May 01, 2005
MRR #266
The Shawpunk Redemption
As much of you record toting types must be aware and if ya ain’t I’m telling you now, Bomp’s Greg Shaw died not long ago, Bomp being the record label and the onetime fanzine, purveyor of garage rock and its splinters, heavy on the scene and now no more. Course he left behind lotsa lotsa ephemera, detritus and the like, collectibles and their ilk, nuggets and their brethren pebbles. That’s what nooks and crannies are for! Anyhow expect the goods to surface in some form or another, as Suzy Shaw is working with a few collector elite to sell off choice parts of the Shaw collection. Some appeared to make their way onto eBay recently, the most exciting piece being an original A&M promo Sex Pistols T-Shirt, DESTROY.
Fucking Up Your Turntable
Chinaboise was a mid-‘70s bid by then future MX-80 Sound member Rich Stim to “get a life”. If that was to involve scoring girls, this’d hardly seem to be the appropo vehicle, unless he was looking for twisted flower children to bed. Communal in the number of varied players on these recordings, but obviously personal since it was really Rick and Dave Mahoney trying to get it together, there’s a certain breeziness to it, probably supplied by Rich’s sax, as on the fairly straight ahead folk of a girl sung “Working Girl”, to the more decidedly avant-garde, like “Self-Conscious Pisser“, where the sax gets a little menacing, skronky, and with Stim’s anything but smooth sorta-sung spoken vocals, giving it a double edged sword, that is evocative of the Numbers Band without the chops. Not punk with a capital N, but every self-serving nut has gotta graze on the likes of this every once in awhile. On Gulcher, purveyor of choice Midwest madness, natch.
On the other side of the world, Warsaw Pakt from London’s class of ’77 see their “Needle Time” LP reissued on the Captain Trip label, this time with a booklet Mick Farren liner notes (in both languages, thankfully). While the band’s name might be best known as a footnote in Joy Division history (their existence led the band Warsaw to change their name to Joy Division) and their record best known for having been recorded, pressed and distributed in 24 hours, it also happens to be an excellent record, filled with fast, punky, and more than competently played songs. Other than the Brit accent, these guys may have looked more American than British (less fashionable, plus proto punk hairdos), even presaging cowpunk on. “Sick’n Tired”. “Even Money” is a minor classic. A CD take on the original LP jacket results in a hard to manipulate package, sorta like John Holmes.
Also from Captain Trip is Male, a German band a la The Clash in their look and sound, “Grosseinsatz” is a double CD that covers a career began in ’77, and features their lone LP “Zensur and Zensur”. All sung in German, and with Japanese liner notes, I’m outta luck if I can find out much about them. While the Clash-isms are competent and spirited they occasionally flash on brilliance. “1 Tag Dusseldorf” for example is nothing short of a thrill, which begins with a Wire-circa-Chairs Missing like grind that speeds up into bright shiny bursts of post-punk and “Polizei, Polizei” is as good as any brit shit of the same era. Unfortunately, they even followed the Clash into dub, which I coulda done without, but the punk stuff is pretty good shite. The bonus disc is promising. The stuff from ’94 rocks real hard, is a little less studied than their first LP. But their best song naturally was their very first, recorded in Dec ’76, called “Shit Family”, clocks in at 36 seconds, and pre-dates their descent into Clash-ophilia.
Maybe Alternative Tentacles slogan should be changed from “Giving art a bad name since 1979” to “Taking badness to dizzying heights”, as they just keep shoveling it. Buzzov*en, is junior varsity post crust thugness that shoulda stayed in the outta print, early ‘90s pile. Who needs nostalgia when you’ve got a case of bad déjà vu?
Speaking of which, when you begin to write lyrics like “If I had a Yugo, I’d drive through Hurricane Hugo”, isn’t it time to hang it up? Also on Alt Tentacles and leading me to seriously revisit my policy of reviewing everything that is submitted to me, Dash Rip Rock’s “Recyclone” is pure bad boogie nothingness. QED.
Tuneful garagey punk from Black Dahlias on Mario’s Plastic Idol records, whose releases I always like cos he doesn’t put out many and the ones he does are done up obviously quality all the way. Three blasts of the fun stuff worthy of spin.
Rave Up spews out a coupla polyvinylchloride platters from its extensive vaults…The Shady Lady release “Raving Mad” is a foray into new territory beyond its signature lost Punk Nuggets. The new series is called “American High Energy 70’s Rock’n Roll”, this one being Volume #2, and while the definition of Punk was sometimes stretched in their lost Punk Nuggets series, High Energy is, at least on this LP, a guitar solo rama lama shake down of cowbell glam excuse for the genre. While Thundertrain would epitomize that territory, this is barely salvageable but more or less the type of boogie that we struggled to get away from while growing up. Memories of getting the shit getting kicked out of me by farmer hick closeted boy-girls come to mind while the Hammond B3 and Moogs swirl in my head. Early ‘70s guitar solo hell with the occasional harmonica kick in the nuts.
