Made in South Bay: Hardcore You Probably Don't Know

This compilation - which got posted over at the Maximum Rock 'n Roll site a few days back - is pretty confusing. It seems by the title that everything here should be South Bay related. We'd allow for any Bay Area deviations, East, North, whatever. But there's a band on here from way south. Los Angeles south - according to the internets, at least. Not a big deal, but try to dig up some info on any of these bands and see how frustrating it becomes. A few of these tracks really function only to document a specific moment in time. But a couple minutes of this seven minute single are more than listenable.

01 - Genetic Damage: Badge Means You Suck

Like the song a few down about hippies, cops sucking is a pretty time tested punk trope. This particular take on it kinda stinks, though. The production disallows from really understanding what's going on. Exacerbating that problem, the guitar solos that get dropped in here a few times are pretty horrendous. Laugh worthy.

02 - Artistic Decline: Reality or Dream

These guys were actually a Los Angeles based group - it seems - and their track is probably the most melodic and well constructed outta everything here. They actually managed to release a seven inch, but the following planned full length never came to fruition for whatever reason. The track that the band contributes here is pretty pop oriented in comparison to the other stuff represented on Made in South Bay. The vocal harmonies - that's a pretty liberal use of the term - easily recalls the Descendants.

03 - Ill Will: New Job

These guys cop the Black Flag guitar sound to good affect. Even if the track isn't to your liking, hearing the way in which Greg Ginn's style had been disseminated is pretty interesting. Apart from that particular aspect of the song, though, it's kinda forgettable. This, as opposed to the compilation opener, though, has more than a modicum of musicality to it.

04 - Western Waste: Trapped Inside

Thrash? I guess so. Again, not being able to hear what's going on here is a detriment. But as far as mid '80s ridiculously paced punk goes, these forty six seconds are dang good.

05 - Bedlam: Lies

This is what 7 Seconds would have sounded like in '82 if they had shitty amps. The band works different breakdowns into a frenzy pretty well as the singer occasionally unleashes a high pitched Henry Rollins impression.

06 - Unknown Society: You Hippy

The sentiment expressed here isn't original, to say the least. But living in the Bay Area, there's surely an enormous population of do gooders with long hair, patchouli scented necks and compost heaps. That doesn't mean that they all stink, but when you're a teenage punker, they can be troublesome.

If you read the comments over at MRR, it seems as if there's some question as to the legitimacy of the disc. I suppose that's a genuine concern, and there certainly have been instances of bootleggers working on the sly to make a few bucks. But these tracks, some of 'em at least, sound as if they were cut during the '80s. Of course that doesn't mean anything. But regardless of all of that, the tracks that do work here are good no matter the year. Download and enjoy.

Deerstalking with Billy Childish and the Downliners Sect

Even though Billy Childish has alone been able to record more under his own name than most bands over an entire career, the Medway native found himself amongst a trio that he dubbed Thee Headcoats. And from the late '80s through the early '00s, the band easily dispensed the rawest take on garage even amidst its ballooning brethren by the end of the '90s. The Downliners Sect, who hadn't recorded music since the '70s, aren't necessarily the first band that one would have dreamed up an affiliation with Childish's trio, but in 1996, the two groups collaborated on two discs, the first offering being an album entitled Deerstalking Men.

The impetus for both groups, though, does have a base in '60s revved up RnB, which the Downliner's arguably helped disseminate in the UK. And although, the band didn't really impact the charts in the way its beat combo brethren would, the band has been embraced by legions of garage aficionados as a sort of pre-Nuggets Brit sign post. Even with that and the admiration that Childish no doubt possesses for the combo, the aural similarities don't always come across in the music the bands' produce independent of each other. This, date though, finds everyone playing a Billy Childish garage reduction, that has as much to do with Bo Diddley as it does with the Stones at their most reckless.

