The Shins - Live at Paradiso, Amsterdam 05.04.2007.

Photo of James Mercer from this show stolen from flickr.

I've been trying to find a bootleg of the Shins show I've attended for years, but to no avail (it's the show held at the Hammersmith Apollo in London, in November 2007); finally I got the idea to try and find another show from the same tour or year, and relive that experience at least a little. The songs they've been writing for the first three albums (all represented here) represent some of the most transcendentally beautiful music I have ever heard; the sheer beauty of some of them practically has me in tears each time I hear them (and I'm a tough punk rock guy (no I'm not)). Shows like this one are unfortunately seeming more and more like the last truly great "new" music I'll hear from them - since those days leading guy James Mercer has let go all of the other band members, started hanging out with that cartoon mouse who makes electronic music, and finally released a new Shins album which provides me with none of the magic they used to have, no matter how hard I try to find it - it just sounds like soulless adult confection pop every time. Well, there's this at least: an amazingly-sounding (I actually can't tell if it's a soundboard recording - the crowd's too loud for that - or an audience recording, which I just can't believe can sound this great), excellently-played show which for the most part adheres to what I can recall from my night with the Shins; although I'm pretty sure they have also performed "Pink Bullets" that time, which is a song that should not be left out of any Shins setlist anytime, ever. This show has a fun cover of the Modern Lovers though, with Mercer sounding so amazingly similar to Jonathan Richman that I wouldn't believe it was him, if not for a video on YouTube showing him singing it; great slowed-down ("Caring Is Creepy") or sped-up ("Know Your Onion!") versions of other great songs, a Pink Floyd cover, and what have ya. Listen to this and if you're in the mood for spending some money on great Shins music you haven't heard before, go get the Shins Bluegrass Tribute by Iron Horse. I'm not joking. It's so lovingly arranged, played and sung that any and all "bluegrassploitation" prejudices are immediately dismissed. Check it out.

Track listing:

1. Sleeping Lessons (6:23)
2. Australia (3:50)
3. Pam Berry (0:45)
4. Phantom Limb (4:53)
5. Kissing the Lipless (4:49)
6. Mine's Not a High Horse (3:39)
7. Girl Inform Me (2:29)
8. New Slang (5:04)
9. Saint Simon (5:17)
10. Girl Sailor (4:00)
11. Turn a Square (2:48)
12. Gone for Good (3:33)
13. A Comet Appears (4:25)
14. Turn on Me (3:45)
15. Know Your Onion! (2:29)
16. Breathe (Pink Floyd Cover) (5:37)
17. Caring Is Creepy (5:23)
18. Someone I Care About (Modern Lovers Cover) (3:56)
19. So Says I (4:19)

Download

Various - "Pogonsko gorivo" po prvi put zajedno

Osijek, my hometown, has in certain circles a reputation of something of a "rock city", and its supposedly great tradition of rock bands is often (somewhat annoyingly) shoved down your throat if you're in the company of people nostalgic for their '70s or '80s youth. Since I am too young to remember those times, I have only the vinyl legacy of Osijek bands to judge by, and I must say I'm not, and have never been, impressed. Off the top of my head, I can remember several national stars who've started out, but not remained, in Osijek (Kico Slabinac, who was once a rock'n'roller, some decades ago), some shoddy Yugo-folk types bafflingly associated with rock (Zlatko Pejakovic), and only a handful of releases by true Osijek bands. The only one I know of who managed to score an LP in Yugoslavia is a band called Valter, and apart from their (two?) LP's, the Osijek vinyl legacy ends with this compilation. To my ears, it's all generic Yugoslav pop-rock confection (except for Roderick, who explored a little more alternative waters, but not in a way I'd find very enjoyable), and not even repeated hearing of some of these songs on local radio stations throughout my childhood made me like them any more. In my opinion, the true quality music from Osijek began with the '80s underground bands and remained in the underground, only occasionally managing to be documented on (mostly limited-run) LP's, CD's or tapes. That's the stuff I usually try to document here, but as I've come across a copy of this LP, which is unavailable elsewhere on the 'net, I decided to put it up here for posterity. Enjoy, if you feel so inclined.

Track listing:

1. OK Band - Vrata Zapada (Kadilak) (3:33)
2. Nove igre - Rodjeni u prvoj liniji (3:59)
3. Don Marcel - Uvijek kada nisi tu (5:16)
4. Bangkok - Veceras su zvijezde (4:23)
5. Roderick - Lovac (4:41)
6. Bangkok - Ljubav je sve (3:12)
7. Don Marcel - Za suncani dan (4:14)
8. Nove igre - Za tebe andjele (4:41)
9. OK Band - Tebi priznam sve (3:29)
10. Roderick - Letzte Dance (5:07)

Download

The Rezillos & Shake - The (Almost) Complete Singles Collection

Picture of Fay and Eugene from the Rezillos' 2012 Los Angeles show, which I had the pleasure of attending. I stole it from L.A. Weekly, whose gig report was written by one "Falling James" - not the one from the great Leaving Trains, surely?

The Rezillos' quintessential debut album "Can't Stand the Rezillos" was released twice in the CD age. The first time it was in the guise of a 28-track compilation on Sire, containing the album plus its live follow-up "Mission Accomplished... But the Beat Goes On" (sans final track, "Destination Venus") and a non-LP single, "Destination Venus/Mystery Action". I guess budget considerations made for the omission of this final live track, along with all the other 7" releases the band did during their original run; or maybe the record company didn't believe there would be enough buyer interest to justify releasing a double CD of Rezillos material. For what it is, that collection is a perfect distillation of the Rezillos' output on one disc; however, the more recent reissue on DBK Works is just shameful, as it only gives you the original 13 tracks that made up the album, and no bonuses whatsoever. I'd understand if it were a vinyl reissue which sought to reproduce the album in its original form - but releasing a 38-minute CD when there's a wealth of great stuff which would fit on the disc perfectly, and which was never, ever, released in any form except for the original singles, that's just offensive. Here, then, is a collection of all the Rezillos '70s singles (except for the one included on the widely available Sire compilation), plus the missing live version of "Destination Venus". All tracks are just amazing, which shouldn't surprise anyone who has heard this wonderful band before. As for the second part of the archive, it's more rare and more interesting, perhaps, but not nearly as great. It features the whole recorded legacy of Shake, a band led by exiled Rezillos guitarist Jo Callis, and featuring various others former Rezillos, if I'm not mistaken? As far as I know, the singing part of the group went on to form the Revillos, and the musicians made up Shake, but I could be wrong - check teh Internets for more accurate data. The best thing Shake recorded is probably the 1979 Peel session, and it's also the earliest of their recordings, but I put it at the end because of its poorer sound quality. To my ears, these songs sound like Rezillos tracks with weaker vocals (one of them, "Teenbeat", actually IS a Rezillos song), a bit too much repetition and much less charisma; however "(But) Not Mine" is quite a nice addition to the canon. I also seem to hear a lot of the Buzzcocks here (why do I always start typing "Buttcocks"? is it a typo or a deep problem in my psyche?), however as their career progressed, so did their music - away from punk rock, of course. I can't get much enjoyment from their latter two singles, but then again, Jo Callis went on to worldwide fame and fortune after joining The Human League for their ubiquitous smash "Dare", so let's not allow history to judge on this.