Better is Rave Up’s reissue of Chicago’s Epicycle output from back in the day, those being and LP and a few 45’s. “You’re Not Gonna Get It” starts things, this supposedly being a monster track and the reason the 45 goes for three hun or so, pretty much befuddles me because it’s a lukewarm rant at best and about as KBD as my BVD. Besides, these guys always aspired for something bigger. With mature classic pop songs like “Radical Attitude”, these boys had chops but just like The Shoes, didn’t have the pin up good looks to propel them into Tiger Beat. Running from the crystalline to the hard rockin pop, this is mostly not punk but pretty darn well crafted poop.
Our friends at the Discourage Record Store in Portland have their first record out on their own eponymous label, and me gots the heppa rare 200 press version of it, The Nice Boys 45, them ex of the bands Exploding Hearts and the Riffs. Each copy auto’d by the band and a real low number (mine was 67). Tho someone drew a spurting peen a la GG on mine, remember these are The Nice Boys and they really are and they know how to rock (discourage@discouragerecords.com).
Video Loco
AMP Magazine’s “Video Archive for the Ages Volume 1” is a comp of 18 punk videos for the kids…that is punk served up post Metallica, post rap, post tattoo chain stores. The Briefs’ cartoon punk is the most retro and amusing, while Communique apes ‘80’s dream pop to near classic effect. The Network makes a bid as the new Mummies. Way too many of the other bands do the scorched unintelligible vocal heavy riffing schtick in the metallic and demonic (and just plain ick) vein.
Although much more attuned to my youth but unfortunately not any more relevant (as time did tell), is The Dream Syndicate, whose aptly named “Weathered and Torn” first came out on Atavistic’s VHS series in the early ‘90s, now reissued on the shiny silver platter. Filmed circa their major label “Ghost Stories” LP, when Steve Wynn would even admit to liking The Traveling Wilbury’s, the band is just too squeaky clean, led by collegiate pin up boy Wynn, their plodding Americana sound indicative of that era, but appealing mostly to Europeans, who slurped up bands like the Pontiac Brothers and Thin White Rope that were more or less ignored in the US. No faster did a band decline after their first magnum opus LP (“The Days of Wine and Roses”) and stick around for so many painful albums after as the Dream Syndicate. And all these years later, it’s not only irrelevant but downright embarrassing.
Much revered band Turbonegro broke up at the height of their popularity when lead singer Hank’s heroin addiction overtook his abilities. “ResErection” documents their long hiatus and then their ultimate reunion. It’s an amazing journey. Hank chills out by leading a very quiet life out at his grandparent’s idyllic little fishing village where he works as the tour guide for the local Fishing Village Museum and deejays at the town radio station, spinning and even singing along with old maritime ballads in all earnesty. He hardly seems like he was ever the wild front man. The journey then takes us to one of the members meeting up with Hank for the first time in four years to pitch the idea of a reunion, then to the band’s first rehearsal together, pre-show jitters at their first major event, and then the triumphant show itself. It’s practically Hollywood hard to believe, but man it is real. When they play “Hobbit Motherfuckers” it’s like Rocky standing on the steps of the Philadelphia art museum fists in the air in exhilarative triumph. They’re some kinda monster. Included is a lot of live footage, a must for any self serving megalomaniac.
Shit hits the fans on GG Allin and the Murder Junkies’ “Savage South 1992 Tour”, captured on video in varying shades of brown and red. Thank god for pixilation. While GG manages to menace the audience in Austin and South Carolina, the San Antonio kids don’t fear the pooper as they run up one by one on stage guerilla warfare style, deck GG and then jump off. Finally the show ends in mayhem as a bunch of them rush the stage and beat the (whatever remaining, which ain’t much) crap outta him. Lotsa blood drawn via self flagellation in the head with a microphone and running glass across the chest, Iggstyle. The music is plodding anti-music constipation, but that’s hardly the point. The retardo neanderthalic exploits are the main draw, and they are put forth with as little thought put in as possible.
Fan mail from a third striker now in the can for the next four years at Sacramental, that being our man Alfred #1483739. He informs us a stint at Napa State Mental Hospital after being found incompetent to stand trial…we commiserate by answering his one and only question, which is, where can he buy The Cramps at Napa State Mental Institution? Well, we recommend he check out the MVD (music video distributor) website (www.mvdb2b.com) where all sorts of these very best things can be bought and cherished.
