Punk Obituary

Seeking the X-Negroes

2010-06-03T08:03:00.000-07:00

Whoa. As if on cue to my original query below, an X-Negroes mp3 collection entitled "Euphemistic Castrations" was released some three weeks later, on June 22. I might have been the first person to buy it. It doesn't have all the songs I need to replace, but it contains some choice faves as well as songs I'd not heard before. Shortly after that, the original band members concocted their Web presence at http://xnegroes.com.

------

If anyone who comes across these pages knows anything about a band from the late 80s (and early 90s?) called the X-Negroes, please let me know. I went to make MP3s of their demo sessions only discover that the tape is damaged (magnetically?). The sound is distorted and barely listenable. I'll continue to listen though until someone is able to help me find better recordings.

I know very little about them except that they were awesome. A friend passed their tapes to me 20 years ago or so. They were a black (all black?) group that played political and humorous punk/funk and other styles. Some of my favorite X-Negroes songs are "Funky Anus," "Dark World," "Can Head," and "Idiosyncratic," just to name a few. I think they were from Brooklyn and one of them may have been from Rochester, NY originally. I'm a little surprised that in this digital age, there are surprisingly few references to them anywhere. My most promising lead was from a blog that is now deleted. (See results of my Google search below).

FACTS MYTHS & LIES of D.I.Y. MUSIC 1987-93: X - NEGROES - "Mr Neo ...
Eddie Scales was my friend, played in a band with him. ... to the anonymous post that was looking for Eddie Scales (X-NEGROES) I know where Eddie is! ...
diycassettemusic.blogspot.com/.../x-negroes-mr-neo-naziballad-of-leonard.html

There is a link to a couple X-Negroes mp3s on a Rochester Punk/Hardcore Facebook page. Oddly, I had never heard either of those songs before, even though my tapes have at least 20 others. I want my X-Negroes back! Any help appreciated.

SFA - "New York" EP

2007-07-11T09:01:00.000-07:00

Blogging time has been scarce lately, but I've had some mp3 rips collecting dust that I just hadn't posted. This short burst of postings will probably come to a quick end soon enough. In the meanwhile, let's listen to some SFA.

In Brendan's brief history of SFA he writes: "The EP was crap. It didn't help that our engineer was doing lines of coke on the mixing board while we were laying down tracks. If you're one of the unfortunate few who bought out first EP, I apologize. It was so bad that I used to break copies of the record before giving it to promoters and zines so they could judge it without having to suffer through it."

Regardless (sorry Brendan), in the interest of hardcore history I'm posting it here. I believe this might be the only vinyl release featuring both of SFA's vocalists (Mike Bullshit and Brendan) singing together. If it ain't the only one, there are few anyway. Just be advised that, as Brendan has noted, it is SFA's worst recording production-wise. But doesn't that just make it more endearing?

Songs:
Intro/Bliss
Once Again
95 Average
Gyroscope
Zip-A-Tone
Finast
RealityJourney

Visuals:
Cover (large)
Back
Insert 1
Insert 2
Vinyl

Fearless Vampire Killers "Target" EP

2007-07-11T08:15:00.000-07:00

While Japan is better known for its crusty thrash, grindcore and d-beat, Discharge-clone bands like Disclose, FVK was more like a Bad Brains clone. Unlike the d-beaters FVK doesn't live up to the standards of their hero band (BB) by any stretch of the imagination (especially in the vocals department, in my opinion), but this is nonetheless a classic 80s Japanese release worth a listen.

Songs:
Though We're Youth (Smegma-O-Mara)
One Summer Vacation
All You Offend To My Eyse (sic)
Buffalo Slam
Dept 49
Oh Your Mammy

Visuals:
Cover (large)
Back

SCRAPS - "Aaargh" 7"

2007-07-10T14:37:00.001-07:00

I never anything about this band beyond what it says in this record, but the folks at Kill From the Heart have more info…Enjoy.