With everyone under the direction of Childish, the group goes in on a few covers, some stuff that had already or would soon show up on other Headcoats' albums in addition to a few offerings from the Sect's catalog. Of course, "Cowboys are Square" - which I think was Headcoats track that would later be gussed up with Thee Mighty Caesars, but I might be incorrect considering there's almost no way to completely track the recordings of Childish - takes a humorous look at playing cowboys and Indians with as much humor and political winking as could be held by the song. As if that weren't enough, though, it also sports one of the most memorable and singable choruses on the disc.

Most notable are the two covers from Washington State's the Sonics. "Strychnine," which opens the disc and is thought to be a track that vouches for the group's love of LSD, is given a pretty straight read. And while the drawl that Childish sports is uniquely his own that seems to be the only divergent quality that this offering has when contrasted with the original. A few songs later, "The Witch" shows up. And while not a druggy track, it still sports the same sort of skuzzy guitar sound that the Sonics pioneered up there amongst the pine trees. The weird thing about all of this is the fact that the Downliners Sect were contemporaries of the Sonics. So why work with that material?

As a final note, though, the inclusion of "Why Don't You Smile Now" is an interesting addition. The track which originally appeared on the Sect's '66 The Rock Sect's In was penned by Lou Reed and John Cale. That's just a footnote, though. And while that is an interesting fact, reading about the album is most assuredly less entertaining than listening in.

Wire x John Peel

Coming together through a variety of art related schooling opportunities Wire arrived just moments after punk had become the big thing in the UK. The Sex Pistols and the Clash were on the charts - although a number of retailers and publications refused to print or display the former's name. But the approach that Wire, comprised of Colin Newman (vocals, guitar), Graham Lewis (bass, vocals), Bruce Gilbert (guitar), and Robert Grey (drums), took to the medium wasn't the one being plied on radio stations and in dives across the nation. Instead, the group merged a futuristic detachment from life with some stripped down - even for punk - instrumentation to arrive at what folks would eventually describe as post punk.

The problem with referring to Wire - or anyone - as post punk results from the fact that bands like Cleveland's Pere Ubu and the Electric Eels trafficked in similar territories before punk had become codified enough to have an umbrella under which to grab shelter. These American groups, while obviously not the most major influence on Wire, did use similar approaches to song craft and instrumentation. But regardless of that, each made some good noise. And that's what counts in the end after all.

On the heels of the release of Pink Flag - Wire's first disc from late '77 - the band was able to wrangle a spot with John Peel, who was not only know to be sympathetic to out music, but a great promoter of it. And during '78 and '79, Wire entered Peels studio to cut nine tracks. Represented on The Peel Sessions, these tracks include work that was not just from that first proper full length, but the two that would soon follow in '78 and '79. And while 154, their third album moved more towards studio gadgetry and reliance upon keyboards, here the inclusion of "The Other Window" sounds as based in rock tropes as any other track.

That, though, doesn't mean that other offerings here wouldn't push the definition of punk and rock - which is after all what the band is known for. "Indirect Inquiries," also from 154, is so stripped of artifice that it's difficult to even pick out a melody. There is a thudding drum beat and some intertwining bass and guitar, but nothing to whistle. And while this would be the most extreme moment on the disc, there were moments when Wire just sounded like a good rock band.

"I am the Fly," which sounds as if should be a Cramps song - and almost could be, takes a garage based guitar squall and works it into a neatly British rock song. Even as this could be perceived as a more traditional take on the music, the fact that the rhythm is so robotically straight up and down would probably cause some listeners to recoil. That wasn't the point, but here, listeners are granted the opportunity to hear a band rework a number of soon to be classics. And if Wire's first two studio discs have gotten a bit too much attention in your rotation, The Peel Sessions will make a good addition.

Kraut: All the Punk that's Fit to Print

I think hard hardcore probably gets a bad rap sometimes in addition to being used to relegate some bands into a tiny pen and keep 'em there. Kraut the band - not the genre or some derogatory term for Jerries Germans - worked with faster tempos than some of their contemporaries and they were unquestionably included on New York Thrash, which also included an early line up of the Beastie Boys. But I'm gonna say that the inclusion of Steve Jones on some of the band's early work disallows from that categorization. Jones, who is probably one of the most criminally underrated guitarists in rock, trafficked in '60s tropes most of the time, only getting punked up as a result of some dullards that he was in a band with. But after performing with the Professionals and witnessing Kraut open the show, Jones was hooked. I guess the fact that the band's guitarist, though, went on to play with Cro-Mags doesn't help my argument. Dang.

