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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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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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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THE FLYS (LOVE AND A MOLOTOV COCKTAIL)

This is probably my favorite record by the Flys but, you really cant go wrong with any of their singles. Livin in the sticks, and Name dropping finish a close second.The Flys formed in Coventry, England in the mid-'70s, and consisted of singer/guitarist Neil O'Connor (whose sister Hazel later had her own solo singing career), guitarist David Freeman, bassist Joe Hughes, and drummer Pete King. The band recorded a demo in 1977 that failed to attract much attention from record companies, so they formed their own Lama label and put out an EP, Bunch of Five, around the end of the year. That caught the fancy of EMI, which signed them up in a hurry and put out the EP's "Love and a Molotov Cocktail" as a single. The full-length Waikiki Beach Refugees appeared in 1978, featuring a tightly constructed set of mod-pop tunes that unfortunately preceded the full-fledged mod revival spearheaded by the Jam just a few months later. Several Flys singles appeared in early 1979, culminating in the release of Own; intraband quarreling had led to King's departure and the arrival of Graham Deakin, the former drummer of John Entwistle's Ox. A move to Parlophone Records did little to salve the bickering, and the Flys broke up in 1980. O'Connor joined his sister Hazel's band and then took his skills behind the scenes as a producer, arranger, and engineer; Freeman performed on Alison Moyet's Raindancing album, played briefly with Roddy Radiation and the Tearjerkers, and then formed The Lover Speaks with Hughes; Pete King went on to join After the Fire before his untimely death at age 26.
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REFERENCES - ALLMUSIC http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:h9fpxqy5ldse~T1
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EMI RECORDS 1977
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1. LOVE AND A MOLOTOV COCKTAIL
2. CAN I CRASH HERE
3. CIVILIZATION
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CHRIS STAMEY AND THE DB'S (I THOUGHT) YOU WANTED TO KNOW

"Formed in 1978 in Winston-Salem, NC, the original lineup of the band featured Chris Stamey (guitar, vocals, keyboards), Gene Holder (bass), and Will Rigby (drums). All three members had spent time in Stamey's legendary group, the Sneakers, a group he co-founded with Mitch Easter. After relocating to New York, the dB's released their debut single, "(I Thought) You Wanted to Know," for Stamey's Car label. The 45 does not feature the band at all; it was recorded by Chris and Richard Lloyd (who wrote it) before Chris started the band. "If and When" on the other side is the first track to feature the band. Guitarist/vocalist/keyboardist Peter Holsapple, who had worked with Stamey in the band Rittenhouse Square in the early '70s, joined the band by the end of 1978. Holsapple and Stamey shared the songwriting chores during the band's early years. The dB's were unable to secure a U.S. recording contract, so they signed to the British Albion label. They released two albums on Albion: Stands for Decibels (1981) and Repercussion (1982). Both records received rave reviews but little sales. Stamey left in 1983 to resume a solo career. Rick Wagner was added on bass but was replaced shortly by Jeff Beninato. With Holsapple fronting the group, they signed to Bearsville in 1984 and released Like This, a more conventional jangle pop album with strong country leanings. Bearsville's internal problems doomed the album despite its obvious hit potential. They eventually left to sign with I.R.S. Records in 1987, where they released The Sound of Music. The album managed to break the Top 200 and college radio support was strong. The dB's received some crucial exposure when they opened for R.E.M. on their Document tour in the end of 1987, but by the end of 1988, the band decided to break up.
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REFERENCES - DB'S. COM http://www.thedbs.com/discography/singles.html ALLMUSIC http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?sql=11:difrxqe5ld6e WIKIPEDIA http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_dB
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CAR RECORDS 1978
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1. (I THOUGHT ) YOU WANTED TO KNOW
2. IF AND WHEN
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CRUSHSTORY (PRESSURE BUILDING E.P)

I always thought this sounded like that pop punk band that was around in the 90's called Zoinks. The first track, Pressure building has a different feel to it. It's a catchy tune that does remind me a bit of Elvis Costello. I think its the organ. I must admit I wasn't aware they put out an album. I just bought one . I guess better late than never. Go check them out. Crushstory formed in February 1997 as a project between two guitar playing songwriters, Jim Bowers and Zac Damon, in Reno Nevada. The band played its final show in May 2002, also in Reno. In between they played all over the western United States and in Japan. The band is survived by three 7" singles and one full-length album, "A+ Electric." The album was recorded in the winter of 1999-2000 and was released in February 2001. It's a warm-sounding mid-fi analog recording that many reviewers compared to Big Star, XTC, The Jam, and Elvis Costello.
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REFERENCES - MYSPACE http://www.myspace.com/crushstory 702 RECORDS.COM http://www.702records.com/crushstory
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702 RECORDS 1998
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1. PRESSURE BUILDING
2. SPOOK-OUT
3. TRIAL AND ERROR
4. CRACK THE WHIP
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***DOWNLOAD***

MINOR THREAT (MINOR THREAT EP)

