Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Unruled "Time Is Running Out" single (Unruled 1984 / Canada)

Ok, so there's 2 things i have been severely neglecting since starting this blog and those would be A) my great white northern Canadian roots and B) total raging hardcore. I figured what better way to kill two birds with one stone than one of my all time favorite Canadian punk records, the one and only release by Montreal's Unruled. For those that are unfamiliar with said record, all you need to do is look at the cover to get a fairly good idea of what these guys were about. While most Canadian bands up to this point were still highly influenced by 77 punk and the like, Unruled were ripping it up under the influence of UK82 bands and the desire to play as fast and aggressive as possible.


As much as i've tried over the years to find out a bit more about this still fairly unrecognized band, i've come up with very little. What i do know is that in Montreal (along with Zyklon B), Unruled were one of the first hardcore bands to have a record out in that scene, self released by the band and that one of my all time favorite punk drummers Louis left Unruled to start playing drums for Genetic Control. So the story goes that one of the Unruled guys threw a liquor bottle at Louis' head for some reason, thus causing him to bail on the band and join GC. Aside from that, one of my favorite bands still has much mystery to them.

Back in my teenage years, living in Nova Scotia with fuck all to do and playing in various sloppy hardcore bands, me and my partners in crime were always making tapes for each other and turning each other onto new bands. A typical scenario for any young punk, but in the ol NS, you'd be lucky if you found someone that knew a punk band besides the Dead Kennedys and Black Flag (two bands that we all loved, but failed to quench our thirst for new punk!). A friend of mine one day happened to borrow a stack of great records from an older crust punk by the name of DROCK which included things like Napalm Death's SCUM lp with dog bite marks in the vinyl and other various ragers that came in sleeves that were near falling apart. After going through everything and making some choice tapes, he then played me a few songs in his car which blew my mind. This was the Unruled single. Not only did these guys play fast and hard like all my favorites from the US of A, but they were a bunch of Canadians too giving me the idea that "yeah, i guess good bands can come from this frozen wasteland too!".

At this point i was fairly new to collecting records and refused to pay more that 7 bucks for a single no matter what it was, but i REALLY wanted to track down a copy of this. Though i started asking around to some of the older punks in Halifax, no one dared to part with their copy of the 7". I didn't really know it then, but this would be the start of one of my longest record hunts. Many years and various dead ends later, i was still without one of my top wants and it seemed with the rate that recent copies were going on ebay, that i was doomed never to get one. Due to it's recent discovery of many US collectors and being posted on a few mp3 blogs, the single was now almost topping 100 bucks at auction. Being 5h away from montreal, i refused to cave in and continued my hunt knowing that i would find one eventually, even if it took me years. Each time i found myself playing a show in montreal i would be scouring the shops and asking any punk with two ears about tracking one down. I seemed to get the same response from everyone. "Those used to be everywhere, but i haven't seen one in a LONG time." Some people promised me to get in touch and sell me theirs, but none ever did. It all seemed very hopeless.



As luck should have it, one day i happened to get an email from a gent in montreal that i had traded with in the past asking about some records i had and wondering if i would part with them. I wasn't about to give any of them up, but after looking at his trade list i finally found what i had been looking for all these years. I gave up one of my later and easily replaceable Newtown Neurotics singles for it and within a week, i had the record that had eluded me for so many years in my grubby collector hands. To be honest, it just goes to show you that with some work and effort, you can still track down certain records for a price you feel comfortable with. Sure, it might take you 7-8 years but it's always more satisfying when you do find it and don't have to shell out and extra 80 dollars in the process.

The music is mindblowing on this, really. Time Is Running Out starts off with a killer mid tempo 77 intro until the bomb drops and these guys just start ripping through some devastating mix of Discharge and GBH. A true punk rock anthem that looks at things from the Canadian perspective of the cold war as opposed to trying to pretend like they're from the US or UK. But as much as i love the A side, the B side is where Unruled truly shine. Forced Mistake and Lost Cause are not only stupidly great hardcore songs, but they showcase some of my favorite hardcore drumming of all time. If you listen to Louis pound that kick drum, you know that you can't fuck with that and i challenge someone to find me a more raging & solid hardcore drummer. Guy has that shit worked out to a SCIENCE. Unfuckwithable i say. That's not even mentioning the constant war going on throughout between the buzzing and blitzin bass and completely off the wall guitar solos and leads. Throw in a chorus like "don't take part in the governments plans // don't give in to their system!" and you're set. Let me just that that if you're still in the dark about this one, you'd be wise to get your head out of your ass.