Anyway, in addition to having the distinction of counting a Sex Pistol on a few songs, Kraut was also one of the first punk bands to have a video of theirs aired on the fledgling MTV. I think that all that means, though, is that the network was having troubles filling time. It's not to say that "All Twisted" wasn't a decent distillation of the punk scene in New York at the time, but it doesn't really come anywhere near the classics. Part of the problem, not just on that song, but on all the punk material that the band recorded - the devolved into a metal band at some point later in the '80s - was that vocalist Davey Gunner worked pretty hard to insert a bit of Brit into his screaming. It doesn't detract from the music until you realize what's going on and then it just seems silly.

Historically, regardless of who these folks were pretending to be in front of their mirrors at home, they presaged the revving up of punk. The Germs were more sloppy and faster at times, but "Army Sport" really makes it difficult to figure out where one guitar chord ends and the next begins. It does turn into a huge blur, but the odd guitar solo that gets tossed in on occasion elevates even some of the more lowly moments to an arena of punk that not too many folks reach.

It's pretty easy to surpass the Exploited or some other thrashy band from the time period, but Kraut does it pretty effortlessly. The one difference between those two bands, though, is that when Kraut ratchets up the tempo, they don't throw in a breakdown. And if there's one thing that the Exploited can be thanked for is the entirety of "Sex and Violence," which, if it were a proper song, would be about four times longer. But hey, it's punk. I guess in summation, Kraut isn't the most immediate band to check out if you're delving into the nascent hardcore scene of early '80s in NYC. But neither are Cro-Mags and I very seriously just saw a girl walking down the street with a patch of theirs on her jacket.

A Reatard's Foray into the Innernuts

With all of his new found admiration from all corners of the indie community, Jay Reatard, would like to keep you up to date with all the goings on in his life. Sign up, or he'll throw a tantrum.

Jon & The Nightriders: "The Wedge"

So, this isn't punk, but this show featured Jon & The Nightriders opening for the Blasters...who I guess weren't really punk either, but they played with those LA punker bands from the early '80s...so that's close.

The Plugz Do it Themselves

The name Tito Larriva probably isn't the most recognizable in music. It's not for good reason, though, that he remains a rather underground figure. Taking part in bands as far flung as the Cruzados, the Gun Club and the Flesh Eaters should have made him a star. And considering that his guitar playing was on par with anyone from the LA punk scene regardless of what epoch is being discussed makes the case for Larriva that much stronger. But the endeavor that has probably impacted music more than his other projects was the Plugz.

That band can't be mentioned without a brief pause to mention that the Plugz were arguable the first Latino punk group to put a record out. Arguably more important than that, though, was the fact that they band set up its own label - Fatima Records - to release its first full length album Electrify Me. Getting close to a major label deal, Larriva apparently just looked in the phone book to find  a local pressing plan.

"It was a mom and pop organization, with two Latinos in the back pressing records by hand in what looked like a tortilla press. We ordered 500 right off," the guitarist recalls.

Coming a bit after the Germs and gaining notoriety at roughly the same time that Black Flag was accruing momentum, the Plugz worked in a punk vein with more than a passing dash of power pop tossed in. Their first album even included a faux reggae tune that functioned as the title track. "Electrify Me" finds Larriva in an earnest setting - as a crooner. But his voice while more than a bit velvety, when revved up to punk mode has a similar intonation and gruffness to Big Boys front man Randy "Biscuit" Turner.

On those numbers where the Plugz strip its music of guitar solos and actual singing, they come off pretty well. Apart from the intro to "Adolescent," where the band displays its adept timing, the song critiques the in-culture of the LA punk scene and all of its new comers. It's social commentary on a scene that was seemingly all inclusive, although, here it seems that there were as many cliques and political clashes as anywhere else.

