Thursday, July 30, 2009

MX 80 SOUND (SOMEDAY YOU'LL BE KING SINGLE)

I must tell you, my collection isn't exactly littered with Ralph Records releases. I used to have a few of the Residents singles but, I got rid of them long ago. This however is a definite keeper. I love the choppy guitar work on Someday You'll be king. The B side really doesn't do anything for me. But, you can judge for yourself. Go check out their website. They have music for sale. Originally known as MX-80 Sound, this US avant rock band was formed in Bloomington, Indiana, by Bruce Anderson (guitar/vocals), Dale Sophiea (bass) and Jeff Armour (drums). In late 1975 they were joined by Rich Stim (vocals/saxophone/guitar) and Dave Mahoney (drums). A single and EP on a local label were followed by their debut Hard Attack for Island Records. By this time they were based in San Francisco. Hard Attack achieved considerable attention; the avowed experimentation of the group (Captain Beefheart and Frank Zappa were often cited by critics) was matched by a lyrical subject matter that fitted into the "new wave' ethos of the period. The sound quality was also suitably murky. Signed to Ralph, the label run by the Residents, they produced two more albums (1980"s Out Of The Tunnel and the following year's Crowd Control, the latter recorded without Armour) and appeared on several compilations, but their career tailed off in the early 80s.
Stim entered law school and nothing further was heard except for Anderson's appearance in the Henry Kaiser Band. A clutch of tapes under a variety of names (the truncated MX-80, Gizzards, Half-Life, O-Type) appeared in the late 80s and early 90s, apparently the work of Sophiea and Anderson, on the former's Quadruped label. These two, plus Stim and drummer Marc Weinstein, constituted an MX-80 for the 90s, returning to the studio to complete a new album, I've Seen Enough. Another decade passed before MX-80 reunited in the studio to complete 2005's We're An American Band.
.
REFERENCES - NME ONLINE MAGAZINE http://www.nme.com/artists/mx80 Official MX-80 Website http://www.mx-80.com/
.
RALPH RECORDS 1980
.
1. SOME DAY YOU'LL BE KING
2. WHITE NIGHT
.
***DOWNLOAD***

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

FALSE PROPHETS (GOOD CLEAN FUN SINGLE)

Classic New York Hardcore/Punk single here. I love the sound of the guitar on this. I had good clean fun on quite a few of my mixed tapes when I was a kid. I think it was also on the ROIR New York Thrash Tape. At the bottom I'll put a link for the Alternative Tentacles website, where you can go buy Blind Roaches and Fat Vultures: Phantasmagorical Beasts of the Reagan Era, with tons of non-released stuff and rare singles (from their "re-issues" series) .False Prophets were formed in June 1980 by singer Stephan Ielpi, bassist Steve Wishnia, and guitarist Peter Campbell. Matt Superty, Stephan's cousin and scion of a long line of drummers, joined soon afterwards. We quickly made a name for ourselves with raw, danceable energy and Stephan's welcome-to-my-nightmare theatrics, playing gigs at Max's Kansas City and predawn sets at the A7 Club. Our first single, "Blind Obedience" b/w "Overkill" and "Royal Slime" came out in June 1981. Musically, we were part of punk-rock's second generation, which included the Undead, Heart Attack, Reagan Youth and DC transplants the Bad Brains in New York, and the Dead Kennedys, Black Flag, D.O.A., and Minor Threat in the rest of the world. We also drew on British post-punk bands like Joy Division, Public Image and the Gang of Four; pre-punk rockers like the Kinks and Stones (Steve and Peter) and Alice Cooper and Mott the Hoople (Stephan); and rap, reggae, and funk, the sounds of the boom boxes on New York's streets.
So we never quite fit the hardcore stereotype, being too varied musically and not thuggish enough personally. "Good Clean Fun," our second single, released in 1982, was both our first hardcore-speed song and a criticism of mosh-pit violence. Matt quit soon after, replaced by the Undead's Patrick Blanck, Donna Baril, and Ned Brewster, who made his debut at an all-night anarchist ball on New Year's Eve, 1983. We recorded our first album the next summer, financed largely by Stephan's uncle hitting the triple at the Aqueduct racetrack in Queens.
Alternative Tentacles put the album out in early 1986. By then Peter was gone, having quit after a Southern tour in the summer of 1985. The band toured heavily over the next two years with new guitarists George Tabb and Debra DeSalvo, recording the Implosion album in early 1987. It broke up during a disastrous West Coast tour that fall. Stephan and Debra then re-formed it with new musicians and kept it going for several more years, releasing one EP. (Steve and George went on to form Iron Prostate, while Ned eventually wound up in punk-blues stalwarts the Senders.)
Ronald Reagan was inaugurated a couple days before our first two-night stand at A7, ushering in a new era of greed, puritanism, and hate. We wanted to rage against all that, and did. We also wanted to write great songs, have fun, and get possessed and out of our heads playing rock'n'roll. Listen to Blind Roaches and Fat Vultures and see how we did.-Steve Wishnia
.
REFERENCES - ALTERNATIVE TENTACLES http://www.alternativetentacles.com/bandinfo.php?band=falseprophets
.
NOT REALLY MUSIC/FORETOLD PRODUCTIONS
.
1. GOOD CLEAN FUN
2. FUNCTIONAL
.
***DOWNLOAD***