Track listing:

1. The Rezillos - I Can't Stand My Baby (2:36)
2. The Rezillos - I Wanna Be Your Man (1:59)
3. The Rezillos - (My Baby Does) Good Sculptures (2:56)
4. The Rezillos - Flying Saucer Attack (3:07)
5. The Rezillos - Top of the Pops (3:13)
6. The Rezillos - 20,000 Rezillos Under the Sea (3:18)
7. The Rezillos - (My Baby Does) Good Sculptures (live) (4:02)
8. The Rezillos - Flying Saucer Attack (live) (2:40)
9. The Rezillos - Twist & Shout (live) (2:09)
10. The Rezillos - Destination Venus (live) (4:15)
11. Shake - Culture Shock (3:44)
12. Shake - Glass House (3:45)
13. Shake - Dream On (3:21)
14. Shake - (But) Not Mine (3:48)
15. Shake - Hidden Track (1:06)
16. Shake - Invasion of the Gamma Men (3:44)
17. Shake - Night by Night (3:01)
18. Shake - Woah Yeah! (3:54)
19. Shake - Sinistrale (4:43)
20. Shake - Dodo Boys (2:45)
21. Shake - (But) Not Mine (Peel Session) (3:46)
22. Shake - Glass House (Peel Session) (3:34)
23. Shake - Night by Night (Peel Session) (3:14)
24. Shake - Teenbeat (Peel Session) (3:26)

Download

Sepultura - Arise Rough Mixes

This is a rip of a rare LP that was pressed for the 1991 Rock in Rio festival, containing early mixes of the whole "Arise" album. The sound quality is perfect, too, so I guess nothing can go wrogn with today's "tape"... Oh except for the fact that this recording sounds basically identical to the officially released version. I haven't compared the songs one by one, but after loving and cherishing this album for 20 years, I think it's been engrained in my brain sufficiently that I can remember every riff, solo and vocal effect by heart. The only difference I was able to detect is that "Dead Embryonic Cells" lacks its intro, so if you really hated those 20 seconds of atmospheric sounds, today's your lucky day. Otherwise, add this to your collection, listen to it once and then put it away - that's what I'll do.

Track listing:

1. Arise (3:19)
2. Dead Embryonic Cells (4:31)
3. Desperate Cry (6:46)
4. Murder (3:27)
5. Subtraction (4:49)
6. Altered State (6:37)
7. Under Siege (4:45)
8. Meaningless Movements (4:40)
9. Infected Voice (3:17)

Download

The Warriors - Bad Guys

This is a rather obscure mini-CD from a UK Oi! band The Warriors. They were formed by the original Last Resort vocalist Graham Saxby and bassist Arthur "Bilko" Kitchener, better known as the semi-legendary ska figure Arthur Kay of the Originals. I came across this disc by chance, way back in the latter part of the Nineties (when it was released), and as those were times when most people (me included) didn't own nearly enough music to listen to each day, I gave it many more listens than I normally would, and totally fell in love with it. The sound is of the rockish Oi! variety, midtempo and with more singing than barking, which I grew to love much more than the "classic" stuff like The Oppressed or what have you (my favourite Business album is "Welcome to the Real World", see). Another thing that made me love this particular release so much is the sheer amateurishness of it all, which is quite obvious with the first peek on the CD sleeve. Just look at those ugly mugs, combined with the cheesiest text effects Microsoft Word could provide in 1998, and you might feel the same urge to root for these underdogs that I did. And the songs are all quite good, too! I haven't seen this CD for sale or download anywhere on the Internet, so I'm offering it here in the hope it'll find a few more pairs of ears to entertain. Have fun!

Track listing:

1. Bad Guy (5:01)
2. Had It Your Own Way Too Long (3:01)
3. Gary Bushell (3:14)
4. Free Reggie Kray (3:28)
5. C.S.A. (3:01)
6. Craig and Bentley (3:22)
7. Made in England (4:45)

Download

Mutiny - Folk Punk for Punk Folk

So, here it is finally - the first cassette by the wonderful Australian folk crusties Mutiny. And like many things that you spend years looking for - this one took me around 15 - it's not quite what I was hoping for. Their second tape, the cult favourite "Rum Rebellion", is a non-stop barrage of uplifting, passionate punk rock songs about (in)equality, struggle and facing the odds, which can stand next to any Pogues record without anything to be shy about. This one, however, is a much more low-key affair, with more minimal playing, mostly slower tempos, and somehow much less of that magic that made "Rum Rebellion" absolutely essential. Maybe this one's charms are more hidden, and maybe I'll discover them after a few more listens? Still, even as it is for me now, it's a good tape and you should hear it if you have any interest in the flannel-clad acoustic punks that have been spreading like the plague for the last couple of years. Just make sure to hear "Rum Rebellion", too.

P.S. The sound quality is far from great but I did everything I could to at least make for somewhat consistent listening - the original files I got through SoulSeek had every song at its own volume and bass/treble levels.

Track listing:

1. Folk War (3:33)
2. Animal Farm (2:45)
3. Turn It Around (3:54)
4. If You (1:39)
5. Common Cause (2:51)
6. We've Won (5:02)
7. Environmental (3:00)
8. Dinner with Kerry Packer (2:06)
9. Medieval (2:40)
10. God, Queen & Country (2:57)

Download

Schlong - Tumours 7"

Oh man. What this is, is a hardcore-punk version of the whole "Rumours" record by Fleetwood Mac, done by Gilman St. scene band Schlong, and played fast enough that the whole thing fit on a 7" single. It's completely retarded, it's falling apart in every song, and there is banjo on it. It's wonderful! Precisely the irreverent, careless ridiculing of everything that is supposed to be good and respectable, that I associate with punk rock at its best. "Stevie Licks" indeed!