Album closer "Beserktown" is probably the fastest tempo here and with its varied approach to each breakdown and its shambolic guitar, the band is able to get into a territory occupied by X - who Larriva also worked with briefly.

But this album might not be the most memorable time for the group as they would reunite for a single evening during the '90s. As a result of the Cruzados gaining a modicum of fame, the band attracted the attention of Bob Dylan. And on an appearance of David Letterman's show, the three members of the Plugz served to back up the songwriting icon. Even if that night never occurred, though, there are enough punk historians to have kept this DIY story alive. Larriva's tale, though, is definitely one of hard work and perseverance.

Lärm: Dutch for Noise

While Minor Threat may have been in the States perfecting what hardcore was, this group found their way alone. Beginning in the early '80s in the Netherlands, Lärm may have arrived at their musical apex without the assistance of a densely populated scene and record executives sniffing around. It seems that since they didn't have the benefit of too many groups  around them, their aural aesthetic was contrived from purity as opposed to the crop of US bands emulating one another and copping various stances from different folks. There wasn't anything traditional about this group - but that's probably why they still get talked about today.

During the early '80s, some of the most extremist punk related music - not metal bands that used to listen to punk - was coming out of England. And as the Exploited devolved further and further into a mess of old men and shitty songs, the way they sounded at their peek - fast, raw and truncated - was as much of an antecedent as anything else to Lärm. The political stance of the group too could be related to the overtly anti-Thatcher stance that the Exploited and other concurrent punk groups were figuring in England. The fact that this group was straight edge, though, served to set them apart - well a bit anyway.

It's interesting to listen to bands that come after Lärm - Anal Cunt being one. The songs clocking in at under a minute and espousing a single point of view or perspective on a specific topic seems to have infiltrated a great many groups. Not all of them can be said to have some tangential relationship with these noise mongers, but it's safe to assume most thrash groups today are at least familiar with the band. A.C., though, has the tendency to simply make fun of things, people or ideas mentioned in their music. And the one short coming that these Netherland natives might be tagged with is being too serious about themselves and their music - I would imagine that the public health care that they've been afforded is adequate anyway.

 Lärm wasn't around for too long. And moreover, they didn't record too much - the band that resulted afterwards, Seein' Red, has a decent amount of material. A compilation including everything that they put down to tape was released in 2003 by Coalition Records and was titled Extreme Noise. I can't say that this is indispensible material and it should probably be saved for rare occasions. But after listening even briefly, it becomes plainly clear that the last crop of skuzzy punk acts - the Casualties, A Global Threat, etc - were all listening to these guys during their formative years.

It's odd, though, that Lärm decided to sing in English. Of course, the band was able to reach a wider audience. But at the same time, considering the fact that the band sought to tackle political issues specifically affecting themselves, a nationalistic approach to music would have made sense. Regardless, their music and approach to it helped spread the DIY ethic across Europe. So it doesn't matter what language they were singing in, it worked.

Elton Motello and Its French Confusion

Few folks readily recall the name Elton Motello - and just like Jennifer Gentle, this isn't a single individual, but a group of musicians. Elton Motello was actually made up of Peter Goff (guitar), Willie Change (bass), and Nobby Goff (drums) in addition to vocalist and jack of all trades Alan Ward (aka Alan Timms). Ward, before solidifying the line up for the first disc from this group, briefly did time in a band called Bastard with soon to be Damned guitarist Brian James. There's a reason that the paths of James and Ward crossing is rather important, but wait for it.

The Damned were the first British punk act to release a single - beating the Pistols by putting out a disc in '76. It's also arguable that the Damned served to inspire more homegrown acts than the Pistols during the first wave of punk - included on that list would of course be the Buzzcocks. But I digress. After doing time in the same band as Ward, Jones and the Damned recorded a version of "Jet Boy Jet Girl." While theirs is probably the best well known, there still exist two other and earlier versions of the song.