This is one of my all time favorite hardcore singles and definitely my favorite Minor Threat record. I had to include it on my site, and since I'm posting a few hardcore records, I thought this would be a good time. I think mine is a second pressing. This information is from the Dischord website, go check it out. When their former band, The Teen Idles, broke up, Ian MacKaye and Jeff Nelson decided to form a new band with Ian on vocals. In 1980 they started playing with Lyle Preslar, who sang for the Extorts and wanted to switch to guitar. Lyle introduced them to Brian Baker who started playing bass in November and the band played its first show a month later. Minor Threat and SOA were part of a small wave of new kids and bands in DC, many of whom were not into drugs and alcohol. Some of the bands made mention of this in their lyrics, and Minor Threat’s song "Straight Edge" coined the phrase that is now used to describe a drug and alcohol-free lifestyle. The band played regularly but broke up at the end of the summer of 1981 when Lyle left DC to go to college. Six months later, dissatisfaction with school and a sense of unfinished business prompted Lyle to drop out and Minor Threat reformed in April '82. That fall, Steve Hansgen joined to play bass while Brian moved to second guitar and the band recorded and toured as a five piece until June '83. Minor Threat played a few more shows as a four piece that summer, but they were not getting along. They were unable to agree on the direction of the music, and ended up spending more time arguing than playing in the practice space. Faced with this dilemma, the members decided that it would be better for all involved to shut it down. Ian went on to form Embrace, Egg Hunt, Fugazi and the Evens. Jeff later played in Three and the High Back Chairs. Lyle played in Samhain and Brian formed Dag Nasty and currently plays guitar in Bad Religion.
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REFERENCES - DISCHORD RECORDS 1981
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1. FILLER
2. I DON'T WANNA HEAR IT
3. SEEING RED
4. STRAIGHT EDGE
5. SMALL MAN, BIG MOUTH
6. SCREAMING AT A WALL
7. BOTTLED VIOLENCE
8. MINOR THREAT
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FIX MY HEAD (EMPTY SLOGANS EP)

This record smokes!! Blistering fast with great vocals. They sound like Negative Approach on crack. Fuck yeah!! "Empty Slogans" is the second release from Oakland's Fix My Head. Founded by vocalist Matt McDonald (Scurvy Dogs, Rumor 39), around 2006. You can pick this up from No Options records. Go pick this up, I highly recomend it..
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REFERENCES - NO OPTIONS RECORDS MYSPACE http://www.myspace.com/nooptionsrecords MYSPACE http://www.myspace.com/fixmyheadhc MYSPACE BLOG http://blogs.myspace.com/fixmyheadhc FACEBOOK http://www.facebook.com/pages/Fix-My-Head/37859446636
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NO OPTIONS RECORDS 2009
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1. FED UP
2. OIL SLICK
3. SWIRLING VORTEX
4. FIX MY HEAD
5. NATURAL CAUSES
6. EMPTY SLOGANS
7. WTF
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***DOWNLOAD***

WOLFPACK (BLOODSTAINED DREAMS SINGLE)

To me, these guys sound allot like Discharge, with a hint of metal. I believe this is their first record. A brutal release, enjoy!!Wolfpack were a Swedish hardcore band, formed in 1995. Their lineup has included members of Asta Kask, To What End?, Today's Overdose, Cosa Nostra, Anti Cimex, Obscure Infinity and Harlequin. Their music was a groundbreaking mix of Swedish hardcore punk and death metal that paved the way for bands such as Tragedy.[citation needed] Singer Jonsson was forced to leave the band in 1998, and they recruited singer Micke. At around the same time, they changed their name from Wolfpack to Wolfbrigade, to avoid association with a Swedish neo-Nazi prison gang who shared that name. In 2002, drummer Frank left and was replaced by Dadde. The band split up in 2004 because of lack of motivation and Micke needing surgery for vocal chord problems. Four of the members started a new group, Today's Overdose.
On January 7, 2007, Wolfbrigade announced on their Myspace profile that they were reuniting. They have a new bass player, Johan, who also plays in Today's Overdose. The band released a comeback album, Prey To The World, in June 2007.
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REFERENCES - WIKIPEDIA http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolfbrigade MYSPACE http://www.myspace.com/wolfbrigadetheband
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FERAL WARD RECORDS 1995
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1. MIST OF MORPHEUS
2. BLOODSTAINED DREAMS
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***DOWNLOAD***

DEADFALL (KEEP TELLING YOURSELF IT'S OKAY E.P)

By request, I'm going to post a few hardcore records. This is a return visit for the excellent Bay area band Deadfall. Oddly enough the band members come from PERU, BELARUS (former soviet union) and Brighton, Michigan. They formed sometime around 98 and have a number of great records to their credit. Go support em!!
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REFERENCES - TANKCRIMES RECORDS http://www.tankcrimes.com/catalog/ MYSPACE http://www.myspace.com/deadfallsf
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TANKCRIMES RECORDS 2006
1. COUNTING
2. EVACUATION PLAN
3. SEIZE THE DAY
4. WHAT A BOGUS
5. ONE MANS DOG
6. IT'S OKAY
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***DOWNLOAD***