Even though some folks are catching on, this classic is still fairly unknown to some which makes me think that you should be able to find one still with out breaking your bank. As mentioned before, it goes for quite a bit at auction but i imagine there's still a ton out there collecting dust in used bins across north america. Though there's no blogs that i know of that currently have this up for download, there is a youtube clip of these guys blasting through Time Is Running Out that you should check out. What i wouldn't give to have been there or at least see the rest of the show. Just look at that drumkit!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9-hjG6Gmz8&feature=related

Sunday, November 23, 2008

Manic Depressives "Silence On The Radio" single (Vinyl Solution 1980 / USA)

What better record to cope with my manic depression than the Manic Depressives single! Yes, this really is quite the punk rock masterpiece that no one seems to make it out to be and while it doesn't get weekly spins on my turntable, i'm always reminded why i think so when it does. Some would probably chalk this record up to being way too simple or kind of disposable, something i've read in various spots here and there while mentioning it. Nothing could be further from the truth. Ok, i jest. It IS simple, but goddamn if it isn't the catchiest version of simple i've ever heard!


The MD's hail from the swampy gumbo known as New Orleans and like the other few locals from their area (ummmm, the Normals anyone?) they released a gem of a 45 and then just sort of faded away. A tragedy really, especially if they could have kept of the writing pace of these recordings. There's so much high end and treble on this record that you'd think it'd possibly ruin it, but it works and it just happens to make the drums and guitar tone sound mindblowing. The songs themselves are great, well written and all around are the kind that get stuck in your head, which for me is the true test of a great musical diddy. They keep it straight forward but add a nice batch of hooks, leads and the occasional solo over those trashy sounding drums that keep a great back beat and doesn't stray too far from the basics. If that wasn't enough for you, the vocalist, the back ups and all the harmonies in between just put it over the top. Did i mention that each song gets faster than the last? Great.


For the nerds keeping track, you might recognize the Vinyl Solution label from their later hardcore eps like Toxin III and Shell Shock, but surprisingly the MD's single is much easier to track down that either of those. I picked up mine at a local shop that happened to get a few stock copies in straight from the fella that ran the label, who i imagine is still holding a batch. For a record that had been released in 1980, the damn thing looked like it could have been put out yesterday. Certainly lived up to the term 'Mint' in a world where a term like that has lost all meaning. Not a single crease or tear and looked like the sleeve had never even held a record. Score. But to continue, even online i haven't seen this thing break 20 bucks which means if you don't have it, you should and there's really no excuse for you not to. I imagine this will increase in value more in the next couple years when they're harder to find and the cat's out of the bag on how great it is, but at least for the time being this is one of those few GREAT American punk records you can still find for cheap.

I should also mention that i have the sneaking suspicion that vocalist Mandeville Mike was also the singer in another great New Orleans group The Skinnies, who's 1978 'Kill The Beat' is more than worth looking into. Feel free to confirm or deny...

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

The Doubt "Contrast Disorder" ep (Solo 1980 / Northern Ireland)


It's been a few days i realize since i posted anything, but i've been working non stop and around the clock between 3 jobs as of late so i've been a bit stretched for time to write anything. Though i've been getting some pretty killer records here and there recently, i decided to dig up an older one from my collection that's been getting a lot of play on my turntable on and off for the past few weeks. I can't say i know too much about The Doubt, but i certainly know that this record is probably one of my favorite to come out of the tiny Northern Ireland punk scene in the early days. Sure, if you're talking Northern Ireland most people will know Stiff Little Fingers and maybe if you're a big enough nerd you'll be able to list off all the early releases on the beloved Good Vibrations label, but it seems like somewhere along the line (like most unknown, one off releases) The Doubt slipped through the cracks for most folks.

