More than two years ago, I had featured what then was a mystery band from Utah: A group named SPITTIN’ TEETH. Three incredible songs on the not too popularly known SIREN compilation of which one (“Destruction”) is nothing but a milestone. No kidding: I’ve seen grown men twice my size struggling with their tears upon being exposed to this song! “Destruction” is larger than you and it’s bigger than anything we can achieve in our little pointless lifes. Hats off!
When I first heard the two songs of the 7″, I was a bit disappointed, but upon giving them a little more time, I came to realize they are both really great. I first had to learn that you cannot measure everything by the dimension of “Destruction”, sometimes you just have to step back and choose a human scale. On these two songs, we hear the same charismatic singer (this man, Fred Allredge, is one of the best Punk singers I ever heard!) and probably the same guitarists too (Margaret Amberson and Greg Anderson). “Leap of Faith” has much of a NUNS vibe and when the short lead part comes in towards the end of the song, my ears are glued to the speakers. “No Guarantee” is amazing. What a lascivious, dirty little song!
Thanks to a recent Ebay auction and now especially thanks to Behjan Mirhadi who sent in these soundfiles and scans, we can lift the curtain of mystery a little higher. SPITTIN’ TEETH had released this hardly ever seen two song 7″ back in 1980 already. It seems like nobody really was aware of this. Not even Behjan, the KBD detective nummero uno, had heard of this single before and neither did his “connections” (picture meetings in parking garages or on big public squares, with hastily moving middle aged men wearing false beards, sweating and breathing heavily while exchanging suitcases that look alike).
Since these are not my own rips, the two sound files are encoded in 128 b/shame. If anybody has an original copy of this 7″ for sale, please get in touch. I want it!
No Guarantee.mp3
Leap of Faith.mp3
And for those of you who missed SPITTIN’ TEETH the first time round, here are the three incredible songs from “The Siren”:
2nd Generation.mp3
Prostitute.mp3
Destruction.mp3 («What kind of a fool do you think I am? Do you think I could be happy with this?!» Sung with the utmost of disdainfulness)
Still couldn’t figure out how to fix the picture enlarging issue. When you hold your right mouse button and choose “show graphic” (or something like this), you can see the big scans for more details.
35 Comments
No Guarantee is almost in par with 2nd Generation! Really good stuff though the b-side disappoints. Thanks Behjan and Erich good joint venture.
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what a find! never heard of this band before. all songs are great. destruction has to be one of the best songs I heard in a long long time.
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Thanks for the flowers, Erich
No,it was someone else -from U.S.-who discovered the 7″
and I got the scans from Danny G. and Brad C. and had the idea to propose it 2U. “No Guarantee”,after repeated listenings,turns out to be really cool. The B-Side needs a few more spins,sorry I mean clicks, to have an idea of it.
Still, their song “Destruction” and the other two
from “THE SIREN” album are my fave´s. Hope someday the whole story of the band,maybe even more studio songs (?) turn up on a site /somewhere.
A real good discovery!
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“I will not post records I don’t physically own as I find this tasteless for various reasons”
I can see the fascination with “Destruction”, as it seems to be the quintessential (or expected) “punk prog” track of the era. Not that shocking a move to me considering the fast hXc bands like Youth Korps and even jock-punk like Fear slowed it waaaay down for their own experimental trax. Where has that thinking gone in modern straight punk?
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This I love, I really want destruction of the world after listening to this.
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Hey Erich,
The right-click thing is only a bad crutch but the picture enlarging problem can be fixed easily:
before you put a photo in your text you click left, then thumbnail and then NOW you also have to click FILE URL and then it`s just as before. I try to make good scans and it wouldn`t be half the fun if my pictures wouldn`t open up right away if you clicked on them.
Vielen Dank für diese tolle Seite!
Alles Gute
Andreas
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meh. heard about this. sounds like a weak stooges. at least its better than that shitty “spittin’ teeth” record that came out a few years ago..
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@ Andreas: Thanks for the tip! It works now!
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Having not heard these guys in 30 years and not really liking them much. I now, have changed my mind. Thank you Erich and Behjan! This is really good.