The Shawpunk Redemption
As much of you record toting types must be aware and if ya ain’t I’m telling you now, Bomp’s Greg Shaw died not long ago, Bomp being the record label and the onetime fanzine, purveyor of garage rock and its splinters, heavy on the scene and now no more. Course he left behind lotsa lotsa ephemera, detritus and the like, collectibles and their ilk, nuggets and their brethren pebbles. That’s what nooks and crannies are for! Anyhow expect the goods to surface in some form or another, as Suzy Shaw is working with a few collector elite to sell off choice parts of the Shaw collection. Some appeared to make their way onto eBay recently, the most exciting piece being an original A&M promo Sex Pistols T-Shirt, DESTROY.
Fucking Up Your Turntable
Chinaboise was a mid-‘70s bid by then future MX-80 Sound member Rich Stim to “get a life”. If that was to involve scoring girls, this’d hardly seem to be the appropo vehicle, unless he was looking for twisted flower children to bed. Communal in the number of varied players on these recordings, but obviously personal since it was really Rick and Dave Mahoney trying to get it together, there’s a certain breeziness to it, probably supplied by Rich’s sax, as on the fairly straight ahead folk of a girl sung “Working Girl”, to the more decidedly avant-garde, like “Self-Conscious Pisser“, where the sax gets a little menacing, skronky, and with Stim’s anything but smooth sorta-sung spoken vocals, giving it a double edged sword, that is evocative of the Numbers Band without the chops. Not punk with a capital N, but every self-serving nut has gotta graze on the likes of this every once in awhile. On Gulcher, purveyor of choice Midwest madness, natch.
On the other side of the world, Warsaw Pakt from London’s class of ’77 see their “Needle Time” LP reissued on the Captain Trip label, this time with a booklet Mick Farren liner notes (in both languages, thankfully). While the band’s name might be best known as a footnote in Joy Division history (their existence led the band Warsaw to change their name to Joy Division) and their record best known for having been recorded, pressed and distributed in 24 hours, it also happens to be an excellent record, filled with fast, punky, and more than competently played songs. Other than the Brit accent, these guys may have looked more American than British (less fashionable, plus proto punk hairdos), even presaging cowpunk on. “Sick’n Tired”. “Even Money” is a minor classic. A CD take on the original LP jacket results in a hard to manipulate package, sorta like John Holmes.
Also from Captain Trip is Male, a German band a la The Clash in their look and sound, “Grosseinsatz” is a double CD that covers a career began in ’77, and features their lone LP “Zensur and Zensur”. All sung in German, and with Japanese liner notes, I’m outta luck if I can find out much about them. While the Clash-isms are competent and spirited they occasionally flash on brilliance. “1 Tag Dusseldorf” for example is nothing short of a thrill, which begins with a Wire-circa-Chairs Missing like grind that speeds up into bright shiny bursts of post-punk and “Polizei, Polizei” is as good as any brit shit of the same era. Unfortunately, they even followed the Clash into dub, which I coulda done without, but the punk stuff is pretty good shite. The bonus disc is promising. The stuff from ’94 rocks real hard, is a little less studied than their first LP. But their best song naturally was their very first, recorded in Dec ’76, called “Shit Family”, clocks in at 36 seconds, and pre-dates their descent into Clash-ophilia.
Maybe Alternative Tentacles slogan should be changed from “Giving art a bad name since 1979” to “Taking badness to dizzying heights”, as they just keep shoveling it. Buzzov*en, is junior varsity post crust thugness that shoulda stayed in the outta print, early ‘90s pile. Who needs nostalgia when you’ve got a case of bad déjà vu?
Speaking of which, when you begin to write lyrics like “If I had a Yugo, I’d drive through Hurricane Hugo”, isn’t it time to hang it up? Also on Alt Tentacles and leading me to seriously revisit my policy of reviewing everything that is submitted to me, Dash Rip Rock’s “Recyclone” is pure bad boogie nothingness. QED.
Tuneful garagey punk from Black Dahlias on Mario’s Plastic Idol records, whose releases I always like cos he doesn’t put out many and the ones he does are done up obviously quality all the way. Three blasts of the fun stuff worthy of spin.
Rave Up spews out a coupla polyvinylchloride platters from its extensive vaults…The Shady Lady release “Raving Mad” is a foray into new territory beyond its signature lost Punk Nuggets. The new series is called “American High Energy 70’s Rock’n Roll”, this one being Volume #2, and while the definition of Punk was sometimes stretched in their lost Punk Nuggets series, High Energy is, at least on this LP, a guitar solo rama lama shake down of cowbell glam excuse for the genre. While Thundertrain would epitomize that territory, this is barely salvageable but more or less the type of boogie that we struggled to get away from while growing up. Memories of getting the shit getting kicked out of me by farmer hick closeted boy-girls come to mind while the Hammond B3 and Moogs swirl in my head. Early ‘70s guitar solo hell with the occasional harmonica kick in the nuts.
