potential English professor Jonathan Valania had just gotten tired of academic life. He started hanging out in the area clubs.
Well, the two area clubs. One was The Funhouse, the resident college hipster club. The Funhouse was a rundown bar with a strange Hawaiian motif and a torpedo hanging from the ceiling. The place occasionally featured live music, as did the Four G's, the other local dive, inhabited mostly by Vietnam veterans.
The biggest group of the area, the Original Sins, had gotten some national recognition during the '80s, but they had petered out by that time. Nonetheless, Valania had a vision of leading a band who played basic, stripped-down garage punk-rock.
Fortunately, Valania had friends with musical leaning. Scot Danzer played a bit of guitar. Jamie Knerr, whom Valania knew since the second grade, played drums. So they formed a band and practiced in one of the many abandoned warehouses in town, at least before the roof caved in from the snow. They played the Funhouse, the Four G's and traveled to New York and even Philadelphia to gig.
Like any good indie-rock band, they had sent tapes to Sub Pop, Caroline and Top Llama (home of the Young Fresh Fellows). All to no avail.
A break came through a College Music Journal showcase in New York. The band was playing on Wednesday morning at 10 a.m. to about 10 people. One of them was a writer for the CMJ. After the show, he and Valania started talking. Turned out, the writer knew someone starting a label and looking for new bands.
“Uh-huh” thought Valania, “Another case of 'I know somebody who knows somebody.'” But Valania thought 'what-the-hell' and gave the guy a tape to pass along and promptly forgot about the exchange.
The band fell apart shortly after the gig, due to lack of interest from both within the band and from the world at large. Valania had returned to writing about amusement parks and bowling alleys for assorted trade journals. Danzer picked up some work as a freelancer cameraman. Bassist P.R. Behler returned to unemployment and Knerr returned to social work. For all intents and purposes, the Psyclone Rangers were but the glory day tales of four responsible young adults slipping into middle age.
Dave Allen wasn't informed of this fact, however, when he called Valania. Allen was impressed with the tape and wanted to see the band play. When he showed up in Allentown, the foursome got him good and drunk and then played a rocking showcase at the Four G's.
Allentown agreed to sign them and soon sent airplane tickets and hired a producer, Dave Ogilvie. That was impressive, Valania remembered. He called Ogilvie the “Phil Spector of Grunge.” At the time, Ogilvie was being courted by Motley Crue, but Ogilvie too was intrigued by the Rangers and told the motley crew to wait.
Still, the band was skeptical. On the plane ride out, the Rangers talked about how the deal could fall through at anytime. On the first day there, though, when they ran into members of Sonic Youth at a coffee shop, they knew they were in the big-time.
All they had to do was make an album. The band moved into the studio, a big old building that was an anchor factory in the 19th century. Allen and Ogilvie set up residence in the Phoenix, a pink-colored hotel with a spacious courtyard. The band became so smitten with the place (or got tired of sleeping in an anchor factory) that they started crashing in Dave and Dave's rooms.
Not that they had much time to sleep. For three days, they did nothing but drink beer and record. Mostly they did their own material, but also covered Gun Club's “For the Sake of Ivy,” Dream Syndicate's “Halloween,” and the Modern Lovers' “I'm Straight.”
When they were done, they picked the best 12 songs and made the album, Feel Nice. In 1995 they release the follow up titled The Devil May Care, and then in 1996 the E.P Beatin' On The Bat Pole. I have to admit after that I'm not sure what happened to them. (Updated 5/5/12)
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REFERENCES - Joab Jackson article http://www.joabj.com/Music/9310PsycloneRangers.html
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SYMPATHY FOR THE RECORD INDUSTRY 1993
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1. I WANNA BE JACK KENNEDY
2. HONEY CUMS HOME
3. BAD SEEDS
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***DOWNLOAD***

AGONY COLUMN (LOVE IN THE HEAD SINGLE)

Once again, there's not much info out there on this band. Agony Column was from Leeds England. they put out three singles, this being the second. The first single All worked out came out in 1979, and their last, (love is a) Blanket Expression, was the final which came out in 1982. How long they were out before and after that is unknown to me. Love in the head also shows up on the classic through the Back Door comp. As usual any additional info anyone may have is always appreciated.
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BACK DOOR RECORDS 1980
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1. LOVE IN THE HEAD
2. FREE OF LOVE
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BROKEN BONES (DECAPITATED SINGLE)

Classic British punk record here with certainly one of the most memorable guitar intros. I was kind of surprised when I read that this charted at #10. You'll have to forgive me, I'm from America where mainstream radio never gives things like this a chance. Broken Bones were formed by guitarist Tony "Bones" Roberts in 1983 after he left Discharge. The original lineup was Tony's brother Tezz (also a former member of Discharge) on bass, Nobby as the vocalist and drummer Bazz. Their first single release was the January 1984 "Decapitated". The follow up single "Crucifix" was released in May of 1984. Tezz left the band to join U.K.Subs and friend and roadie Oddy took over on bass. This new line-up recorded the bands first album "Dem Bones", and toured Europe & USA.
Oddy then left to join Conflict, and Tezz resumed bass playing duties, and the F.O.A.D. album was released.
The band then had several line-up changes with Nobby leaving to live in America and Tezz once more departing. Oddy returned to play bass and sing. The band released the "Seeing Thru My Eyes" ep with this 3-piece line-up. Eventually the band ground to a halt.
Bones reformed the band with a new line up of Cliff on drums, Quiv on vocals and Darren "Thrasher" Harris (of Exit Condition) on bass. This is where the band took a more metal turn with their music, releasing "Losing Control". Two more albums were to follow with the 12 inch release "Religion is Responsible" and another album "Stitched Up". After these albums release, the band's touring and recording fell into remission.
In 1998 Broken Bones reformed. Bones as ever on guitar, Quiv still on vocal, Oddy returned to his old berth on bass, and Dave on drums.They released their first studio album in 8 years, "Without Conscience" in 2001 and in 2004, they released "Time For Anger, Not Justice". Both albums bring the band back to their roots as they play the brand of hardcore they're most well known for. They still gig and tour regularly to this day. They were the last band to play before 2006's ill-fated British Invasion concert in San Bernardino was shut down.

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REFERENCES - WIKIPEDIA http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broken_Bones MYSPACE http://www.myspace.com/brokenbonesukhc

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FALL OUT RECORDS 1983

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1. DECAPITATED

2. PROBLEM

3. LIQUIDATED BRAINS

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SHARP KIDDIE (TIME AGAIN SINGLE)

Great single by a pretty mysterious band. I searched for quite a while and came up empty. They sound quite a bit like the Jam, which for me is a good thing because they're one of my favorite bands. They have another great track on the Takin' A Detour comp, and a track on a Jam tribute album. None of the releases have any info about the band and neither does the Detour website. I remember I bought this from Detour when it first came out. You used to be able to listen to their releases before you bought them. I wish they still had that. If you have any info Please share.
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DETOUR RECORDS - 1995
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1. TIME AGAIN
2. SO YOU SAY YOU LOVE ME
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