I've always been a sucker for the more melodic side of punk. Not quite pop punk (spare a few great bands) but more punk that had a pop side to it in a way that you had melody, but it still sounded raunchy as hell. I don't think that anywhere in the world had such a concentration of this particular sound as Northern Ireland did, particularly Belfast. I didn't quite get that at first, but after hearing a few bands from there that were all AMAZING (Protex, Moondogs, Tearjerkers to name a few) i figured that there must be something in the water. An old roommate of mine had recently downloaded quite possibly EVERY bloodstains comp and after uploading them all to my ipod, i went straight for the Northern Ireland one to accompany me on a flight i was taking that day. I couldn't believe it, but track after track, it was nothing but totally great, melodic, heartbreaking, upbeat, distorted as shit punk rock! Like i would expect anything else from a bloodstains comp, but i certainly was loving it. But as much as it was all great, i kept skipping back to hear that great snare drum intro to 'contrast disorder' again and again and again. This was quite possibly the best song i had discovered in many months. That great guitar solo that sounds like it's going to fall apart at any second but just slams into some chords before it does. Most importantly the "la la la's" that just knock me out every time. The song certainly ended up getting more play than anything else during my travels for a long time i assure you. But, i still knew nothing at all about these gents other than this one great masterpiece of a song.



I found out that they had released one 45 on a label called Solo that not only had 3 other unheard songs, but also my new favorite jam. I hadn't heard the other songs, but simply put, i didn't give a shit if they were garbage. If this record had my song then it was going to be mine one way or another. Oddly enough, my search was rather short as i found a shop almost right away in Dublin that had some stock copies that they were selling (in their original white dust sleeves since the record was never actually issued with a picture sleeve) for a fair price. I quickly sent off the money and a couple weeks later, got a package in the mail postmarked from Dublin. After scanning the labels for what little info they contained i put it on my turntable and dropped the needle to hear that same familiar trashy snare drum intro that had tattoo'd itself on my brain. Out of the 3 songs that followed, i wasn't quite taken by the last two right away, but a couple spins later changed all that. Sometimes my ears have a funny way of tricking me.


It really is strange to me that a place like Belfast could produce such (for lack of a better word) "happy" sounding bands and songs than anywhere else. While on tour with CS this summer, we got to play and visit Belfast, so it was nice to see first hand where all these bands came from. While it seemed nice in parts, it certainly seemed very run down and depressing in a way that i haven't seen anywhere else that i've visited. Understandably, but for some of these bands to play the kind of music they did for that time and place, it seems odd to me. Maybe they were just trying to keep their spirits up, who knows.

Apparently there's a reissue lp available for The Doubt that features some additional unreleased tracks (possibly from the same session as the record) which i have yet to hear. Whether or not there's any additional band info to go along with it is another question, but i still can't seem to find much on these guys even poking around on the internet. This is a case where i'm glad someone decided to document these songs on a record since without it, many people probably wouldn't even have ever known that The Doubt existed.

Saturday, November 15, 2008

Mayhem "Pulling Puppets Strings" single (Riot City 1983 / UK)


You mean the metal band? No, i certainly don't. While i don't have anything negative or positive to say about that particular gaggle of metalheads in their scary corpse makeup, i do have lots of positive things to say about the UK punkers under the same name. Let me start off by saying that this is probably one of the most underrated UK82 records in my books, which is quite sad because not only is this on Riot City, but these 3 songs are some of the finest written from that time and place. I won't say that the band itself is one of the finest, as their first record ('Gentle Murder' also released on Riot City) and their appearance on the MRR 'Welcome To 1984' comp are pretty lackluster. Still, how this record could fall through the cracks of time is beyond me. The song writing and the anger just boils over. I've even caught myself whistling some some of these riffs for days on end at times. But as much as i adore this record, i've never heard anyone ever say a thing about it?