Songs:
Dubeauf s'en va t'en guerre
Au service de la loi
Macho Klan
Major Shits
I Hate Memories

Visuals:
Cover (large)
Back
Insert 1

Life's Blood Defiance 7" and 1988 Demo

2007-07-10T13:16:00.000-07:00

Here is the Life’s Blood “Defiance” 7” along with the 1988 Demo recorded at Don Fury.

7inchpunk.com also posted the 7” so you can compare this rip with theirs and see which you like better. Jay (Jason O’Toole) gave me the green light to post this (MiddleAgedYouth.com had posted it too, but removed it, prompting me to ask Jay if he cared if it got posted).

Random trivia about this record: I happened to be at Dave Stein’s apartment when the first shipment of Defiance arrived in the mail. A couple lucky friends and I got to buy the first ones out of the box. I remember Dave talking about how he thought Maximum Rock'N'Roll would probably give Life’s Blood a better review than many NYHC bands, because he thought they would "Iike the packaging" and because the songs critique a lot of BS in the NYHC scene at the time. He was totally right on. MRR gave it a great review. The look and feel of the cover and inserts look everything but NYHC circa late 80s. Speaking of packaging,another bit of trivia: According to a source close the situation at the time, the cover of this 7″ was made on stolen card stock. MRR’s review, of course, was due to more than the packaging. The music was right on and the lyrics critiqued a lot o’ crap going on in the NY scene then. The only minor MRR complaint (according to Dave K. was that Tim Yohanan said that “Catch our Breath” just sounded so obviously like Blitz that it “it just couldn’t be forgiven.” Dave claims Life’s Blood never played the song life again. I don’t know. For more info on Life’s Blood, see the Middle Aged Youth post.

Eventually I’m going to post a live LB show at CBGB’s as well as some other random LB tracks that I have.

Songs:
Sorry folks! I've deleted the Life's Blood 7" at the request of Neil, as I understand it is going to be re-released via Prank records. When I have more information I'll post that here. (Hmmm, digital re-release. Does this mean my original vinyl 7" goes UP or DOWN in value? Hard to say. The punk rock futures market is one big roller coaster in today's digital age.)

1988 Demo

The demo is all on one mp3 file so here is the song list:
Maximum Security
Left Behind
Never Make A Change
Stick To It
Not For The Weak
Youth Enrage

Defiance Visuals:
Cover (large)
Back
Insert scans coming soon. My files got messed up.
Insert 1
Insert 2
Lyrics

Swiz - "Down" 7"

2007-07-01T10:01:00.001-07:00

Between the birth of my beautiful daughter and school, there is precious little time for mp3 blogging of late.

This is the first 7" of the great D.C.-area group Swiz. I saw them multiple times in Albany and Connecticut in the late 80s, including on the awesome "SwASide" tour with Soulside and New Jersey greats American Standard (upcoming post -- American Standard's first LP, stay tuned). Trivia: vocalist Shawn Brown was Dag Nasty's first singer (Aug 1985 - Feb 1986) before quitting to form Swiz. He later sang for a number of other bands, most recently in Jesuseater.

Songs:
Much
Time
Cause
Lie

Visuals:
Cover (large)
Back Cover
vinyl side A
vinyl side B
Insert A
Insert B

A History of Albany, NY Punk & Hardcore -- 1980-1991

2007-01-22T01:02:00.000-08:00

I built (and may add to) this compilation of Albany, NY off site, ON THIS PAGE. I didn't have time to test all the mp3s and images, so please write comments here if you find problems with the page.

No Outlet demo

2007-01-14T12:32:00.000-08:00

Another post for the Albany folks. Thanks to Carl for providing the track names!

No Outlet was a classic Albany style hardcore ("ASHC" in Capital District parlance) band from the mid- to late-1980s. If you weren't there, you probably never heard of them. Their few releases include this demo and songs on two Albany compilations (see more at Middle Aged Youth's posting of the Albany Style Hardcore 7"). Nate of Gloom Records (and Monster X and a number of other bands) just sent me a live No Outlet show from 1989 (one of their last shows?), so keep your eyes peeled here for that.