Track listing:

1. Second Hand News (1:02)
2. Dreams (1:17)
3. Never Go Back Again (0:54)
4. Don't Stop (0:45)
5. Go Your Own Way (1:34)
6. Songbird (0:36)
7. The Chain (1:42)
8. You Make Loving Fun (1:21)
9. I Don't Want to Know (0:38)
10. Oh Daddy (0:26)
11. Gold Dust Woman (1:46)

Download

Die Hausers - Live

This is Die Hausers' other official release, a live tape recorded somewhere in/around the Osijek Student Centre in the early (or mid-?) Nineties. Sound quality isn't great, but the music is. Enjoy!

Track listing:

1. Nininananananunu (2:27)
2. Mozak (2:54)
3. Ubiti (2:18)
4. Normalan (3:27)
5. Ruke (3:06)
6. Ljudi (2:26)
7. Kontroliram se (3:04)
8. Svatko mora biti svoj (4:18)
9. Zasto posvuda lete samo ti crni crvi (3:43)

Download

Noise Slawonische Kunst - Noise Slawonische Kunst + Live OKS

This record is a cult document from the 1990's war in Croatia, or more precisely its Slavonija region and my hometown Osijek. The musicians who comprised this ad-hoc band came from several different Osijek bands of the time, some of which I have shared or will share on this blog (Die Hausers, No Passaran, Glad, Nahson Booz); the conditions in which these recordings were made are hard to understand to me, since I was a 10-year old kid while this was happening, but I did spend those ugly war years in the midst of it all so I can at least imagine. I don't feel really competent to retell this story, which can be found on the Internet (only in Croatian, though: here and here), so I will just throw in a few facts - the LP was recorded in November 1991 in the "Pauk" hall in Zagreb, while the live recording is from Osijek, probably around the same time in 1991, from - again, probably - the OKS club. The vinyl rip is not the greatest you could imagine, but it's good enough, and the live show sounds amazing. The extra track, a cover of "Lily Marlene", is of unknown origin (to me at least). Recently, a documentary movie was made about these recordings; it was directed by the singer, File, so I believe it is as truthful an account as possible - but unfortunately I haven't had a chance to see it yet.

I have actually owned a copy of this VERY rare record, but was foolish enough to exchange it for the triple LP "Sandinista!" by the Clash - now, after hearing it again after some years, I'm really sad I haven't kept it, because it is an important - perhaps THE most important - artifact of my city's alternative music scene. The music varies from dark synth-pop to angry noise-rock, but to my ears it comes closest to what Die Hausers were doing - unsurprisingly, as the vocalist, guitar and bass players came from that band, and many of these songs were later (perhaps previously, too?) performed and recorded by them. The lyrics, even with all the dark imagery, are actually quite life-affirming, considering the bleak times they were written in - see picture below.

I'm not quite sure, but I do believe this photo was taken right in front of the place where the live show was recorded, and in the same year. It's my (broader) neighbourhood, too.

"Noise Slawonische Kunst"

Track listing:

1. Krecemo na vas (2:42)
2. Shoot Me Down (2:50)
3. Throughout Darkness (4:29)
4. Ti si tu (4:13)
5. Pusti me (3:11)
6. Krecemo na vas (3:02)
7. Svatko mora biti svoj (4:10)
8. Zasto posvuda lete samo ti crni crvi (3:40)
9. Imam rijec (4:13)
10. Mogu poci u smrt, to upamti (1:22)
11. Gljiva (1:58)
12. Lily Marlene (bonus) (2:49)

Download

"Live OKS"

Track listing:

1. Lesinari (2:06)
2. Gljiva (2:05)
3. Krecemo na vas (2:38)
4. Kao u izlogu (1:53)
5. Shoot Me Down (2:59)
6. Pusti me (2:59)
7. Throughout Darkness (4:15)
8. Ti si tu (3:58)
9. Heroin (4:02)
10. Imam rijec (4:30)
11. Krecemo na vas (3:08)
12. Mogu poci u smrt, to upamti (1:43)
13. Svatko mora biti svoj (4:02)
14. Zasto posvuda lete samo ti crni crvi (3:22)
15. Krecemo na vas (3:56)
16. Ti si tu (4:27)
17. Shoot Me Down (2:48)
18. Krecemo na vas (nije cijela) (1:17)

Download

Bajaga i instruktori - Live in Osijek 14.07.1985.

Momcilo Bajagic wearing a Ramones shirt at a recent show. If only he'd LISTENED to them more...

This here bootleg is not something I'll enjoy listening to very often - Momcilo Bajagic "Bajaga" is a (then) Yugoslavian, (now) Serbian mainstream pop-rock musician whose songs, although quite popular round these parts, don't really do anything for me; and this recording, although coming from the soundboard, suffers due to a faulty connection somewhere between the mix and the tape recorder (or between the tape and the computer used for ripping), resulting in varying sound levels and loud clicks and pops. HOWEVER, this show does hold tremendous historical significance for me personally, because it was THE FIRST SHOW I EVER WENT TO. I was four years old and have no recollection of this happening at all, but my Dad (who is a fan) told me about taking me there, so I have no reason not to believe him. (I returned the favour some 25-odd years later when I took him to see Eddie and the Hot Rods; with the wrong singer and all, but that's what seeing a band 30 years after their prime will do to you). As far as I can remember my Dad telling me (and I don't want to ask him again because he has by now probably forgotten all about this and would therefore make me question the fact that I WAS THERE), the show took place in the field in front of the Osijek Student Centre (where I later saw much better bands, such as Overflow or Why stakla), it was free, and perhaps even happened during the daytime - I kind of remember that it was supposed to be a Sunday afternoon? (A quick check in the Windows calendar says that July 14th, 1985 really WAS a Sunday!) So anyway, I'm very happy to have it here, and if anyone wants to download it and have a listen to my first exposure to music with guitars, please do!