I picked up my particular copy of this from a local shop totally on a whim to be honest, mostly due to the Riot City label and also thinking that the gent on the back cover reminded me of Wasted Time's Mark Shubert (Yep, baby boi could drink a keg i reckon!) . The sleeve was kind of tattered, ripped and overall seen better days, but the record itself looked fine, so i took a gamble and added it to my pile. Needle drops on the record and you're smacked right into an evil as shit mid tempo jam that has the drummer taking cues from what sounds like a very Joy Division-esque beat. The guitar sounds is kind of out there and some of the leads certainly sound like something East Bay Ray would have cooked up (no shit, it sounds like the guitar in Cesspool Of Eden). Still for a bunch of weirdos, this is way more interesting and catchy than any of their previous material which makes me think that at this point, the band has finally found their sound. It's fucked up, but it's still done by a bunch of spikey haired jerks that you'd see sniffing glue in an alleyway. As the record continues on, the songs get more straight forward but still keep that certain quality that makes it stand out. The pounding bass and drum intro that starts the b-side off for example is just the perfect way to introduce you to the song before it knocks you into some riffs that just make you want to bash your head off a brick wall. No joke. The last song is more upbeat than the other two and though it's less interesting than the others, it's a classic example of a Uk82 no mercy hardcore killer that doesn't suffer from being the least bit boring.

One of the things about the Mayhem catalogue though is it tends to get a bit confusing, especially with this record. The first ep is entitled "Gentle Murder", however the song with a similar name appears only on this record, not the first. Then we get into the track listing. On both the sleeve and the record, Side A is listed as Gentle Murder while Side B is listed as (Your Face Fits) Lie And Die along with Clean Cut. Nothing wrong with that, but on the song Lie And Die, the singer seems to be screaming 'gentle murder' over and over again. Perhaps this could be my ears playing a trick on me, but could it be that Lie And Die and Gentle Murder are actually supposed to be reversed on the record? Or maybe the lads just liked the term so much that they decided to name a separate record and song after it while also including it in yet another song with a different name. Seems strange for a band that only has about 9 (that i can count, is there more?) recorded songs. Who knows. If you do, please drop me a line.


Since this is a later release in the Riot City catalogue, i imagine that it suffered the same fate of many other later releases and wasn't pressed in large numbers. However i think that anyone looking to track down a copy should be able to find one for fairly cheap, even at auction as there seems to be next to no interest for records like this at the moment. When compared to the rest of the Riot City releases, i'd certainly be ranking this in my top 3 and would recommend anyone with decent taste in old UK punk to add it to your want list or at least give a listen to.

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Lama "Totuus Loytyy Kaurapuurosta" single (Johanna 1980 / Finland)

This is it. For me, punk rock is made up of a variety of things. A great punk band will include all of said things and in turn, totally floor me in a way most bands cannot. Enter Finland's LAMA.

If you've ever gone to a punk show, then obviously you've seen the vast amount of patches, band shirts, painted logos on jackets of the 'punx' etc. Growing up over the years, i always took notice of these things as it seemed like a great way to find out all these unknown bands or get a clue on what i should be listening to. Most of the time, i found out about some pretty cool groups, sometimes not, but when you keep seeing the same band name over and over again on people who's musical tastes you respect, then you must think that they're hip to something that you aren't. It was a couple years ago that i started to notice a select few people branding themselves with Lama patches and pins and given the people who were doing so, i decided that this was probably a band i needed to check out.

From the moment i started listening to that first single of their's, i was speechless. This was THEE band, this was punk rock in it's truest form...even if i didn't quite know what these angry young finnish lads were yelling about. I proceeded to download everything i could by them and the 4 Lama singles and lp essentially became my new soundtrack on my ipod when i left the house and on my computer when i couldn't be bothered to flip the record on my turntable. The scream at the beginning of Totuus Loytyy Kaurapuurosta packs such a punch that you're totally out of it by the time the drummer starts beating the living shit out of hit kit and the guitars and bass carry you into some of the most tuneful / primitive straight Finnish punk that doesn't get to thrash speed. It's dirty, but between the melody and gang vocals on the chorus, you just know that these boys are doing something on the next level, especially for their time. But it doesn't stop there, because from song to song, record to record, year to year Lama continues to blow everyone else and everything out of the water. But the one thing that i really love about the band and the one thing that keeps me hooked on these songs is just how much variety and cool shit they throw into the writing pot for songs. There's so many cool stops/starts, weird little drum fills, bass lines, vocal patterns, guitar work etc. and it all just fits together to work and deliver like no other band can. I can't believe for a second that someone who knows a thing or two about punk would disagree with any of these.


