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Headaches Unreleased Demos (Circa 1981 or 1982)

HEADACHES “UNRELEASED DEMOS” (Franklin Park, IL- c.1981 or 1982)

You can’t really tell from this scan, but this record has a REALLY cool silkscreened sleeve on both sides and, God, I am such a sucker for any sort of silkscreened sleeves on punk records. The back of this single is one big, blue silkscreen too. 1981 was a good year in Chicago for silkscreened sleeves since both The Headaches and the DV8 7″s both had gorgeous silkscreens on em.

The Headaches and their GREAT “Power For Passion/Teenage Sex” 7″ remains one of my favorite Chicago-area KBD-era records and I never tire of it after all of these years- still sounds totally fresh and crisp to me and that guitar riff and drum pounding near the beginning of Power For Passion still grabs me every time. Unfortunately, it was their only release back when they were around in the early 80’s and I figured that was that for many years… until I was lucky enough to know someone who gave me the below mp3’s a few years back of three unreleased demos (thanks again, P.R.!)

I don’t know the exact day of but which sound like they were from that same era of the original incarnation of the band (as opposed to the late 90’s/early 2000’s revival of the band) so I am dating these demos from either 1981 or 1982. They are in the same vein of the 7″- melodic but not wimpy with a really catchiness underlying them. The songs are played at a slower pace than their single but still good stuff in my book and a nice historical document of what else the band had to offer and proves that they had more great tunes in their songbook and that their only 7″ was NOT a fluke. My favorite of these three songs is the first one and the one with the slowest pace, “Redline”, which seems to be about- what else- our beloved Red Line El train in Chicago- what with lyrics like “Straight to The Red Line; that screaming sound“. Lots of great guitar noodling on that tune and very catchy. Well, enjoy and if anyone has other info on these demos (like an old band member) please share and fill in some details. The sound might be a little rough on a few spots in that last track but, damn, these are unreleased demos that never saw the light of day and which have been passed around amongst tape traders.

Redline.mp3

No Exit.mp3

Anytime At All.mp3

Now back in the late 90’s a collector whose name eludes me had a site onto which he posted a scan of an old brief article/write up about the band from a local Illinois music rag and I have never been able to find an archived copy of the article in the modern day, so if anyone has this article please share. I don’t remember what specific magazine it was posted in but it looked to be a non-zine meaning that it was some sort of “mainstream” mag like Illinois Entertainer or something- it was a quick write up and had a small picture of the band members included in it as well.

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It had been posted elsewhere over the years, but while I’m at it here is their 1981 7″:

HEADACHES “POWER FOR PASSION / TEENAGE SEX” 7″ (FRANKLIN PARK, IL- OWN LABEL, 1981)

Power For Passion.mp3

Teenage Sex.mp3

Tim Edwards= Guitar, Vocals
Johnny Gomez= Drums
Gary Panosian = Guitar, Vocals
Eddy Ulm= Vocals, Bass

Recorded @ Chicago Trax Inc. (My note: Studio owners, at least as of 1992, were Reid Hyams and Buster Ursini)
Produced by Headaches and Buster Ursini (My note: Real name= Al Ursini)
Jacket Design = Michael Hernandez

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ENDNOTES

The address on the back of their 7″ had an address (3815 Mt. Prospect Road in Franklin Park, IL)- no, the address is NOT an old band member’s home so don’t go knockin on the door- the address take us to an industrial park in the somewhat non-descript suburb which is not too from O’Hare Airport. Well, I used to work deep in the Northwest suburbs of Chicago- the job had a hellish wrist-slashing commute and in order for me to get back home, I used to try to avoid the freeways during rush hour and take all of these crazy, patchwork-y side street shortcuts (people from the Chicago area will relate to this method). Anyway, I found one trusty shortcut which took me down a street called River Road- lots of restaurants, random stores, bowling alleys, self storage units and industrial parks along the way to stare at while you meander along at only 35 MPH. But at about 3700 North River Road one day I spotted a nice, colorful, well-done, woodcut sign on the side of the road welcoming me to The Village of Franklin Park and of course my first thought was “Hey! That’s where The Headaches were from!! I gotta get a picture of that sign one day!“. So I finally did recently and of course brought along my copy of The Headaches 7” to pose in front of it. But I had to choose the proper time of day to do this since the sign sits close to the road and traffic is whizzing by during rush hour because I was not interested in losing my life while doing this. Plus, there is a trucking company headquartered right next to the sign so I had to park in their parking lot and I woulda raised some eyebrows- here’s this random guy parking his car in our lot who is not an employee or a customer of ours, pulling out a vinyl record and posing it in front of a town sign. Woulda looked weird to the average person working there. Even weirder would have been my explanation of why I was doing this if they asked me: “See, I’m a fan of this old band you never heard of called The Headaches who were from the area and I wanted to show people on my blog that I had a copy of their 7″ so I posed it in front of the town sign”. “Uh, OK- can you leave?” is probably what they would have said to me. Anyway, the sign is kind of big and totally dwarfs the Headaches single so you can barely see it but it’s in the lower middle part of the one pic and in my hand in the other pic.

New Posts Coming Soon, Part 125

I know- nearly two years after being forced to move to a new host the site is still a shit storm full of broken links and messed up .jpg’s for my old posts between 2007 and eary 2014 and I keep promising that they will all be fixed. All of the old, regular, previous visitors to the site probably gave up on me and moved on in their lives.

Case in point that put some fire under my behind this past week- on their site, someone linked to my old 2008 posting of The Tapes 7″ and referred to my site in the past tense like “He DID a website…” instead of the present tense “He DOES a website…” and that was the inspiration I needed to get back into it and get some new content up here. Thanks! Career, family life, kids getting older- all of that stuff remains busy and will probably keep ramping up and taking up more of my time but surely I can squeeze in some time early in the a.m. (like now at 5:30 a.m on a Sunday) to do some new postings.

Because I still have a long queue of cool, rare stuff that most or all of you have probably never heard and which I have been meaning to post for a long time so stay tuned…

Destroy All Art Comp + My 90’s Punk Mixtape/Podcast

2.20.2016 UPDATE: FINALLY (9 months later!) added those liner notes for all of the songs. I originally promised these back last May, but better late than never eh. Go to the bottom of the posting for them. Pull up a chair, though, because I really rambled on about some of the songs…

The new Destroy All Art comp is cool, lots of great stuff on it, and will go down in history as the first vinyl comp of 90’s punk. Pick up a copy directly from Andrew himself, or through Rerun Records and some other distros like SS. The first run is 500 copies, and there is a lot of buzz about it, so the pressing will no doubt sell out! It was a labor of love for him putting this comp together over the last 2 years, and we all appreciate his hard work and the end product! And stay tuned for Volume 2, which is already in the works!

I know a thing or two about 90’s punk but I have never heard about half of the songs on Destroy All Art- classic tunes like “Firesaw” by the pre-A-Frames Bend Sinister, or “The Slide” by I’m Gonna Stab You- so it’s awesome to hear some “new stuff”. My favorite new discovery thanks to the comp is the painfully rare and sadly obscure-up-to-this-point “Fight” by Several Species- what a classic! And a number of songs I got “reacquainted” with from many years ago, because I had forgotten certain details like how The Stiffs had put out an earlier, punkier version of “Chelsea” before they rerecorded it for their big Onion Records pseudo-major label signing.

But I guess one of the main feelings I get when listening to the comp is that is makes me feel FUCKING OLD! I mean, the 90’s don’t seem THAT long ago in my middle-aged perspective. Other comps of obscurities, which up to this point have had either late 70’s/early 80’s KBD or- going back farther- Back To The Grave-ish 60’s obscurities, seem to me like a LONG ASS time ago, as I wasn’t even born yet in the 60’s, and I was a kid when the KBD era happened and I had no fucking clue what punk was back then. So in my perspective the KBD era is kind of a mythic, prehistoric time that feels like a million years ago. Even to the point sometimes where, when I listen to late 70’s stuff like Tapeworm or Freestone or whatever, I think “Now what would I have been doing in late 1978 or early ’79 when this record came out?” And the answer is usually, “I was busy being a kid in grade school and was playing with Star Wars toys or Lego”. And how the only music I knew of back then was Bad Company or My Sharona or Kiss Alive with the gatefold sleeve.

