Sing Sing

SENSATION LP

2011-09-26T13:44:00.005-04:00

sensation records - 1976

So many great records came out of Milwaukee in the 70's and this is really one of the best.
There isn't much information online on this LP and my short conversation with Donald Fisher didn't reveal too many additional details...Apparently the LP was recorded over a period of a few months in 1976 by Donald at his home and pressed in an edition of 1,000 copies. That's all I've got on this one!! If anyone has more information on this record please let me know!

SOUTHERN BELLE

TURN AWAY GIRL

STARRY EYES

get the LP here

New Reissues available now!!

2011-08-11T09:05:00.002-04:00

Get all three of our new release at Sing Sing Records.

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Sing 032 :: THE LEOPARDS - 'Kansas City Slickers' LP

By 1977, the year of Kansas City Slickers? release, most bands had happily ensconced themselves in one niche or another--one was either Punk or Power Pop or New Wave or ---- (fill in the trend of your choice), but The Leopards fell into no such handy category. Kansas City Slickers was unique for its time--certainly no other record of its day sounds remotely like it--and remains so today.

Back then its uniqueness baffled critics who, in the few places where the album was actually reviewed, did little more than point to the album?s Kinks influence. While the influence of The Kinks, The Beach Boys, The Easybeats and other Sixties groups is indeed evident on the album, such a superficial assessment does not begin to do justice to the cornucopia of sound on Kansas City Slickers. Herein rock n? roll meets ragtime, old Hollywood musicals and other forms of early 20th Century American music, a delightfully original melange you will not taste elsewhere.

Recorded and mixed at Moon Studios--ie, the basement of Dennis Pash?s parents? house on Maggie Lane in Kansas City, Kansas--the production and muscianship reaches a level of sophistication not often associated with basement recordings. Even so, protected by lack of technology from slick by-the-rote machinations of the professional studio, Kansas City Slickers retains its basement charm.

When Dennis Pash and Kevin Sanders first decided to release privately pressed records as The Leopards in 1975 it was quite a revolutionary strategy, the DIY ethos of punk still a few years in the future. The world would simply have to catch up at some point in time. Judging by the appreciative audience Kansas City Slickers has grown over the years--this despite its exceeding rarity (only 1,000 copies of the album were pressed)--that time may very well be now. (James Marinovich)

Release Country: USA
Release Year: 1977 / Reissue Date: 08.11
Original Label: Moon Records

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Sing 031 :: BRAD LONG - 'Love Me Again' b/w 'Come To Me'

In and out of unrecorded regional combos since the late 1960's, Logansport, IN music store owner Brad Long issued this, his lone single, on his own Music Stand label in the summer of 1977. Featuring a warm, lo-fi basement pop sound with stylistic roots firmly grounded in the mid 60's, both 'Come to Me' and 'Love me Again' evoke a hazy mood reminiscent of early Twilley. Also included with the release were a series of press releases, a section of which listed Long's heroes as Roger McGuinn, Paul Revere and the Raiders and Joe Meek. Greeted with positive reviews in the pages of ( Ballroom) Blitz and NY Rocker, Long later contributed a cover of the Rolling Stone's 'Tell Me' to the first VOXX ' Battle of the Garages' compilation. (Collin Makamson)

Release Country: USA
Release Year: 1977 / Reissue Date: 08.11
Original Label: No Label, Self-Released.

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Sing 030 :: THE ONION DOLLS - 'The Kids' b/w 'Hot Love'

The Onion Dolls, a four piece punk band from Belgium managed to release this lone 45 before changing their name to Crossfire and fully embracing the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal movement that was sweeping Europe in the early 1980's. Both tracks on this 45 are unsuppressed killers with shredding guitar lines giving up more than a hint of the NWOBHM influenced sound that was to come. Originally released in 1980 on the TWINKLE label in an edition of 1000 copies with a truly great picture sleeve this highly sought after single is one of Belgiums greatest Punk Rock gems.

Release Country: Belgium
Release Year: 1979 / Reissue Date: 08.11
Original Label: Twinkle

RESPONSIBLE TEENAGERS TEMPORARY FEELING b/w OUT OF MY HEAD

2011-07-25T15:06:00.005-04:00

Responsible, 1980

THANKS TO COLLIN FOR THIS ONE!

As the great soul-patch philospher and unmatyred monochrome t-shirt
saint Aaron Lewis of the band Staind might say: 'It's Been A While.'

Been a while since my last post and definitely been a while since it
was fashionable for good, long-loined, round-eyed American wimp rock
to garner any attention round the roost of ye olde Sing Sing blog.
And to that I say no more! No more! With this post I demand a return
to North American normalcy! A risorgimento of suburbanity! A
return...to responsibility AND an excuse to post both sides of the
Responsible Teenagers' excellent lone single!

Familiar to most from their track on Teeline (and to Evan Dando
enthusiasts for containing a couple of pre-Lemonheads), this was the
Responsible Teens' lone NYC bow from 1980 on their own Responsible
imprint. Despite the 'R & R Warhead' tagline, the R.T.'s keep it
short and play it clean; two beer limit cos they borrowed mom's car.
And while the presumed A-side to this double B-side single has hogged
the majority of the Hyped2Death spotlight (thus far), I'll stump like
Stephen Douglas and go to my grave believing forever that it's the
faux-Byrds-y D.I.Y. flipper that's the true Most Likely To. Also, if
you harbored any illusions as to the dwindling amounts of cache
remaining within the reservoirs of Max's Kansas City's back room at
the dawn of the Nineteen Eighties, you need only glance at the
rear-side of the sleeve and catch the three dweebs slack-assing there
to realize that it was all over.

TEMPORARY FEELING

OUT OF MY HEAD

MCELROY BROTHERS -- CAN'T YOU SEE ME SMILIN' LP

2011-07-25T13:34:00.012-04:00

Pajas records 1977

This totally incredible LP was recorded in Vermont in 1977 by 21 year old identical twins Brian and Bruce Mcelroy and pressed in an edition of 1000 copies. Ever since i first heard this record a year or so ago I've been totally obsessed with it! The songs are written around familiar 60's British invasion type structures but the recording and instrumentation are totally unique.. Both brothers are still playing today as the Fab 2
Enjoy!

Did you guys play music together at a really young age? Were you encouraged by your parents? Did you sing together in church or anything like that?

we got more or less started around 8yrs old being taught the accordion. That didn't last too long for Bruce who decided to take up drums shortly there after.
We grew up with our older brother Kerry who had an extensive record collection that all of us enjoyed. We seem to remember a lot of Rolling Stones Beatles, Animals you know the British invasion stuff. Kerry was really into that and we just followed his lead. He also had a couple of bands later when we were about 11yrs old and we would sneak down the basement and play on their equipment.
Brian had by this time a Doric organ which was anItalian model of the Farfisa. Bruce had an original rough rider drum kit/ Japanese made. By this time we already started our first band the Spiders. We played at our 5th grade schools talent day and got our first taste of what roadies and musicians had to do when we packed down and and set up at 3 different classrooms with Brians doric, Emeny organ, melodica, rough rider drum set, one cheap mic that Bruce used (he being the only singer at that time) a set of bongos that a friend played and the other friend played that Emeny organ. Brian had an old Hilgian amp for his organ and mic. we did stuff like "Nowhere Man" and "Here We Come" by Monkees etc.

From watching those Fab 2 videos online I can tell that you guys love to play live. Did you do a lot of gigging in the late 70's? What type of places did you play? any noteworthy shows or bands you played with?

Right out of high school we were gigging all over Vermont. In the winter we'd be up at the ski areas a lot Jay Peak/Mad river glen/ Bolton Valley/Stowe.and in Middlebury, Montpilier, Bristol, Vergennes and Burlington. We were seen by the Case and Munson agency from Austin TX when we were at Waterville ski area in New Hampshire and they hired us to play the southwest. We played all of Texas from Brownsville to El Paso to Dallas to Houston and then some.
Playing live is where its at... Later on in the 90's we would open up for a variety of big bands at our local Palace Theater here in Myrtle Beach-acts like The Beach Boys who asked for us personally the second time we opened for them. the Righteous Bros. and the Monkees.

Did you guys build a big local following?

We had a nice following in Vermont when we started, they definitely loved that album we made! We played from 75 through 79 up in Vermont-a good 4 yrs with an album and 45 to boot. Then we left them for the Case and Munson entertainment. I Still think they are in business...
We recorded first at Pajas Studio in Westport NY across the lake from Burlington Vt.
James Starbuck was our man recording. We started with the Hammond and bass pedals with Bruces drums. A base track/rhythm track. Then Brian would layer in Piano, Poly Korg, mini Korg, elec piano etc... each on there own tracks. Think we had 16 tracks to use but i remember punching in alot and not wanting to waste tracks so that we would have overdubbing for vocals at the end of recording. Took us one night to sing the whole album and we remember there was alot of beer around. By the time we did Ego of the grave...bout 4am, it was time to close the celebration.

Which came first, the 45 or the LP?

The LP came first in 77.. we were in the process of writing another album the next year 78- and decided to put the 45 out and give'em a taste. We knew the jukebox hero that ran the business of changing out the 45's on the machines so he helped out alot. He would pay us like 30 to 60 dollars royalty money for the 45 every time we saw him, we thought we were something alright!

Can you tell me some about the recording sessions for the LP? Didn't you say you guys recorded in a big barn converted into a studio?

Pajas studios was a big barn turned into a beautiful,multi-leveled living area that had three floors. The studio was primarily the first 2 levels with living quarters in the 3rd level. The dang silo was a trip in itself!! It had showers and bathroom at its base.. taking a spiral staircase up you came into the bedroom and up again to the crows nest on top of the silo all glassed in with a big round captains table,swivel seats and full bar! This was some operation!!! We liked to record late in the day like suppertime and then sometimes late into the wee hours. Bruce used extra tracks for doubling up on floor toms and even uses a baritone ukulele on You and I which he wrote. It was all quite simple just adding the layers of keys where needed and then finally singing to the whole thing like some great karaoke session!! We just knew what we wanted when it came to recording each of the songs. We wrote it together.. Brian would start it out and I would jump in and add a new direction in the melody or add something to a mid 8.... It would happen spontaneously this way every time we wrote together.

I'D LOVE TO

BANGIN' MY HEAD

LP and 45 here

THE BOYS - (Baby) it's You Video

2011-06-08T21:21:00.003-04:00

This is a brand new stop-motion animated film directed by David Cowles, Jeremy Galante, and Danny Shonerd (of The Boys). Music performed by The Boys. Puppet costumes by Victoria Rose Zalewski. Additional animation by Michael Genz and Rob Sassi. Filmed at Edinboro University of Pennsylvania.

David Cowles: http://www.davidcowles.net
Jeremy Galante: http://www.jeremygalante.com
Danny Shonerd: http://www.myspace.com/dannyshonerdtheboysusa
Victoria Rose Zalewski: http://victoriarosepuppets.blogspot.com
(Baby) It's You! blog: http://baby-itsyou.blogspot.com
© Copyright 2011 by David Cowles, Jeremy Galante, and Brad Pattullo

THE SPIDERS ALBUM No.1

2011-04-19T00:04:00.007-04:00

Thanks to Brian ( Fever B ) for this great review. This LP is the best thing I've heard in a long time.