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2nd Generation rules!! I have The Siren but no means to download and burn the song for my fellow punkhounds. Could anyone send me a burnable MP3 of 2nd Gen?
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Why don’t you just download the song from the link above?
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Thanks SO MUCH for this !
I have The Siren LP and to these day it remains one of my fave records.
Any chance of getting the 391 songs one of these days (yeah, guess i’m too lazy to rip ‘em myself, ahah)
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hey all,
This is a killer site!
i recently started downloading old hardcore demo tapes at my blog and am currently looking for more. anyone with old east coast (and non-east coast) demos please drop me a line and check out my little bloggy!
devil dick
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Wow, thanks so much for posting this! It’s not too often in these days and times that a totally unheard KBD-type record gets posted! I mean, it’s 21 years since the first volume of Killed By Death came out so just when you think every obscurity has been unearthed something like this Spittin’ Teeth 7″ appears. I saw when Ryan Richardson was selling a copy of this a few weeks ago on eBay and that got me interested, but the price was too much for me. Hey, I finally updated my blog with a posting of some unreleased KBD stuff- check it out!
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Destruction was powerful stuff…
And while I don’t know if I have a definite nomination for which NWOBHM LP is the best, I’m going to go ahead and give my opinion that it definitely isn’t Loose ‘n’ Lethal, good as it is.
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Best NWOBHM album is and always will be the Angelwitch debut, one of the 10 best albums ever released in my book.
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Ouuukaaayyy, oouukaaay – of course apart from the Angel Witch LP, Iron Maiden’s “Killers” and the first LP too and maybe some more
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Erich, you gave up too fast!
Satan’s Court in the Act is another contender for me, apart from what you’ve already mentioned.
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WTT – a man not only of knowledge and wit, but also of Metal taste. Lovely.
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First Diamond Head! And if Motorhead counts…?
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Na, Satan wasn´t that good. I have pretty hard to enjoy the vocals. I must say that the first Raven albums has a spot in my heart. I remember the summer between seventh and eigth grade in school. A summer that I almost only listen to Rock until you drop and Manowars Battlehymns.
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I’m flattered by these compliments…I am young and naive, only a poor man’s Erich Keller.
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No one dares to point out “The Nightcomers”, by Holocaust?
That record(along with the aforementioned Paul di Anno’s era Maiden Lps, Motörhead or Diamond Head) is one of my favorite Heavy Metal albums (more than the equally impressive, but more in a Operatic and epic manner, Angelwitch), and I’d swear that it was on your “on heavy rotation” thing some time ago, Erich, correct me if I’m wrong…
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I never dug the “Nightcomers” album as a whole THAT much, Javi. I used to love the EP, but I must confess that if I have to sit through the entire “HM Mania” once more, I’ll start crying. Holocaust, AIIZ and a few other bands of the era don’t mean to me anymore what they used to.
Sure, all these records you mentioned have been heavily rotated on this blog as well as in my home for soon 30 years now …. (crazy when you think of it).
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Guess I’m a little late, but as for Spittin Teeth’s Destruction I’d say “Not quite” – he sounds way too much like a wannabe actor. Not quite the revelation, a rather unpleasent experience actually. I’ll have to stay with the Wipers.
Erleuchtung hab ich allerdings auch schon mal auf deinem Blog gefunden – nämlich mit dem schweizer Stoff, den du vor einer langen, langen Weile gepostet hast – TNT, Sperma, Nasal Boys – ein verspätetes Dankeschön dafür.
I remember a while ago someone asked Erich, if he knew anything about the austrian scene . Erich didn’t want to know, quite rightly so, but I think Kurort or Those Who Survived The Plague are always worth a listen. So if anyone’s still interested in austrian HC then hop on over to my little measly blog http://bruderschaftdesschlafes.blogspot.com
and follow the “Austria” tags. Thanks.