But the 90’s are NOT a mythic time to me. I mean, I graduated from college in the early 90’s and got married in the mid 90’s, so I was a full-fledged “adult” when all the 90’s stuff was coming out and was an active participant in “the scene” at the time. I remember when a lot of these records came out, and I bought them new from the usual sources. But during the 90’s I NEVER thought ahead or had a long-term perspective like “Damn, in 20 years or so there’s going to KBD style comps of this stuff coming out!”. Back in early ’99 I made a cassette comp of 90’s punk stuff that I called “Killed By Tony” as kind of a joke, but never really thought of it as a long-term time capsule that I would refer back to 20 years later. I spent the mid-to-late 90’s chasing down KBD records from the late 70’s and early 80’s and that trumped my pursuit of “new” bands or records that were coming out at the time. Back then, I definitely thought that these late 70’s KBD bands would still be remembered in 2015. But not 90’s bands, at least not in the same “holy grail” sort of way. Which, I guess, was kind of my problem- in hindsight, in the 90’s I should have lived more in the moment and put more effort into finding some of those records instead of being more focused on stuff from 15-20 years earlier, eh. But I only had a limited amount of disposable income at the time, so if I had to choose from between a handful of cheap KBD records and a handful of “new” bands, then I usually leaned towards the KBD stuff.

Don’t get me wrong- I went out of my way to go see lots of great shows and appreciated what was coming out at the time. I particularly remember the Rip Offs playing the Fireside Bowl on a hot summer day in August of 1995 right before they broke up- great show! [As a weird side note, I just randomly Google’d that show and found a video from it! The weird part is not finding a clip from it, but the fact that I found MYSELF in the video jumping around near the front of the stage during the whole song! LOL!] Even better was seeing Teengenerate playing at the Empty Bottle in early November of 1995- yowza! Being in the front row with Fifi and Fink only feet away was amazing. Their records were great but the real way to hear em was LIVE. [By the way, some songs from that particular show were released as part of the VML (Vindictive Music Live) series of live records and I swear you can hear me shouting in between some of the songs. And I still have my Teengenerate shirt that I bought from the band’s merch guy that night.]

This is getting really long, and I was tell myself I’m going to have a quick, no-frills, short text posting. I guess another thing that the Destroy All Art comp makes me think about is how 90’s punk can change up the record collecting formulas. In traditional collecting spheres, “obscure” usually means “expensive wallet busting” But for 90’s punk “obscure” can equal “cheap as shit!” because everyone ignored the record at the time and yer local record store clerk moved ’em from the bin of “New Stuff” to the- gulp!- “Sale Bin” when copies sat around for too long. The price would be discounted from $4 down to $2, and then go ever farther down the food chain and get moved to the musty dollar bin that sat on the floor and you had to get on yer knees to look through. That is where I found some multiple copies of some of these records at the time, LOL! Then even one step BELOW the dollar bin at a local store was the 49 cent bin where stuff would sit and sit and sit, and where I found gems like the Stiffs, Inc. “Chelsea” 7” that was promo only and had only 200 copies pressed total. Which brings me to the next record collecting formula that 90’s punk can many times turn on its head. “Cheap as shit” does NOT mean “bas music”! when it comes to 90’s stuff. Quite the contrary- lots of cheapo 90’s records had amazing, memorable “instant classics” on them! Just a shame that many of them were overlooked at the time and sat collecting dust until now.

Well, I have babbled long enough- on to the music! Listening to the Destroy All Art comp inspired me to dig around my collection and put together some of my favorite 90’s songs. Perhaps you’re familiar with all of them, or maybe I’ve dug up a few that you forgot about or never heard of. I did not try to just include things that I thought might be considered obscure, there are some “well known” bands or songs on it so it’s just whatever popped into my head that sounds good from that era.

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MY 90’s PUNK MIX TAPE/PODCAST
*I made an effort to put these songs in a certain order so they kind of flow together sound-wise, but since no one has any fucking patience anymore thanks to technology my attempt at creating the mixtape effect will probably go unnoticed. I do not have the time to include Discogs links to all of these records, so look up those details yourself please. And for more info and great musings on some of the below songs- like the story of how the Tiki Men achieved such a wall of sound- visit the sorely-missed Static Party blog that highlighted great 90’s music during the three years they were doing postings.

Part 1.rar

Part 2.rar

PART 1: FULL THROTTLE AND SCORCH

1.   77 Spreads– I Ain’t Against Punk Femme (Italy, 1995)
2.   Hookers– Kiss My Fuckin Ass (KY, 1995)
3.   Brides– Get To You (Evanston, IL, 1997)
4.   Teengenerate– This Is Rock n’ Roll (Japan, 1995)
5.   Seculars– Social Skills (NYC, 1997)
6.   Lost Sounds– Plastic Skin (Memphis, TN, 1999) (original version from 1st EP on Solid Sex Lovie Doll label)
7.   Mud City Manglers– Shit You Talk (PA, 1999)
8.   Millionaires– Cleopatra’s Alley (San Diego, CA, 1995)
9.   Teenage Graves– Born In Blood (Sweden, recorded 1990/released 1997)
10.   Olivelawn– Carvin Is The Devil’s Paintbrush (San Diego, CA, 1991)
11.   Fake Females– C’Mon C’Mon (Norway, 1996)
12.   Jakkpot– Burnin’ In ’77 (Baltimore, MD, 1996)
13.   Candysnatchers– Hooligan (VA, 1996) (original version on “Blasts From The Basement” comp EP)
14.   Chinese Millionaires– Spoiled Rotten (MI, 1997)
15.   The Makers– Waste Of Flesh (WA, 1995)
16.   First Alert– Pinpoint Attack on My Alarm Clock (Japan, 1996)

PART 2: LOTS OF OFF-KILTER, UNIQUE CLASSICS + SOME MORE DRIVING BEATS & SOME MELODY
1.   Hamicks– Oxymorons (Austin, TX, 1996)
2.   Arch Villains– We Hate Your Ugly Face (WA, 1998)
3.   Piranhas– Garbage Can (MI, 1999)
4.   Charm City Suicides– Can’t Get Paid (MD, 1999)
5.   Starvations– Shut Up Sirens (Los Angeles, CA, 1996)
6.   Tiki Men– Swingin’ Creeper (Sacramento, CA, 1993)
7.   Tonebenders– Root Beer (Sweden, 1995)
8.   Splayed Innards– Social Retard (Iowa, 1996)
9.   De Stipjes– My Brain Is Dead (Holland, 1996)
10.   Stitches– Nowhere (Long Beach, CA, 1995)
11.   Halfways– Friar Tucks (VA, 1997)
12.   TKO’s– Don’t Pull The Plug (Cleveland, OH, 1996)
13.   Les Thugs– I Love You So (France, 1991)

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Here’s some pictures I took of the record sleeves I used to put this thing together:

For some reason, I couldn’t find my copies of the 1st Lost Sounds EP while taking this picture. Plus I don’t have a vinyl copy of The Millionaires “Return To The Island of The Robots” 7″so if you have a copy please let me know

PODCAST LINER NOTES

PART 1
77 Spreads- I Ain’t Against Punk Femme
Killer, mid-tempo tune with an “instant classic” feel. I think they had some other releases, but I’ve never heard them. I am probably not motivated ‘cuz the rest of this EP is just so-so. At least they so nailed it on one song!