I lost my copy of this 1987(?) demo years ago and this replacement copy came with no track list. Carl just sent them in, but be advised that the mp3 files don't have the right song names embedded with them. You'll have to set them yourself on your iTunes or mp3 program. Enjoy.

First Glance
Last Time
Just How It Goes
Push Back/Know Yourself
Loser
Abuser
No Outlet
Thanks

Born Against

2007-01-07T22:18:00.000-08:00

Trivia: Most people know that BA featured members of LifesBlood. Fewer know that, at various times, BA also featured members of Citizen's Arrest and Moss Icon. There are plenty of sources on the Web to read about them so I won't repeat it here.

Half Mast
Xmas Eve
9 Years Later
Born Again/Witness to a Rape

This release came with a ton of visuals:

Lyrics 1
Lyrics 2
Stuff 1
Stuff 2
Stuff 3
Stuff 4
Stuff 5

Breakdown - The '87 Demo

2007-01-05T23:57:00.000-08:00

Breakdown played my home town a lot in the mid to late 80s. I probably saw them 10 times or so, because a good lot of the Albany kids WORSHIPPED them. Most were the very kids who also idolized Youth of Today and the other Positive bands. This, of course, was strange, since Breakdown’s songs are basically all about drinking and fighting. They were kind of like the drinking man’s counterpart to Boston’s straight-edge Slapshot (who’s singer held a broken hockey stick in his hand rather than a bottle).

My friends and I weren’t … uh exactly into them (although, I always liked "Pipedream," the instrumental that, if I recall correctly, served as their "intro bust"). Nonetheless, when they reissued the ’87 Demo on this 7” record, at least a couple of us scrambled to buy it just for nostalgic purposes. It is definitely a classic from the 80s NYHC scene, even though the recording quality is pretty bad. If I had better software I'd try to remove the hiss, but I use Audacity, which always seems to create distortion when you try to reduce noise.

-- UPDATE: Dec. 17, 2007--
I've been asked to take it down per request of Bill Wilson, who claims to be the owner of the masters of this recording (not a Breakdown band member, but I have no reason not to believe him I guess). I'm leaving the first song by his permission. Bill says this is available on

and dowloadpunk.

Sick People
Kickback
Labelled
Vengence
Your Problems
Pipe Dream

Fear of God

2007-01-05T19:13:00.000-08:00

For my money, of all the throat bands of the mid 80s, Switzerland's FEAR OF GOD was definitely the throatiest. Amazing. One of my favorite tracks is Prisoner of Your Ideals, which is all of 14 seconds long!

I bought this record (in 1988?) knowing nothing about the band, but figured any band that covered an Infest song was something I should buy. As it turned out, Erich, the singer for this band, actually put out the Infest LP posted elsewhere on this blog.
When I first heard this record, I assumed the band was taking grindcore (or crust-core, whatever you wanna call it) to its logical, perhaps even parodying extreme, as Sore Throat did on their Disgrace to the Corpse of Sid album. My friend and I decided that the main singer (which, I believe, is Erich) sounded a lot like Cookie Monster and, in fact, on two songs ("Which Way" and "Trouble Maker") there are times where I'd swear the singer WAS saying the word "cookie" ... were the lyric sheet not available to correct me.

That said, however, Erich, a band member who runs the awesome Good Bad Music for Bad, Bad Times blog (where he has some live stuff posted), writes that "the label 'Grindcore' that was attached to the band from 1989 never felt right for us. We thought of FEAR OF GOD as a Hardcore band, because apart from bands like MASTER or REPULSION, Hardcore and poststructuralistic Noise was our main influence."

I removed some of the songs at the request of Erich, who informed me that FEAR OF GOD is about to do a reissue of a lot of their stuff for their 20th anniversary and that this 7" I have is a bootleg anyway! He says that there are more bootlegs of this band than actual official releases. I believe it. I'm sure the Japanese went apeshit over this stuff.