Better is Rave Up’s reissue of Chicago’s Epicycle output from back in the day, those being and LP and a few 45’s. “You’re Not Gonna Get It” starts things, this supposedly being a monster track and the reason the 45 goes for three hun or so, pretty much befuddles me because it’s a lukewarm rant at best and about as KBD as my BVD. Besides, these guys always aspired for something bigger. With mature classic pop songs like “Radical Attitude”, these boys had chops but just like The Shoes, didn’t have the pin up good looks to propel them into Tiger Beat. Running from the crystalline to the hard rockin pop, this is mostly not punk but pretty darn well crafted poop.
Our friends at the Discourage Record Store in Portland have their first record out on their own eponymous label, and me gots the heppa rare 200 press version of it, The Nice Boys 45, them ex of the bands Exploding Hearts and the Riffs. Each copy auto’d by the band and a real low number (mine was 67). Tho someone drew a spurting peen a la GG on mine, remember these are The Nice Boys and they really are and they know how to rock (discourage@discouragerecords.com).
Video Loco
AMP Magazine’s “Video Archive for the Ages Volume 1” is a comp of 18 punk videos for the kids…that is punk served up post Metallica, post rap, post tattoo chain stores. The Briefs’ cartoon punk is the most retro and amusing, while Communique apes ‘80’s dream pop to near classic effect. The Network makes a bid as the new Mummies. Way too many of the other bands do the scorched unintelligible vocal heavy riffing schtick in the metallic and demonic (and just plain ick) vein.
Although much more attuned to my youth but unfortunately not any more relevant (as time did tell), is The Dream Syndicate, whose aptly named “Weathered and Torn” first came out on Atavistic’s VHS series in the early ‘90s, now reissued on the shiny silver platter. Filmed circa their major label “Ghost Stories” LP, when Steve Wynn would even admit to liking The Traveling Wilbury’s, the band is just too squeaky clean, led by collegiate pin up boy Wynn, their plodding Americana sound indicative of that era, but appealing mostly to Europeans, who slurped up bands like the Pontiac Brothers and Thin White Rope that were more or less ignored in the US. No faster did a band decline after their first magnum opus LP (“The Days of Wine and Roses”) and stick around for so many painful albums after as the Dream Syndicate. And all these years later, it’s not only irrelevant but downright embarrassing.
Much revered band Turbonegro broke up at the height of their popularity when lead singer Hank’s heroin addiction overtook his abilities. “ResErection” documents their long hiatus and then their ultimate reunion. It’s an amazing journey. Hank chills out by leading a very quiet life out at his grandparent’s idyllic little fishing village where he works as the tour guide for the local Fishing Village Museum and deejays at the town radio station, spinning and even singing along with old maritime ballads in all earnesty. He hardly seems like he was ever the wild front man. The journey then takes us to one of the members meeting up with Hank for the first time in four years to pitch the idea of a reunion, then to the band’s first rehearsal together, pre-show jitters at their first major event, and then the triumphant show itself. It’s practically Hollywood hard to believe, but man it is real. When they play “Hobbit Motherfuckers” it’s like Rocky standing on the steps of the Philadelphia art museum fists in the air in exhilarative triumph. They’re some kinda monster. Included is a lot of live footage, a must for any self serving megalomaniac.
Shit hits the fans on GG Allin and the Murder Junkies’ “Savage South 1992 Tour”, captured on video in varying shades of brown and red. Thank god for pixilation. While GG manages to menace the audience in Austin and South Carolina, the San Antonio kids don’t fear the pooper as they run up one by one on stage guerilla warfare style, deck GG and then jump off. Finally the show ends in mayhem as a bunch of them rush the stage and beat the (whatever remaining, which ain’t much) crap outta him. Lotsa blood drawn via self flagellation in the head with a microphone and running glass across the chest, Iggstyle. The music is plodding anti-music constipation, but that’s hardly the point. The retardo neanderthalic exploits are the main draw, and they are put forth with as little thought put in as possible.
Fan mail from a third striker now in the can for the next four years at Sacramental, that being our man Alfred #1483739. He informs us a stint at Napa State Mental Hospital after being found incompetent to stand trial…we commiserate by answering his one and only question, which is, where can he buy The Cramps at Napa State Mental Institution? Well, we recommend he check out the MVD (music video distributor) website (www.mvdb2b.com) where all sorts of these very best things can be bought and cherished.
posted by Henry @ 9:39 PM 
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