Sunday, July 26, 2009

THE JAM (LIVE AT THE 100 CLUB 1977)

A couple of post's ago I posted the Rifles Lp's. I stated that The Jam were one of my all time favorite bands. I never posted anything by them because I could never choose which record to post. I guess If I had to pick one It would be the Modern World. However, All Mod Cons, and Setting Sons would run a very close second. There all so good. Like my rant on the Rifles post about music in my country, The Jam are a perfect example of a unbelievably talented band that never got their just due here in the U.S. . Just read about the success they had around the globe. Only to be all but ignored here. It's shameful. I recently came across this record and at one listen I new this would be the one. If you are a fan, this will be a treat. If your only a half fan or maybe don't care for them, this should win you over, if it doesn't I guess nothing ever will. I think this record really captures (at least in their early day's), what made The Jam such a special band. I chose Wikipedia's info cause it's short and sweet. I'll include links at the bottom for you if you'd like to dig a little deeper. The Jam were an English Mod band active during the late 1970s and early 1980s. While they shared the "angry young men" outlook and fast tempos of their punk rock contemporaries, The Jam wore neatly tailored suits rather than ripped clothes and incorporated a number of mainstream 1960s rock influences rather than rejecting them, placing The Jam at the forefront of the mod revival movement.
They had eighteen consecutive Top 40 singles in the United Kingdom, from their debut in 1977 to their breakup in 1982, including four number one hits. As of 2007, "That's Entertainment" and "Just Who Is the 5 O'Clock Hero?" remained the best-selling import singles of all time in the UK. They released one live album and six studio albums, the last of which, The Gift, hit number one on the UK album charts. When the group split up, their first 15 singles were re-released and all placed within the top 100.
The band drew upon a variety of stylistic influences over the course of their career, including 1960s beat music, soul, rhythm and blues and psychedelic rock, as well as 1970s punk rock, pop punk and new wave. The trio was known for its melodic pop songs, its distinctly English flavour and its mod image. The band launched the career of Paul Weller, who went on to form The Style Council and later had a successful solo career. Weller wrote and sang most of The Jam’s original compositions, and he played lead guitar, using a Rickenbacker. Bruce Foxton provided backing vocals and prominent basslines, which were the foundation of many of the band’s songs, including the hits "Down in the Tube Station at Midnight", "The Eton Rifles", "Going Underground" and "Town Called Malice
.
.
GOODTIMES MUSIC ?????
.

Thursday, July 23, 2009

BLACK MARKET BABY (SENSELESS OFFERINGS)