Philips 1966

My favourite ever Japanese band is Carol. This is true.Their first album Louisiana,from the amazing cover art to every single tracks attempt to recreate the Star Clubs famed Silver Beatles is a masterpiece ...but the first Japanese band I ever fell in love with was the Spiders! At a flea market in Santa Cruz, Ca. I found a guy selling records five for a dollar and one of those records i bought (and i bought about fifty ) was Big Lizard Stomp! It's a 90s compilation of Japanese bands from 66-69 and on this comp the Spiders tracks were real stand outs for me with both covers, Johnny B. Goode and Boom Boom sounding almost like 70s punk!... Not to get side tracked but i always thought of Godzilla the "big lizard" as being a metaphor for nuclear bombs but maybe it has as much or more to do with earthquakes and tsunamis!!! If you're a child(or a writer) feeling the ground shake, maybe it's better to think of Godzilla off in the distance somewhere fighting Mothera? I dunno. Maybe it just made those movies even scarier for Japanese kids in the end having the ground shake all the time and wondering if he/she/it is real and maybe thats why later on Godzilla was turned into a good guy and then even later into kind of a joke!

Ok! Enough wondering about what goes on in the mind of Mr. Tanaka. Back to the Spiders! Generally speaking GS (group sound)bands have 7 or 8 members including two lead singers and at least two guitarists so they can cover a wide range of rock an roll styles and the Spiders were no different in this regard. They were a seven piece like other GS bands ,but other GS bands were also generally cover bands and the Spiders on this Lp play mostly originals as far as I can tell setting them apart from most other GS bands of the day... at least for Lp "No.1" anyway, I think. I'm not going to pretend to know anything more about the Spiders than what i can see and hear and read on the record that is written in english. I am not japanese and I am not going to pretend to be. I do know from japanese friends that there's a lot of lore surrounding all of the GS bands like there is about the "big lizard" and I am sure the Spiders are no exception. I will say though from what my ears tell me about what is real about the Spiders is that Furi Furi '66 has a drum beat like no other rock and roll song of this period as well as the in the song Mr. Monkey and the drumming in general on this record truly sets this band apart from any other group in the world in 1966 in my opinion! I've heard comparisons made to the Monks probably mostly because of the odd beats and I think that's fair but they are not by any means a Monks cover band! Their sound is their own and it's a great one!!! like the Japanese people that i have met, they are creative and fun and though ive never met them i am sure they are really cool..

Furi Furi 66

here's the whole LP

LITTLE GANG - I Love You b/w Osana Tomodachi

2011-04-01T18:30:00.006-04:00

RCA Victor, 1975, Japan

Thanks so much to Atsushi of Pop n Roll records for tearing himself away from Ebay long enough to write this review. The Vance or Towers thing at the end blew my mind!!! If you haven't already bought the Choosers 45 on Pop n Roll you really should!!

I LOVE YOU

I like the Japanese group called the Good-Bye. They were so famous like Jonas Bros in 80s.
But they have some good poppy songs because the guitarist "Yatchin" was into the Beatles.
Some people says the Good-Bye is better than the Badge. Sometimes I agree with it.

Before the Good-Bye, Yatchin joined Little Gang as vocal when he was 12 years old.
His voice was real Little Gang and their sounds totally wanted to be like Finger 5 for hits.

I heard that Little Gang's first single "I Love You" sold about 100,000 copies, but I'm not sure if it's true or not because this single is not so easy to find in recent years.I love this song a lot. It remains me James Boys, Cafe Con Leche and so on.

Little Gang have one more single and LP too. I can't find them in store. It seems hard to get.
I'm interested in who cares about this kind of stuff. I need the records.

One more thing about the Good-Bye, they ripped off Vance or Towers' song "Education Blues".

I can't believe they know Vance or Towers. No way.
I guess they only know the movie called "Carrie" and listen to the song.

Vance or Towers - Education Blues

The Good-Bye - Namida no Teenage Blues

I really have no information about this story, I just noticed it when I was listening to Vance or Towers LP. But LP version is slightly different from Carrie version especially main chorus part, so I thought it's just similar sound at first.
After that I heard Carrie version and now I'm sure they ripped it off. Good choice

THE ROOSTERS Insane LP

2011-03-30T20:59:00.005-04:00

(Nippon Columbia AZ-7129-AX), 1981, Japan

I have only Todd Mayberry of BRAIN LAPSE magazine to thank for this!!

I loved this LP from the very first second the needle dropped due to the fact that it kicks off with “Let’s Rock (Dan Dan) レッツ・ロック.” In light of the lyrics, before Cola Shock there was the “empty shock”… which is the way I feel right now without Cola Shock. (That’s an inside joke.) The only issue I have with this song is that it’s too long. No hit should clock in at 4:10. “We Wanna Get Everything ゲット・エヴリシング” at 1:36 kinda makes up for that. Lyrics like “Busted radio in my hand/Hangin’ around 42nd street” leads one to think that maybe The Roosters rubbed shoulders – and dicks – with both Dee Dee and Jonathan King ( … even though they came from the deep south of Fukuoka City). The following “Baby Sitter ベビー・シッター” with a chorus of “Hay baby shut it up/You’re behind time/ Don’t say a word anymore/I’m not your baby sitter [sic]” as spelled out on the insert is hunky dory. Still, it has a very, very slight tinge of the ol’ rock ‘n’ roll jukebox jive that blew chunks all over their 2nd LP The Roosters a-Gogo. “All Night Long オールナイト・ロング” is probably my most fave track on the whole album because it actually pulls off what they were going for with their last LP. Lead singer, guitarist and main songwriter Shinya Ohe confesses that “what I got is a bad habit,” but everything is going to be okay “if I get what I need.” Jonesing the Chu-Hi? Been there, man. The first side concludes with the instrumental filler “Flash Back フラッシュ・バック” which is just awful. Side Two consists of two songs … And yup, that should tell you all you need to know, right there. Amazingly, “Case of Insanity ケース・オブ・インサニティ” clocks in at 4:55 and basically jacks my bitch over “Let’s Rock (Dan Dan).” Although it’s super long, it’s super duper! Organ chirpin’, acoustic strummin’, electric power chord whammin’, and hopeless lyrics = YET ANOTHER THING BETTER THAN POCARI SWEAT. Sadly, that’s followed by “In Deep Grief イン・ディープ・グリーフ” which is 9 minutes and 14 seconds of utter shit.

Look, I like this LP. In fact, like I said before, I totally love it! I also recommend The Roosters’ circa ’79 self titled first … which is by no means as great as this, their third. Unfortunately, Insane not only put the kibosh on the original lineup but also the “s” at the end of their name. From here on out they were known as The Roosterz. As for the cover, with the obi (that thing on the left), I’ve always wondered about Japanese bands shooting group photos for their LP jackets. I mean, whoever is standing on the far end is going to get covered by the obi no matter how you shake it. In this case, the bassist – a.k.a., the guy behind “Baby Sitter” – got the shaft. It was between him and the drummer. Like, “No, man. I’m cool. You stay there.”

Anyway, here’s a spiffy YouTube of the young dudes

WE WANNA GET EVERYTHING

ALL NIGHT LONG

CASE OF INSANITY

ZIG ZAG - MADD POWER LP

2011-03-24T23:11:00.009-04:00

Japan Record 1981

First and only LP from Zig Zag, a Kansai area Punk band that supported the Ramones on their first trip to Japan in July of 1980.

Record sleeve and insert play off the MAD magazine artwork of the 1970s and complement the music perfectly. Many of the songs have a UK punk feeling like the Vibrators or Eddie and the Hot rods but the sound is completely original... Totally great band!

Zig Zag and the Ramones 1980

FOOLISH GIRL

COKE HIGHT

get the entire record here!

and if you haven't already please donate to the tsunami/earthquake/nuclear disaster by texting "redcross" to 90999

ANARACHY - シティ・サーファー (City Surfer) b/w 333 (Suspect Device)

2011-03-22T07:30:00.007-04:00

VICTOR Records, VIHX-1508, 1980.

Both these tracks are on Anarchy's debut LP and its worth tracking down. I'm sure you'll notice that the b-side is SLF's Suspect Device but its got new lyrics here.

A. シティ・サーファー (City Surfer)

B. 333 (Suspect Device)

((if you haven't done so yet... please consider texting "JAPAN" to 50555 to make a 10 dollar donation to globalgiving.org))

HIROSHI MIKI Mada Utaerukai Love Song b/w Chance

2011-03-20T15:03:00.007-04:00

Japan Record 1980

I found this 45 in a club in Kyoto several years ago. The back room of the venue held the stock of an old radio station and in a narrow hallway there were literally thousands of 45's priced at 100 yen each. I spent all night digging through records with friends and end the end came out with about 20 really great singles. I bought this just for the sleeve but later found out that the band Zig Zag also released an LP in 1981 called Madd Power that I'll post in the next few days. .

have been getting some emails about this record.. apparently this single was a solo 45 from the singer of Zig Zag Hiroshi Miki. Both songs were used for the soundtrack to a movie.

CHANCE

and if you haven't already you can text "JAPAN" to 50555 to make a 10 dollar donation to globalgiving.org

SHEENA AND THE ROKKETS #1 LP

2011-03-17T23:37:00.005-04:00

Alfa records - 1979

First LP from seminal Japanese Mentai group Sheena and the Rokkets. The band is still together today and have released over a dozen LP's and as many singles since this one.

members are:

Sheena Rocket- Vocals

Makoto Ayukawa _ guitar, vocals

Takeshi Asada - Bass

Kazu Kawashima - Drums

It's been a while since I've listened to this and since I pulled it out a few days ago it hasn't left the turntable, really Killer Punk-wave LP.

Below is a video of the band doing Teary Highway off their first 45

here are two tracks from the record..

HEAVEN OR HELL

MOONLIGHT DANCE

Get the entire LP here

and if you haven't already, text "redcross" to 90999 to donate $10 dollars to help people affected by the total mess over there.

CAROL-FUNKY MONKEY BABY LP

2011-03-15T21:14:00.006-04:00

Philips-1973

One of my favorite records by CAROL, Japan's answer to the Flamin' Groovies!!! Carol formed in 1972 by bass player Eikichi Yazawa, a transplant from Hiroshima to Yokohama who played the go- go circuit with several groups before meeting up with future CAROL members Yoichi "Johnny" Okura, Toshikatsu Uchiumi and Yu Okazaki. . In all,the band released 7 singles between 1972 and 74 and 10 LP's ranging from 1973 all the way into some avoidable cash in LP's in 1978.. The groups leader Eikichi is like the Japanese equivalent to David Bowie these days, A really big deal!!

here are the first 2 songs ( again, I've included label scans from the LP for Japanese speaking folks who can actually read them)

FUNKY MONKEY BABY

JUST ALL RIGHT

get the LP here

and if you haven't already please donate 10 dollars to the Red Cross by texting " redcross" to 90999

It's only ten bucks!

SKIN SKINLESS LP

2011-03-13T18:22:00.007-04:00

Seven Seas 1980

This is the first LP by the Japanese punk group SKIN. As the packaging suggests it's a bit more wavy than their album ZUN ZUN released a year later. Nevertheless, Skinless is a totally solid LP that reminds me alot of the 1st Edith Nylon record at times in the sense that the well written songs haven't been completely swallowed by the production.