Track listing:

1. Sa druge strane jastuka (3:17)
2. Tekila gerila (3:42)
3. Nemoj da se zezas sa mnom (2:06)
4. Marlena (3:54)
5. Nemoj da budes nja nja (3:55)
6. Dobro jutro, dzezeri (3:09)
7. Poljubi me (3:35)
8. Dvadeseti vek (3:54)
9. Francuska ljubavna revolucija (3:06)
10. Sarene pilule za li-lu-le (2:48)
11. Limene trube (2:43)
12. Zazmuri (4:37)
13. Tamara (4:01)
14. Vidi, sta sam ti uradio od pesme, mama (3:02)

Download

Hladno pivo - Live in Split 25.03.1994.

 

This is, judging by the stage banter, the first show Hladno pivo ever played in Croatian second largest city, Split. It's a rather good sounding soundboard recording, although a bit marred by the years (decades?) it must have spent on a cassette. It's also sadly incomplete, and the break comes right after a great introduction story (if you speak Croatian, of course) whose ending we will probably never hear. Still, there's almost 45 minutes of music here, and it's a great document of early '90s Croatian punk scene, when even the guys in Hladno pivo thought they'd always play harsh punk and would never need "people who like ballads" at their shows... Enjoy!

Track listing:

1. Sedma noc (2:36)
2. Marijuana (1:21)
3. Narcisoidni psi (1:55)
4. Dobro vece (3:08)
5. Pjevajte nesto ljubavno (2:37)
6. Celicne zavjese (1:07)
7. Diznilend (2:06)
8. Trening za umiranje (2:42)
9. Marija (1:13)
10. Heroin (1:33)
11. Marginalci (1:38)
12. Sarma (3:29)
13. Princeza (1:17)
14. Bubasvabe (2:47)
15. Buntovnik (2:12)
16. Niemals (1:28)
17. Odjava programa (4:13)
18. Für immer Punk (2:25)
19. A, sto dalje... (pt. 1) (1:07)
20. (intermezzo) (0:45)
21. A, sto dalje... (pt. 2) (1:22)
22. Zakaj se tak oblacis (intro) (0:40)

Download

Samson - Telephone/Mr. Rock'n'Roll

Clive Burr, the drummer on the first three Iron Maiden albums, has passed away today after a long battle with multiple sclerosis. In every picture, interview or live video I saw of him he had the most infectious smile in all of metal (yes, more than even Barney Greenaway's!); I've obviously never met him but he seemed like such a nice guy that I can't help feeling sadness for his sad and premature ending. He was also probably the most rockin' drummer Maiden ever had, not to take anything away from Nicko of course. Here are the first two singles by his first band, Samson (the same Samson Bruce Dickinson later also deserted for Maiden), which are his first published recordings. This is before Bruce's era in Samson, so the vocals are handled by guitarist Paul Samson himself, and the general vibe of the recordings is somewhere between (very) early NWOBHM and regular 70's rock, with maybe even a little pub rock thrown in (the first track, "Telephone", reminds me of Dr. Feelgood in a few places). Rest in peace mate, and thanks for the smiles.

 

 

Track listing:

1. Telephone (3:02)
2. Leavin' You (3:15)
3. Mr. Rock'n'Roll (3:51)
4. Driving Music (3:39)

Download

Various - No Approval Needed

Yep, it really is my yearbook photo.

When  I was 16, I went on a one-semester student exchange program in the US (upstate New York, to be more precise). This was basically the best thing that had happened in my life up to that point; the only way it could have been better was if I had chosen to stay for the whole year (which I could have, but didn't, because I was a pussy). I went to an American high school and sat at the nerds-punks-and-freaks table at lunch; I had punk rock friends who had purple hair and cars with which they took me to great underground punk shows and cool parents who let us stay up all night and watch "Clerks" and "Chasing Amy" on the VCR and discuss important life topics because by that point we had it all figured out. I was living in an American teen movie and man, it was the COOLEST time I ever had. This compilation of 23 then-promising, now-obscure bands is one of the tapes that was the soundtrack to this time - well, it was originally a CD, but I had it on tape that my friend Kimb made me ("short for Kimberly, but spelled like DUMB"), and this is a rip of that very 15-year old tape. OK, two of the bands did escape obscurity - Bigwig and Straight Faced both signed for Fat and made it relatively "big", if I'm not mistaken - but I don't think I have ever heard of any of the other bands again. And like all the stuff that I listened to too much because of outside factors (getting a tape stuck in a friend's car's radio made Avail's "4AM Friday" one of my favourite punk albums for driving), I love this tape way more than it probably deserves. Except for a few oddities (the brilliantly-named Squid Vicious with their fun surf-influenced instrumental; Last Day Excuse with their rather embarrassing hip-hop/funky/RHCP-wannabe track), most of it is your standard '90s melodic-but-snotty punk rock of the Epitaph/Fat variety, with some songs being quite nice, and some really great, like Bigwig's track from their debut CD, or the wonderful Screeching Weasel-y "Indie Rock Girl" by the mysterious Pushovers (a Google search for the band + song name yields nothing but the track listing for this CD), or Torture Kitty, Bickley, the wonderfully stupid "Adam Eating" by Kung Fu Grip... Ah, it's a great CD, there's no other way around it! I've actually seen Bigwig around that time somewhere in NY and it was a great, small but packed show; I also remember going to see Reach the Sky and Blood for Blood at a 2 PM matinee for under-21's, promoted with black and white A4 posters made in MS Word... Too bad I don't care much for those bands so I can't really brag about it in a "during the war..." manner - except now, I guess. But anyway, enough rambling, here's the tape:

Track listing:

1. Whitekaps - More Punk (1:43)
2. Bickley - Communication (1:57)
3. Dinosaur Salad - Lifestyles (3:31)
4. Latch Key Kids - Last Ride (3:24)
5. 30footFALL - Boogers for Brains (2:05)
6. Torture Kitty - Problem with Me (2:07)
7. Easy Way Out - My Day (0:36)
8. Splat - Sidewalks (2:30)
9. Sad Pygmy - Dumb as Nails (1:54)
10. Bigwig - Best of Me (2:23)
11. Jimmy Dong & The Human Blockheads - Individual (1:43)
12. Straight Faced - Lit (2:38)
13. River Fenix - GBOH (3:16)
14. The Pushovers - Indie Rock Girl (2:58)
15. Clutch Cargo - 40 oz. (2:08)
16. Mr. Yuck - Their Narrow Minds (3:55)
17. Kung Fu Grip - Adam Eating (2:31)
18. Vitamin - Personality (3:00)
19. UTI - Change Your Minds (2:31)
20. Moobar - Good Food (2:40)
21. Squid Vicious - Deep Eddy (live) (2:59)
22. Yellow 5 - Depression (3:13)
23. Last Day Excuse - What Should I Do (2:22)

Download

Dik O'Braz - Zedj

The sole album from a Croatian band from the early Nineties, who played a Motörhead-influenced brand of punky hard rock with lyrics mostly about drinking. A nice little release, although there was another band competing for the title of "Croatian Motörhead" during the same time period, who even had a great version of "Ace of Spades" with lyrics in Croatian, and whom I liked better - they were called Klajbas and came from the town of Krizevci. Teh Internets are unfortunately ignorant of their existence, and I'd very much like to share their album here, so if anyone happens to have it, hook me up! I've lost my tape years ago, sadly.