This is one of my favorite records from a totally underrated band. I always wondered why these guys weren't bigger. The only thing I can think of is maybe they came out at the wrong time, (not that's their fault). They were a great punk band on the backside of the hardcore movement. Don't get me wrong they had a strong following, but I think they should have been bigger.When I listen to the material from their second lp, It blows my mind that they couldn't find anyone to put it out. Unfortunately as is the case with a lot of bands from back then, I think their probably appreciated more now,then when they were out. All their records are classics. This is taken from their website. I'll put links at the bottom. Go check them out. Black Market Baby , a Washington D.C. band were Formed by Boyd Farrell and Paul Cleary of Snitch (Cleary was also in Trenchmouth), with Keith Campbell of D. Ceats and Tommy Carr from the Penetrators. The name Black Market Baby was suggested by Keith after seeing a trashy tv movie of the same name. Name or no, Keith, Paul, and Tommy weren't thinking about BMB seriously. It was only when they climbed on stage after a Tru Fax gig in March and ran through half a dozen songs that they realized Black Market Baby was something real. It may have been sloppy and ragged, but it was a hell of a lot of fun and the crowd loved 'em. They had an instant fan base: the Georgetown punks, already in love with the raw hardcore sounds coming out of LA, couldn't help but fall for a fundamentalist rock band with the same edge and intensity as Black Flag. Their new fans packed every shows, and the Bad Brains, Teen Idles, SOA, Minor Threat, and just about every other DC band worth mentioning played with Black Market Baby at least once.
'Course, it wasn't all smooth sailing. They lost their manager, and about a thousand bucks with him. Paul Cleary was kicked out in March, shortly after they finished recording their first 45. Mike Dolfi replaced him, and got his picture on the record, which hit the streets in May. The record was well received, but Dolfi was not. A lot of the Georgetown punks were angry about the lineup shift, and while there was plenty of support for BMB, there was also a lotta angry muttering too.
Add to the mix some tension over straight edge, top it off with Boyd and Keith having a little rough spot, and you've got a recipe for a breakup—which is just what they did. A new lineup appeared quickly, with Scott Logan (ex-Penetrators) replacing Keith on guitar.
The changes were affecting the band's chemistry, and despite a strong lineup on paper, things never really gelled. It wasn't surprising when they split again. Keith brought the band back together, but, soap opera that it was, Tommy and Dolfi left promptly. Adrian Ossea took over on drums, and found a replacement bassist by asking random people if they played bass. One of them said yes, and after a single rehearsal, Mike Donegan joined the band.
After a few more practices they started playing out again, but Adrian, who'd been cleaning himself up, fell off the wagon and Tommy was called back in. It really didn't matter who played drums to the fans, but with the lineup changes and their record label going bankrupt (taking their next record with them), they decided it was time to move on.
The band convened at Inner Ear, where they'd recorded their first 45, on August 1, 1986 to lay down their final album—on spec, since they couldn't find anyone willing to put it out. Ian MacKaye, always a fan of the band, manned the mixing desk. Three days of recording, two days of mixing, and it was over.
Until Howard Wuelfing stepped in, that is. He'd lived in DC during punk's birth and heyday, publishing two music papers, fronting two bands, and running his own record label. He'd moved to New York in the mid-eighties and started working for JEM, one of the largest independent distributors in the country. JEM were getting into the record business and Howard's boss, perhaps foolishly, asked him to name two bands JEM should offer deals to. He picked the Angry Samoans and Black Market Baby.
The Samoans, buoyed by their popularity were able to sign a favorable contract. Black Market Baby—whose existence was hanging solely on the hope that the JEM deal would work out—couldn't negotiate a deal that would preserve their independence. They split, playing a farewell show in January of 1988.
Black Market Baby (with Dolfi on bass), clawed its way out of the grave and took the stage to open for Agent Orange in March of '93. The band weren't "making a comeback," they were just playing for the hell of it. Without the pressure of "being in a band," it turned out to be the longest lasting, most stable incarnation of Black Market Baby. Despite some noteworthy shows (including the 9:30 Club's last blast) and recording an entire LP of material, they couldn't keep it up and split for the last time in '97.
There are occasional rumblings from the Black Market Baby camp, but they have not been back since.
.
REFERENCES - BLACK MARKET BABY OFFICIAL SITE http://www.senselessofferings.com/
.
FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH RECORDS 1983
.
***DOWNLOAD***

Monday, July 20, 2009

MARTHA AND THE MUFFINS (ECHO BEACH SINGLE)

(UPDATE !!)I thought you may be interested to know that Martha and the Muffins recently released their first studio album in 18 years, entitled Delicate. For a free Exclusive download of the song “Don’t Say Anything” visit www.reverbnation.com/marthaandthemuffinsYou can stream the album here: http://www.myspace.com/marthaandthemuffinsThe album is also available for download at http://itunes.apple.com/ca/album/delicate/id351578971If you’re in Toronto this Friday or Saturday (Feb 5/6), MatM will be playing two concerts at the Music Gallery. Tickets are available at: http://www.ticketweb.ca/snl/Search.action?query=Martha+and+the+Muffins&x=12&y=12 I really love the intro to this song. It's one of those great haunting guitar lines. My copy is a promo with Echo Beach on both sides. However I included a scan of the regular sleeve as well that I found on the net. Martha And The Muffins came together in Toronto in 1977, when David Millar asked his fellow Ontario College of Art student Mark Gane to help him start a band. Millar recruited Martha Johnson to play keyboards; Johnson brought in a friend from high school, Carl Finkle, to play bass; and Gane's brother Tim signed on as the drummer. With Millar and Mark Gane as guitarists, and Johnson as lead vocalist, this is the line up that debuted at an Ontario College of Art Hallowe'en party in October 1977.
They chose the name "Martha and the Muffins" to distance themselves from the aggressive names adopted by many punk bands of the era. According to Mark Gane: "We decided to use it as a temporary name until we could all agree on something better."
The name ended up sticking for the next seven years.
Saxophone player Andy Haas began performing with the band in early 1978 (initially, as a guest artist). Founding-member Millar left the band shortly thereafter, preferring to work as the band's sound engineer for live shows. He was replaced by Martha Ladly, who had attended high school with the Ganes. She became the group's second keyboardist/vocalist named Martha, although Martha Johnson remained the group's primary lead singer.
In 1978, they released their first independent single, "Insect Love". This and a demo tape recorded in June 1978 quickly garnered them a recording deal with the DinDisc offshoot of Virgin Records.
In 1979, the band travelled to England to record their first album, Metro Music (1980) for the DinDisc Label - a Virgin subsidiary. The album was produced by Mike Howlett and recorded at The Manor Studios in Oxfordshire.
This album gave Martha and the Muffins a major international hit single with "Echo Beach". Although the album didn't spawn any further hits, "Paint by Number Heart" did get some airplay on Canadian radio.
In October 1980, the band released their second album, Trance and Dance, which was less successful and didn't give the band any hit singles. Ladly left the band after the album was recorded (but before it was released) to pursue an art scholarship. Jean Wilson briefly replaced Ladly on tour in the latter part of 1980, but never recorded with the group.
In 1981, bassist Finkle left the band and was replaced by Jocelyne Lanois, the sister of then-unknown record producer Daniel Lanois. After Jocelyne introduced the band to her brother, they figured Daniel was an ideal candidate to produce their next LP. However, in order to utilize his services as a co-producer, Martha and the Muffins had to agree to Virgin Records' demand that, if they were going to insist on working with an unknown producer, they would also have to work with a lower album-recording budget.
Martha and the Muffins' 1981 album This is the Ice Age, produced by Daniel Lanois and the band, was recorded in Toronto and Hamilton, Ontario. More experimental than previous efforts, it also gained significant Canadian radio airplay from the singles "Women Around the World at Work" (a #24 hit in Canada) and "Swimming". Shortly after the album's release, Tim Gane decided he did not want to tour, and left the band; he was replaced by new drummer Nick Kent.
Despite critical acclaim, This Is The Ice Age didn't spin off any hit singles outside of Canada, and Virgin dropped the band from their roster.
In the interest of keeping post's to a some what reasonable size, I cut this pretty short. There's much more to this bands story. go check them out.
.
.
DINDISK / VIRGIN RECORDS 1980
.
1. ECHO BEACH
.