Also, I wanted to add that you can text REDCROSS to 90999 to donate 10 dollars to help folks over there who've been affected by the tsunami and earthquake. Below are the 1st and 4th song from the record.

SKIN 1

SKIN 4

get the entire LP and label scans here

HOUSTON WE HAVE A PROBLEM - another bottle of wine b/w 2.25

2011-03-06T21:30:00.001-05:00

PRT records- 1982

ANOTHER BOTTLE OF WINE

2.25

Mysterious band from the U.K. composed of siblings Lindsay and Nick Bliss, Keith Walters and Simon Joyce. The record was released in the U.K on the Banana label as a sleeveless 45 and also as a 12".The above copy is the German issue, with picture sleeve . Both tracks have a De Cylinders/Ivy and the Teachers feel to them and to my knowledge this is their only release.

GROOVIES -LP

2011-01-13T20:19:00.005-05:00

Jupiter records- 1981

This record was first brought to my attention by some guy at Low Down Kids a while back and I really can't thank him enough! The Groovies LP is what you wished all those Teens records would sound like.. and honestly if I had to choose who was the biggest PUNK out of these four kids I would have to choose all four of them. They did two other singles before disappearing completely but from what I can tell the same songs and recordings were used for the LP.

LONELY HOUND

SILVER LOCKET

I posted some tracks above but the whole LP with the jacket is available here

Unfortunately, I still don't have the "super poster"

MACH BARON- "mach barons theme" 45

2011-01-06T23:49:00.004-05:00

polydor records- 1974

MACH BARONS THEME

The band playing the theme to this 1970's Japanese TV series remains unknown, but if there is a better example of Japanese glam rock and giant robots committed to 45 out there I haven't heard it. A truly great single that further reinforces my belief that some of the best glam and bubblegum records from the 1960's and 70's that I've ever heard came from go nowhere TV shows and movies.

KILLED BY SOUNDTRACKS

also, here's a video of the shows introduction

DON KRISS - "It's Christmas" b/w "Jingle Bell Rock"

2010-12-24T14:43:00.002-05:00

A. It's Christmas

B. Jingle Bell Rock

'IT'S KRISSSSSSSSSSSSSSMASSSSS!'

(Thanks to Collin for this post)

Acme - "Johnny Can't Play" "Bad News"

2010-12-11T16:29:00.011-05:00

Acme were a 4 piece punk band from East Belfast consisting of Stuart Bailie, Ian Hanna, Alan Giddings and Barry Young. (Barry is the little brother of Rudi's Brian Young). The band existed from '78-82 and unfortunately never committed anything to vinyl so these demo tracks are a nice treat. "Johnny Can't Play" and "Bad News" are Clash-influenced punk songs that were mining similar sounds as other Belfast punks Protex. Two other tracks exist titled "Beer Hall" and "Jealousy" and they're just as good!

Johnny Can't Play

Bad News

Staurt Bailie is still involved with music and has a radio show on BBC focused on Ulter music (http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/stuartbailie). He also runs a music center called Oh Yea Belfast (www.ohyeahbelfast.com) Check it out.

THE MINORS Waves Have Hit b/w Stupid Love Song

2010-12-09T23:00:00.006-05:00

Collin You've done it again!

Waves Have Hit

Stupid Love Song

Miller Records, 45, 1981

There is something so objectively wrong (head) yet so aesthetically and irresistibly right (loins) about songs which forecast impending paradigm realignments that, for whatever reasons, never come to pass. Glitter, disco, punk rock and bubblegum all have their anthems that said they’d never die. Now the NEW WAVE finally has one that really spells it out too (not literally, but lyrically). Like Cortland, New York’s Wreck ‘N’ Crew or Hollywood, California’s Rodney Bingenheimer, Green Bay, Wisconsin’s The Minors obviously wanted some more more more of that NEW WAVE music. While I am uncertain if the Minors were riding on the crest of a wave, old or otherwise (Lake Michigan water temperatures would suggest not), one thing I am sure of is that a few of these guys also played with the great and doomed and now DEAD, Bret Starr, in The Tyrants the same year as this, their lone single. The police-siren guitar-sound on the A-side may lead some to conclude that the Minors were punks, but don’t go getting ideas. The Minors are straight Killed By Wave 4 LIFE, homey. Just check that chorus:

The waves have hit

No, we’re not dumb

What’s noise to others

Is music to some

‘Music to some;‘ great tunes and humble too! And who, I ask, among you can argue with that (Rev. Norb does not count)?

Nightrider - Digital Techniques EP

2010-12-05T20:28:00.003-05:00

Wessex Records, WEX272. 1979.

A. Gruesome Girls

B1. Stay Clean

B2. Happy Day

" Nightrider, were a Punk/Powerpop combo from Bagnor/Littlehampton, describing themselves as "a digital rock band" (can any body explain what the hell they meant?). The combo began operating early in 1978 with a line-up comprising Kim Robey (gtr), Kev Robey (d), Graham Rowley (gtr), Paul Secombe (v) and Alan Webb (b). Their one and only vinyl venture, an EP produced by Roger Kennedy and entitled DIGITAL TECHNIQUES, emerged on the Wessex label in December 1979, in an edition of 500 copies. Although the (extremely limited) picture sleeve features band members looking pretty awful - two exhibit dreadful hippie moustaches - their music offers three tracks of superior quality, keeping their roots firmly in '77 Punk Rock but with a peculiar melodic talent. A recommended platter. Copies of the EP also exist bearing a large sticker that reads "All That's Fiction", the (unlikely) name adopted by the group in late 1980."
★★★★
(45 Revolutions)

DEAF AIDS - Heroes? b/w Bored Christine

2010-12-05T12:50:00.005-05:00

Conspiracy Records, CONS 1. 1980.

A. Heroes

B. Bored Christine

Here's Deaf Aids 2nd single from 1980. Their first single - the one we reissued - is superior to this effort but there's still some nice moments to be heard. The title track is slightly new-wavey but still has some great Gamwells lyrics ("You wanna be a Jagger? You gotta learn to suck!"). The B-side is more powerpop-rock and will please fans of the first single.

The Locals - 'You Never Have Fun'

2010-11-16T11:01:00.006-05:00

The Locals recently reunited to perform at the International Pop Overthrow. Here's a video of them playing the A-side of the Sing Sing reissued single, 'You Never Have Fun'.

MYSFITZ She's a Teaser b/w Aggravation

2010-09-29T16:16:00.006-04:00

(Edge, 1981)

SHE'S A TEASER

AGGRAVATION

Thanks to Collin for this one!!

More mystery group action, this time from a brotherly bunch of Mysfitz roaring straight of Hollywood...Florida! Accurately, if unkindly, described by Collectorscum's always reliable 'BD' as 'sounding like some unholy marriage of 70s powerpop and 60s hippie rock.' Now I can't speak for 'BD''s upbringing, but it would take a truly fundamentalist set of ears to detect any thing in any way off-putting or alarming within 'Aggravation.' Back masking perhaps or maybe one too many Chick Tracts? 'She's A Teaser''s pretty good as well, if strictly extra-canonical when compared to the flip. Similar lyrical content which is strictly anti-family values. Lone single, no sleeve, no relation to Danzig.

ALSO

this blog post wouldn't be complete without the inclusion of the video for the title track..WOAH!

-jt

JOHNNIE COOLROCK - GOOD GIRLS

2010-09-02T20:04:00.007-04:00

Casablanca/PYE 1979

GOOD GIRLS

Johhny Coolrock's one and only song was released in 1979 sandwiched into a UK issue LP soundtrack for the movie Roller Boogie.

From what I can tell the rest of the soundtrack is pretty awful ( the other side of the 45 is a really bad disco song by the group Cheeks and Cher is involved in at least one of the other tracks.) Thankfully this standout song was also released on 45...and as summer is winding down, I ask myself... where was Johnnie Coolrock two months ago? This is the perfect summertime song and I just found out about it! It's Way better than anything from the Pinball Summer soundtrack and if Mr. Coolrock would have been allowed to write the entire LP who knows what would have happened..

THE DRONES- CAN'T SEE b/w FOOLED TODAY

2010-08-19T22:36:00.009-04:00

Bellaphon -1980

CAN'T SEE

FOOLED TODAY

This was the last single by the Drones before they called it a day.The A side Cant See is the definite winner of the two so I'm not gonna bother with the flip. The German sleeve pictured above features slightly altered artwork.blah blah blah.. What I really really want to know is if anyone has MP3's of the ROCKSLIDE 45. Pre Drones BCR type group who's only single (recorded by Phil Hampson, the engineer behind the legendary Buzzcocks debut Spiral Scratch) has so far eluded me and that other guy who posts on here sometimes. Can someone give me the goods on this one? I need to hear it!

THE GOOSES Just a Tailor b/w Is It New?

2010-08-07T12:41:00.007-04:00

Thanks to Collin for this review, such a great single!!

(no label, 1977)

JUST A TAILOR

IS IT NEW?

Ken Barnes and Greg Shaw once joked about Cleveland becoming the next Liverpool in an old BOMP! feature; apparently the Gooses thought they were for real. Issued in 1977 minus a sleeve and without so much as a label name, the Gooses’ lone vinyl offering keeps with Cleveland’s 70s reputation as a safe harbor for trends past their sell-by date. The style in question here: scrappy, post-glitter Kinks pop. Both sides of the Gooses’ single bop along pleasingly, not unlike a less-dedicated Leopards, still obviously flying the flag for Davies-dom, yet not aping every vocal or instrumental nuance. What became of them after this 45 is anyone’s guess. Maybe they emigrated to Australia or maybe they all joined the Michael Stanley Band. Or maybe they just flew south for the winter. Gooses - who are you?

TOYS - My Mind Wanders EP

2010-07-30T19:19:00.005-04:00

Provisional EMI Recording co. 1979

MY MIND WANDERS

GIRL ON MY WALL

TOYTIME

TWO MINUTES

The first of two vinyl offerings by the Toys, My Mind Wanders was recorded in the spring of 1979 at Lutons Quest studios with producer Dave Cook and pressed in an edition of 1,000 copies. At the time of this first single the band was a three piece comprised of Pete Abbot (guitar/bass) Mick Russell ( drums) and Gez Sagar ( vocals). in 1980 the band became a quintet recruiting Kev Buckler ( guitar) and Simon Belshaw ( sax). This lineup released a second EP Still Dancing in 1980.

THE CHIEF- Don't Touch The Receiver b/w Icebreaker

2010-07-08T21:50:00.005-04:00

Swamp Records 1981

DON"T TOUCH THE RECEIVER

ICEBREAKER

Chief were a studio only band formed By brothers John and Bob Hardman, owners of the Private UK pop/rock record label Swamp records. Swamp stared around 1979 specifically to handle a childrens T.V. show. However, the shows plot revolved around frogs and toads and the arrival of Kermit about a month before the program aired cancelled the entire project. In total the label released 8 singles and 2 lp's, all of which fall outside the NARROW scope of this blog. Don't Touch the Receiver is a great tune though, with the best confused phone call interlude this side of Monday Friday by the Features.