Track listing:

1. Sve sto treba viknuti (3:05)
2. Bez milosti (3:08)
3. Stoljeca (3:49)
4. Kad gorim (3:57)
5. Dobro je dodirnuti zelenu travu doma svoga (2:37)
6. Moja dusa pijana od piva (4:25)
7. Za oprez nema mjesta (3:14)
8. Ne budi lud (2:10)
9. Moram naci zabavu (3:37)
10. Koruza (2:42)
11. Tvrdoglavi bik (4:09)
12. Nada (3:31)
13. Micana (Kreni u noc) (2:27)

Download

Hladno pivo - Promo 7'' + Live

Here's a mega-rare single by Croatia's once premier punk band, which was only released as a promo to radio stations, in what I imagine must be a very limited quantity - I don't know the numbers though. It features two of the songs that later came out on their second album, "G.A.D.", but these versions are exclusive to the single. Especially interesting is the first song, "Sedma noc", which has an outro part that was cut from the album version - whether it was for the better or for worse is for you to judge for yourself. I've also added two more live songs which were released on an obscure German compilation (that's probably why they chose the two songs sung in German).

Track listing:

1. Sedma noc (demo) (1:55)
2. Diznilend (demo) (2:02)
3. Niemals (live) (1:23)
4. Für immer Punk (live) (2:44)

Download

The Undertones - Live at Paradiso, Amsterdam 15.03.1980.

Poster for another gig at the same venue, one from 1982 if teh Internets are to be believed.

The Undertones were probably the nicest punk band in the history, ever. They make the Buzzcocks seem manly (and Steve Diggle downright MACHO). They seem so lovable that I actually got quite misty-eyed during the sadder parts of their documentary (narrated by John Peel, the nicest bloke in radio history). They were also a tremendously good live band, but for some shameful reason they still don't have a single commercially available live release to their name. Here, then, is a wonderful bootleg of their 1980 show in Amsterdam's Paradiso club that used to be available on a number of blogs, but as it happens I couldn't find an active link for it anywhere on the Web right now - and it really is a gem every fan should hear. The songs are great, the playing and singing is great, and the sound is worthy of official release, so make sure to snatch this one if you have any interest in (punk)rock('n'roll).

Track listing:

1. Male Model (2:30)
2. Tearproof (2:25)
3. Teenage Kicks (2:37)
4. Jimmy Jimmy (2:44)
5. The Way Girls Talk (2:56)
6. There Goes Norman (2:50)
7. Get Over You (2:34)
8. Whizz Kids (2:37)
9. Family Entertainment (2:48)
10. True Confessions (1:56)
11. Here Comes the Summer (2:11)
12. She's a Runaround (2:12)
13. Girls Don't Like It (1:34)
14. Rock and Roll (Gary Glitter) (2:39)

Download

Future of the Left - Live at Patronaat Haarlem 09.11.2007.

Here's an old Future of the Left show from the Patronaat club in Haarlem, Netherlands. I've been to this club once, back in 2008, and saw another great band there that fans of the Fall or the Wedding Present should definitely seek out; they're called The Calvin Party, have been a band for ages, and are way too obscure for the greatness their music possesses. I'll try to dig up something rare of theirs to put up here some time, but to get back to the band at hand, it's FOTL again, they're great again, and that's more or less it. The sound is rather good and there's a great-sounding track from a mysterious "London Live" bootleg attached to the end as a bonus; I'd really like to get my hands on the whole of that show, so if you can help, please do. Now I'm going drinking, bye!

A young Falco with all his baby fat does an Eddie Vedder pose. He got so much more handsome in the following years, if I do say so myself!

Track listing:

1. (introduction) (0:51)
2. The Lord Hates a Coward (4:00)
3. Plague of Onces (3:49)
4. Fingers Become Thumbs (2:14)
5. Wrigley Scott (2:20)
6. (interlude) (0:56)
7. Team: Seed (1:31)
8. Manchasm (4:20)
9. Suddenly It's a Folk Song (2:51)
10. Fuck the Countryside Alliance (3:04)
11. Small Bones Small Bodies (2:50)
12. My Gymnastic Past (2:55)
13. Adeadenemyalwayssmellsgood (3:08)
14. (outro) (0:41)
15. The Hope That House Built (bonus live in London) (4:32)

Download

Stiff Little Fingers - B's, Live, Unplugged and Demos + Live in Săo Paulo - Hangar 110

Photo from a show in Săo Paulo, ten years later.

Here's a great "official bootleg" of the Stiff Little Fingers, accompanied by an unofficial one, and a few extra bits to round it off. The first disc is a compilation of B-sides, live, unplugged and demo tracks (duh) that could be obtained by sending in a coupon from the "Pure Fingers Live - St. Patrix 1993" CD a long time ago; it is streaming for free on Grooveshark, but now you can keep it on your hard drive or digital music device of choice. I have padded it out with two additional unplugged tracks recorded at the same session, in Săo Paulo, Brasil. The second disc is a live show recorded in the same city on the same day, with reasonably good sound and a setlist divided between the classic stuff and the (then) more recent songs from the less played albums "Flags and Emblems", "Tinderbox", and "Hope Street". To finish things off I've added two tracks from Jake Burns's later band, The Big Wheel, whose entire discography is available on a single CD, bar these tracks - extended versions of "Breathless" and "Valentines Day" from the "Breathless" 12" single. They're quite atrocious production-wise, but not half bad songs, and it is Valentine's day today after all, so there you go!