Sunday, July 19, 2009

SUGAR SHACK (GET OUT OF MY WORLD)

This is my favorite record from Sugar Shack, it's great punk inspired garage. I don't believe their still around, info was hard to find. Fill me in! All of their records are worth getting. Most of their recorded material was released on the great Estrus record label. I'll put a link for estrus at the bottom. enjoy! Pursuing garage rock with the attack of a punk band, Sugar Shack first appeared in 1992 with their independently released Charmer. The Houston-based band prides itself on being part of the trash rock circuit that thrives in the South, releasing three albums since their debut and touring extensively. The band is made up of singer Mark Lockridge, guitarists Andy Wright and Kyle Otis, bassist Johnny Gibson, and drummer Stefanie Paige Friedman. ~ Bradley Torreano, All Music Guide
.
REFERENCES - ALL MUSIC.COM http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:wpfexqy5ld6e ESTRUS RECORDS http://www.estrus.com/
.
ESTRUS RECORDS 2000
.
***DOWNLOAD***

FREDDY AND THE FOUR GONE CONCLUSIONS (WIGGED OUT SOUNDS)

If you prefer your garage bands to sound authentic, then this is for you. Wigged out sounds is a great record. At the bottom there's quite a few links where you can find info and purchase this record, and others from Freddy Fourtune. There all worth your time. From such outfits as, The Visigoths, The Covingtons and Maltese & The Phabulous Pallbearers, Freddy Fortune gathered psychedelic-rock talent from greater Detroit to put together this two-guitar jangle-rock album with many guests. One of the guests is Max Crook, Del Shannon's original keyboard player. He lends his distinctive sound to the Shannon song "Stand Up" on this album with (according to the liner notes) " his late '50s, custom-built, Musitron keyboard." The songs boast well-executed harmonies and an authentic, vintage sound courtesy of Jim Diamond production.-Tom "Tearaway" Schulte
.
REFERENCES - SKRATCH MAGAZINE http://www.skratchmagazine.com/cd-reviews/CDreviewsSEP03.php THE COVINGTONS http://freddyfortune.tripod.com/covingtons/ GET HIP RECORDS http://www.gethip.com/cgi-bin/ghRedirect.cgi?id=5%7C11%7C0%7C0%7CFFGC FREDDY FOURTUNE MYSPACE http://www.myspace.com/freddyfortune BELLYACHE RECORDS http://store.bellyachecandyshoppe.com/recordshoppe.html
.
GET HIP RECORDS 2002
.
***DOWNLOAD***

THE GRUESOMES (CAVE-IN !)