NIGHTSHIFT - Dance in the Moonlight b/w/ Don't Rush The Good Things

2010-06-28T18:55:00.007-04:00

harvest -1981

DANCE IN THE MOONLIGHT

DON'T RUSH THE GOOD THINGS ( Long Version)

This is the last of five singles by the Edinburg band Nightshift. An earlier version of Dance in the Moonlight was culled from the 20 track Castle Sound recordings and appeared 2 years earlier on the B.B.C. D.J. Charlie Gillets Honky Tonk Demos LP. This re recorded version has some post 1980 studio "production" absent in the earlier version but thankfully it doesn't affect the song too much. The B side " Don't Rush the Good Things" Is also an alternate version of a song released a year earlier. All of the bands 45's and the Honky Tonk Demos LP are really common but it seems Harvest didn't have much faith in these guys because this particular single is pretty tough to find and didn't get a picture sleeve. Looks like Vinyl Tap recently unearthed a few copies though..

CHARTERED HURRICANE - CATHY COME HOME b/w ALL SMASHED UP

2010-06-17T23:01:00.003-04:00

CATHY COME HOME ( you silly cow)

ALL SMASHED UP

Chartered Hurricane was a NWOBHM duo consisting of Phil and Mark Jones that gigged consistently and built up a large following in the Newport Gwent area of Wales in the early 80's. The band formed in 1981 and released this one very scarce single (originally housed in a stamped sleeve) in 1983. The A side "Cathy Come Home" is a totally great one part pop song While the B side "All Smashed Up" is more appealing to NWOBHM collector types. The band eventually grew from a duo to a five piece adding Mike Ward on bass, Terry (TNT) Thomas on drums and Robert Millar on guitar. After several failed attempts to break it big in London they split in 1984.

ROSE WHIPPERR & MARC STOWE - Heathen Girls

2010-06-10T16:06:00.006-04:00

Stark Naked Records, SNR 451. 1979.

A. Dark Vs. Light

B. Heathen Girls

I just got back from a trip to my home town of Atlanta, GA and while I was there I dug up this local release from 1979. Atlanta isn't really known for being a punk/powerpop town during the late 70's so I was pretty happy to stumble on this great track. The B-side is the real gem; it's pretty catchy powerpop with a few glam touches and a fun chorus. I haven't been able to find much info on the band except that it seems they changed their name to Heathen Girls after this sole release and then went on to release an EP in a more new wave/post-punk vein in '82.

And...here's some photos of the Heathen Girls hanging out with Bon Scott of ACDC (thanks to B.C. Miller):

THE TUNES - EP

2010-06-07T18:21:00.004-04:00

Tune’s Tunes, 1982

ELEVATOR

CROWDED HEART

TOO PROUD

SHE'S MAD

Thanks to Collin for this post!

As most punks went down to the basement or into the pit and as new wave pop styled its hair and steeled its heart toward visions of a more inorganic, fretless future, Topeka, KS foursome, the Tunes, waved one last, desperate flag for the style of updated 60s pop the region had been noted (but not famous) for producing since the original Titan! Record ripples of the late 1970s. Despite the band’s location, the Tunes’ approach was much slicker than any of the Titan! groups or even the Regular Guys, recalling the glossy style of J.D. Buhl or Buddy Love, albeit with much classier songwriting and much less annoying vocals. That said, it’s hard not to hear echoes of the Regular Guys on the more Mersey-derived tracks on the record‘s flipside. All too predictably, the Tunes’ self-released EP proved to be the group’s lone release, rendering fine service - along with the EP by Artists! - as both a document of a talented band and the last-gasp of the prairie pop style.

PANIC - Requiem For Martin Heidegger

2010-05-28T12:04:00.002-04:00

Just uploaded this video for 'Requiem For Martin Heidegger' from the dutch punk band Panic. PANIC was formed in 1977 as a follow up to the short lived band “Big Peter and the Terrible Garage”. Members were: Peter Penthouse (lead vocals), Mike DeCourt (guitar, vocals), Pete Passion (bass, vocals) and Rheinhart Roffel (drums).

The Rousers- Susans Day

2010-05-19T13:02:00.007-04:00

torso records 1980

SUSANS DAY

TOUCHED

This is the last of four singles by the Dutch punk/new wave group the Rousers. Both tunes on this single are great examples of the bands self penned New Beat sound which mixed alot of songwriting moves from British pop of the 1960's with a more new wave sensibility and style. The A side of the single doesn't appear on the second LP and the flip Touched (the title track of the second full length) is arguably the best song on the otherwise spotty LP. The band would split up Shortly after the release of Touched due to poor sales. Guitar player Wieb Zigtema and bassist Rob Marienus would go on to form The Thought while Singer Cock De Jong and his brother Theo formed the Shavers.

VIPERS - I Got You b/w No Such Thing

2010-05-11T11:46:00.003-04:00

Mulligan Records, LUNS 718. 1978.

A. I Got You

B. No Such Thing

Full bio available at IrishRock.org

MODEL MANIA No Pride Slow Suicide b/w Epic Cowboy

2010-05-07T23:50:00.005-04:00

Boob records -1979

A. NO PRIDE SLOW SUICIDE

AA. EPIC COWBOY

Formed by three brothers Jim, Andy and Rob Saunders in 1975, Model Mania were one of the first punk bands to form in the Birmingham area. Shortly after forming the brothers recruited Martin 'Boco' Beech on bass and in 1977 recorded their first Demo ( NO PRIDE SHIT and GLASS). Model Mania played alot of the now famous punk clubs like the Roxy and the Vortex but set up a residency at local punker destination Barbarella's and took on the clubs main D.J. Wayne Myers as their manager.

The single was recorded in 1979 on the bands own Boob label in an edition of 1,000 copies. Supposedly the labels weren't printed when the vinyl arrived and the group hand stamped 250 copies of the single before the other 750 could have the actual labels pasted on.

KARU L.A. GIRL b/w GONNA SAY YES

2010-04-26T21:30:00.008-04:00

overseas YE-26-V 1983

L.A. GIRL

GONNA SAY YES

Karu was a three piece band formed in 1983 out of the messy breakup of the Bay City Rollers by Duncan Faure (former vocalist of the South African band Rabbitt as well as the front man for the 1978 incarnation of the Rollers.) Drummer Richie Hall and original Roller Stuart Wood. The group released one single, L.A. Girl b/w Gonna Say Yes and and LP Karu Cuts, both on the Teichiku Overseas label and available only in Japan. Another South African only 45 Where is the music b/w I remember was issued the same year on the Principal label. Both tracks on this single are well crafted guitar driven powerpop tunes and a total must for any BCR fan. The band broke up in 1984 and their records are extremely hard to track down nowadays. If anyone out there has the other single or the LP I'd really love to hear them.

FOUR EYES Penny Pong bw Disengaged

2010-04-08T17:35:00.008-04:00

thanks to Collin for this

Killer-Fish, 1980

PENNY PONG

DISENGAGED

A San Diego based power pop band, led by vocalist, bassist and songwriter Mark Decerbo. Active since 1976, the group, originally a sextet named Copenhagen, pursued a self-described ‘country, boogie, rock and pop’ sound before privately issuing their own single featuring two original band compositions in 1979 (‘Tonight’ b/w ‘Don’t Sail Too Close To The Wind’), which, I am - understandably - quite desperate to hear. In the year previous, the group also acted as the backing band for blues guitarist Tomcat Courtney, as well as noted cult weirdo, Gary Wilson, on a short West Coast promotional tour for the Endicott, NY native’s claustro-funk-epic, ’You Think You Really Know Me.’ A name-switch to the more new-wave-friendly Four Eyes followed in 1980, as well as a paring down of membership, first to a quartet and then a trio. The group made an appearance on NBC’s The Gong Show, performing Little Richard’s ‘Tutti Frutti’ and, after further line-up shifts, relocated to post-Knack Hollywood. The same year, Four Eyes recorded their only single, issued on manager Mark Shapiro’s Killer-Fish imprint, featuring a clever new wave A-side, similar in style to the db’s, and a gorgeous, guitar-driven power pop B-side, rightly comped on the Shake Some Action CD series. The group attracted some major label attention in the wake of their single, but, despite recording an album’s worth of demos (some with Earle Mankey), Four Eyes never issued any further records in the group’s original lifetime and broke up in 1988 (two later songs, ‘Dangerous’ and ‘Life After High School’ do turn up on two local radio station compilations and indicate a more synth-heavy direction). These unreleased recordings finally saw the light of day in the 2009 anthology issued by Blind Spot Records as ‘Four Eyes Anthology: 1977 - 1988 Part One.’

BARRY GREEN - "Papa Do" b/w "Boomerang"

2010-04-07T15:45:00.006-04:00

BARRY GREEN - "Papa Do" b/w "Boomerang" ... Decca 1972.

A. Papa Do (Green, Rubin)

B. Boomerang (Green, Rubin)

Just ripped this for a friend and figured I'd throw it on the blog too. Barry Green is more commonly known as Barry Blue and there's tons of info out there on him so no need for me to rehash. Enjoy!

SNEEKY FEELIN'S Private Mail b/w Only the Rain (can wash away the tears)

2010-04-02T21:03:00.009-04:00

warped records. W102

PRIVATE MAIL

ONLY THE RAIN ( CAN WASH AWAY THE TEARS)

The pub rock group Sounder who released one 45 in 1977 made the shift to a decidedly new wave name and sound and in 1979 became Sneeky Feelin's. (the name was taken from the Elvis Costello song Sneaky Feelings ). The group consisted of:

Ozzie Ozzell - vocals

Donnie Burke - Guitar/vocals

Terry Hamid - Guitar

Dell Vickers - Bass/ Vocals

John Hawley - Drums

Alfonso Montuori - Horns

The A and B sides were recorded at two different sessions in two different studios with the production credits going to Graeme Douglas of Eddie and the Hot Rods. The group fizzled out soon after the release of the 45 with Donnie Burke and Dell Vickers going on to form the Gas.

MAKOFF 1978 bw le prof a Makoff

2010-03-12T22:06:00.004-05:00

1978- Polydor Records

1978

LE PROF A MAKOFF

This is the second of two singles by the Belgian teen Andy Makowski. A different-rawer version of the The flip Le Prof A Makoff also appears on Makowskis' self released first single. The A side is painful but"Le Prof A Makoff" totally makes up for it.

THE NIGHT BRIGADE Gotta Place in my Heart b/w Make Believe

2010-03-01T21:04:00.015-05:00

Thanks to Collin for this review!

Honey Records, 1981

GOTTA PLACE IN MY HEART

MAKE BELIEVE

Brooklyn indie-rock, 1981; probably the last time such a term did not inspire waves of instant revulsion or conjure fields of endless reverb, hype and jean shorts. This was the Night Brigade’s lone single and features two fine, moody pop-guitar ruminations on unattainable connection and/or unreciprocated affection as well as other obvious stock subjects. A year later, hardcore would take over and run guys like this out of town on a Doc Marten boot-tip, right into the undulating arms of R.E.M. Reminds this writer of the Go, two years on and majoring in library science. The record label features a crude drawing of a bear enjoying a taste of honey.

‘Talk about…unity!
Talk about…conformity!
You don't wanna support the scene!
Why don't you get the fuck away from me!’