Hookers- Kiss My Fuckin’ Ass
One of my favorite songs from the 90’s! Wild, out of control and totally over the top in all ways ‘specially the vocals. The bile spewed forth in this song still makes my jaw drop after 20 years. Just ridiculous! Too bad the rest of this EP and all their other output never matched this one song. Supposedly only 300 pressed- they are all allegedly hand-numbered on the back of the thin paper foldover sleeve. One of my copies is #105/300 but then another copy has no such numbering on it. And then another copy I happened upon has what appears to be a photocopied sleeve and insert so was there some kinda repress??

Brides- Get To You
Another 90’s favorite. Just a perfect song- loud as hell, in your face, ferocious intensity with razor sharp guitars. They so fucking nailed it on this tune. The last growl in the waning seconds of the song of both singer and guitar is just perfect for me. Rip Off released a lot of great stuff, and this is one of- if not- the best. I missed their reunion show a few years ago at the annual Blackout fest, though.

Teengenerate- This Is Rock N’ Roll
I am not really into cover tunes, but to me this is definitely a case of the cover outdoing the original. Another example of that is SS doing “Blitzkrieg Bop” but that’s another story. Teengenerate were like the penultimate 90’s “garage punk” band during their relatively short existence and this song from the tail end of their lifespan is one of their pinnacles. Loud, blaring, pound your fist and jump around the room type of happiness. I am still thankful that I was able to see them live “back in the day” because that was the way to experience Fifi, Fink, Sammy and Shoe.

Seculars- Social Skills
A total barnstormer of a song from a really great and sadly obscure EP. The in-the-red drums are just bonkers and the tempo changes in this tune keep it plowing along nicely. This 7″ was on a crappy label, “360 Degree Records”, based out of Colorado but I am pretty sure I remember seeing an ad in an old Ugly Things magazine circa 1997 that said the Seculars were from New York City. This being on that crappy label probably made me miss it when it was released in the 90’s- thankfully, the Static Party blog clued me into it back in ’06 and I soon after stumbled upon a cheap copy at a local store filed under “Garage” (!).

Lost Sounds- Plastic Skin
Jay Reatard came up with such original, out-of-the-box music during his short time on this planet and his creativity is sadly missed. This original version of this song is a total jawdropper for me- totally tense delivery and the well-placed keyboards create a haunting and spooky atmosphere. As do Jay’s shrieking vocals- yowlza! And for some reason the guitar hooks always reminded me of Overkill’s “Our War” which is a good thing of course. That keyboard “solo” (?) in the middle of the song just sends me over the edge. All 4 songs on this EP are UNTOUCHABLE. I guess Lost Sounds had a bunch of other releases, including a re-recorded version of Plastic Skin, but I have yet to listen to them probably because I’m worried that none of it will be able to match the greatness of this song.

Mud City Manglers- Shit You Talk
Great punk n’ roll that just drips bad attitude- “I’ve got a face full of beer and a head full of fumes”. Yeah, not the boy next door eh. I think this song should have been on a single instead of on a full-length ‘cuz it’s that good. These guys had an earlier single, this LP and then some other singles which are all rather good. But this is definitely my favorite song by them.

Millionaires- Cleopatra’s Alley
Total meat and potatoes punk with a very thick undercurrent- that bass creates a real mean rumble in your speakers! The singer has a very macho man delivery which blends very nicely with the music too. These guys seem to have been in their own world- though because what the fuck is Cleopatra’s Alley?! The other song on this single is called “Return To The Island of The Robots” so must be something only the band understood or could explain eh.

Teenage Graves- Born In Blood
A real wild tune that channels the spirit of The Stooges- the nutso wah-wah pedal abuse sends this one nicely into the red! And cool growly vocals. Very cool that this was recorded way back in 1990 when punk was at a low point and several years before all of the cool 90’s stuff started coming out. But too bad that it took 6 or 7 years for it to get released. Just thankful that it finally did get released, though. There were a total of two singles from those 1990 recordings that came out, both good, but for me none of the other songs top this one.

Olivelawn- Carvin Is The Devil’s Paintbrush
A real surprise barnstormer here, buried on the B-side of a single some people probably missed! Olivelawn had several LP’s back in the early 90’s- including one song featured on the famous Plan B “Questionable” skating video which gives them instant cred/props for me- but NOTHING as good as this 60’s-tinged tune. Loud as hell stuff, with great guitar noodling by famous 80’s skate photographer O, otherwise known as Otis Bartholomew. Almost too much guitar noodling on this song, but nicely balanced out with some punk ‘tude.

Fake Females- C’Mon C’Mon
This high-energy, thick, shake-yo-ass tune was on an otherwise mediocre EP. This was their only record, but I just found out through Discogs that they had also had a cut on a 1997 10″ comp that appears to be all Norwegian bands.

Jakkpot- Burnin’ In 77
Jakkpot has a great handful of punk n’ roll singles that came out on various labels between ’95 and ’97 and were on a roll during those years! The band included former Black Market Baby guitarist Keith Campbell so you know you’d be in for a good time! It was kind of hard to pick out one song, but this great, intense ditty was my choice. It’s almost like the band was racing to the end of the song, which is always a good thing.

Candysnatchers- Hooligan
They had a bunch of great songs during the 90’s that were spread out amongst lots of singles and some LP’s. This tune was re-recorded later on, but this rawer version was on the equally great 4-song “Blasts From The Basement” comp that came out on the nice Centsless Productions label based out of The ‘Natti. That label had a nice stretch ‘cuz they also put out the famous Archie and The Pukes EP and various records by The Slobs. The singer could really sing a la U-Ron Bond and the guitarist Matthew Odietus (RIP) could really play too. I will never forget when the Candysnatchers plowed through this tune after I kept requesting it during a show at The Fireside Bowl back in March of ’98.

Chinese Millionaires- Spoiled Rotten
These guys had a nice run between ’95 and ’98, releasing four great singles and an LP. While it would have been easier to include one of the great tunes from their first two singles, I am also a big fan of this tune from their overlooked Rip Off LP. They were great live, what with their matching all-black outfits with the red ties, and I saw them play twice during those days, including a really great show in May of ’97 at The Empty Bottle with The Makers and Thee Headcoats. I think I have their set list from that show, which they printed on their cool letterhead that had their band logo on it in full color, nice touch. The band also had a fan club of sorts called “The Millionaires Club” where you could get some special merch too. When I was shooting the breeze with them one time, they said their name came from a line from some old Bob Hope movie. Singer Tom was earlier in a band called El Smasho, who had an EP in 1993. I have a copy, but I don’t remember what it sounded like off the top of my head.

The Makers- Waste of Flesh
These guys released a slew of stuff back in the 90’s, but this wild song could be their punkest moment. Some of their other stuff was more 60’s/”garage” influenced but Tim Kerr of Big Boys fame twisted the knobs on their 1995 LP on Estrus, from which this song is taken, and the result was totally punk. The guitar on this tune is just UNSTOPPABLE and the singer’s desperate howls are great. They were great live when they played that above-mentioned show with the Chinese Millionaires and Headcoats, ‘specially the singer’s shenanigans.

First Alert- Pinpoint Attack on My Alarm Clock
These guys put out a number of records, some of it way too power pop-ish for me, but this song is just the PERFECT combination of melody and power. And the hooks are just ridiculous- can just one song contain this many catchy hooks?! Plus, it’s an anthem of sorts for when you don’t feel like getting up for work on Monday morning. There was so much great, sometimes off-kilter, KBD-influenced punk coming out of Japan in the 90’s (and into the 2000’s) for which we are all thankful.