Track listing:

Disc One - B's, Live, Unplugged and Demos:

1. Can't Believe in You (radio edit) (4:24)
2. The Cosh (remix) (3:39)
3. Long Way to Paradise (demo) (2:28)
4. Stand Up and Shout (demo) (3:18)
5. Silver Lining (unplugged) (3:14)
6. Listen (unplugged) (3:29)
7. Wasted Life (unplugged) (2:55)
8. I Could Be Happy Yesterday (unplugged) (3:57)
9. Alternative Ulster (unplugged) (3:18)
10. Johnny Was (live) (8:19)
11. Shake It Off (demo) (3:14)
12. Not What We Were (Pro Patria Mori) (demo) (3:48)
13. Get a Life (live) (5:03)
14. Harp (live) (4:22)
15. Can't Believe in You (live) (4:39)
16. No Laughing Matter (live) (3:01)
17. The Last Time (live) (3:25)
18. Mr. Fire Coal Man (live) (4:52)
19. Two Guitars Clash (live) (4:24)
20. Alternative Ulster (live featuring Ricky Warwick) (3:06)

Download

Disc Two - Live in Săo Paulo - Hangar 110:

1. Alternative Ulster (3:20)
2. Tantalise (3:00)
3. Silver Lining (3:52)
4. At the Edge (3:28)
5. No Surrender (4:18)
6. Doesn't Make It Alright (5:56)
7. Just Fade Away (3:09)
8. Hope Street (3:42)
9. Wasted Life (3:26)
10. Bits of Kids (3:54)
11. Johnny Was (9:47)
12. I Could Be Happy Yesterday (4:17)
13. Roots, Radicals, Rockers and Reggae (3:37)
14. Nobody's Hero (3:59)
15. Tin Soldiers (5:58)
16. Suspect Device (2:51)
17. Jake Burns and the Big Wheel - Breathless (extended version) (4:35)
18. Jake Burns and the Big Wheel - Valentines Day (extented version) (6:07)

Download

Various - Tribute to Our Parents

This was one of the first independently released CD compilations of Croatian underground bands, along with the few I have posted before, and from the same two great record labels - Earwing and Anubis records. It is also the one I personally like the least, but lots of my friends loved it, so what do I know? The first band on the CD is Analena, who have over time become one of the most amazing (post)-punk bands here, but these are early recordings with the original singer, and find the band in a rather embryonic state. Next up are two "melodic hardcore" bands, FNC Diverzant and 5 Minutes to Steve, who also shared a split cassette before this CD. 5MTS never released anything else, while FNCD are still playing, albeit rather recreationally. I prefer seing them live and hanging out with them to listening to these recordings, however. The last band is Paruzija, who were a Christian band if I'm not mistaken, and I really can't get any enjoyment from either their lyrics or music. To each his own, I guess...

Track listing:

1. Analena - Ne (0:42)
2. Analena - All (2:50)
3. Analena - Aquarius (3:08)
4. Analena - Trenutak (4:33)
5. Analena - Preskacem zid (2:55)
6. Analena - Minute (Last Goodbye) (2:58)
7. FNC Diverzant - Kaj me fukate s to mrezo? (We Remember You Tatjana) (2:11)
8. FNC Diverzant - Sretno dijete (1:50)
9. FNC Diverzant - Daleko od mene (2:24)
10. FNC Diverzant - Zgb-Ams (1:22)
11. FNC Diverzant - Slobodan (2:14)
12. FNC Diverzant - Ne tamo (Gdje sam bio nekada) (2:19)
13. FNC Diverzant - Vristim (2:49)
14. 5 Minutes to Steve - Lifestyle (2:08)
15. 5 Minutes to Steve - Boiling Point (3:21)
16. 5 Minutes to Steve - Dying Alone (2:47)
17. 5 Minutes to Steve - Go Ahead Instead... (1:54)
18. 5 Minutes to Steve - Between a Day (2:39)
19. 5 Minutes to Steve - The Finest Way (2:35)
20. Paruzija - Bioritam duse (1:44)
21. Paruzija - Malo dobrih ljudi (1:57)
22. Paruzija - Raspet (2:44)
23. Paruzija - Bozja pjesma (1:17)
24. Paruzija - Osobno (1:43)
25. Paruzija - Refleksija (2:22)
26. Paruzija - Blues (1:06)
27. Paruzija - Paruzija (3:06)
28. Paruzija - Juda (1:09)
29. Paruzija - Psalam No. 0 (1:46)
30. Paruzija - Moralna vecina (2:07)
31. Paruzija - Eho (2:20)
32. Pedja - Moj WC (2:03)

Download

Etiopia - Etiopia + Live 06.05.1989. Ekonomski fakultet Kragujevac

Etiopia were an '80s punk band from Kragujevac*, Serbia, which I know next to nothing about. All I do know is what I could gather from listening to this, their sole LP, and a bootleg of a live show from 1989: they seem to have played hardcore-punk up until 1989, as can be heard (although rather poorly) on the live recording; and then they have switched to a typically Yugoslavian brand of power-pop (think first Psihomodo pop LP) around the time when they made their record in 1990. The record is quite enjoyable actually, certainly nothing life-changing, but a nice footnote in the history of Yugoslavian underground rock. Here it is for your listening pleasure.

Track listing:

1. Rodjen u predgradju (3:37)
2. Nema izgleda za bolje (2:29)
3. Jutro (4:09)
4. Cudna pesma (2:33)
5. Etiopia (2:19)
6. Zvezda (2:31)
7. Beli mis (2:55)
8. Sreo sam nju (4:56)
9. Realnost (live) (4:21)
10. Kraj (live) (3:37)
11. Zabrana (live) (3:56)
12. Crni zubi (live) (2:49)
13. Instrumental (live) (2:24)
14. Dosada (live) (2:35)
15. Onanija (live) (4:02)
16. Beli mis (live) (2:19)
17. U Jugoslaviji sve je dobro (live) (4:38)

Download

_____________
* Turns out they were actually from Jagodina, not Kragujevac. Thanks, Darkec!

Motörhead - Live in Ljubljana 10.12.2012.