RORY MOON AND THE SILVER STARS Little wondering why b/w see her now

2010-02-23T22:36:00.004-05:00

EMI 1c 006-25 786

1977

LITTLE WONDERING WHY

SEE HER NOW

I believe this is the only single by this Dutch Band.Both sides are well written Beatles influenced powerpop, with the A side being the standout track. There are two Dutch pressings of this record, the second one was released in 1981 and features a completely different mix and sleeve. The graphic sleeve pictured above is from the German pressing. I haven't been able to dig up much information on this group but the record can generally be found for pretty cheap and is definitely worth picking up!

BLOODSUCKER Jouie! b/w Martyrs

2010-01-29T23:47:00.006-05:00

Phillips 6010-476 1982

Teen French group that I know next to nothing about except that they were from Alsace and wore velcro shoes. The A side has it's moments but the flip Martyrs is the standout track. I know some Frenchman out there is reading this and has the goods on this band.. did they release anything else??

JOUE!

MARTYRS

The LOCALS/PUBLIC PROBLEMS (interview and unreleased tracks)

2010-01-18T23:38:00.054-05:00

A few weeks ago we were contacted by members of the NYC powerpop band the Locals. Their one and only 45 from 1980 on Griffy Records has been an absolute favorite of mine ever since I first heard it a few years ago. We had actually tried unsuccessfully a year or so ago to find members of the band who would be interested in doing a re-issue. Anyways,The guys had seen the blog post I did on the 45 last year and Trey and I ended up meeting at a bar in the East Village with Bill Rohlfing, Lou Selmi, Mike Swanson and the bands good friend and founder of Griffy records Steve Sanford to talk about the bands history. The guys also brought tons of great pictures and flyers some of which I've posted below..

Bill, before we get into the Locals... I know you were in a band called Public Problems from 1976 to 78, can you give us the history of that group??

Bill:I met them through a village voice ad. I auditioned for Fred, Chris and Brad [who was the original drummer] .The guys didn't have a name at the time. I think Fred came up with it. or maybe Chris said the Problems and Fred said Public Problems. we were always arguing about whether or not it was PUBLIC PROBLEM or PROBLEMS.

Can you tell me a little about The guys in the band? I know you mentioned

Mark Bell's (Ramones) twin brother was in the group..

Bill:Yeah, Freds twin brother is Marc Bell - from Dust, Richard Hell and the Voidoids and then the Ramones. we got into a lot of clubs for free because everyone thought Fred was Marc.

You guys had a few drummers right??

Bill:Yeah, Brad was our first drummer... one night i remember that Brad wanted Fred and I to start a ruckus down one end of the bar so that he could get into the cash register down at the other end. Somehow or other that didn't happen, but... maybe it was the same night... we all ended up at the Police Station because Brad was having fun sticking tires on our walk down to CB's. He was a total dick and ready to get into any trouble he could. He decided that he was going to the west coast to become a Hells Angel. So we were out a drummer and did auditions and got Tommy.

Tommy was a professional musician, he use to tour with the Supremes, and i think he toured

with the Guess Who as well. He was great, steady,showed up on time, played the gig, hung out and split... he overdosed the night we were supposed to open Maxs for Chris Spedding. Our singer Chris just came to the sound check and said that Tommy's wife had called and he died in the bathroom of their apt.The Max's live recording is the last gig we did with Tommy before he died.

Anyway - Brad hears there is an opening in the band, he had become a Hells Angel and was moving back to the East coast to re group. As you can imagine I wasn't too happy to hear this. He picked up some hitchhikers coming back to NYC and apparently tried to rob them. They killed him and threw him in the woods somewhere in the Midwest...

So - next drummer - Richie Delecki - some little hyper kid that had the day job of a butcher working with his dad out of Greenpoint. he did fine but i don't think he ever really grooved with the band. he plays on the WPIR tapes.

then we had good old Jerry Hicks. During the auditions for Jerry I think we had a two second discussion on the fact that he was black, heavy, short and could not see [coke bottle glasses].. He stood out with us everywhere we went and that was just fine. He still plays and last i heard lives in the house for the blind on 23rd street. He played with the band until the end - but we have no recordings of him.

Were you guys friends with any of the early bands in the scene?

Bill:We hung with alot of bands and musicians in the scene at the time, Walter Lurie, Johnny Thunders, Ivan Julian , the Ramones. Fred and Chris grew up in Brooklyn - so it felt like they were already connected - there was a contingency of musicians at this time from Brooklyn in the NYC scene. Also, our manager at the time was Tommy Dean - his father owned Max's - that helped. we used to drive in Chris's van from one club to the another hitting all the clubs - Thurs, Fri, Sat - any night after practise. we would chip in on a big bottle of 151 rum and Coke and invite our friends out to the van to party, we would park right in front of the clubs - everyone always knew there was a party in the van - maybe it was the smoke billowing out whenever someone opened the door??? We met Lester Bangs that way. He came up with us once in a while to do Jumping Jack Flash at the end of our sets.

RAD! OK... so moving on to the Locals.. First off, how did you guys all meet?

Bill: well - i was going out with a girl who had a room mate that was dating Mike. Lou called for a drummer ad that we placed.. he knew Mike from the Cherry Hill music scene and had met me before the phone call

Mike: We actually had a drummer before Lou whose name Peter. we played our first CBGB gig we him. i think playing live freaked him out so he quit the band.

Bill:from the Yellowjackets? I remember that too but I forgot he played a gig at all!

Lou: I answered an ad in the Village Voice that turned out to be Mike who I'd been playing with for years and Bill.They were auditioning drummers,I tried out and they called me back for a second audition and I got the gig. i remember that drummer you had before me he used only a snare and bass and a cymbal! i think i saw you guys at Kenny's castaways, I don't think you guys played at CBGB...

You mentioned to me that you were going to Pratt at the time..what was the scene like at the school then?

Bill: Everybody seemed to be doing something creative, it was just a looser time....social interaction was looser - you have to remember this is pre aids - pre herpes - post civil rights and just a little after the Vietnam war ended.

On my first day at Pratt, a neighbor noticed my roommate and i were on the balcony without t-shirts on and he invited us over for drinks sometime - he was dressed up as Doris Day... he always was dressed as Doris Day! I remember guys walking through the cafeteria in makeup and with bras on the outside of their clothing, and Nick Zedd was walking Donna Death around in a bondage harness. Elliot Javits had lime green hair, drug life seemed more accessible - pot and acid was sold openly in Washington Square, but you could get better stuff anywhere else. the city seemed more fringe - because it was an empty industrial city.

So,When you first started playing were you writing your own songs?

Bill:Mike came to the party with a few he had written -he was doing solo shows i think but doing his own stuff before we formed - "Tonight", "Take Her Tonight", were the earlier ones. I came in with "Symptoms of a Married Man" and maybe one other. we wrote "You Never Have Fun" together and then most of the other stuff like "Alibi Club". Mike wrote "Don't Look Back" and brought it in - i wrote "First Impressions" and brought it in. it always seemed like a collaborative effort of the band but Mike and I did most of the writing together or separately.

Lou: Mike and Bill did most of the writing. I helped write you never have fun.

Who were you listening to at the time?

Bill:We had ALOT of influences,the Rascals the Kinks and Donovan.. BEATLES of course. Emitt Rhodes, Lennon and the solo Mccartney stuff. the BYRDS [Mike loved the 12 string] , the Who, Creedence and lots of other smaller pop bands - Zombies, Paul Revere , T-Rex, Bowie, Monkees, etc.

Lou:I really liked XTC at the time.My influences drummer wise were mostly jazz drummers.

Did you guys play out alot?

Bill: We played once or twice a month when we got goin' after the record.

What were your favorite venues to play?

Bill: CB's was always fun, the Ritz was great [Webster Hall], Max's, Trax and even Kennys castaways was fun - the ukranian place - what was that called - oh Irving Plaza!.. there were a ton of smaller clubs, like Copperfields, Bottoms, - they were our filler between the bigger gigs that seemed to happen monthly and fortunately got more regular as we got more "popular"

Mike: my favorite place was Trudy Hellers, she treated us with respect and Trax, they had the best sound system.

Lou: I think my favorite places to play were The Ritz,CBGB and Trax.I remember at Trax we finished or set and we were siting in the dressing room and in walked band members from Bachman Turner Overdive,they came back to say they loved the set!

Were there any other bands on the scene at the time that you felt a special camaraderie with? I know you were saying that the Speedies were more like your competition than your buddies.. was that the case with alot of the pop bands in NYC at the time?

Bill:we liked a band in NJ that was getting signed named Quincy,opened for them a few times as well ... they were good eggs and mike and Lou knew them from the Jersey scene...I really don't think most musicians in the city mingled - we could always go see shows for free to hear everybody else but we didn't talk much. I sang back up for the Romilars. after the Locals broke up Lou and I played with the Moberlys so i guess we got to know some of the musicians, but probably only the ones that we liked.

The whole No Wave thing was going pretty strong here in the early 1980's, Were you guys into that to that sort of stuff ??

Bill:we were a band that was not cool enough to be arty or part of the no wave thing that was happening [Lounge Lizards, James Chance, Teenage Jesus, etc] - we went to see everybody but we thought it was wierd. we were one for all about pop and what we were doing - no time to really think about the other stuff.

Mike: I felt that we were ignored by other bands but like Bill said we ignored them as well..

Lou: I think we were very different from what was going on back then. I don't think we really tried to be part of that mix...

SO.. Do you guys want to talk about Steve Sanford and his role in the band?

Bill: Steve was my best friend from pratt and he was also a steady roadie and poster hanger. i got him a job at the door store and they realized he was super talented artist so one year i guess he made enough money and asked me if he could pay for the record - he thought the band was great and going places. he also did the artwork for the cover and our pop image was reinforced by that whole pennant thing that he had included as part of the record cover printing. we would glue stick those things all over!!

Mike: without Steve this record would never have come to fruition. this man was a saint to us! At times i felt he believed in us more than we did in ourselves.

Lou: Steve helped us realize the dream of releasing a record. He was a true friend and believer in the Locals.I thank Steve for that!I remember we went to a college radio station in Philly where we got some airplay and we did Take Me To The Freezer in studio and I did my drum part vocally anybody remember that??

How it was distributed and did it get any airplay?

Bill: All the bars we frequented had juke boxes - and we frequented A LOT OF BARS!! we got our record out there that way - had it on the wall at Bleeker Bobs. i had a few good friends from school who helped me get evrything done or were there to roadie - like Ed Smith and those two other guys doug and cliff.

Mike: those days there was a consortium of college radio stations, WFUV, and The NYU station.. we were played on those.

what was the session like?

Mike: we were nervous as hell this was our first trip to a recording studio. the man behind the controls did the first Ramones demos so obviously we were intimidated.

how long did it take?

Bill:I forget how long... - a couple of takes for each?? we were well heeled.

On the back of the record sleeve there's a phone number to the Locals fan club. What would happen when people would call the number?

Bill:if you called the number you would have gotten me or Lou.... it was previously the number for a Spanish abortion clinic down there, so we would get many calls from Spanish women that didn't speak English. it got to a point where i had to learn the Spanish and recorded a response on my answering machine.

Was there any major ( or indie) label interest in the Locals after the record came out?