Initially, a Frenchy named Plastic Bertrand released the tune. Seeing as Bertrand wasn't an adept musician, he hired a band. Oddly enough, though, that group happened to be Elton Motello. It's been subject to dispute who wrote the song and who actually sung it on that first single. Moving into a prolonged court proceeding, the 2006 verdict resulted ended up validating Bertrand. But who knows. Courts aren't always correct. Anyway...

In 1979 Elton Motello released a disc entitled Victim of Time. And on that disc was an almost seven minute rendition of "Jet Boy Jet Girl." With that track being a sort of center piece, the album moves between well calculated punk and some deft new wave leaning work. While the punk stuff comes off the best, some of the more '80s sounding music doesn't seem as dated as it should - "He's a Rebel" and the following "He's Crying" being the most notable. But there's a reason that the (ridiculously) revered website named itself after this album - or track. Either way.

"Victim of Time," which leads off the disc, sports some punk tempo with Ward spitting quick couplets about some chick named Jenny and is accompanied by an aggressive saxophone. The track doesn't stray from the strict definition of punk even with the addition of that horn and probably because of the addition ends up being one of the classic lost tracks from the initial blossoming of punk.

The cover of "Pipeline" and the Small Faces "Sha La La La Lee" serve to explicate the band's background, but the final three tracks off of Victim of Time might match the frenetic, fancifulness of the band's best known song. While "Artificial Incemination" is shocking to be shocking, the b-side to "Jet Boy Jet Girl," "Pogo Pogo," might seem like a band attempting to cash in on the popularity of punk, but there aren't too many songs that seem this danceable.

This isn't the best punk disc ever recorded and Elton Motello's follow up "Pop Art" might be ill conceived, but these dudes certainly deserve their due deference.

 

Not Worth A Dime: Lester Bangs

If Lester Bangs hadn't died in the spring of 1982, we might not be currently infatuated with him as a whole. He was certainly able to turn a phrase and really piss off the right people during whatever encounter - writerly or otherwise - he had with them. But if that's the extent of his legacy, the reason that he's been remembered should be reexamined. Out of the crop of Creem related out, rock writers of the '60s, '70s and early '80s, Bangs' writing is easily surpassed by Nick Tosches - who may or may not be the most pure writer outta all those guys. But in as much as Bangs will be remembered for his love of the Velvet Underground, pills and punk, his outlook on life should be as heavily examined as anything else

The myth that has sprung up around this writer can be partially explained through the two anthologies of his writings. It can't be said that they aren't good reads - but the theatrics associated with those scribings are as notable as anything else in there. His perspective and interpretation on the cult of fame, though, is pretty interesting. And while bits of that crop up amidst his published - and unpublished - works, a distillation of his thoughts can be found in the song "Life Is Not Worth Living And Suicide Is A Waste Of Time." Coming off of his first batch of recordings with the Delinquents on Jook Savages On The Brazos, it seems that the lyrical content doesn't need too much explanation. He touches on nihilism, sadism and James Dean. But musically, the track includes a bit of banjo at the head of the track and while it shouldn't constitute the beginnings of what people enjoy calling Alt.Country, it probably could be seen that way.

It's gotta be remembered that even as this disc was contrived with players of and in Texas, Bangs was such a part of the New York music scene, that the writer must have seen these performances as an extension of punk. There are musical elements of that - and true experimentation as with that banjo, but the entire disc is given over to some Bob Dylan vocal parody. I suppose, that feeds into the hints of country and folk that sneak into almost every track.

While Jook Savages On The Brazos has achieved a modicum of cult status, the fact that it exists in short supply plays into that. The band of Texans that backs up Bangs here is most certainly adept at plying those repetitive rock beats, but there's a pervasive flatness to the entirety of this disc. It could be blamed on any number of things - Bangs not having his choice of drugs, being uncomfortable or whatever. But it would seem that much in the same way that his writing has gained an aura of mystical otherness, this album has attained the same status for very little reason. Cop it if you can for no other reason than to know it. But Jook Savages, if not including Bangs as a vocalist wouldn't even be a footnote in rock history.

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