I loved «Savages» and Phillip Seymour Hoffmann once again kicks butt. Wonderful movie!
Reading:
Friedrich Glauser: Writer, social outcast, morphinist and creator of some of the finest detective stories. «Schlumpf Erwin Mord» (Schlumpf Erwin Murder) was the introduction to Wachtmeister Studer, a swiss version of George Simenon's Maigret - a cop with a sense of justice and sympathy for the beaten down. If this (or any other of Glauser's books) is available in your language, go get it.
The most pitiful of the already pretty dreadful youth subcultures of the 80s would be the Oi-scene. I’m sure that this has (maybe apart from the extreme right; then again ,we know how much of the same clients these two segments share) about the dumbest following ever. BLOODY RIOT unfortunately seemed to belong to this scene - at least the band’s only 7″ (they also had a boring LP) sounds much like it. I don’t know anything about them, but the b-side of this 7″ especially rawks. And because of the bottle of italian Barolo (red whine) I just had, I thought I’d share this with you. Oink oink oink.
I don’t remember exactly, when I first heard ANGEL WITCH, but I think it was around 1981. Although it was released on Bronze Records, a label with major distribution around the continent, the LP was hard to come by, at least where I lived. Whoever had a copy, treasured it (nowadays, you find it for basically nothing on Ebay). To this day, I find the band the most fascinating of all the NWOBHM bands. Superb musicians and songwriters and above all - artists, capable of creating a unique aura. The selftitled first LP is a milestone and it will forever seem like one of the biggest injustices of rock’n'roll that ANGEL WITCH’s contribution to Heavy Metal to this very day is totally under-appreciated. In 1980, there simple weren’t many bands with such a heavy, doomy sound around.
Here’s the 2nd 7″ with its elsewhere unavailable shorter version (they cut out the guitar solo at the beginning of the song for whatever reason) of the band’s theme song. I left off Gorgon because it’s the LP version and I’m sure everybody has got that one at home …. (you better do).
A while back, I’ve posted Middle Class Fantasies monstrous 7″ from 1981, one of the most disturbing records I can think of. KILLERPRALINEN was the follow-up band.
I don’t know shit about KILLERPRALINEN other than this was the bands only ever release (bootleged on “Die Deutschen kommen zurück” Comp LP from 1998). Musically, the band picks up where MCF left off basically. A bit more melodic maybe, with a dark, disturbing vibe (coming mostly from the singer’s exceptional style) and with standing out guitar bits. Definately one of the most original records you ever gonna hear and a timeless classic of its kind. But although the this 12″ seems to be of a certain ambitioned kind, the band remains very unknown to this day.
You will hear countless influences here, yet the “typical” CF sound always stays dominant. It fucking beats me why this isn’t part of the Post-Punk-, whatever-canon.
The STUPIDS first 7″ may be not as good as “Peruvian Vacation” (which is an album I admired right from the day of its release on), but it’s still a burner!
Funny, whacky - and yet highly talented. I must admit that “Elephant Man” kinda bugged me because I found it an inappropriate mockery of this most serious movie, but these days, I find it rather amusing. And this is the overtone of the whole record. It’s good clean fun, unlike what you normally hear on this blog.
When I was in the UK in 1987, more than a few other bands seemed to be envious of the “success” the STUPIDS had abroad (in the USA and Australia namely), but in the end, the career was over before long. The band’s american HC imagery was another thing that some of the contemporaries didn’t enjoy all too much.
If you grew up in the 70s and 80s, you will remember 3D books and movies (like the 3D versions of “Creature of the Black Lagoon” or “Friday the 13th” & “Jaws 3″). I hope you didn’t throw these glasses away because here’s the only 3D HC and Punk photobook ever published!
It’s a shitload of work scanning these pages without breaking the books binding, so here’s just a selection. Besides, I don’t know if anybody still has these glasses. But the good thing is - the 3D effect works on screens too. So put on the LEWD LP for good measure and there you go: LOUD 3D!!!
You will need a pair of these:
Foreword:
Fuck-Ups:
MRR crew (find Pushead in the picture): The Lewd (Olga): Cause For Alarm: Impressions from 1984s “Rock Against Reagan” Festival in SF:
Hell, this is may be not the best recording, but I love it! I’ve always been fond of live boots with cheap sound, it beats me why. The SAINTS captured live in 1977, playing live on TV apparantly. Great selection of songs, it’s crazy how much drive the band had in its early days.
“Punk Vault” was one of the first bootleg series in Punk. I don’t know what else these guys put out besides this and a Bad Brains live 7″ (which has songs from the 79 demo; legitimately released with super sound in the meantime, one of the most thrilling recordings I ever heard).
The NWOBHM was already in its decline, when HELL released this 7″ in late 1983. The group was formed in 1982, with some sort of an all-star line-up consisting of former members of bands like Race Against time, Paralex, Overdrive and Tokyo Rose. The “NWOBHM Encyclopedia” tells us the band was very popular in the Midlands scene, though the bands occulstist imagery and the twisted music failed in attracting bigger labels like Neat or Ebony, so HELL would just go and selfproduce their only life-time 7″. Before this classic 7″, the band had a demo (”Scheming Demons”) which was so-so. It sure showed some promise but it was nowhere near the 7″. This record has gained a true “cult” status in the 90s, but was already highly respected in the mid 80s among collectors. I remember Shades from London selling this in 1986 still!
Both songs on the single are kinda spooky, yet totally luxurious, lavish - true art always produces this vast surplus of value. Whereas the NWOBHM seems to prefer “Save us” (remember that Groucho Marx quote?), I’d go for “Deathsquad”. To the young ones, it must sound kinda unaccesible, I guess, because this very subtle kind of atmosphere has been washed away completely. Others might complain about the singing on the other track - to me, this is just the way it has to be. The falsetto and the operatic tone of drama is what I love so much about this 7″. DEMON in their early days (before going kinda Pink Floyd’ish on their “The Plague” LP which came out on DISCHARGE’s label strangely) sometimes created a similiar atmosphere, though not as haunting as HELL’s.
Expect a proper HELL reissue on Miskatonic soon (WARNING’s label). In the meantime, here’s an interview, conducted by the folks at Miskatonic, which will shed more light on this still mysterous group. Make sure you don’t miss this CD / Vinyl!
Another little treasure that time forgot is KREMLIN KORPS from Philadelphia. On the same label that has brought you FLAG OF DEMOCRAZY’s crazy debut 7″ “Love Song” in the same year.
Four great, tight songs with female vocalist Stacey Gold. Very catchy, memorable tunes – it’s a pity really this has been overlooked so far.
On the foldout sleeve, there’s the same of photo of a man (”Fat Howard”, as it says) we already saw on YDI’s “Place in the Sun” 7″. What’s the deal with him? What’s there to say about KREMLIN KORPS anyway?
The most pitiful of the already pretty dreadful youth subcultures of the 80s would be the Oi-scene. I’m sure that this has (maybe apart from the extreme right; then again ,we know how much of the same clients these two segments share) about the dumbest following ever.