Bill: We were always trying to get record companies to look at us. i remember Micheal Rosenblatt coming down from WB [he signed Madonna] and he liked the band but didn't think anyone needed another Beatles.

Mike: Elizibeth Small (Billy Joel's first wife) was very interested in us as was Don Kirshner. i think as Bill said earlier that nobody wanted another Beatles band rings true. although the music industry enjoyed our music they couldn't find a pigion hole to put us in that they felt could make them money.

What was the last year or so of the band like? I know you ( Bill ) said that your sound started to change a little, was everyone in the band wanting to take different directions musically?

Bill: not really, our styles were growing, Lou was coming to the table with his own funkier stuff, i was getting into the casio stick sound - repetative tech pop sound - and we always had our ears out for any newer styles or sounds we liked - like the song "First Impressions" was a stab at the Socca / Ska thing - like Madness and the Specials.

It's pretty obvious that you were great friends at the time and are still good friends to this day, how do you guys feel about playing again?

Bill: We did do a rehersal last spring and dusted off the cobwebs. we're looking forward to getting the Locals together again and are happy you've shown the interest to re release the 45.

thanks!

Public Problems were:

Fred Bell - Guitar

Chris Acosta - Vocals

Bill Rohlfing - Bass

Tommy Longbody - Drums

STEAL THE SHOW

HIT BY A CHICK

NEW YORK NIGHTS

CITY LOVE

POOR BOY

PARTY MESSAGE

Hit By A Chick,Steal the Show and New York Nights recorded in 1977 on WPIR, Pratts radio station

City Love, Poor Boy and Party Message recorded in the summer of 1977 at Max's Kansas City

Tommy Longbody plays drums on the Max's recordings, Richie Delecki plays drums on the WPRI recordings.

The Locals were:

Mike Swanson - guitar/ vocals

Bill Rohlfing - bass/vocals

Bob Jay - Guitar

Lou Selmi - Drums

"Happy" Dave Hoatson replaced Bob Jay after the release of the 45 - Guitar

IT'S YOU

SINCERELY YOURS GOODBYE

STOP IN THE NAME OF THE LAW

SHE'S A LIAR

NOBODY LOVES YOU ANYMORE

DON'T LOOK BACK

WILDWOOD BEACH

It's You, Sincerely Yours Goodbye, Stop in the Name of the Law recorded 1980 an Max's Kansas City

She's a Liar, Nobody Loves You Anymore, Don't Look Back and Wildwood beach recorded 1982 at Backstreet Studios in the Bronx

Bob Jay plays guitar on the live at Max's recordings and on the Griffy 45, "Happy" Dave Hoatson plays guitar on all other recordings.

...Look out for an official re-issue of their INCREDIBLE single from 1980 You never have fun b/w Yes Or No on Sing Sing records later this year!

THE LONE ROCKER: LARRY LAZAR

2010-01-18T19:00:00.006-05:00

(Nite-Club Records, Hollywood, CA, 1978)

Thanks to Collin for laying this on us!

GREEN LITE

ROCK N ROLL REFUGEE

Gee, with all the BRAIN LAPSE featured content lately you’d think I had too many marijuanas and blew all my dough on hot bananas and hamburger cream. And if that last sentence is incompressible to you, you must, of course, buy the magazine.

One I didn’t review, but love all the same is the second single by THE LONE ROCKER: LARRY LAZAR - a 45 which is already a top hit with vacant canines everywhere!

The 70s New Wave Explosion - much like the British Invasion - inspired singers, talkers, players, swingers and doer’s from all sides of life to come out of the concert halls and into the street. The street our Larry landed on must have been the curb in front of Rodney’s English Disco. And despite the party being four years dead, the Lone Rocker’s gonna rave on! Backed by the rhythm section of the feted Hollywood Stars (one crappy LP on Arista; one entirely unreleased LP for CBS), Lazar hammers out danger, warning and love between his rock/roll brothers and his sisters in what can only be described as THEE ULTIMATE genre collision of Kim Fowley, Lou Reed and Neil Diamond from a guy who looks like Eric Idle's ugly cousin! Total D.I.Y. street level, lounge-punk intrusions that are so late for the trend they’re practically five years ahead of their time!

Not buying it? Take one look at Larry’s live set-up - carrying the message to all the kids on the street in his own VERY home-made t-shirt and two practice amps hanging from a gun-belt - and tell me you’re not sold. …then listen to ’Rock ’N’ Roll Refugee’ and tell me you’d rather listen to the Weirdos.

ALL TIME LEADING LARRY’S:

1. LARRY ZBYSZKO!

2. LARRY LAZAR!

THE LONE ROCKER: GET BEHIND HIM BEFORE HE GETS PAST YOU!

SKIN "ZUN ZUN"-LP

2010-01-08T19:39:00.006-05:00

King Records K28A- 173

1981

Woah!!

This is hands down the best Japanese Punk record I've ever heard... THE BEST..

Zun Zun is the Skins 2nd LP, the first record Skinless came out a year earlier and had a decidedly new wave sound while this LP is totally PUNK! There is definitely some studio magic on a few of the tracks but on the whole it's a stripped down, no nonsense LP that has remained both mysterious to Japanese dudes and completely unknown to us goobers here in the states.

Both Skin LP's were accompanied by a single. Manzoku Dekinai ( I Can't Get No Satisfaction) b/w Modern Times was released in 1980 in conjunction with the release of Skinless, and in 1981 the single Virgin Complex b/w Inochi Shirazu ( You Should Run Again) was released alongside Zun Zun. None of the tracks on the singles are exclusive and can be found on the LP's.

Skin members were:

TATSU- guitar, backing vocals

WAKU- vocals

JUNICHI- bass, backing vocals

DOMINO- drums

LP tracks are

A side
1. Just Go
2. Ballade Ballade
3. Fashion Boy
4. You Drive Me
5. Dance Music Dance
6. Kurutte Night (Crazy Night)

B side
1. Virgin Complex

2. Inochi Shirazu (You Should Run Again)
3. Television
4. I Love S.E.X. (Super Excitement)
5. Soshite Daremo Inakunatta (And Then There Were None)

I've asked a Japanese friend to translate the liner notes of this LP for me so expect an update soon! Also, I've made the single tracks available above, if you dig them,,get the LP

here.

MARBLES Forgive & Forget b/w Computer Cards

2010-01-07T15:49:00.003-05:00

1977. Jimboco Records.

A. Forgive and Forget

B. Computer Cards

Excerpt from interview in Brain Lapse (buy it!) with Howard and Dave Bowler of Marbles:

Howard: ...I think we really wanted to gain a wider audience and make the music more sophisticated. I think that that's what 'Forgive and Forget' was. It was recorded in a much more expensive setting, although we didn't pay for it. I don't know how it got financed. It got picked up by Vince Scelsa and played on the radio. We didn't know it was one the radio but we got telephone calls from people saying 'Hey, it's on the radio.' And that was it.

Dave: That was about a year or two after 'Red Lights.' The sound of the band was changing, too. Jim's influence was getting a little stronger at that point, too.

Steve (Brain Lapse): How did you guys get involved with Jimboco Records?

Dave: I don't know. What was Jim's last name?

Howard: I don't know, but I think he was a fan.

Dave: He was a fan with money.

Howard: Yeah, and he wanted to start a label. We were looking for any financing we could get to do recordings.

Steve: Why do you think Vince Scelsa chose 'Forgive and Forget' over 'Computer Cards'?

Dave: I think the song appealed to him and he started playing it. Somehow he was tuned into the New York scene. I don't think I even ever heard it play on WNEW. That was a big radio station in New York City. We were pretty thrilled about it but we were pretty naive. We didnt try to do anything with it. We didn't try to contact him. We didn't mention it to anybody. We were just continuing to play figuring, Well, life will just figure itself out.

JETS - TEARAWAY b/w IMPOSSIBLE

2009-12-28T21:15:00.004-05:00

TEARAWAY

IMPOSSIBLE

It recently occurred to me that the B side of this 45 hasn't been posted anywhere yet ( I don't think..) One of my all time favorite UK powerpop singles.

The Jets released their lone record in November of 1979, further proving that Decca records could pick great punk/powerpop singles for their label while at the same time through terrible distribution and promotion allow those records to disappear into thin air. This 45 is pretty scarce and demo/promo copies seem to turn up more frequently than stock copies leading me to believe that very few of these singles actually hit the stores.Both Faulkes and Craig were also in the band Stagefright in the mid 1970's.

Band members were:

John A. Faulkes - (guitar/vocals)

Michael Rigg- ( bass/vocals)

Ian Craig- ( drums/ vocals)

Collin McCourt and Don Gould share the production credits.

P.S. --- Recently we've been getting some emails from bands who have seen their records posted on this blog. If you were in this group or have any knowledge of the members current whereabouts please drop us a line at info@singsingrecords.com. We would love to hear from you!

SKOGIE -The Butler Did it b/w I Won't be Pushed Away

2009-12-17T23:14:00.005-05:00

Mill Town Records 1973

THE BUTLER DID IT

I WON'T BE PUSHED AWAY

Thanks again to Collin for posting this great 45!

Picking up from where Jeremy’s last entry left off, I thought I’d post the single by Skogie that I briefly reviewed in Brain Lapse.

If you know me, you know my main collecting jones outside of power pop is independent, pre-punk pop and rock singles from the early-to-mid-70s. Records by the likes of the Boyz, Amnesia, Marbles and Fans that reveal the existence of a vital and vibrant rock underground that stands in contrast to typical ‘77 Year Zero orthodoxy and, in some ways, surpasses the latter style with greater levels of inventiveness and sophistication.

Active on the local Twin Cities’ live circuit since at least the beginning of the decade, Skogie sound like nothing so much as new wave fully formed and four years early. Both sides of their lone single are pleasing pop amalgams, mixing together shades of Roxy Music, the Raspberries, art rock and bubblegum with lyrics in a light-hearted 10cc vein. The band shared the same management as future Titan! stars, the Boys, and later recorded an album that, while, not equaling the quality of their single is still enjoyable, especially for ARP synthesizer fans. The band, which included Demi Moore’s first husband, Fred, relocated to Los Angeles by the end of the decade, changed their name to Nu Kats and released a series of records on Rhino before splitting in 1982.

BENNY BLUE - SINGIN' IN THE MORNING b/w MADE CAP

2009-12-13T20:49:00.004-05:00

SINGIN' IN THE MORNING

MADE CAP

Just got back prom Paris yesterday and I picked up some great singles while I was over there. This 45 from Benny Blue is totally top notch! The A side sounds glitter band-ish with a really great phasing guitar line. B side ( Made Cap?) is a total Plastic Bertrand one off played at breakneck speed. According to Brain Lapse magazine Benny Blue has an LP out as well but I haven't heard it. Also, if you're record shopping in Paris I highly recommend stopping by Plus De Bruit they had really great stuff and the prices were fair.

CRAIG BEVAN AND THE TOURISTS - No Movies Tonight

2009-12-03T21:41:00.002-05:00

NuCraz Records, 614. 1979.

A. No Movies Tonight

B. Islands

Craig Bevan and The Tourists were from Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania and released this single in 1979. Apparently there was an LP released in '81 which I'd love to hear if anyone's got it.