Side 1
Rubbish Planet
Controlled By Fear
Prisoner of Your Ideals
Under The Chainsaw
Trouble Maker
Proud On Your Pride
My Hands Deep In Your Guts
Which Way?
Pneumatic Slaughter
A Life In Rigorism
7 Up

Side 2
Circle A
Running Through The Blood
Raise The Siege
Pelzfotze
I'm Positive
The Two Sides Of The Coin
Locked Away
I've Seen
Absolution
First Class People
Chain (Infest cover)

Updated tracks and an open call for Albany HC

2006-12-25T22:33:00.000-08:00

If you downloaded tracks from the This Town We Own comp before Christmas 2006, you may want to download them again. I replaced the tracks with ones I culled from a copy of the comp that was in better shape than mine.

Also, having been inspired by Dave K.'s excellent history of NYHC, I decided I want to post an Albany punk and hardcore show collection here (1980-1991 or so). I will probably build it piecemeal as an ongoing blog entry, but wonder if anyone out there has anything to contribute. I would especially like anything from the No Outlet, Cranial Abuse, or Final Terror demos. I had the first two but lost them somewhere along the line and now I have only the songs on the two 7" comps. I never had any FT , but I think they must have put some demo or something out and I'd like to have the collection as complete as possible. Of course, if anyone has anything (live, whatever) by Fit For Abuse or Albany Style, who as far as I know, never released anything (FFA had one song on the ASHC comp), I could really use that. I'll put the one FFA song of course but it would be nice to have more.

Poison Idea Live at the Pyramid Club & ABC No Rio, 1990

2006-12-23T11:51:00.000-08:00

From the Feel the Darkness Tour. I think I recorded this in April or May 1990. I have the exact date somewhere and will post it. I don't have the time to split the tracks or write up the song list. If anyone feels industrious and has time to do a song list please send it to me. PI did two shows in NYC in two days. I recorded all of the Pyramid show and part of the ABC No Rio show, so there is some song overlap here. The sound system at the Pyramid was superior to ABC No Rio's on that day, so you may notice a difference there. I just learned yesterday that Pig Champion died almost a year ago (Feb. of 2006). RIP and rock on...

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

SFA live -- 5th Anniversary Show -- 1990

2006-11-12T11:06:00.000-08:00

I have more live shows to post but haven't had much time to do so lately as I'm back in school and very busy.

Here is SFA's 5th anniversary show at the Pyramid Club (NYC), recorded on April 7, 1990.

I chopped this into four mp3 tracks (big files, between 20 & 30 megs, sorry). I can't remember all the song names, but list may follow soon (SFA has said it will provide). When I get the song list I may separate the songs into individual mp3s. Enjoy.

SFA Live 1
SFA Live 2
SFA Live 3
SFA Live 4

UPDATE----Sorry this took so long but school has been a bitch. SFA sent me this song list weeks ago and it's about time I posted it.

Part 1:
Agony
Shame
Gyroscope
Power
Spite

Part2:
Trapped
Just Another Word
Enemy Within
Once Again
A retarded instrumental jam

Part 3:
Happy Birthday
No More 84 (botched big time)
I Want to be Alone
Purge
Journey

Part 4:
A-Train
Public Opinion (cover of Urban Waste song)
Time's Up

If you downloaded the live Sheer Terror / AF show ....

2006-08-31T18:41:00.000-07:00

I had to update two tracks. See comments under that post.

I've Got an Attitude Problem

2006-08-25T13:44:00.000-07:00

Boy Blogger.com sucks (unstable - frequent outages), but I guess you get what you pay for. If I knew MT better I'd manage this thing myself. I may have to move it somewhere, but barely have the time to rips songs and post, let alone deal with too much crap.
ANYWAY...
An obscure compilation (bootleg?) that thrashes around the world. It's a very cobbed together, DIY effort (note the manually overwritten errors in the song list on the back cover).