PART 2

Hamicks- Oxymorons
Such a great, weird “art punk” tune; a favorite of mine from the 90’s for sure. Whiny, hypnotic guitars, off-kilter vocals and just great pacing. I have a lot of copies of this single from the cheapo bins because it unfortunately was an overlooked gem. The band relocated from Texas to Chicago at some point in the 90’s so maybe the band brought stacks of copies with them… which unfortunately ended up in the dollar bin. I think I even found a copy in the dreaded, sad 49 cent bin once. This band released a bunch of other records but, frankly, I didn’t bother checking all of them out ‘cuz I was worried it wouldn’t match up to the uniqueness of this tune.

Arch Villains- We Hate Your Ugly Face
The Farfisa organ work on this song is almost hypnotic and is well-placed for sure, or else it would have been too much for me. And the thuggish backing vocals when they all growl “We Hate Your Ugly Face” is one of those moments where they really mean it, man! And are having a good time too, a real party tune here. It took me a few years to find a copy of this EP, which only had 250, hand-numbered copies pressed. The rest of this EP, unfortunately, does not match up to the “instant classic” feel of this tune for me though. This EP also had some very limited (25 copies?) edition that someone was selling on eBay late last year- alternate sleeve or something?

Piranhas- Garbage Can
Some bad vibe, dirtball stuff going on here which sound great! From the Detroit area, which had some raw stuff going on in the late 90’s like these guys, The Epileptix, Druggies, etc. Like the Arch Villains, the Piranhas also knew where to properly place the keyboards and not overdo it. Sometimes instrumentals just don’t work but it totally does here- they set a “rhino charging” pace for the song and those mosquito guitar jabs are so great too! The whole 3-song EP is so good, but this song is the best for me. They also had the great follow-up “Piranhas Attack” 12″EP in 2000 with lots of more raw, intense, “desperate man” songs. Their later records kind of lost me, though…

Charm City Suicides- Can’t Get Paid
A real jarring, unnerving, angry experience from start to finish on this song (and the entire 4-song EP for that matter). Desperate sounds for sure ‘specially that bass plucking, very unique stuff. Their follow-up LP had its moments but nothing can touch this EP. Only 300 copies pressed, and I was pleasantly surprised to find a cheap copy back in ’09 misfiled in the “Garage” bin of a certain record shop. The insert says “Recorded live 1/99 on a boom box at Mike’s Mom’s house”, which explains how they achieved such a raw sound. Thankfully it was not recorded in a studio ‘cuz it would’ve been a different experience I think. Oh yeah, the Mike they refer to is singer Mike Apichella.

Starvations- Shut Up Sirens
A very unique sounding tune here, highlighted for me by those thick bass hooks. I hear sort of a country or twang vibe going on too in general with this song, but in a tolerable, punkish way of course. This was release #10 on The Stitches’ Vinyl Dog label which probably made me take a chance on it in the first place when it came out. The Starvations had some other singles, a few of which I bought at the time, but I honestly cannot remember what they sounded like. The bass playing on this song is not of the same intensity per se, but kinda makes me think about the wild bass playing from Bad Posture’s “Time For Smack” for some reason.

Tiki Men- Swingin’ Creeper
The 90’s had a bunch of instrumental “surf revival” stuff coming out but NONE OF IT can touch this wild, 4-song Tiki Men EP with a ten-foot pole. Simply the best surf punk hybrid record of all time. All four tracks on it are great, and I had a hard time choosing just one song, but this Ventures cover is the “punkest” of the bunch I think. LOUD, intense and raw and recorded in an old bean sprout factory with cement walls, which explains the amazing production sound they were able to achieve on this EP. The Tiki Men had a handful of other records in those days, and I have yet to check out any of em because I predict that none of them will match up to this EP.

Tonebenders- Root Beer
What a great, weird-ass, off-kilter, fun tune. You know you’re in for a good time when the first thing the singer says at the beginning in Swede-accented English is, “In the Summer it’s hot… and winter collllldddddd” Some 60’s influence here in the guitar, but it growls along perfectly and the in-the-red sloppy solo is just perfect while the band chants “I wan it! Root beer!!!” in the background. Some off-kilter tempo changes ensure that this song’s place in hall of fame for unique-sounding songs. It took me a number of years to find a vinyl copy but I snagged one for rather cheap off of an online set sale list that had it filed under “Psych” probably due to how the A-side sounds.

Splayed Innards- Social Retard
Loud, upfront guitar work combines with a sad sack singing style to create an anthem of sorts for the socially inept. Just about every decade has a self-loathing, depressing tune that we all remember- the 60’s had songs like Murphy and The Mob’s “Born Loser”; the 70’s had ones like The Vectors’ “I Hate Myself”. I’m sure the 80’s had some of course but I can’t remember them off the top of my head right now. Splayed Innards were from Iowa, which kind of explains their desperate approach. I visited that state on several occasions back in the 90’s so I kind of understand where they were coming from. Because after a weekend trip to a certain part of Iowa, I was ready to leave so I can’t imagine being stuck living in certain parts of said state for what probably felt like an eternity to Splayed Innards. Thankfully it did, or else this song might have come out sounding differently.

De Stipjes- My Brain Is Dead
Another nice, loud, in-your-face, garage-y sounding tune. The lo-fi production adds to the charm of it all too I think. This Dutch trio just bashes away non-stop from start to finish on this song and shout away. They had some other records, including a 7″ and LP on Rip Off, but I don’t think they matched the power of this initial single.

Stitches- Nowhere
These guys released a shit ton of records over the years, some better than others, but this is my favorite Stitches song for sure. The band sounds like they’re racing each other to the end, which is always a good thing, and just charge along and throw in some signature Stitches melody. And the drummer is just working overtime. Mike Lohrman’s singing style is so great on this tune, too. He had a memorable “Check Out” page in a skate mag from 1990- was it Poweredge, or Transworld; I can’t remember but I have the issue somewhere in my basement. And I remember it because when the Stitches came out a few years later in the mid 90’s, I said to myself “Oh, that’s the skate punk guy that was in the magazine”.

Halfways- Friar Tucks
These guys were from Richmond, Virginia and released three EP’s during the late 90’s none of which unfortunately registered on a lot of people’s radar. This catchy hummer of a tune is from their first 4-song EP- their record got a positive review in Maximum RnR in the Summer of ’97 so it kind of stuck in my head as a record to get a hold of one if I came across it. Fast forward a little bit to the Spring of 1998- I went to the old dingy Fireside Bowl to see the one and only Candysnatchers (damn, what a great show that was by the way). They had a merch table set up, and since they were also from Richmond they had a copy of the Halfways EP. I excitedly told them I had been looking for this record for a while and they seemed surprised and said they’d definitely tell the band. They then shared an embarrassing drunken story about the Halfways which I should probably still keep to myself…

TKO’s- Don’t Pull The Plug
Cleveland is my hometown so of course I have a soft spot for Cle-based punk, but from an objective perspective there is so damn much good stuff that has come out of Cleveland over the years (and continues to!). Some of it sadly falls under the radar when it comes out but at least gets “rediscovered” years later I guess so it’s not totally obscure. Well, the TKO’s got some national coverage when Ryan Richardson raved about this single in his great “Peer Pressure” column in MRR. But by that time the TKO’s were well-known around Cleveland- singer Brandon was one of the, ahem, “business partners” in the sadly short-lived but very memorable Riot 101 record store between ’95 and ‘96. I for one could not wait until this single came out in the Summer of ’96. And it did not disappoint- what a classic one. Nothing over the top or in your face, though- but such a solid, extremely catchy, memorable tune- those drums draw me in right in the first few seconds. Great bass plucking, and such a great singing style. They also had another EP later in ’96 which is good as well but which some people were let down about for some reason, maybe because it didn’t sound exactly like the first 7”. The TKO’s morphed into the Teenage Knockouts (TKO’s- get it?) who released a 10” in late ’98 that had some catchy tunes. Singer Brandon continues plugging along in the band with the perfect Cleveland reference, The Plain Dealers, who have cranked out a number of 7”s.