DRIVER Let's Rock Tonight / See Rock City

2009-11-20T17:54:00.001-05:00

1. Let's Rock Tonight

2. See Rock City

Rock City Records, 1980.

Driver is rare NYC punk from 1980!! Not much info out there as this single is very obscure and has only recently become known to collectors of the genre.

REVOLVER One & One is Two + Northern Songs

2009-11-18T00:45:00.004-05:00

1. One & One Is Two

2. Nobody I Know

1979 Rox Recording Company.

B1. Goodbye

B2. Tip Of My Tongue

1979 Rox Recording Company.

The 'One & One Is Two' single has been a top want of my girlfriend for a couple years. It's been on sale over on the LDK site for quite a while but we both agreed it was a bit out of our price range. Saved eBay searches and constant internet browsing never materialized another copy so I after a year of waiting I broke down an bought it for her birthday.

Here's what LDK had to say:
Revolver were actually a band called Black Maria, popular on the Merseyside circuit and with one of future Liverpool 'new-psych'-ers The Cherry Boys in the ranks, who were rechristened Revolver for this Lennon/McCartney-covers project in 1979. There's a whole LP of this stuff, snappily called "Northern Songs" - this one's probably pretty representative of Revolver's ouevre.

Take a listen to 'One & One Is Two' and you'll understand when I say that I was a little reluctant to give this gift, but as luck would have it, not one week later, my friend Atsushi gave me the 'Northern Songs' LP as a gift!! Not only does include both songs from the single but 15 more Lennon/McCartney penned tunes that they never actually recorded themselves, plus great liner notes and a cool 2-panel insert. Definitely worth tracking down.

DE CYLINDERS 1st U.S. SHOWS!!!

2009-11-10T22:00:00.004-05:00

This weekend in NYC come out and see Dutch powerpop legends De Cylinders play their first U.S. shows ever!

SATURDAY NOVEMBER 14th.

3:00 PM--- LIVE RADIO SET ON 91.1 WFMU CHERRY BLOSSOM CLINIC WITH TERRE T.

9.00 PM--- CAKESHOP- 152 LUDLOW ST. NYC

with

GENTLEMAN JESSE AND HIS MEN,

GG KING

GEORGIANA STARLINGTON

SUNDAY NOVEMBER 15th.

9.00 PM--- BRUAR FALLS- 245 GRAND ST. WILLIAMSBURG BROOKLYN

with

GENTLEMAN JESSE AND HIS MEN

THE GIRLS AT DAWN

We will also be celebrating the release of three new records by the Jeff Hill Band, the Orbits, and the RPM's. It's really going to be killer!

STRAIGHTSHOOTER - STRAIGHTSHOOTER bw SHE'S SO FINE

2009-11-10T21:36:00.008-05:00

SB-001

STRAIGHTSHOOTER

SHE'S SO FINE

Hailing from the Southhampton area, Straightshooter formed in 1976 and recorded their only 45 in April of 1979. This amazing two sider was pressed and privately released on the bands own "Strolling Bone" label in an edition of 500 copies.

Band members were:

Dom O' Riley- Guitar

Pete Luck- Vocals

Tony Ecclestone- Bass

Mike O'Riley- Drums

Rarely do we spill the beans about the upcoming releases here at Sing Sing. We try to keep our projects under wraps for as long as possible. We're gonna make an exception here and announce an official re-release of this record early next year. It's too good to keep secret!

CRAMP - She Doesn't Love Me b/w Suzy Lie Down

2009-11-05T00:49:00.003-05:00

B. She Doesn't Love Me

A. Suzy Lie Down

Rip-Off Records, RIP-007. 1979.

Cramp were from Portrush, Northern Ireland and released their sole single on George Doeherty's Rip Off label in 1979.

Cramp were:

Richard “Toadie” Todd - Vocals
Tim O'Hara - Lead Guitar
Nigel McComb - Bass
Declan Service – Rhythm Guitar
Colin McDowell – Drums

And, as an extra treat, here's an interview we did with Richard and Tim....

Sing Sing (SS): Can you speak briefly about how you met and who your earliest influences in Cramp were?

Tim O'Hara (TO): I recall our first meeting at Declan's house in Queen's Park. I was not sure if Toadie was a genius or just plain mad! But after that, we used to rehearse in some weird places - Ray Kennedy's billiard hall and Nigel's dad's stockroom to name two. Our influences in Cramp were of course mainstream punk, the Pistols, Clash, etc. but we did do a rather nice reggae song, "Tribute", which Toadie will hopefully remember. We also liked the new wave stuff like Joe Jackson, the Buzzcocks and the Ruts.

Richard "Toadie" Todd (RT): It was a bit strange at first singing and jumping around in a garage in front of 3 complete strangers (I only knew Colin at first) but looking back I suppose that was pretty normal for me in every way!!

SS: When were your first lives shows, and can you describe them?

TO: The live gigs were quite something as I recall. Toadie was quite a presence on stage and knew how to entertain the punters - think Robbie Williams on lighter fuel! The occasional youngster would gob on us and there was a memorable night when a large scale fight broke out. There was also the day the Undertones (before they were famous) saw us in Spuds (a pub in Portstewart, long since gone) and asked Declan if we wanted to play in Derry at one of their gigs. Derry was of course a bit dangerous place for young Ulster Protestants so nothing came of it. How different things could have been!

RT: Yea, the Easter Monday and Boxing day gigs in Spuds Portstewart were always the best… 400 people crammed into a venue that could hold about 200!!

SS: Who were the other bands you would play shows with?

TO: Other bands at the time were Clive Culbertson's lot: No Sweat (later called The Sweat) and of course the Xdreamysts. I can't remember any others.

RT: Flying Squad gigs on a Thursday nights, again in Spuds, were always great. They later became known as Xdreamysts, a great bunch of guys!!

SS: How did you come in contact with Rip-Off / George Doherty?

RT: It was through Clive Culbertson that we met George...

TO: Yea, Clive Culbertson introduced us to Rip-Off Records. Clive's band had already got a deal with George and recommended us to him.

SS: Your single on Rip-Off credits George Doherty as producer. Can you speak about the experience in the studio with him?

RT: I can't remember too much about the recording except there was a lot of beer consumed!!

TO: I remember the recording sessions very well although it was Clive rather than George who did the actual recording. Great fun it was, although the facilities were quite basic. I seem to recall tins of McEwans helped Toadie’s vocal performance a lot! George and Clive did the mastering later. Some syndrums (quite novel at the time) were added at this stage and the members of the band were, as I recall, not overly keen on this! I had real trouble keeping my guitar in tune so if the tone sounds extra distorted, that's the real reason.

SS: Can you speak about the how was the single received? What kind of airplay, if any, did you get?

RT: I haven’t a clue… It didn’t seem to matter at the time!!

TO: Don't know how many copies were issued but we did sell enough to get one royalty payment! It got some airplay in Ulster and John Peel played it on Radio One. We had to pretend ‘She Doesn't Love Me’ was the A-side given the explicit lyrics of ‘Suzy Lie Down” - quite tame by today's standards. My mum loved it - fortunately, she never really listened to the lyrics.

SS: Beyond the two tracks released on your Rip-Off single, did you have any other material recorded, or plans for other releases?

TO: We did do a further recording of some other songs with Clive on his reel to reel recorder but I doubt they’re still in existence. We definitely recorded “Tribute” and “Belfast's Burning.” Don't know if Toadie can remember any others? There is quite a market, apparently, in Japan for retro punk/new wave of the era and Clive has his own studio so we may well do some re-recording in the near future if I can remember the chords!

SS: What was the end of Cramp like, and did you pursue any other musical projects??

RT: Believe it or not I went solo; just me and an Eko acoustic, singing many a crude song merged in with other stuff that I had written

TO: Yea, Toadie just decided he had had enough, that we had done all we were going to do and he was right. As I recall, he then did some solo gigs and performed such legendary songs, "I Live in a Pair of Underpants" and "The Boys They Call Her Polo".

Nigel and I played in Minor Classics after Cramp. We released one single Sign Language (you can hear it on http://www.myspace.com/1977records) and did record a number of other tracks at the studio at Templepatrick with a view to releasing an album but nothing came of it. We mostly did local gigs. I also did some gigs with a local artist, the very talented Joey Newcombe - just show-band type stuff; weddings and the like, but got the best money of my playing career by far!

BB AND THE GUNS

2009-11-01T15:29:00.017-05:00

1981 spazz records

AINT SLEEPIN WITH ME

2942

1982 spazz music

STEP BY STEP

I DON'T KNOW I DON'T CARE

Here are the only 2 releases from the Dekalb IL. powerpop group BB and the Guns. After recently discovering these guys I had to know more so I tracked down founding member Ken Goodman and racked his brain about the band.

Band members were:

Rick Mosher- Guitar/vocals

Betsy Buenzow- Vocals

Ken Goodman- Keyboards

Rich Bell- Bass

Dave Briggs- Drums

How did you guys meet?

We all met in 1980 in the dorms of Northern Illinois Univ. We were all 18 years old. We put ads in the local paper for a drummer and bass player. Doug Davis answered our ad for a drummer. He was a frat boy, but we liked him because he had a great drum kit, a Cadillac Eldorado, and a rehearsal space in his frat house. All we had to do was play one or two parties per semester. And all the boys loved BB. Our first bass player, Rich Bell, was an older fellow who was kind of strange. He didn't talk much. We made him get a new wave haircut. He giggled a lot when he got stoned. We were all getting into punk and new wave. I was just getting out of REO, Journey, Styx, and Pure Prairie League. We started listening to Clash, Blondie, Sex Pistols, Gen X, OMD, Elvis Costello, Benatar, U2, and Josie Cotton. We were kind of outsiders in Dekalb IL, but there was a small group of artists and musicians that liked the same music, so it was kind of exciting and fun time.

Was it tough playing this sort of stuff in Dekalb IL?

It wasn't too hard being in a punk pand in Dekalb. There was even a bar in town that had "New Wave Night", where we all gathered every Wed night. We were mini-celebrities actually. All our bar gigs would get packed and the local radio stations played our singles quite a bit. We wore make-up to class and wore punk clothes. We didn't take ourselves too seriously. BB actually was going to NIU on a track scholarship.

who wrote the songs, and were there any other records on Spazz??

Rick and myself wrote all the songs and we did other punk/new wave covers. Spazz was my first label. Our two singles are the only releases. After Spazz, I started Pravda Records in 1984, which is still my full time job today. There is a small batch of BB songs unreleased that I have on a normal bias cassette.

Did you guys ever tour or play with any bigger touring bands?

We once opened for the Ramones at Haymakers in the Chicago suburbs. One guy stood right in front of me our entire set and was giving me the finger the whole time! I loved it! We also played with The Producers once and other regional bands I can't remember.

what became of the members of the group?

BB still lives near Dekalb IL and has 3 kids. She still sings and we're still in touch. I still play in a band with Rick called The New Duncan Imperials. We have been together 20 years and have toured the world and released many cds. Rich Bell, Doug Davis, Greg Balk, and Dave Briggs(former members) all disappeared into civilian life and have never re-surfaced as far as we know......

JOHNNY CURIOUS & THE STRANGERS

2009-10-27T12:02:00.003-04:00

A1. In Tune

A2. Road To Cheltenham

B1. Pissheadsville

B2. Jennifer

Illegal Records, IL009. 1978.