For my taste, this is the strongest Gruesomes release to date. Cave-in is an excellent fuzzed out garage stomper. They have lots of records for sale, go check out their Myspace and spend some money. The Gruesomes are a Montreal quartet who specialized originally in '60's garage style cover tunes with an affinity for punk formed in 1985. After garnering attention with two EPs on Primitive Records, 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) as well as 2 videos that were played regularly on Muchmusic and Musiqueplus making them one of Canada's biggest selling underground acts. Performed numerous tours and shows across Canada, U.S. and Europe helping them become a legendary band in the world garage music scene. On March 4th, 2000, the Gruesomes returned to Toronto, Ontario for a sold-out show at the Horseshoe Tavern. The show set the clubs attendance record and was videotaped by the CBC and aired in June 2000 as a tie-in to the group's new CD 'Cave-In'. In 2001 Gruesomes performed at Cave Stomp and Sundazed from New York released a best of CD called Gruesomology worldwide.The Gruesomes reformed in august 2008 at the Cafe Campus in Montreal for the release of Tyrants of Teen Trash on CD.
.
REFERENCE - GRUESOMES MYSPACE http://www.myspace.com/thegruesomes
.
TYRANT RECORDS 2000
.
***DOWNLOAD***

Saturday, July 18, 2009

THE AMBER SQUAD (CAN WE GO DANCING? SINGLE)

Here we have the second single from The Amber Squad on the great Dead Good Records label. There's a disc that I think you can still get from Detour Records, I have to admit I haven't purchased it yet but I'm sure it's worth owning. Ive never heard a bad song from these guy's. If for some reason you have been under a rock for the last 17 years or maybe this stuff is new to you? I highly recommend checking out the Detour records/Bored Teenagers web site. I don't think anyone does a better job of re releasing and covering the late 70's early 80's British Mod/Punk scene. Go check out their website, there's tons of great records and disks to buy, and it's a wealth of info as well. I copied this info from the Bored Teenagers Website. I'll put links at the bottom of the post. Early 1980 and something is stirring in Rutland, England’s smallest county. The amalgamation of two schoolboy rock bands named "Reflex" and "Blueprint" spawned the "Amber Squad", purveyors of a hybrid mix of Pub Rock, Power Pop, Ska and Punk Rock. After gaining a reputation on the East Midlands’ music pub circuit for loud, energetic sets consisting of self-penned outpourings of teenage angst combined with R&B classics, the Amber Squad made a determined push for stardom with a number of independent recordings backed up with live performances in more recognised venues in London, Birmingham and other major UK cities. At the bands’ heyday, they were on the Radio 1 play list, and featured on the John Peel show, as well as Mike Read’s Round Table. They went on to release two singles (featured above), the first being "(I can't) put my finger on you" and backed with " Tell you a lie". This debut single was released on the "S & T" label (aka "Sound of Leicester") in 1980. Next up, they swapped labels to a Lincoln based label called 'Dead Good' Records. The new single was called "Can we go dancing?" backed with "You should see (What I do to you in my dreams). Then the following year they also appeared on the "S & T's" own compilation LP 'Where the Hell is Leicester?" with an unreleased track called 'Six of me'. However the world failed to recognise their latent talent, and reality hit home in the form of regular jobs, mortgages and steady relationships.
.
REFERENCES - BORED TEENAGERS http://www.detour-records.co.uk/
.
DEAD GOOD RECORDS 1980
.
1. CAN WE GO DANCING?
2. YOU SHOULD SEE WHAT I DO TO YOU IN MY DREAMS
.
***DOWNLOAD***

Friday, July 17, 2009

BUM A PROMISE IS A PROMISE (SINGLE)

First single from this British Columbia 4 piece. Their recorded output consists of a handful of singles, two albums a few splits, and a bunch of comp appearances. You can go over to the Days of our Youth blog and download their first album. The first album is good but, to be honest I heard the this single first so, when I heard the lp I was a little disappointed. I thought it was a little too clean. The production on this is primitive but, I think it comes off a little edgier than the lp.For my taste, A promise is a promise is the winner here. The b side is just so so but, judge for yourself. There's not much info that I could find on Bum but, I'll put a few links on the bottom.
.
REFERENCES - GRUNNEN ROCKS http://www.grunnenrocks.nl/bands/b/bum.htm BUM ON TRIPOD http://hudsonmack.tripod.com/bum/ MYSPACE http://www.myspace.com/bumbc
.
LANCE ROCK RECORDS 1991
.
1. PROMISE IS A PROMISE
2. WEDDING DAY
.
***DOWNLOAD***

Thursday, July 16, 2009

THE INSOMNIACS (GOIN' OUT OF MY MIND SINGLE)

A while back I posted the first single from these guys, and in a return visit we have the third release on the German Outer Limit's label, limited to 1000 copies. Going out of my mind is a Easybeats cover. I've got mine is a great Small Faces cover. And lastly Grey, may or may not be a cover. I'm not sure. I don't believe it made it on to the Wake up disc. I'm not sure if these guys are a serious band still or not. I hope so, it would be a shame to loose them. If you like great 60's mod revival with lots of great obscure covers, you should own all their records. go check them out.
.
REFERENCES - MYSPACE http://www.myspace.com/theinsomniacsrocknroll ESTRUS INSOMNIACS PAGE http://www.estrus.com/bands/Insomniacs/Insomniacs.html

