So again i've fallen victim to the torments of real life, got caught up in the holiday season and have been neglecting writing anything for several weeks, but not on purpose i assure you. Last year my hiatus lasted almost the entire year, but i'd like to correct that this year, even if it does only see me updating once or twice a month. Call it a new years resolution. Speaking of which, i half started my year of end cap off but decided against finishing it at this point since more than a month has already passed. Not much worth reading anyways, you'll be ok without it.One of my favorite current labels on the go is New York based 45 reissue label Sing Sing Records which has so far in their short existence made available 15 or so singles and eps from the first wave of global punk and powerpop. But we're not talking about random turds here, we're talking about some fine tunes that should have been brought to light YEARS ago. The Tinopeners only amazing release, the first ep by Scotland's Zips, Jeff Hill's followup to his debut Chiswick single, the essential first 2 singles from Belfast's Rudi and of course De Cylinders, the female fronted Dutch answer to the Pointed Sticks. But of course even if you haven't heard any of these great records you shouldn't fret as the label has been dedicated to keeping them in print as long as they can afford to, so almost all are still available for your grubby lil mitts. It's kinda hard these days for a label to have such consistency but Sing Sing pull it off and have yet to hand me a let down. Not only does it seems to be a sure way to get turned on to bands i'd never heard and get records i'd been looking for for ages, but also get them at the drop of a hat! I've never encountered any label that has had the insanely fast shipping powers that these folks do. And of course, what sparked this post is the package i just got from the postman with the newest 3 jammers from the golden years...
Starting of with my favorite of the 3 is the Deaf Aids single. Wow. For a record that had such a limited press, this thing is catchy as all sin, especially the A side "Do It Again". Starting off with a bit of weird intro, i had my doubts that the song was going anywhere that would be sure to kick my head in, but thankfully that was wrong. It's a great mix of early english punk and powerpop which just makes for a really great tune to get a massive pogo attack going. The two B sides have sort a bit of a different feel as "Peepshow" is a bit more of a laid back rocker and "Aren't People Strange", while similar to the A side is great, but not as catchy . While not as infectious as the A side, still both are a nice compliment. I might mention that the original press lacked any picture sleeve so the reissue comes housed in the intended pic sleeve. Total winner in my books.
Next on the plate is the first 45 by Spider, not to be confused with the Spider on Good Vibrations "Battle Of The Worst Bands" comp. This was one that was new to me despite having seen the cover for years and years but failing to be able to check it out. But like most of these, i decided to pick it up and of course was glad to catch up on what i'd been missing out on. The 2 tracks here are extremely upbeat tunes that can't help me think of a more british influenced version of Jet Boy, Jet Girl. While "Back Against The Wall" is catchy, the B side "Down And Out" is catchy AND intense AND for a lack of a better term...more punk. Still, not to dismiss the A side, this is a great platter and the two songs could keep you flipping this back and forth for a while. Here's another one to add to my want list.
Speaking of "Jet Boy Jet Girl, the Roller Ball record reissued with this lot is a pre-Elton Motello project from Belgium that i'd never even heard of until now. Apparently this was the sole studio output of the group, only released in the Netherlands and now rather hard to track down. While "Savage Eyes" def shows off the pseudo punk sound, i can't help but feel the B side "Lay You Down" has more in common with a band like the Kids. And while i don't feel like this is the best of the bunch here, i do have the feeling that the pair of songs will be growing on me the way that Plastic Bertrand's Small Faces cover has.