Images:
bigger cover image
back cover
insert 1
insert 2

Songs:

--From Italy--
Wretched - "Fino in Fondo" ("Right Till the End")
Wretched - "Schiavo Del Sistemo" ("Slave of the System")
Raw Power - "Raw Power"
Raw Power - "You Shock Me"
--From the U.S.A.--
Psycho - "End Of The World"
--From the U.K.--
Satanic Malfunctions - "Just Another Protest Song"
--From Sweden--
Mob47 - "Fred Och Rattvisa"
Mob47 - "Logner" ("Lies")
--From (what was then) Yugoslavia--
Quod Massacre "Ponekao-Toneko" ("Sometimes-Someone")
--From the Netherlands--
Funeral Oration - "Demented"
Funeral Oration - "Going Further"

Moss Icon

2006-08-22T22:17:00.000-07:00

***THIS ITEM IS FOR SALE*** SEE END OF POST

I never knew much about this band, except that they came out of Maryland and the greater D.C. area Emo scene. Of all sites, Ticketmaster.com has this nifty bio:

Moss Icon In-depth Biography

Even more obscure than they were groundbreaking, Moss Icon was an early emo band whose music remains chiefly the province of hardcore collectors and underground historians. Whether that music directly influenced or simply presaged modern emo, Moss Icon's shifting dynamics, chiming guitar arpeggios, and screaming, crying vocal climaxes helped set the template for much of the emocore that followed in its wake. Typical for many late-'80s emocore bands, Moss Icon led an unstable existence; due in part to the members' youth, they performed and recorded only sporadically, and were on hiatus as often as not. Their first CD release didn't occur until several years after their breakup, following distantly on the heels of limited chunks of material for very small labels. Thus, despite increasing name-checks during emo's rise to prominence, Moss Icon remained a mystery to many.

Moss Icon was formed in Annapolis, Maryland in 1986, when its members were still in high school. Guitarist Tonie Joy, singer Jonathan Vance, bassist Monica DiGialleonardo, and drummer Mark Laurence played their first show as Moss Icon in the summer of 1987. In early 1988, they issued their debut 7," "Hate in Me" (aka "Greta Garbo") on Vermin Scum, the small indie label Joy co-founded in conjunction with members of fellow Annapolis band the Hated. A second 7," Mahpiua Luta, followed in 1989, after which the band alternated between spurts of rehearsals and inactivity. From 1989-90, Vance and Laurence also played in a side project called Breathing Walker with guitarist Alex Badertscher, which later came to include Joy and DiGialleonardo as well. Badertscher joined Moss Icon as second guitarist in time for their third single, 1990s "Memorial."

Moss Icon remained together for approximately one more year after that, during which time they released a split LP with Silver Bearing. They had attempted to complete a full-length album, but the results of an initial session were abandoned, then redone at a later date. The LP went unreleased during the band's existence, and finally appeared on vinyl in 1994 on the Vermiform label, under the title Lyburnum (aka Lyburnum Wit's End Liberation Fly). Additionally, a half-live/half-studio 12" called It Disappears was released by Ebullition/Vermin Scum in 1995. The subsequent CD issue of Lyburnum appended the studio portion of It Disappears.

By that time, Moss Icon had long since scattered across the country and beyond, to travel or attend college. Only Tonie Joy remained extensively active in music, most notably founding the Universal Order of Armageddon and the Convocation Of..., while also playing with Born Against, Great Unraveling, and Lava, among others. In 2001, Moss Icon reunited for several live shows with a lineup of Joy, Vance, DiGialleonardo, Badertscher, and one-time Breathing Walker drummer Zak Fusciello.
-- Steve Huey, All Music Guide

This self-titled EP is alternately called “Hate in Me” (name of first track) or “Greta Garbo” because of the cover photo. I just saw this EP on eBay, asking $99. I know it is rare but sheez! I'd sell mine to anyone with $50.
insert/lyrics