Les Thugs- I Love You So
An intense, swirling experience on this song. Not really “punk”, and they probably didn’t call themselves a punk band per se like many of the other bands I included here. But they definitely nailed it on this song, and most of the “I.A.B.F.” LP from which this tune comes, for that matter. They just chug along throughout the song at a nice pace and then switch it up and hit a fevered pitch with that guitar solo in the middle. And the end of the song- damn! I remember getting this Les Thugs record in a random box full of other stuff at our college radio station in November of ’91 from Alternative Tentacles and thinking “Ehhh, who are these French guys?!” and not expecting much. But then I clearly remember spinning the record from beginning to end and being blown away by their intensity. For me, Les Thugs got instant cred when another song from this same LP was used for the almighty Eric Dressen’s part in Santa Cruz’s classic 1991 “Troops of Tomorrow” vid.

Happy Electric Eels Day!

[Yes, I finally have a new posting up after another lengthy absence. I have probably lost anyone who used to follow my site when it was semi-regularly updated but maybe not…]

HAPPY ELECTRIC EELS DAY!

(L to R in case you didn’t already know): Brian McMahon, Dave E, John Morton and Nick Knox

Not only was their music great, but John Morton’s artwork was/is as well

I am officially declaring today Electric Eels day ‘cuz 40 years ago today (!)- on April 28, 1975- the Eels went into some studio (a term I use loosely, as it could have been some random basement or living room) and tape recorded some abrasive, loud punk rock that still sounds ridiculously amazing to this day. Such timeless classics were recorded that day, including one of THE best songs of ALL TIME- “Agitated”. It boggles my mind that it was 40 years ago because I think about what else was being recorded in 1975 and most of it was total garbage- think Elton John, singer-songwriter acoustic pap, complicated progressive rock, etc, etc. NOTHING ELSE from 1975 came close to what the Eels were doin’ (and in my hometown of Cleveland no less!). Even stuff we now in hindsight label as “proto punk” that was goin’ on in 1975 sounds mediocre and meandering and doesn’t even come CLOSE to the Electric Eels-level of in-your-face intensity.

So I say that the City of Cleveland, in recognition of this landmark, should OFFICIALLY start declaring April 28th as Electric Eels Day. In a proper world John Morton and the other former band members could get a key to the city, have a ticker tape parade, all while “Agitated” or “Cyclotron” blares from a parade float. OK, well I doubt all of that would ever happen but there should really be SOME sort of “official” recognition from the squares of how groundbreaking Messrs. Morton, McMahon, Knox et al were. Maybe something at the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame besides having a copy of their 7″ under glass. Seriously. I mean, fucking Green Day gets into the Hall of Fame and The Eels are ignored even on many basic levels?! And people- musical or otherwise- totally undeserving of having days named after them get recognized for their “achievements” by municipalities but one of the first punk bands ever- before punk was widely used to describe a genre of music- continues to get ignored for the most part by the mainstream.

Well, if not of that official recognition ever happens then going forward at least all of us fans can make a point to blare The Eels’ music every April 28th eh. Speaking of their music, it is still so abrasive to me that, to this day, I sometimes have a hard time listening to reissues like the “God Says Fuck You” CD is one sitting without feeling exhausted afterwards! To me, that’s a perfect litmus test of whether or not music stands the test of time.

And yes, I am aware that there were other “key” Eels recording dates, like how a different version of “Agitated”- the one that actually appeared on the posthumous Rough Trade 7″- was recorded on May 15th of ’75. But the bulk of what appeared on key Eels reissues like 1989’s “Having a Philosophical Discussion With…” LP or 1991’s “God Says Fuck You” CD were from the April 28th session ya hear.

Thanks to the band who made perfect, timeless racket on April 28, 1975- John Morton’s guitars were other worldly, and it gelled perfectly with Dave E’s way nasally Keith Morris-y voice that sounded so snotty and punk, Nick Knox’s drum bashing and Brian McMahon’s guitar work. It was probably totally unplanned and a happy accident of sorts that it all came together that day, and I’ve always found that those “happy accidents” are what always makes for the most memorable recorded music that gets played over and over and obsessed about forever eh. Way more than the “well thought out”, pre-planned, well-rehearsed, “conscious-about-our-process”, forgettable recording sessions with lots of takes of each song. Yawn.

This is from the liner notes to the “God Says…” CD stating the April 28th recording date…

Still Fixin’ Them Old Links!

I know, it’s taking me a while but I am slowly fixing audio and .jpg links in old postings! If you have a request for a specific one, post a comment and let me know.

Site Cleanup Underway- Fixing Old Postings and Audio Links

When I was forced to move to my new host and I imported in all of my old postings going back to June of 2007, it was not a clean process unfortunately. You can read what I wrote to your heart’s content in these old postings, but audio links and picture links are broken (argh). But please know that in my spare time I will fix these old audio links, it will just take some time. I will go in chronological order from newest to oldest in terms of fixing audio links, but if you have a specific posting you’d like to see fixed leave a comment and let me know.

Normals

NORMALS “LIVE IN NEW ORLEANS, LA- CIRCA LATE 1978 OR 1979”

*9.26.2014 UPDATE: Whoops, both links below accidentally pointed to the same .rar file instead of 2 separate ones (Part 1 and Part 2). Fixed these links, so thanks to the person who pointed this out!

OK, finally (!)- almost 3 months later!- is the live Normals stuff I promised to post in my last Normals posting that had the 1980 New York interview and whatnot.

This is an especially inspired and energetic set from the Crescent City’s finest. I assume that the tight playing and in-your-face inspiredness of their set was typical of most of their live shows they played back then. I am not sure when this was recorded- maybe late 1978, maybe 1979- as it was on the 90 minute unlabeled cassette I got back in ’97 which also had that New York interview and some other stuff. But I assume this is before their relocation to New York City in the Fall of ‘79, when they were still based in the N.O.

There appears to be one unreleased track on here- “You Make Me Feel So Good” (Track 9)- UNLESS I am having a senior moment and am forgetting what Normals reissue this has already appeared on. The rest of the songs in this live set eventually appeared many years later on one of the various Normals post-mortem reissues that have come out over the years.

What’s cool is to hear a live version of “Almost Ready”, a live version of which has not appeared on any of the Normals reissues. Since it’s their most famous song, and a New Orleans punk anthem if you will, how about someone does a reissue of the original 7″, tack on this live version of the song, and then also include that alternate version of “Almost Ready” that was on Last Laugh’s “So Sad So Bad” reissue from a few years ago? Package it in a nice, thick, booklet sleeve with a bunch of band pictures, flyers and whatnot, and I think you’ve got a winner of a reissue right there. Easy for me to say, though, since I’ve never released a record eh.

What’s also cool about this 16-song live set is that it’s a mixture of their very early, more garage-y stuff from early 1978 (songs like Schoolgirl Domination or Dog In Heat); a song from their single; and then a bunch of songs from 1979 when they took a more melodic (yet still driving) direction (see Memories, You Took You Got, etc), some of which would eventually be recorded in a studio- the famous Memphis sessions.

Also cool is to hear some goofing off from the band (see Track 11), and some between-song banter, which shows that they were a “serious” band who could play their asses off tightly, but also had a sense of humor and had a good time on stage too.

Part 1.rar

Part 2.rar

TRACK LISTING
Almost Ready.mp3
Henry VIII.mp3
Schoolgirl Domination.mp3
Vacation To Nowhere.mp3
Porcelain Scene.mp3
Please Remember.mp3
Memories.mp3
(Tuning Between Songs) .mp3
You Make Me Feel So Good.mp3
38-36.mp3
(Goofing Off Between Songs) .mp3
Dog In Heat.mp3
You Took You Got.mp3
Around The Downtown.mp3
Got You Runnin.mp3
So Bad, So Sad.mp3 (this one cuts out unfortunately)

The Normals

NORMALS “RADIO INTERVIEW ON WPIX-FM NEW YORK, CIRCA JANUARY 1980″ (+UNRELEASED DEMO!)