.
***DOWNLOAD***

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

THE RIFLES

If you took everything that's great about British pop music, sprinkled in a bit of the Clash and other various influences from the period. Then mixed in a heavy helping of the Jam,(one of my all time favorite bands) you would have a fantastic musical dish called the Rifles. I have to tell you, without question, in the States where I live mainstream radio sucks! For the most part anything good, that comes out is usually underground. I truly feel I was born out of time, or maybe just in the wrong place. You people that live in parts of the world that actually pay attention to bands like this have no idea how lucky you are. I would love to be able to turn on my radio and here music like this. I read that in the U.K, both of these records charted in the top 30 and as usual barely even a blip here. Anyway I'll stop bitching about my once free country, that's been hijacked in just about every way by greedy Corporations. Both of these albums are incredible !! I highly recommend you check out the links at the bottom, and go pick these albums up.The Rifles are from Chingford, London, the band consists of Joel Stoker (vocals, guitar), Lucus Crowther (guitar, vocals), Rob Pyne (bass guitar, vocals), and Grant Marsh (drums, percussion) & session musician Dean Mumford on Keys.
Joel Stoker and Lucus Crowther met at Redbridge College in 2003. They were both inspired by an Oasis concert the two attended in Knebworth, England. Guitarist Crowther revealed "From that moment on we knew we had to start a band."After adding bassist Rob Pyne, who Joel knew from school, and drummer Grant Marsh, who Luke met in the Candy Box club, The Rifles performed their first gig at The Bull & Gate pub in Kentish Town, London in 2004.
The Rifles first official release was a 7" demo of Peace & Quiet released by Blow Up Records. The band switched to fellow independent label Xtra Mile Recordings for their May 2005 release of the single When I'm Alone, which would go on to reach number 64 in the UK charts. Later that year the band's next single Local Boy would be released via Right Hook Recordings. It would get airplay on the Saturday morning show Soccer AM and would help give the band more exposure and even help them become regular guests on the show. The Rifles released two singles, Repeated Offender and She's Got Standards, ahead of the July 17 release of their debut album No Love Lost, which peaked at 26 in the UK charts. The band toured in 2006, and performed at A Campingflight to Lowlands Paradise 2007 and Paaspop Schijndel 2007, two music festivals in the Netherlands. The Rifles launched their European tour to promote their new album including a gig at the Forum, London, at which Paul Weller (The Jam) appeared on stage to play the song She's the Only One with the band, and The Jam's famous single, "The Eton Rifles". The Rifles would release a free download of the song No Love Lost two days after the release of their album.
Touring on the back of their album No Love Lost, The Rifles again released a free download, this time of their single Talking on October 20 2007. The single garnered high accolades from BBC Radio 1's Zane Lowe, who called it the "Hottest Record in the World". Talking also marks the bands label switch from Red Ink to 679 Recordings. On July 21 2008, the single I Could Never Lie was released on a limited edition vinyl.The Rifles also made appearances at the Underage Festival and the V Festival in the summer and played an extensive tour throughout October and November in 2008.
When the band's second album was delayed from October 2008 to January 2009, The Rifles created The Rifles EP that fans could download on the internet. The Rifles released their second album Great Escape on 26 January 2009, which peaked at 27 in the UK charts and reached the number 2 slot in the UK indie charts.
.
REFERENCES - WIKIPEDIA http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rifles_(band) THE RIFLES MYSPACE http://www.myspace.com/therifles THE RIFLES OFFICIAL WEBSITE http://www.therifles.net/
.
NO LOVE LOST
***DOWNLOAD***
.
THE GREAT ESCAPE
***DOWNLOAD***

Monday, July 13, 2009

SECOND WIND (SECURITY)

I used to have the song bitch on a old tape, I always loved the intensity of it. For years I never knew who had done the song, or even the title. It was pretty obvious that it came from D.C. but I was never really sure. I'd been fooled before. It definitely had a strong nod to Minor Threat so I thought maybe it was one of Ian's brothers projects . Anyway , to make a long story short I finally came across it, and it turned out to be Second Wind. It was engineered at the famous Inner Ear Studios. Man a lot of classics came out of that place. Sadly I really don't have any more mysteries, this was one of the last ones. There wasn't much info out there on these guys, other than this. After the Minor Threat breakup in 1983 Steve Hansgen along with Minor Threat roadie Rich Moore formed Second Wind. If you have anything to add, please feel free., Enjoy!!!!
.
R&B RECORDS 1984
.
***DOWNLOAD***

Thursday, July 9, 2009

CODE OF HONOR / SICK PLEASURE SPLIT 12"