Songs:
Hate In Me
What They Lack
I'm Back Sleeping or Fucking or Something
Kiss The Girls And Make Them Die

back cover/lyrics
insert/lyrics

Songs:
The Life or This Grape’s Juice Drink
Kicks the Can

*******SALE*******DADDY NEEDS A NEW PAIR OF SHOES
And then some. FREE SHIPPING via US Mail.
Record is in good condition. No skips but some crackle from multiple plays.
$75 or the highest bid above that by August 1, 2010 will take it home.
Send bids to mike AT culturefreak.com

Sheer Terror / Agnostic Front Live - 1988

2006-08-22T11:06:00.000-07:00

American Legion Hall, Albany, NY, July 15, 1988. This was something of an unlikely show. Sheer Terror, a band that didn't "give a shit about your skinhead pride" and "could care less about the Lower East Side" opened for Agnostic Front, the quintessential Lower East Side skinhead band. It's amusing to hear the singer from Sheer Terror dedicate "Just Can't Hate Enough" to "all the little bastards on the Lower East Side who try to blackball us with all that Positive crap" and then later to hear Roger from AF thank Sheer Terror for playing. AF, of course, were not a "Posi" band like Youth of Today or anything, but they were "A" list NYHC scenesters that all the Posi kids loved ... and Sheer Terror hated.

The Sheer Terror tracks have much better sound quality. Something happened to the PA or to AFs equipment between sets that gave their set a sub-par recording sound quality. It's kind of odd, considering Sheer Terror were theoretically the losers who got no respect, while AF were the annointed NYHC rock stars. But whatever. Local boys Wolfpack opened the show, but I didn't have enough tape to get all three bands.

Sheer Terror

Hawk Night Intro (it's just funny to me)
Here To Stay
Ready To Halt
Only 13
Cup O' Joe
Just Can't Hate Enough
Ashes Ashes
Not Giving Up
Twisting and Turning
Roses
Burning Time
Walls

Agnostic Front

This isn't the whole set. I had to shorten one track (Society Sucker) because it was interrupted by leaving the room to puke. So, there's like 15 seconds missing from that song and I just had to kinda mix it together. I figured better that than cut it altogether. That said, I did have to cut a song or two of the AF set because the recording suffered considerably when I felt compelled to go into the pit. The recording of "Crucified" and I think one other song were irrevocably damaged.

Blind Justice/Last Warning
Strength
United and Strong
With Time (For Amy)
Victim In Pain
Society Sucker
Your Mistake
Eliminator
Anthem
Genesis
United Blood

Infest - "Slave" LP

2006-08-11T15:19:00.000-07:00

This Swiss-released LP of this American HC band contains all the songs first issued on the band's self-titled 7" released earlier the same year (1988) and 10 extra tracks. Sweet stuff. This site has a lot of info on the band and lots of cover art.

larger image of cover

Songs
Break the Chain
Pickled
Sick-o
Plastic
Mindless
Which side?
V.Y.O
Where’s the Unity
Screwed

Machismo
The Game
Sick of Talk
Iran Scam
Life’s Halt
Slave
Head First
Sick and Tired
Fetch the Pliers

Squat or Rot EP Volume 1

2006-08-09T12:41:00.000-07:00

This is the first installment of a few compilations of bands from New York's Lower East-Side squat/anarcho punk scene in the late 80s and early 90s. Well, mostly. I wouldn't label my favorite band of the bunch, SFA, as an "anarcho" band really, and they labelled themselves "hatecore" as a matter of fact. I have a great live show of them with Poison Idea that I taped at the Pyramid Club in 1991 or so. I'll post that soon, along with the second volume of Squar or Rot. Instead of record sleeves. The Squat series were always folded inside a newspaper of squat/punk/Lower East Side news, as pictured here. Anyway here's 5 tracks of hardcore and punk stuff from NYC.

SFA - "Gyroscope"
Resisturz - "Nazi Bullshit"
Nausea - "Productive Not Destructive"
Public Nuisance - "Dead End Street"
Radicts - "6 of Them

Brain Tattoo - Skarred for Life

2006-08-07T13:32:00.000-07:00

This band from Albany, NY was only around for about a year or so, but was my favorite local band in the late 80s. This demo was the only thing they put out, but I think they recorded some songs for a 7" that was never released. I taped a live show they did with Operation Ivy in 1988 and will post those sets sometime. Roger, Brain Tattoo's singer, went on to join Intent, which appears on the This Town We Own comp posted previously.