*Be forewarned- this is going to be another long post, as I have a lot to say about The Normals and Louisiana punk in general! Yes, there is some audio included here so if you don’t feel like reading all this then just scroll way down below for it.

The Normals put this artwork on a big banner and hung it up during some live shows. Wonder if any of those old original banners still exist or if they are lost to history…

PART 1: BACKGROUND

I have been meaning to post this radio interview for a while, as it’s interesting, plus- surprisingly- I haven’t seen it posted elsewhere yet. I guess all of the buzz lately about the in-progress, 3-years-in-the-making New Orleans (although it’s not pronounced that way- I’ll explain later) punk documentary from Al Champagne and Pablo Romero-Estevez called “Almost Ready” finally prompted me to do so. Check out their bountiful Facebook page which is full of HUNDREDS of rare, vintage pictures and flyers from the late 70’s and early 80’s of all yer fave New Orleans/Louisiana bands from both the punk/KBD era and later HC era- The Normals; Skinnies; Mandeville Mike; Toxin III; Men In Black; Red Rockers; Shit Dogs (who were actually from another part of the state- Baton Rouge, but close enough); Sluts; Disappointed Parents; and many others.

I must point out in a separate paragraph something that I thought was very nice to see on the film’s site- a rare live picture of the mysterious Fugitives whose only song committed to vinyl, “Mystery Girl”- a great, very catchy tune- was on 1980’s No Questions, No Answers comp LP on Vinyl Solution (and then rediscovered when it was comped in 1998 on Killed By Death #22). The only other picture I’ve ever seen of the Fugitives was the small one on the back of that 1980 comp.

The Almost Ready Facebook page also highlights some powerpop, “New Wave” and “not-punk-but-in-the-same-spirit” type-of stuff if that’s your cup of tea- The Cold (with Ellen DeGeneres’ brother Vance on bass); The Dukes; The Models; RZA; and many others. AND lots of rare pictures of “national” acts playing down in New Orleans like The Ramones, Iggy Pop, The Cramps, The Misfits (including their infamous 1982 cemetery arrest incident!) and more. The site is great (is this enough of a plug for it?), and I for one am very much looking forward to seeing the documentary when it’s completed. Some of my wife’s relatives are from New Orleans and I have taken MANY a memorable trip down there over the years so I also have some personal connections to the city.

[Not to get off on too much of a tangent, but New Orleans is very unique charming city, all of the tourist-y or drunken, Bourbon Street frat boy
stuff aside of course- it’s in the South but not like the rest of the South in many ways. The food is different, the musical scenes and ethnography is rather unique, language, accents and euphemisms are different, etc. And you can get hot, fresh beignets (the official state doughnut of Louisiana- yeah, you right!) 24 hours a day at The Café du Monde which has always been a plus for me. And let’s be clear- the unique drawl of the city is why it is not pronounced how it is spelled- think “Nu-AW-linz”, like it’s all one word and not two, and I guess it could even be “Nawlins” (although some people think that’s how tourists trying to “be down” and cool pronounce it). I have NEVER heard someone from down there pronounce it like it is spelled, “New Orleans”. Personally, when I see that way, I picture some linguist carefully enunciating every single letter and that’s just not the way it rolls off the tongue of Crescent City area natives.]

PART 2: THE RADIO INTERVIEW
ANYWAY, here is the deal with this late-period Normals interview which is below. This was recorded during the 6-to-9 month period in late 1979 and early 1980- with manager and road crew in tow- when the band relocated and lived in New York City trying to “make it” and get the elusive record deal. Well, that didn’t work out and in some ways that is why I feel sad when I listen to this interview- not because the band sounds sad in the interview or talks about depressing things. Quite the contrary- the band sounds excited and enthusiastic as you will hear. I feel bummed because, from being schooled via the liner notes from 1998’s great Your Punk Heritage reissue CD, I have heard of what stress and disappointment was going on behind the scenes- this New York period of the band ultimately led to their demise and their break up. In New York City, original drummer Chris Luckette left (and was quickly replaced with Mike Fell who is in this interview); they only had like 12(!) gigs total in 9 months which must have been very disheartening for a band who loved to play live; and they (meaning 9 people- the 4-person band, their manager and the 4-person road crew) ALL lived in the same apartment in the Bronx. Plus the band was full-time and it sounds like no one had day jobs to support things. But as you will also hear in the interview the bass player, Steve Walters, was no longer living with everyone else- they say in the interview, while chuckling, that he was “kicked out” so I wonder what happened there.

I mean, shit, it must have been frustrating because you are a tight, loud band with good songs and an amazing single under your belt but no record labels seemed to care in the Big Apple. In 2014 punk hindsight, it’s easy for us all these years later to say “OF COURSE no major label was going to sign a punky band like The Normals! Why didn’t they just do the DIY-thing and self-release their LP or other singles?!”. But I guess back in 1980 a few U.S. bands had been signed to big labels without having to water down or “new wave”-ize their sound too much so there was some hopes or dreams to chase. Plus the DIY route didn’t become the go-to, standard and assumed method of releasing a full-length “debut” LP until several years later during the ’80 hardcore era. In the late 70’s you might have a single or EP on an indy label (as did The Normals) but the hope for many bands was to get a big label to release the rest of your output.

This interview was making the rounds in the tape trading world (at least in my circle of traders) back in the mid 1990’s- I got it from good ol’ reliable J.T. as part of a nearly 90-minute Normals tape that he dubbed for me which- aside from this interview- included the astoundingly good “Almost Ready” 7″ of course; the unreleased “Vacation Is For You” LP (before parts of it were officially released in ’98 on the Your Punk Heritage CD); and some enthusiastic live stuff circa 1979 when they were still in N’Leans (I gotta rip those tracks one of these days!). Interspersed within the interview are some early, raw Normals demos circa early 1978 like “No Cigars” and “Seventeen Percent”. These early demos, a few of which were on Your Punk Heritage, were not officially released in their entirety years later until late 2006 on the nice 1978 Recordings CD that was on the Nat Records label out of Japan. Now I am not sure if those early demos were part of their playlist during the radio interview or were spliced in later by someone but they could most likely could have been on the actual tape that The Normals brought to WPIX-FM that night. I included the entire playlist from the radio interview side of the cassette below so you can see what all was included. I did not include rips of all of most of these tracks, as many of them have been officially released on various reissues that have come out over the years.

But what I have included is a song that, for some odd reason, has never been released- a very good, catchy, hooky rave-up called “Shot Down”. This song sounds like it could have been recorded in late 1979 during the Memphis recording session that eventually spawned the “Vacation Is For You” LP. But I scratch my head wondering why it was never included on any of the various Normals reissues over the years since it’s definitely not a cutting-room floor track. I guess the band or someone associated with the band would have to explain that glaring omission.

Back to the interview- my favorite part is at the beginning of it when “Almost Ready” is over and the DJ is almost speechless and is genuinely surprised by this song that he admits he has never heard before that night. The interview starts with a bang and they definitely have this DJ’s attention! (By the way, the DJ never says his name so he’s kind of a mystery guy). The band tells him “Almost Ready” was released “nearly 18 months ago” (the single came out in August of ’78 so, doing the math, that is why I’m placing this interview in early 1980). Then, funnily enough, the DJ and band clear up that they are NOT the English synth band The Normal with the TVOD/Warm Leatherette 7″ and that this band has an “S” on the end of their name. I wonder how many times the band had to repeat the same speech to people in New York or other cities- both how they were not “The Normal” AND how their single came out 18 months ago.

I kind of did a loose transcript for the interview below which has some more musings of mine and nuggets of info that the band mentioned which helps put all of this in historical context.