When I listen to this record, I cant help but think of the Target videos. Do you remember the Sick Pleasure video with Niki Siki slicing his chest bloody?I like that one, it's a different version of the song, and it seems at least, that they're playing it live. Code of honor did Stolen Faith. It was cool to see them doing the song but, if I remember right it was kind of an obvious lipsink. Anyway, this is an all time classic California punk record. These stories are taken from the bands Myspaces. I had to edit them down to keep the size of the post down. Go check them out,they are great reads. It was 1980-81 and SF's The Tools had just broken up leaving guitarist Mike Fox without a band. He teamed up with skateboarders Sal Paradise and Dave Chavez and the infamous Niki Sicki. A nihilistic mother fucker who formed Sick Pleasure with no moral or political goals in mind. Thus the great Sick Pleasure was formed. The band lasted until 1982 when it just "wasn't fun anymore". At this point Sick Pleasure had no material on wax and it seemed as if they would go down in history as another forgotten band of the hardcore era. The three members aside from Nikki went on to form Code of Honor and Nikki went on to form Verbal Abuse in Houston. In later 1982 after Code of Honor had established themselves they released a split with the now deceased Sick Pleasure. The A-Side was 'Fight or Die' by Code of Honor and the B-Side was 'Dolls Under Control' by Sick Pleasure. The record is a classic with solid songs on both sides. A year later Subterranean (Mike Fox's label) put out yet another Sick Pleasure release, further establishing their place in hardcore history, this self-titled EP was faster and more hardcore than the LP, but still retained the same snotty attitude as the previous release. Sick Pleasure is now remembered as an infamous nihilistic, snotty, fuck-all punk rock band, and rightfully so.
Code Of Honor formed in San Francisco in late 1981 after the sudden end of the hardcore punk band Sick Pleasure, when guitarist Mike Fox, bassist Dave Chavez, and drummer Sal Paradise were left without a singer. The following is from a band history written by Mike "During Sick Pleasure's activity, I kept producing bands and Steve and I kept releasing records, including two separate Society Dog singles. We both dug them. Their singer, a friend of Steve's named Johnny [aka Johnithin Christ], needed a place to live, and since we had a room for rent at Guy Place, he moved in. One day he was in my room and noticed the "code of honor" poster I had drawn, said that "code of honor" would be a good song title, and I agreed. We worked out lyrics that encapsulated my code of honor, deciding to name a band that too. I called Dave to ask if he would play bass, he agreed, and Sal agreed to be the drummer. We recorded several songs right away, enough for half an album. I didn't want to ditch the Sick Pleasure recordings, so we released an LP with Code Of Honor on one side and Sick Pleasure on the other. "In 1982 we did a US tour with Fear, but after the Seattle show Fear split from the tour when Lee Ving's agent called and told him he got the part of the sleazy guy in "Flashdance." We were booked in Canada for 2 weeks at 3 venues. We played through the USA, SF to New York, back thru Texas and New Mexico on that tour. "Around '80_'83 most of the great Southern California bands were banned from playing because of riots and attacks by Nazi jocks and the cops, so we got them playing here in San Francisco to escape the fascist pigs and government in LA. At every gig we played in LA, the cops busted the show and some heads. In 1982 we played at the Olympic Auditorium in LA downtown (the place holds 3_5000 people) with GBH, the Dicks, MDC, Discharge, the Dead Kennedys, and maybe 3_5 more bands. 5 or more ambulances came to take away people. "The Code Of Honor theme song states my own personal parameters of living my life. I have shared it with people in recording and life. It is all I need (the 11 codes) to deal with any situation, helping me with personal growth and to take responsibility for all. Also I'm still big on disbanding the Federal government. Code Of Honor lyrics suggest one man can achieve anything and be secure in choice and results." Other than a couple of compilation tracks, the band had only 3 releases during its existence: the split LP with Sick Pleasure, the "What are We Gonna Do?" 7" single, and the LP "Beware the Savage Jaw." Code Of Honor came to an end just as the final mixdown on that album was being completed.
.
REFERENCES - SICK PLEASURE MYSPACE http://www.myspace.com/foolscantbreakme
.
SUBTERRANEAN RECORDS 1982
.