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Thanks for posting this Spittin’ Teeth 7″- this is what mp3 blogs are for- to post rare stuff instead of those crummy ones that post common crap like Exploited LP’s or whatever. Speaking of that Siren comp LP would you please post the entire LP instead of just the Spittin’ Teeth tracks? My taped copy is pretty crummy, and I would love to have clean rips of the 391 tracks from it especially.
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Yes, Tony – I will do that, if nobody does it before I come round posting it. You will get another super great comp in the next post
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Sounds good, thanks!
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Wow I haven’t heard this stuff since 1980 when Brad Collins played it on his radio show. I was beginning to believe it never really existed. These guys were a great band. If you like this stuff you should really hunt down the Boards CD. They were around at the same time or just as Spittin’ Teeth were falling apart. They are even better than this stuff. Someone should upload the horrible Angle 7″ if they have it. Or even the Atheists demo. Years ago I ran into Margaret from S.T. she told me the singer had a ton of these 7″ hanging in his basement. Wish I could get just one of those. This copy is a little rough, but hey, I ain’t complaining. Thanks!!!! You made my day.
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“BAX”, you mention BOARDS CD,the ANGLE 7″ and the ATHEISTS demo (know one song of ´em from a MYSTIC comp.LP). Can you tell a bit more about those bands above or/and know a site that deals with the early SLC (Utah in general) Punk and New Wave scene? I can´t find anything via google. Thanks,BAX !
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No Guarantee is a fucking amazing tune.
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Actually I really love “Leap Of Faith.” Seems like a lot of people weren’t too taken with it but I think it gets under the skin.
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I just uploaded to YouTube an 8 minute mini-documentary on Spittin’ Teeth that was originally broadcast on KUTV (Salt Lake City) c. 1979 or 1980. I was friends with the lead guitar player during the 1980s and early 1990s. He had a copy of this program on a U-Matic tape and I was able to convert it for him to VHS in the mid 1980s, and that’s where this video came from.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTpnteKMDGU
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Admin Reply:
November 28th, 2011 at 08:10
Great! Thanks a lot Doug!!
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Robbie Fields Reply:
November 28th, 2011 at 13:43
Doug,
The video clip is amazing. You are to be saluted!
I know it’s 20+ years ago, but did the guitar player ever explain why they just disappeared?
Robbie
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From what I can remember (it’s been about 30 years since Greg Adams first told me), all of the band’s energy had been spent in pursuit of a record contract (the video clip bears this out) and the week when the band was supposed to sign with Warner Bros. – they broke up. At the time this happened, the band members claimed they had grown tired of each other. With maybe 10 years of hindsight, he later told me that what really happened was they were very young and immature, and thought if it was that easy to get a record contract … it would happen again. Unfortunately you can’t catch lightning in a bottle. As far as I know, none of the band members ever came close to “making it” again. I seem to recall there was a half-hearted effort to get some of the band together again in the mid 1980s, but nothing ever came of it. It’s a sad story that’s all too common.
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Robbie Fields Reply:
November 30th, 2011 at 07:35
Once again, thanks Doug for educating us!
I “think” they saw me on their way out of town and just handed me the tapes. As I recall, Black Flag had directed them to me. They kept their song publishing which showed they were not total innocents. On the other hand, their designated music publisher, Golden Tablets Music (geddit?) is defunct or never properly functioned.
Another set of recordings I picked up along similar lines was “Levi & The Rockats: Live at The Louisiana Hayride”. The producer was leaving town with his unsold (to a major) product and I just happened to meet him at breakfast that day.
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Forgot to mention I have an audiocassette with three unreleased Spittin’ Teeth songs. Hmmmmmmmmm …..
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Robbie Fields Reply:
November 30th, 2011 at 08:08
Interesting that on the single release, they misspell Black Flagg (sic). Maybe Robin (sic) is also misspelt!
A blog like this is an excellent way to disseminate worthy but highly obscure music.
As the band did not bother to go through with their plans for Golden Tablets Music (ASCAP), it is highly unlikely they have ever seen a penny or will see anything for their European popularity.
If one or more of Poulton, Johnson or Alldredge will contact me, we can get their songs registered for royalty collection and organize a digital release of all their material.
For the sake of posterity …
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