Larger image of tape cover
Lyric Sheet 1
Lyric Sheet 2

Songs:

Priorities
Boy In A Bubble
Live Like Sperm
Brain Tattoo
Man or Mouse
Roles
9 to 5 (Dolly Parton cover)
Aprhrodisiac
Terracide
Delayed Gratification
Redneck Stomp
Livin' On A Prayer/Doomsdayitis

Impact - "Attraverso L'Involucro" EP

2006-08-03T14:13:00.000-07:00

More 80s Italian HC. I never knew much about Impact except that they were on the same label as the Italian punk/folk outfit Kina (Blu Bus Records, which I think is Kina's own label). Anyway, I always liked this disc.

This site has some Impact info.

Non c'è Pace Per Noi
Alienazione Sistematica
Realtà Mutabili
L'odio Cresce Ancora
La Tua Eterna Illusione
Debloli Al Vostri Occhi
Dolci Sensazioni

Beat-Less 7" compilation (four bands from The Netherlands)

2006-08-02T13:21:00.000-07:00

This 1988 7" from The Netherlands features four...if I have to label them somehow folky post-punk(?) songs. It's not super hard-edged stuff, but I like it nonetheless, especially the first two tracks.

Back cover image.

Got to Follow my Heart (Union Morbide)
Five (The Grabbits)
Fit In (The Vernon Walters)
Happy New Year (Yahoo)

Fearless Iranians From Hell

2006-07-25T13:48:00.000-07:00

This is more of a novelty to me than anything else, but I thought it was apropos to post, considering all that is going on right now with Iran's nuclear aims and with Hezbollah in Lebanon.

I never knew much about this group except that (1) they are from Texas (2) supposedly have at least one Iranian-American member, and (3) share at least one member (possibly two) with the Butthole Surfers.

As with, it seems, everyone these days, they have a MySpace page. These same tracks can be streamed there and downloaded from 7Inchpunk.com here (thanks to 7inchpunk.com for the above image). If I'd known, I would have just downloaded their mp3s rather than make my own.

AT THE REQUEST OF THE COPYRIGHT HOLDER, THESE MP3s HAVE BEEN REMOVED. They are still available here on Amazon.

Raw Power "Wop Hour" EP

2006-07-25T12:12:00.000-07:00

Raw Power is my favorite Italian hardcore/thrash/ cross-over/ whatever-you-wanna-call-it band. They have been around since 1981, though I think their first recordings were done in 1983.

Though they never broke out of hardcore obscurity, they are still active today (touring California as I write this). I believe singer Mauro Codeluppi is the only remaining original member since his brother Giuseppe (guitar) died in 2002.

For my money, the best stuff from this band is from their 1984-86 lineups. A lot of their stuff is available on CD, but it appears that this 7" EP remains available only on used vinyl and, now, here. Enjoy.

I Do What I Like
You Are The Victim
Factory
Destroy

Citizen's Arrest

2006-07-24T13:51:00.000-07:00

A Great outfit from the early 90s New York scene. I used to catch them when there was a real fun matinee scene at ABC No Rio. They have a MySpace page that streams some of these songs, and some others, but it doesn't look like any recordings are available purchase.

larger image of cover art
back cover
record insert 1
record insert 2
(sometimes I get a little carried away with this stuff...)

Songs:
Serve And Protect
InTheDistance
Fortress
A Light in the Darkness
Woodstock
WithoutPeace

Murders Among Us comp

2006-07-19T13:22:00.000-07:00

Murders Among Us 7" (1990, Combined Effort & Vermiform Records co-relase).

A classic latter-day NYHC compilation. Still one of my faves.