This was my sixth time watching the best band in the world, and probably the second best one of all. The first one, in Pula in 2002, is still untouchable, lasting for two and a half hours and completely destroying my hearing; but this one finally broke my unlucky streak with them: Zagreb 2006 - too quiet; Dublin 2009 - Lemmy lost his voice and nearly quit the show early, instead choosing to let Phil Campbell and the singer from the opening act (Nasty Savage) to sing in his place; Munich 2010 and 2011 - humongous concrete hall with terrible sound and standing 500 m away from the stage (And to add insult to injury, one of them didn't even feature Mikkey Dee - Matt Sorum from the Cult replaced him because he was IN A REALITY SHOW. Oh, the things we forgive the people we love!). This time in Ljubljana, I was finally able to see and hear the band properly, and although the show was half the length of that first one (they even cut one song from the already short setlist - granted, it was "Doctor Rock", my least favourite Motörhead song - but  even that one is way better than nothing at all!), it was still excellent. Perhaps Lemmy wanted to get the fuck out of Tivoli hall as quickly as possible - if you're versed in Motör-lore, you'll know that he had the worst show of his career at this very venue 24 years ago, when an incredibly mean and stupid member of the audience threw a razor fixed to a coin on him, cutting his arm badly and making the band cancel the entire tour - that show being the first one. No wonder they placed Ljubljana as the last show this time, then. I will too hold a grudge against Tivoli after this show - this 7000-capacity hall has ONE set of toilets, which was so overcrowded that even before the show, when less than half the audience was in the hall, it would take 15 minutes just to take a piss. I happen to have an issue with drinking alcohol and pissing, meaning that I really NEED to get pissed when I, well, get pissed. Luckily for me, the hall doesn't have a cloakroom, either; and the combination of a long winter coat and plastic beer glasses does wonders in the hands of a capable engineer. But I digress...

Build more bathrooms, Slovenia!

Here, then, is a rather high quality (for audience taping) recording of this show, which won't replace any of the official Motörhead live albums in your collection, but will make a nice souvenir if you've been there; plus there's a great, otherwise unavailable Thin Lizzy cover in the encore. I've separated all the prolonged cheering and stage banter into skippable tracks because some of the audience members are incredibly irritiating during the quiet parts, and I didn't want to cut anything; listen to them at least once so that you can enjoy such charming Lemmyisms as "This next song is from 1916. The record, not the year." In hoping for many more years of seeing this one-of-a-kind band, I leave you with the download link...

A picture from the show, unfortunately I forgot where I stole it from.

Track listing:

1. (cheering) (0:21)
2. I Know How to Die (3:43)
3. Damage Case (3:37)
4. Stay Clean (4:13)
5. Metropolis (4:15)
6. (banter) (1:10)
7. Over the Top (2:48)
8. Guitar Solo (2:00)
9. The Chase Is Better than the Catch (5:49)
10. Rock It (2:54)
11. You Better Run (5:34)
12. (cheering) (2:15)
13. The One to Sing the Blues (with Drum Solo) (7:27)
14. (banter) (1:00)
15. Going to Brazil (2:14)
16. Killed by Death (5:51)
17. Ace of Spades (3:23)
18. (cheering) (3:06)
19. Are You Ready (3:15)
20. (banter) (2:28)
21. Overkill (9:33)

Download

The Crack - Live in Atlanta USA 2001

When a band is able to sustain a 30-year career and thousands of rabid followers around the world on the basis of ONE ALBUM, you can bet that one album is really something else. This is the case with the Crack, an English Oi! band with a strong pop-Slade influence, and their exceptional album "In Search of the Crack". I'm not sharing that one here because you can and should buy it, but I am sharing an out-of-print live disc from 2001, recorded in Atlanta on their first US tour (or was it just the one show? I don't know). Every song the Crack wrote is a major hit in a parallel universe where Sparrer are Beatles and Business are Stones, and you can hear that on this excellent recording, too. My World, Nag Nag Nag, Glory Boys, Don't Just Sit There, Everybody's Dreaming, Don't You Ever Let Me Down... they just keep coming! There's a case to be made for "second league" English punk bands often being better than many of the better known names, and I for one would always choose the Guitar Gangsters, the Stiffs, the Crack or Chelsea over, say, Sham 69, or (gah!) the Anti-Nowhere League. Download this and hear for yourself.

Track listing:

1. My World (4:09)
2. Nag Nag Nag (3:05)
3. Take Me Away (5:00)
4. You Keep Running (4:14)
5. Glory Boys (4:39)
6. Don't Just Sit There (4:16)
7. Troops Have Landed (3:13)
8. Everybody's Dreaming (3:46)
9. You Keep Me Waiting (3:00)
10. Don't You Ever Let Me Down (3:43)
11. Going Out (3:19)
12. Don't Stop Me (3:40)
13. All or Nothing (3:07)

Download

Alice Donut - Wet Dream Police

Alice Donut have been going strong as one of the weirdest and funniest bands in the alternative/punk milieu for 25 years now. They're a band who can name a song "Son of a Disgruntled Ex-Postal Worker Reflects on His Life While Getting Stoned in a Parking Lot of a Winn Dixie Listening to Metallica" and make it rocking, scary, funny and sad all at the same time. This bootleg collection of their single B-sides, compilation tracks and other non-album stuff functions as a great alternative best-of collection, and since all of the stuff is commercially unavailable, I'm happy to be able to share it here. The single version of "Bottom of the Chain", is not featured on the bootleg, but it's great and it's not the same recording as the album version, so I've added it to the archive; I've also bookended it with two songs recorded by the singer's short-lived "Mambo Killers" project, which are quite different than the Donut stuff, but I think they actually fit quite nicely with the rest. I'm on the lookout for their rare demo tape "Dork Me Bangladesh", so if anyone reading this has it, please let me know!

Track listing:

1. Tom Antona as Mambo Killers - Cuidate (3:14)
2. Biggest Ass (6:56)
3. Bigger Ass (4:25)
4. Mrs. Hayes' Gimp Leg (2:48)
5. Boyfriend (2:20)
6. Blood on the Tundra (2:47)
7. Only the Good Die Young (2:32)
8. Get a Life (2:10)
9. Get a Job (3:37)
10. Love Rollercoaster (2:33)
11. Lady Di (4:47)
12. Yellow Bridge (3:27)
13. Nadine (3:08)
14. The Chicken Door (2:56)
15. Empty Streets (4:28)
16. Moon Pie (2:54)
17. To Be Real (2:47)
18. We're Not Gonna Take It (0:29)
19. Mrs. Hayes (2:43)
20. Halloween (5:10)
21. E.S.P. (4:13)
22. Death Shield (5:06)
23. I Want Your Mother (5:13)
24. Bottom of the Chain (single version) (6:06)
25. Tom Antona as Mambo Killers - Mojave (6:42)