Johnny Curious & The Strangers were:
Bob Greene - Bass, Vocals
Alan Cowley - Lead Guitar, Vocals
John Phillips - Rhythm Guitar, Vocals
Ian Cowley - Drums

Formed in Welwyn Garden City in 1976 from the ashes of the hippy band Mask, this rather strangely named band was one of those cast of thousands destined to obscurity and the eternal gig circuit for one reason or another. It could have been so different if they had released their first single 'Back In Pissheadsville Again' on Raw Records. Lee Wood was interested after hearing the demo but it was not to be though he did end up releasing a couple of tracks from Welwyn's next punk band Acme Sewage Company.

Instead The Strangers ended up on Illegal re-recording and releasing the single a long time after the spark had gone. The original Pissheadsville is a stomping classic punk track that would hold its head on any punk compilation and other tracks on that initial demo suggest Television, Wire and The Now as similar melodic punk. You will have to make do with the Illegal Records version but its better than none. A second single Someone Else's Home was released in 78 on Bugle Records without Johnny but by then the band sounded completely different. They played all the usual venues - The Roxy, Vortex etc - and their name is at least immortalised on the back of the Farewell To The Roxy album as graffiti.

(description from www.punk77.co.uk)

BOYFRIENDS (US)

2009-10-25T18:34:00.005-04:00

A. I Don't Want Nobody (I Want You)

B. You're The One

Bomp Records, BOMP 117. 1978.

A. Wrapped Up In A Dream

B. Same Old Song (The Four Tops)

Signal Records, BR01. 1981.

The Boyfriends were:

BOBBY DEE WAXMAN (GUITAR / VACALS)

PADDY LORENZO (GUITAR / VOCALS)

JAY NAP (FIRST BASS PLAYER)

GENE COOPER (SECOND BASS PLAYER)

LEE CRYSTAL (FIRST DRUMMER)

SAL CAPY (SECOND DRUMMER)

The Boyfriends were led by NYC powerpop pioneers Bobby Dee (ex-Poppees) and Paddy Williams: they put out a 45 on Bomp! in 1978, then got picked up by Malcolm McLaren... After Malcolm turned down some deals he probably shouldn't have (as did William Morris after that), the Boyfriends found themselves on their own. "Don't Want Nobody" was their irresistible (and stunningly noisy) debut on Bomp Records, who'd signed Bobby Dee's earlier band the Poppees, only to have them split into these Boyfriends and the Sorrows. They pressed up just 100 copies of their second 45 in 1981, whence "Wrapped Up in a Dream" is a handsome exploration of Paul McCartney's Wings-ier tendencies (one of power-pop's dark little secrets).(description and pressing quantity from Teenline, not sure how accurate it is, and it sounds more Stones-y that Wings-y to me)

Side note: The Boyfriends most powerful live song was probably "I Need Your Love" and although it was never released under the Boyfriends moniker you can hear the Ramones version on Subterranean Jungle.

Full Bio here:

http://poppeesboyfriends.com/

AMBUSH Tell Me B/w Pleasing Piece of Mind

2009-10-24T10:55:00.010-04:00

(Ambush Records 1981)

TELL ME

PLEASING PIECE OF MIND

Thanks to Collin for this post!

Bloomington, Indiana based, mixed gender quartet - three fellas and one lady - who may be the same group mentioned in the ACID ARCHIVES as having a later LP. If so, I haven’t seen it. A self-issued release, recorded at Home Grown Studios in beautiful Bloomington, IN; beyond that, not much in the way of details. Luckily for us, the A-side more than speaks for itself. A lovely, fuzz-drenched, mid-tempo rocker reminiscent of Shoes or maybe even the Sponsors, TELL ME epitomizes nearly everything worthwhile about private-press pop/rock. The singer-songwritery flip is excellent as well, but perhaps falls a bit outside this blog’s purview. Too good to be so unknown. Who was Ambush???!

Rebel- Baby Baby Baby bw No Use Crying

2009-10-14T19:20:00.006-04:00

BABY BABY BABY (don't listen to that guy)

NO USE CRYING

Third single from the Dutch band Rotjoch (who changed their name to Rebel).The single was released in 1982 on the VIP label and was re-issued the following year as Rebel (featuring Waldo) housed in a totally different picture sleeve. Neither song strays far stylistically from the 1981 " Bad Boy " LP though the production is slightly more upscale . The band continued to play as Rebel until 1985 and recorded demos for a second LP which never materialized.

members were:

Ronald Welgemoed- vocals, guitar

Pim Bilderbeek- lead guitar, vocals

Michiel Ten Veen- Bass

Rene Van Den Velden- Drums

STRIKE - RADIO SONGS bw TEENAGE REBEL

2009-10-07T18:53:00.012-04:00

A. Radio Songs

B. Teenage Rebel

Totally incredible double A sided 45 by Strike from Belfast. This great 45 came out in 1980 on the cash in "Shock Rock" record label in an edition of 500 copies.

Band members were:
Mark Nixon - Vocals
Noel Rafferty - Rhythm Guitar
Paul Kenny - Lead Guitar
Laurence Sprott- Bass
Davy Johnston - Drums

I asked Paul Kenny to give me a little info on the bands history since so little is available online, this is Strike's story in Paul's words...(hit the 'read more' link to expand article)

The band really started when Noel turned up to a rehearsal that I was having with another band. I was quite impressed that he had a Fender and he had an enthusiasm about him and clearly wanted to make things happen so we got together and quite soon started trying to develop a few musical ideas. Usual sort of thing sitting in bedrooms playing 45’s and album tracks trying to understand what made us tick while planning how to get a band together.

We had lots of influences; Noel clearly had a lot of respect for the Beatles while I was listening to guitar led bands like Dr Feelgood!! During this time Noel worked in a local recording studio in Belfast and I was at Art College so everything fitted quite well for us in terms of being able to direct our energy and time towards a band. We auditioned other members Lawrence Sprott on bass and Mark Nixon on vocals and started practicing in Nix’s parents garage. Pretty early on we were putting our own songs together and at times I would meet with Nix who had some ideas or lyrics and we would thrash out ideas while at other times Noel and I would be working on other stuff. We got a drummer who was a little older but with plenty of energy and who had a driving license (which was to come in handy later).

Noel was able to get us into the studio quite regularly at the end of the day were we would work late making demos and working at trying to put a set together. Unfortunately most of this seems to have been lost apart from the vinyl tracks.

Although the city of Belfast was a shell and pretty desolate place at this time it was probably the best place for a band to be growing up. Most of the big bands where staying away as it was dangerous place to be and we where stopped on many occasions as most youngsters would have been carrying suspicious looking guitar cases across the city in the dead of night. We eventually got on the road and played on the Art College and University circuit with a healthy mix of the usual pub gigs.

By this stage we were definitely finding a powerpop feel to our music which frankly came from our natural rawness. None of us where accomplished musicians but we knew enough to create a youthful high energy sound. Record collections and tracks that I remember listening to would have included; Joe Jackson, Blondie, Elvis Costello, Stiff Little fingers, Sex Pistols, The Cars, The Photos, The Jam, The Clash, The Boomtown rats, Dave Edmunds……loads more. There was a strong punk movement at this time (which I’m sure you don’t need me to tell you) and we listened to it and liked it a lot but we never really felt that we where a punk band although others may have thought we were at times due to the nature of our appearance or sound. We were really into trying to write songs that were melodic with a strong power sound.

We didn’t do a lot of covers in the early Strike as it was our own stuff that was getting us noticed although I do remember we covered Teenager in Love which was a very high energy version of a simple turnaround of four chords and power guitar with melodic backing vocals.

Around the time the single (Radio Songs/Teenage Rebel) was released things really started to pick up. We played a series of gigs around Ireland, with various write ups and radio interviews and supported the Boomtown Rats at the Ulster Hall in Belfast (The Rats were huge at the time with a number 1 in the British charts and Geldof was really quite good with young bands so the experience did us no harm).

A+M records also sent a guy to watch us as they liked our demos and were very keen for a period but after a bout of arguments Mark Nixon and Davey Johnson left and the record company were no longer interested as they wanted to sign a four piece bloke band.

After various comings and goings the band entered a new phase which was exciting in its own way with a girl singer. It helped us develop in other areas but we played less original material and concentrated more on playing covers by bands such as the Tourists and Pretenders playing residences in Dublin and Belfast. There was a mix of line ups after this but none under the name of Strike.

Obviously this is the condensed version as all the quirky band stuff would really take a lot longer to write and I have probably missed out and forgotten some very important bits as it all happened quite a while ago!

Richi Ray - I Believe In b/w She Says

2009-09-29T21:42:00.006-04:00

(RAY-O, 1977)

I BELIEVE IN

SHE SAYS

Thanks to Collin for this post.

The career of Richi ray Harris - here simlpy credited as Richi Ray - began over ten years before this obscure, solo bow on the guitarist's own Ray-O imprint, Harris got his start playing guitar with legendary, lost San Francisco psych-garage band Freedom Highway and later played with an early 70's incarnation of Moby Grape. On his own here, Ray delivers two strong tracks which successfully marry the bubblegum pop of Jan & Dean to the harmony style of the Turtles and Beau Brummels; neither track exhibiting any influence of punk. One of the two songs, 'SHE SAYS" is the obvious stand out, recalling the late 60s Lou Christie if backed by the Byrds. An out-of- time pop gem - much like the single by Barry Knoedl - certain to delight fans of both Nerves and Neighb'rhood Childr'n alike. Ray later contributed a track to the local Rib label sampler, Hot Ribs, and is still playing today.

RPM'S- UNRELEASED LP TRACKS

2009-09-23T19:44:00.009-04:00

DEXEDRINE DAYS

ANOTHER SUNDAY

LSD

GIMME SOME ACTION

EVERYONE'S ON DRUGS

IT'S ONLY TIME

I COULD BE HAPPY

LAST CHANCE

WE'RE SO ANGRY

ONLY A ROSE

One year after recording the single, the RPMs replaced drummer Rob Mccuen (who wrote the opening track of the LP)with James St. Patrick and headed into the studio to record a 10 track album that remains unreleased to this day. The band at the time of the recording consisted of

Denis Laing- Bass and Vocals

Brent Mireau- Guitar and Vocals

Jim Virgili- Lead Guitar

James St. Patrick- Drums and vocals

The songs on the record are totally on par with the single and as a whole this album is truly better than most Powerpop LP's of the time. COULDA' BEEN A HIT!!!

De Cylinders perform live on De Wereld Draait Door

2009-09-17T19:55:00.004-04:00

The reunited De Cylinders perform live on De Wereld Draait Door and they still sound great! The short interview and performance aired on September 17, 2009.

TINOPENERS (Rare Photos)

2009-09-09T22:21:00.005-04:00

Hopefully you've all had a chance to pick up the TINOPENERS' Set Me Free b/w I'm Not You're Type reissue on our own Sing Sing Records. Here's a little chaser of rare photos from 2 early performances.

(l to r: Alisdair Moore, Philip McClelland, Garth Evens)

(l to r: Alisdair Moore, Garth Evens)

(Garth Evens)

(l to r: Alisdair Moore, Garth Evens, Chris Burrell)