The Razors in the City of Death

I genuinely don’t know anything about Belgium. I guess I enjoy some of the country’s beer and the Kids are easily one of the best punk bands outta Europe. But beyond that, there’s not a whole lot of info floating around in my head about the country. Presumably due to its relative proximity to England some of the punkers on the continent copped a pretty respectable sound. Of course, that’s again a reference to the Kids specifically. But if every band that came outta Belgium had some sort of relation to that group it’d be pretty impressive. That’s probably too much to ask, but the Razors possessed a sloppy punk acumen that might have been more abrasive and less melodic than the bouncy Kids. The fact remains, though, that what the Razors did release was pretty much golden.

The left leaning country probably had at least a bit of influence over the political ideals of the bands that came outta Belgium. And while punkers always need something to rebel against, some of the espoused views of the Razors could be thought of as sympathetic to its country of origin. “For the Next Generation” might be perceived as some idealistic polemic – and it is – but there’s a sort of unity related in its lyrics that could count as patriotism. All of which brings up the fact that the quartet – occasionally augmented by a sax player – covered a Cock Sparrer track at the end of its only full length. “We Love You” isn’t a skinhead anthem, but Cock Sparrer is generally considered an Oi! band even if aurally, at times, they seem like a hard rock or power pop group. But the inclusion of such a cover speaks volumes about where the Razors were coming from.

In reading anything about the band – and there’s not too much – the Ramones and the Sex Pistols are ceaselessly mentioned. More likely than not, there wasn’t a punk group on the planet during the ‘70s that didn’t listen to those two groups, but to check just those two groups off as influences here is nonsense. While the pseudo-skins of Cock Sparrer were already mentioned, there too seems to be a modicum of Major Accident tossed in as well. The most notable thing about that band – apart from the fact that they were one of earlier combos to completely embrace the imagery of A Clockwork Orange – were their jangly guitars. The same approach isn’t utilized for all of the Razors’ sole full length, but it crops up occasionally amongst all the thrashing.

Even if this self titled album is generally acknowledged as a continental punk classic, apparently some of the earlier singles from the Razors match up pretty well against it all. As rare as this album is, good luck tracking down those other releases. And considering the fact that I had no idea who these folks were without the assistance of the internets, I’d imagine that finding physical copies of any of this is pretty unlikely. Happy hunting.