1. Lifesblood - "Human Power"
2. Absolution - "Dead and Gone"
3. Nausea - "Electrodes"
4. Born Against "The Good Father"

Update - On Aug. 17, 2006 I replaced the original tracks I ripped with ones from Something I learned Today because their quality was superior to my worn out 7."

Here's a flyer of a Life'sBlood show (1988?) I went to in my hometown of Albany. Brian Sayle has this greatflyer site.

Execute/Inferno split 12"

2006-07-19T12:38:00.000-07:00

Eight tracks of blessed thrash from Execute (Japan) and Inferno (Germany or, what was then known as West Germany). I have to say that I listen to the Execute side about three times for every time I listen to the Inferno, but they both rock. On Pusmort records, 1986.

INFERNO
1. A Nightmare
2. Life
3. In Research Work's Name
4. Creature Without a Brain

EXECUTE
5. Nasty Nasty Nasty
6. Going Back
7. Penetration (Go to Rut)
4. Lone Wolf (Pt. 2)

This Town We Own - an Albany, NY Hardcore comp

2006-07-19T12:14:00.000-07:00

--Update 12/25/06: Merry Christmas. I just reposted these tracks after recording a copy of this 7" that was far less worn out than mine. If you downloaded these before the above date you might wanna grab 'em again. --

A classic for anyone who came up in the Albany HC scene (1991 on Rake records).

I don't think this 7" actually represents the best of these bands (stay tuned for future posts), but I was friends with a lot of the folks in some of them, so this record is very dear to my heart.

It's only a shame so many of the bands recorded their songs at the infamous (at least I think so) Highland Studios.I don't know if it is still around but back in the 80s and early 90s this crappy studio created a veritable "Albany sound" by (unfortunately) making every recording sound like it emanates from a transistor radio nestled inside a garbage can. If you’re not from Albany and think I’m joking, just check out the Albany Style Hardcore compilation posted at Middle Aged Youth.

After I uploaded these songs, I saw that Coregasm had already done so, too. My mp3s are a bit more crackly (from the original vinyl -- my usual noise reduction techniques failed me) than his, but I notice some strange buzzing on his mp3s (created during the digital conversion) so I’ll listen to mine. You can choose your poison.

Terror Cake - "Intricate"
Glee Club - "Diafraggem"
Intent - "Flaw"
Substance - "Thorn In My Side"
Vertebrae - "Jittery City"

This Town We Own 7" front cover
This Town We Own 7" back cover
This Town We Own 7" insert 1
This Town We Own 7" insert 2

Reason To Believe

2006-07-19T11:04:00.000-07:00

This band had a pretty short career (1987-1990). They were from the Bay Area and had a powerful, melodic, somewhat D.C.-ish hardcore sound a la Minor Threat or perhaps more like early Verbal Assault. But, they have their own sound, too. You can hear more tracks (and without pops!) at their MySpace page, where it says there they will be re-releasing their out-of-print material soon. Until then....

True Love Always
Mind on Paper
Simplicity
Rollercoaster
New Foundation
Pictures Upside Down

Mob 47 - "Kärnvapen Attack" (1984)

2006-07-18T11:17:00.000-07:00

This Swedish group is apparently still around (see their site or their MySpace page ), but I can't tell what songs are still available to buy. They post a couple of these songs (better quality than mine, but still recorded from the vinyl). I never knew much about these guys -- in fact I didn't even know until recently that the 7" is technically titled after the first track, since mine just says "Mob 47" on it), but I always loved this disk. The best info on this band (apart from the above-mentioned sites) and many others can be found at Kill From the Heart.

These recordings represent one of my first attempts at vinyl conversion. I've learned a thing or to since then, and may remake these sometime (maybe get rid of a few pops; definitely boost volume, though you should be able do that on your end in iTunes).

1. Kärnvapen attack
2. Rustning är ett brott
3. Res dig mot överheten
4. Vi rustar dom dör
5. Det är upp till oss
6. Dom ljuger
7. Ingen framtid
8. Animal liberation
9. Polisstat