If you look at most high end collectors want lists (especially in north america) you'll notice that a large number of folks are understandably looking for these records. Like most records that were released in places like Europe and Japan, the chances of finding these in a local shop are slim to nil, so if you really want to track this stuff down you either need to find yourself someone in the home country of the band OR wait for your want list items to make it onto eBag and bite the bullet on shelling out the cash. Unfortunately, while most records at least make one or two appearances on the online market a year, the Lama singles and lp are still pretty uncommon and hardly ever show up for auction, thus making these records even that much trickier to acquire. I know this because the 4 singles and lp have been at the top of my want list for quite sometime now and after seeking them out for a few years and sending out countless emails, i finally had a stroke of dumb luck with a fellow from Finland (who sold me this particular single) and a guy from Japan (who sold me the just as fine 2nd single, Nimeton, also released on Johanna). It just goes to show you that with a little persistence, your efforts do pay off in the end and i can certainly say that these are without a doubt among my favorites of my collection. The thin pocket sleeves and crewd artwork accompany the music so well. Plus, i always make sure that my stereo is cranked to 11 while listening. There's just no other way.


I'll cap things off by saying that if you haven't heard some of these tunes, my good chum Peter at http://www.kbdrecords.com/ has the songs from the first 3 singles posted for your listening pleasure. Also, i'm still in need of the 3rd and 4th singles so if you can lend a hand, get in touch. PASKAA PASKAA PASKAA!




Monday, November 10, 2008

Razar "Money" ep (EMI 1979 / Australia)

It doesn't usually happen this way, but i was at work when i found out that an acquaintance of mine was going to have a table set up at a local record convention that weekend. I hadn't planned on going, but when my boss from my other job at the record store dangled a free pass in front of me that got me in early, it was kind of hard to pass up even if i would be finishing work at 4am and getting up at 8:45am. My fellow collector made mention of a few things that he'd be letting go of, mostly things that didn't phase me in the least or at least didn't distract me from my work. Well, at least not until he dropped the magic words "Australian Punk" and "Razar" at which point my ears perked up like some retarded canine. He informed me that he had a copy of the 2nd Razar single that he would be parting with, but having only heard the first one my excitement died down out of fear that Razar might have made friends with that terrible thing "progression". When i asked him if it was any good (or at least as good as the first single, Task Force / Stamp Out Disco), he assured me that if i liked Aussie punk or early Razar, then i would be all over it. Maybe so, but i needed more proof before i was going to scoop it up.

The following afternoon i decided to use my internet machine to do a bit of research. Not only was i able to brush up on a bit of history of the band, but i can also say that i at least now know a thing or two about their hometown of Brisbane. Add one to that, there was even a museum in Brisbane that had an exhibit in recent years dedicated to the band! But fun facts aside, i was really after the tunes and after downloading the mp3s from 7inchpunk.com, i must say that the ears perked once more. For their second ep, Razar continued to rage and i was happy to hear that they kicked our good friend "progression" right in the face. Catchy, raunchy and oh so snotty, i had to give the songs several listens in a row trying to pick a favorite, but alas, i just couldn't choose! I did however figure one thing out though. I needed this record.

The plan was to finish work, sleep for a couple hours, wake up nice and early, record convention first, breakfast second and then back to my castle to catch up on the lack of sleep. Seemed like a pretty good plan to me and maybe add a pogo session to 'Here Is The News' thrown in there as well. But, there was one thing i didn't count on since it's something i never do. I slept right through my alarm until 12 while i was supposed to be one murder punk record richer by 10:05. Cursing my alarm (which has never let me down and i've probably owned the damn thing since i was in grade 6) i decided that "fuck it, there's still a chance i can make it". Going at my own pace, i did my usual wake up routine, got some Elvis Costello going on my ipod and i was out the door and on my way, prepared for the disappointment that was certain to lie ahead.

Through the doors with my free pass, i justified the trip by telling myself that even if i don't find anything, at least i didn't have to pay to get in. I'm automatically greeted by a sea of middle aged men carrying their Led Zeppelin lps that always serve to remind me never to get TOO caught up in my collecting. But all that aside, i look around until i see the familiar face behind the table that i'm looking for. Before i can even say my hellos, he puts it so matter of fact by stating "Yep, it's still there". Success. Despite catching many an eye, no one decided to bite on it. Possibly for the same reasons i wasn't going to to begin with. Feeling a sense of relief, i handed over some of my tips from the previous night at work and was even given a bit of a discount. Ah yeah buddy. After that, i didn't really feel too up to digging deep due to everything being pretty picked over, so i mostly stuck to the singles bins before i decided that i wasn't going to find anything and that i'd best book it.