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

THE WIGS (FILE UNDER:POP VOCAL)

I went back to work today so, I guess I'll resume this as well. All of my previous posts were recorded in my basement on a cd recorder and then transferred to my computer. A process that's become kind of tiring. So, for the first time I'm using a program that I bought and my trusty Stanton turntable, and I'm recording and editing directly to my computer. Also, in an attempt to put a nicer post together I'm going to include front and back cover scans for now on. I may have edited the tracks too close ? Let me know how it sounds?I was surprised to see that this was reissued on cd. I'll put links at the bottom so that you can go pick this up. Listening to this, I here a mixed bag of influences. On some of the more powerpop tracks they kind of remind me of Nerves,Beat,Plimsouls, and at other times a little more straight ahead rock n roll. At any rate this record is definitely worth your time. My favorite is Tell it all, after that I would go with I can see it now and the slightly darker sounding popular girl . At the bottom of the record It says unauthorized duplication is punishable by a slow, painful death. I thought that was pretty funny. In 1981 The Wigs from Milwaukee recorded and released their widely undiscovered classic, "File Under: Pop Vocal."If you were there, you either got it or you didn't. If you got it, you appreciated a band that trimmed rock music of its Les Paul/Marshall fat. You dug that they took the punk rock ethic, discarded its trendy accessories and made it their own. And you understood how song lyrics could be brilliantly stupid.If you didn't get it, you might have had a hard time dealing with three guys wielding enough ego to buck every popular trend and musical convention in an attempt to breathe some life into pop/rock music. Or you didn't understand how they could mock your idols and then turn around and mock their own. Yet, when they took the stage, you couldn't take your eyes off them.Maybe it was Marty and Jim at the front line that caught your eye, each fiercely competing for the spotlight while still egging each other on with their twin vocal-guitar assault. Or maybe it was Bobby nervously twitching away at a drum kit too small to possibly be producing that kind of thunder.The Wigs were cocky, but just shy of effusive - totally offensive, and yet utterly charming. They traded in melodies that could be extremely sweet, yet delivered with too much muscle to be simply lumped in with other more saccharine power pop outfits.For a band that straddled so many fences, there was no in between with The Wigs. To see them on a good night was to witness giants. On a bad night, you most likely demanded your three dollars back."File Under: Pop Vocal" cast The Wigs as trailblazers on many levels:* In its first week, it charted higher on college radio than The Police's "Ghost In The Machine," released on the same day. Of course, this was before charting on college radio meant you were a superstar.* It sold enough copies to land it on the top of regional sales charts, fifteen years before Hootie and The Blowfish turned a similar indie feat into a major label career.Despite the record's initial success, The Wigs felt they had hit a career wall. On a curiously foggy night in July 1982, the band bid farewell to more than 5,000 rabid fans, ending their Midwest career by setting an attendance record at Milwaukee's Summerfest music festival.After regrouping on the west coast, The Wigs quickly endeared themselves to Los Angeles audiences and music industry executives, one of whom orchestrated a deal that sent the band to Denver for seven brutal months of recording what was to be their second album. The dry, raw production style so totally befuddled record label executives, they demanded the producer add echo and other devices to make it sound more marketable and "of the moment." In a bizarre twist of events, the production company was seized by the state for back taxes owed, and the master tapes were destroyed before the remix could commence. True to The Wigs' history, ten years after the fact, that dry production style became commonplace in the music industry.The Wigs returned to Los Angeles only to find a music scene infested by hairspray and spandex. Ever committed, they pressed on and turned in a well-reviewed performance in the now classic 80's romantic comedy "My Chauffeur," both on camera and in the soundtrack. This piqued the interest of CBS Records, who put the band in the studio with an up and coming producer. Dissatisfied with the results, the record company upped the ante by teaming the band with some veteran recording pros fresh off successes with Prince and Rick Springfield. These sessions produced tracks that pleased all parties.(In the midst of all this activity, the band signed on with a powerful manager, one Stanley Polley who, in an uncharacteristic lapse of pop culture history, The Wigs failed to note was the much-loathed party who allegedly swindled Badfinger out of royalties and, as some assert, the reason two members committed suicide.)As the paperwork was being drawn up to commence recording of The Wigs' major label debut, CBS became embroiled in a hostile takeover attempt and suffered the worst round of firings in the company's history. Gone were the staff members who shepherded The Wigs' signing. Gone was The Wigs' major label deal.Ultimately, it was compromise that killed The Wigs. The musicians who spent more time pissing people off than trying to endear them went to extremes to please those in power to further their career, in spite of the gut instincts that told them wrong decisions were being made on their behalf. From song selection and production techniques, to the restructure of the band itself, too many compromises sucked out too much life and personality for the band to survive.Then what? Then Marty found fifteen minutes of fame on the short-lived, but infamous “New Monkees” television show, Jim retreated into a career in the film industry before re-emerging as a session vocalist and songwriter, and Bobby returned to Wisconsin to play drums in a relatively sane environment.Now, more than two decades after “File Under: Pop Vocal’s” release, Marty and Jim have undertaken a remix of the original tapes, for a first-time ever release on CD. It’s been a five-year labor of love, but they promise the results will be well worth the wait. Amazingly, the tracks that didn’t make the initial record survived, allowing the band to restore the album to their original vision - and everyone else can fuck off
.
REFERENCES - WIGS MYSPACE http://www.myspace.com/thewigs
.
STREETWISE RECORDS 1981
.
***DOWNLOAD***