PART 3: THE AUDIO
Interview Part 1.mp3
Interview Part 2.mp3
Patricia Fields Ad and Closing Credits.mp3

BONUS TRACKS
Fan Interviews (Uncut Version).mp3
Normals- Shot Down (Unreleased Demo).mp3

*Dig the Patricia Field’s fashion store ad at the end of the interview which has a cool UK DIY song playing in the background (“In A Moment” by Airmail, which was actually later comped on Messthetics #6) while what sounds like a drag queen talks about what fashion accessories and clothes could be gotten there (a referee jacket, anyone?). I dug around on the interwebs and it turns out that there is a backstory behind that Patricia Fields aka The House of Field store (which was located at 10 East 8th Street in Greenwich Village)- go here to read that.

** Also cool which I included are uncut fan interviews (including the “25 cc’s of morphine” girl and “the pussy guy”) which, for some reason, were cut out of the fan interview track that was on 1998’s Your Punk Heritage CD. The fan interview track on the CD is only like 30 seconds l
ong while the one I included is more than twice that length.

There is ALSO a backstory behind the station that this interview was on, WPIX-FM, which was not a college station on the low end of the dial, but you can dig around yourself for that whole thing or else this will be my longest posting ever. Argh, the researching madness never ends!

—————————————
LOOSE INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT
PART 1
The band members who do most of the talking on the interview appear to be guitarists Charlie Hanson and David Brewton. But what I love to hear is when bassist Steve Walters talks, because his New Orleans drawl is nice and THICK.

The band talks about the gumbo mixture of circumstances and culture down in New Orleans that is conducive to punk.

How the Sex Pistols show in early 1978 was influential for the band [my note: the Pistols’ Louisiana show was actually not in New Orleans but in Baton Rouge and took place on Monday, January 9, 1978 at a place called The Kingfish Club- go here for more on that night. Kingfish, by the way, was the nickname of notorious 1920/30’s Governor Huey P. Long, Jr.]

The band talks about going back to New Orleans “in like 3 weeks” for a show- does anyone know the date or venue of this return show? I guess I’d have to dig around old issues of Final Solution ‘zine to figure out the particulars- another research project!

The band mentions the Tulane University station- WTUL- who, incidentally had an influential show that played punk early on [my note: the show was called “The WTUL New Wave Hour”, and you can read more about it here].

The band disses Cheap Trick and Joe Jackson, which is funny.

They brought in a tape with the 1979 Memphis demos on it, which they say was recorded “within the last 3 months”.

PART 2
The band reads song credits on the air: “Don’t Pick Me” by The Normals; “A Hard Day’s Night” by The Beatles; “Ain’t That A Shame” by Brian James; and “Shot Down”, the elusive unreleased track which I included above. [my note: looks like the WPIX show that night was not just playing punk-y stuff because The Normals were there, eh].

The DJ asks why they moved to cold New York City (which was 32 degrees on the day of the interview)- they talk about their bigger ambitions to expand their influence outside of Louisiana [my note: for those of us who grew up in areas with four distinct seasons, 32 degrees can be balmy in the winter- especially after this past January when the temperature with wind chill was negative 45 degrees by me. But 32 can feel cold to a person from warmer climates not used to brutal winters- The Normals incidentally did not bring it up or complain about it, just the DJ].

They talk about how they opened for national touring acts in New Orleans, like Miles Copeland, and got New York contacts for booking agents and how “the word spread” about how good The Normals were.

Briefly mention about kicking bassist Steve Walters out of their apartment

They actually say they’ve played “just about every place” they can think of [my notes- this differs from what the Your Punk Heritage CD liner notes say, but I am going to cut them some slack since they wanted to make a good impression on their big radio interview and didn’t want to let on that they were actually frustrated from not getting many gigs (12 total in 9 months!)].

Here are the venues they mention playing in NYC during their sojourn- Tracks (twice); Hurrah’s (3 times); Max’s Kansas City (“quite a few times” but no specific number); but not CBGB’s this time around. They say that they played CBGS’s “the last time we were down here” [my note: this was actually July 5 through 7, 1979 when they played there- see flyer below].

DJ asks about the existence or growth of Southern punk- oops, I said “The P Word”- excuse me,”new wave”- audience or scenes. David Brewton says Atlanta has a big scene. And points out that smaller Southern cities like Biloxi and Bay St. Louis have scenes too- he calls the latter a “small hick town”.

David Brewton talks about doing mail order for punk records a few years earlier because there were “only two record stores” stocking that stuff. [my note: oh, the things we take for granted nowadays with the accessibility thanks to the information superhighway! No one nowadays is geographically isolated when it comes to acquiring or accessing good music- a kid in the smallest Southern town can get online and hear and buy whatever their hearts desires].

The band credits David Brewton with writing most of their material.

The Normals talk about how after the “Almost Ready” 7″ came out, someone brought over a copy of The Normal “TBOD” 7″ and that is how they found out about the existence of that UK band. The band also says how that the guy from The Normal never released another record under that band name [my note: so were they inferring it was because of The Normals?]

Then the talking portion of the interview abruptly cuts out, comes back in briefly, and then back out for good so perhaps some of this interview is missing and is actually longer- if you know more, please leave a comment and let me know.
—————————————

ENDNOTES/EXTRAS
Here is the complete interview track listing that I promised from above. Like I said, I don’t know if all of these songs were played that night in 1980 they were being interviewed on WPIX or if some were spliced in later but here is what makes up the full 40 minutes of what was labeled “Radio Interview” on the old 90 minute Normals cassette I had dubbed for me in the mid 90’s (originally it came to me with no track listings of course- ah, the good old tape trading days).

1. Interview, Part 1
2. Shot Down
3. Interview, Part 2
4. 38-36
5. You’ve Got Nothin
6. (Fan interviews)
7. No Cigars
8. Seventeen Percent
9. Jump Back
10. Running Around
11. Running Around, Take 2 (alternate version?)
12. You Took You Got
13. (slower, ballad-y song- almost reggae-ish- forgot the name. Perhaps another unreleased one?)
14. (Patricia Field’s Ad just before 38:30 mark)
15. (DJ reads closing credits at 39:30 mark)
16. Memories

Here is a flyer from the band’s second
visit to New York which they reference in the above interview- at CBGB’s, no less, between July 5th and 7th of ’79 (and
before they relocated to The Big Apple later that year). Man, I bet
they played their hearts out at these CBGB shows more so than usual and
it would have something to see. The Normals got around- you will notice
that the quirky artwork for the flyer (a lightbulb with glasses,
anyone?) is by some guy from Oakland named Pete Thorpe.

I know this post is long, but one more thing I had to include. This is a flyer for what looks like this was
their last show while they were based out of New Orleans, and before the
relocation to New York City later in 1979. They played this show with
The Cold, so maybe Ellen DeGeneres was there watching her brother Vance
play bass. Interesting how The Normals called it a “Tour of The West”,
sounding like they would return to New Orleans at some point after they
triumphantly conquered the country. Unfortunately, and sadly, that
would not happen and the band would meet its demise in the sometimes
unforgiving environ of New York City (does that sound too dramatic?). Ironic to me in this flyer is how, post-Normals, drummer Chris Luckette ended up playing in The Cold.

But even though they broke up in 1980, The Normals were not gone forever. They did their first reunion show in New Orleans in 1981 and then did them every year until 1984. Then it was sporadic after that and it appears that the final one was as recently as 2000- nice!

The Press

“NOT-A-TOP-SHELF-RECORD-FROM-START-T0-FINISH-BUT-BEEN-MEANING-TO-POST-THIS-FOR-A-WHILE” SERIES, PART 1

THE PRESS “JIMMY JIMMY” 3-SONG 7″EP (LOS ANGELES, CA- ETC. RECORDS, 1979)

All copies were sleeveless, presumably, which means that band information is scant.
And it really doesn’t help that there are no specific names given in the songwriting
credits on the labels- it’s just credited to “The Press” on both sides. But at least
we know that the world-famous “T. Toons” produced both sides, whoever the hell he was!!