The record starts off with a silly little intro that might have to double thinking the platter, but it's only a matter of seconds before Razar kick in and start blitzin'. Money is a pretty straight forward rager that will have your toe tapping and singing along all the way to the boppin pogo anthem of Self Destruct, but the real pudding is on the B side! No time to waste as they slam right into Shutdown Countdown and cap things off with Here Is The News, which certainly has the catchiest riffs on the entire record as far as i'm concerned. Anyone in their right mind and has a taste pallet for fine Australian punk would be a complete dipshit to skim over this choice record.

Strangely, the "Money" ep was released on EMI, but even though it was on a major there's still less than 1000 pressed apparently. This used to fetch some bucks a while back but in recent years, a former band member uncovered a box and started selling them with a makeshift sleeve that it wasn't originally issued with, so the price dropped. Only now is it starting to go for triple digits again. There was supposedly 200 made with said sleeve, which is a xerox of a few pictures and a band history on the other side. Nowhere near as cool looking as the original 'Task Force' sleeve. Speaking of which, the search is now on for a copy of that, but judging from the price of most Aussie stuff these days, i'm not really holding my breath.

Here we go...


Punk rock. Hardcore. Everything else weird and fucked up along the way. Most people who are fans of this kind of music would agree that the golden years were somewhere in between 1977 and 1985, with so many records being made by so many bands, from so many different places. It's quite a lot to wrap your head around, let alone listen to it all. But still, there are those out there who need to know everything they can about it. There are people who need to hear it all, will dedicate so much of their spare time to it and yes, in some cases, there are people who must try to own it all. It's not something that everyone can understand, in fact unless you're spending your afternoon digging through crates of old 45s in hopes of finding that hidden gem you've spent forever looking for, i can bet "dollars to doughnuts" that you won't "get it". A record is a form of art. It's a document of time, a sound, history if you will and that record, an original copy in it's original form tells a story. Seam splits, torn sleeves, surface scuffs, stains etc. tell a bit of a tale, but more importantly, it's the singing, the screaming, the angry lyrics, the hopeful lyrics, the distorted guitars, the raging basslines and the drums that sound like buckets and cans. It's the weird sounding production that was done on a shoestring budget or recorded in the middle of the night at a studio where the engineer couldn't give a shit how this terrible band sounded. It's the makeshift artwork and the xeroxed lyric sheets. It's the sound, the sound that still will bring the chill down your spine. For some people, some records mean this much to them and more so that they are willing to sit down and do whatever it takes to find one. In the realm of punk rock, with the smaller and more limited pressings of so many no name bands, it becomes that much more difficult to find said records. But still, despite all obstacles, we try, sometimes succeeding and are rewarded with our favorite tunes in their original format, being listened to and presented the way the band wanted it to be. Totally fucking raging.

Flash forward a bit. Chances are, if you're still into punk as you read this, then you're just like me. I was born in 1984, thus missing this era of great music. That's not to say that nothing great followed those years, but most of it certainly (and still does) paled in comparison. However, that's a debate for another day. Like many people i know who collect punk records, the common phrase that i seem to always hear is usually along the lines of "I was born way to late to start collecting something so ridiculous" (thanks mr. negative tom) and in most cases, they're right. With the rise of interest in punk and collecting records along with more kids willing to drop big bucks on the classics, trying to track down originals of your favorites is harder than ever. Still though, the hunt is what keeps the die hards going and the hope that in the next box they might find something as minimal as the first Jam single or something as insane as a copy of the Subhumans "death to the sickoids", it makes people want to keep looking. Rare or not, it's always a great feeling to check something off your want list. I know this because i'm one of those nerds and have spent more than my good share of time digging around and searching for these records, sometimes striking flat black gold but more often than not, going home empty handed. This blog is basically a documentation of that and as i've stated before, i don't really expect everyone to understand. However, if you do then perhaps you'll find this at least half interesting as i go through some travels and talk about some killer bands and jams. Fuck rite on.