The first time I (and probably many others) heard of this record was when the best song on the record, “Hacker”, appeared on the great No One Left To Blame comp LP in 2001. I am guessing that copies of the EP- even though there might not have been many floating around back then- sold for next to nothing before their comp appearance. Since that time, copies have spiked as high as $700(!) on eBay (back in 2004 or a minty copy) and as low as $89 (just earlier this year for a more beat-up copy). Gotta love the price range, LOL.

I know nothing about the band, other than the fact that the song “Disco Sucks” was written by one “P. Donahue” (finding that out took some digging around!) and the drummer on the EP was Dusty Watson who went on to play with the Stepmothers and then a lot of rock, metal (Lita Ford in 1983, anyone?) and surf bands. In fact, he currently plays drums for latest incarnation of Seattle’s famous Sonics (!?!).

“Jimmy Jimmy” is a more traditional rock song, played at a slower pace (but with some very strong drum parts from Mr. Dusty Watson!), and is actually an anti Jimmy-Carter tune. They even go so far as to say something like “Nixon did a better job than you” (!). Ouch- pretty bad indictment! “We Dig Nixon”, perhaps?! I don’t think the band was approaching it from a conservative, pro-Nixon stance but I think they just didn’t like Carter so perhaps they were disappointed liberals or something.

“Disco Sucks” is my least favorite song on the EP and also appeared on the mostly-crappy The Insane Darrell Wayne’s No Disco Album comp LP. The only decent tracks on that 15-song LP are The Vectors; the Tokyos (with a non-EP, comp-only track); and The Bags disguised as “Sgab From The Planet Zed”. Kinda ironic how a comp complaining about crappy music actually was pretty bad itself.

“Hacker”, the last song on the record, is a ripper and quite a quick, raw workout with more strong drumming from Mr. Dusty Watson. And nice distorted- and almost growling- guitars including a good tinnitus/mosquito sounding solo in the middle. They really let loose on this one, thankfully. And I love the drum/guitar trade-off near the end of the song, nice way to close it out.

At least they nailed it on one song. [And as a sidenote, isn’t that just what we enjoy about the whole KBD thing sometimes?! You find a mystery record, wait patiently through a few so-so songs and hope that you’re going to find that one gem of a track (usually the last song or a piss-take afterthought) that makes your day. I mean, of course it’s nice to hear a 7″ with all solid songs on it but, for me at least, it’s nice to find that one blazing song that was probably a happy accident of sorts. ‘Cuz it begs the question, what caused them to let loose and get all over-the-top on that ONE song?? Was it a feeling of “We have nothing to lose anyway so we might as well let it all hang out for a few minutes”???]

Jimmy Jimmy.mp3

Disco Sucks.mp3

Hacker.mp3

Thanks to A.W. for helping provide rips of this one way back when!

P.S. Anyone have rips of that 2nd Press 7″, of which only about 10 test pressings exist and which was never officially released? It’s been on my mp3 want list for a while, and the songs on it are “Hostage in the Embassy” and “President’s Wife”. How 1979/1980 of them to have a song referencing the Iranian hostage crisis. Perhaps it was another way for them to criticize Jimmy Carter (?). And maybe President’s wife refers to ol’ Rosalynn Carter…

Mr. Hobbs and The Gargoyles

MR. HOBBS AND THE GARGOYLES “TOTAL AMNESIA/RADIX (LIVE)” 7″
(HOUSTON, TX- PRIMORDIAL, RECORDED 1982/1983)

Minimalist, homemade artwork and I love how Mr. Hobbs has the 3D/shadow effect and the Gargoyles is in a total cheesy early 80’s font complete with “dramatic” horizontal
lines and shading. For some reason that font brings back a lot of memories from that era to me like the TV show That’s Incredible or something.

This copy is stamped #351 with what I am assuming was one of those hand-held stamping machines that automatically advanced to the next number for you (I used to love pounding on those things back then when I used them for school projects many years ago). I guess that approach is less strenuous on your hand that handwriting each number with a pen, eh. But how many total copiesof this record were pressed? 500? 1,000? The record stamping device was set to go up to a max of six digits, or 999,999 total, but I doubt that many copies are out there.

I likes how these labels look with the black lettering over the silver background, and the font used for the Primordial label and band name. The label’s logo looks like one of those ancient computer-type fonts that are now all the “retro rage” in 2014.

Not a punk record or band but I think this is one of those outsider, homemade type of records with the do-it-yourself spirit and quirkiness that appeals to some punk fans (at least this one, eh). And you gotta love the band name- who the hell is Mr. Hobbs and why was he associating himself with some gargoyles?! Must be some inside, “wink wink, nod nod” band joke that none of us are privy to. “Total Amnesia” is more of a psych song but maybe when it came out it fell into obscurity and/or was ignored because it was “too punk for psych fans but too psych for punk fans” and couldn’t find a big audience in either camp (?). [I wonder what the Houston punk crowd (Really Red et al) thought of Mr. Hobbs, if they knew about them at all back in ’82/83]. Plus the song length of 4:28 is very un-punk. And then the flip is 7:27- ouch! Way way more than the “2:36 max” song length rule for punk. I am not really into the flip, “Radix”, but more about that tune later. I want to concentrate on the song that continues to grow on me since I first heard it about 3 years ago (thanks again C.S.!), “Total Amnesia”. I think the combination of the thin production, whiny guitar noodling, in-the-red bass playing and soft-spoken, whisper-y vocals hits it right on the money. I find myself tapping some of the catchy drum parts that were probably purposely meant to have a hypnotic quality to them and the chorus is also catchy and hummable. Charming little ditty and nothing over-the-top (not that it was meant to be) and really solid tune. Too bad Total Amnesia has remained so obscure since it came out over 30 years ago. The instrumental flipside, “Radix”, is rounounced like “Radicts” (‘member that late 80’s NYC band of the same name?) and not the phonetic pronunciation of “Ray-dicks”- at least the band says “Radicts” at the beginning of the song. It was recorded live and maybe some of the punch was lost in the live recording process or something because this tune does not really grab me. It kind of meanders along for me at a mediocre pace- and really feels like it’s over 7 minutes! And maybe the absence of any vocals takes away some of the “umph!” it may have had if singer/guitarist/band leader “The Invisible Man” (aka Curt L. Schwebs) had sung on it. Oh well, can’t win em all. At least the A-side is a memorable one!

Total Amnesia.mp3

Radix.mp3

ENDNOTES
I tried digging a little deeper and couldn’t find out much about the band. I found out that singer/guitarist/songwriter/band leader Curt L. Schwebs (credited on the back of the sleeve in the band lineup as “The Invisible Man”) also played bass for a stint in the Houston “rock, punk and dance music” (?!) band The Businessmen sometime during the 80’s or 90’s. On that Businessmen site, I also happened to notice that someone credited on the back of the Mr. Hobbs sleeve, Kenny Knight, had a stint playing drums in that other band too. I have heard that some (how many?) copies of the Mr. Hobbs 7″ surfaced about 4 or 5 copies ago, supposedly from a band member or associate (which one?). A few copies have been sold on eBay over the years, some of them out of Wisconsin, so maybe a former band member or
someone associated with the band relocated at some point from Texas to Wisconsin with some unplayed copies of the record in hand (?). It’d be great to hear the back story behind Mr. Hobbs and The Gargoyles, or any interesting info about them, so if you know anything please post a comment.

And on the back of the sleeve there is a memorial to Douglas Yankus who died in 1982 at the age of only 32. So I looked him up and found out that he was in some late 60’s/early 70’s Wisconsin psych band called Soup that psych fans are into and that he actually died from complications related to diabetes. An interesting aside, but nothing to directly do with Mr. Hobbs and The Gargoyles. I am grasping at straws here…

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