Download

3 Men + Black - Acoustic

3 men are from the Stranglers, Stiff Little Fingers, and the Jam; Pauline Black is from the Selecter (and so is Nick Welsh, who does not count as a man, apparently). In 2004 they have decided to release an album containing acoustic renditions of some of their songs (or, in the case of Bruce Foxton, mostly his band partner's songs). I'm sharing this mostly because of Jake Burns's contributions, which are of course heavenly. I'm not a big fan of the Stranglers but JJ Burnel's stuff is also quite cool, and Bruce Foxton sounds quite a bit like Paul Weller - that's not a bad thing though. Pauline Black's songs I'm not so fond of, because while I do love the Selecter, I don't think these versions hold up to the regular ones; it's certainly an experiment, and while it doesn't sound like a successful one to my ears, it might to yours. The ballad "Missing Words" is quite nice, actually; it's the ska stuff that rubs me the wrong way played like this. Anyway, if you're a fan of the Stiff Little Fingers (which you really should be), you absolutely NEED the beautiful Jake Burns and the Big Wheel track "She Grew Up". I also quite like this version of a Stranglers track I'm very partial to, the new wave crossover hit "Skin Deep", and two other JJ Burnel's tracks are quite cool, too - a Hawkwind cover "Quark, Strangeness & Charm" and the funny hoedown "Jelly Fish". All in all, a nice little release!

Jake Burns is the coolest man alive, no contest.

Track listing:

1. Alternative Ulster (3:38)
2. Skin Deep (3:06)
3. That's Entertainment (2:56)
4. On My Radio (3:17)
5. She Grew Up (3:22)
6. Me and You (3:44)
7. Smithers-Jones (2:55)
8. Missing Words (3:50)
9. Harp (2:56)
10. Jelly Fish (1:53)
11. David Watts (2:23)
12. Armagideon Time (3:48)
13. Quark, Strangeness & Charm (2:34)
14. Down in the Tube Station at Midnight (3:29)
15. Three Minute Hero (3:00)
16. Wasted Life (3:33)

Download

Ignite - Live in Kutina

Photo from a different show but the same year, stolen from Pix of Change webzine

Only five songs long unfortunately, but a great-sounding soundboard recording from a legendary show held in 1996 in the Baraka club, in the Croatian town of Kutina. Kutina is a small town of about 15,000 inhabitants, but it has sustained a disproportionally large hardcore/ punk scene throughout the Nineties, centered around the Baraka ("barracks", obviously). Many foreign bands played this venue in a time when there were barely any non-local shows even in the capital, Zagreb, and some of the most loved Croatian bands from that time period came out of Kutina, best known of which was the hardcore band Razlog za. Things have wound down in the new millennium unfortunately, and now punk rock in Kutina is mostly relegated to a once-a-year festival called "Organizirani kaos" ("organised chaos"), but here is at least a document of a time when Kutina was, alongside Pula, the most punk rock town in Croatia.

Track listing:

1. Lazy (2:59)
2. Family (2:08)
3. Man against Man (2:02)
4. Where They Talk (1:40)
5. Screaming for Change (2:22)

Download

P.S. I have found no mention of an Ignite song called "Lazy", but could not discover whether this first track is another song listed under a wrong name. If you recognise it, please leave a comment so I can correct the track listing.

Screeching Weasel - Screaming Otter in My Pants + Stupid Jerks Live

This is a couple of cool bootlegs from what used to be one of the finest pop punk bands of the '90s - Chicago's Screeching Weasel. The first one, tracks 1 through 18, was released in 1993 under the name "Screaming Otter in My Pants" and was available on the Music Ruined My Life blog until the file was deleted; the other one, tracks 19 through 33, was recorded in 2000 after a long time of live inactivity from the band, at a "secret show" under the name Stupid Jerks, if I'm not mistaken. Both have rather good sound, and both are actually a lot better than the live stuff from the official "Thank You Very Little" compilation. The 1993 show represents the band at the top of their popularity, just before the release of the "Anthem for a New Tomorrow" LP, and offers a good overview of the first (and best) part of their career; the 2000 one is not half bad either, and features a great Ben Weasel rant about "working class" punk bands. There is some track repetition between the two shows but not too much, and if you're a fan you'll love this.

Track listing:

1. Veronica Hates Me (3:14)
2. Peter Brady (2:07)
3. Slogans (1:43)
4. Falling Apart (1:56)
5. Teenage Freakshow (2:35)
6. Leather Jacket (1:21)
7. I Can See Clearly (2:32)
8. Every Night (3:39)
9. Kamala's Too Nice (1:44)
10. I Wanna Strangle You (1:04)
11. Science of Myth (2:22)
12. Mary Was an Anarchist (3:08)
13. Rubber Room (0:37)
14. Cindy's on Methadone (1:38)
15. Don't Turn Out the Lights (3:49)
16. Ashtray (2:11)
17. Joanie Loves Johnny (2:01)
18. Totally (1:37)
19. Sunshine (3:09)
20. I'm Gonna Strangle You (1:40)
21. Cindy's on Methadone (1:24)
22. Gotta Girlfriend (1:28)
23. I Wrote Holden Caulfield (3:14)
24. Racist Society (1:56)
25. Tightrope (3:35)
26. Supermarket Fantasy (1:22)
27. 99 (2:47)
28. Six Percent (2:07)
29. 21 Months (1:30)
30. Science of Myth (2:17)
31. Joanie Loves Johnny (2:24)
32. Slogans (2:07)
33. I Can See Clearly (2:29)

Download

Wig - Lying Next to You + Just Obscene

Wig were the first band to feature the vocal talents of one Preston W. Long, later of such wonderful bands as Mule and P.W. Long's Reelfoot. They have achieved some notoriety after signing to a major label and releasing two rather OK albums (of which I prefer the first one, "Deliverance"), but that was all post-Preston; the only releases with him in the fold were the independently released mini-LP "Lying Next to You", and the single "Just Obscene". I actually can't quite remember the two albums exactly, don't feel like searching for them for the sake of this post, and amazingly, nothing from them is available on YouTube; however I do remember the next singer having a much less coarse voice than Preston, and everything sounding a good deal more major label-y than these two releases. Now this collection has a lot in common with both Preston's later material with Mule, and with contemporaries The Jesus Lizard; perhaps it's not as great as the benchmark of excellence in noise rock (this being TJL's duo of best albums, "Goat" and "Liar"), but I wouldn't say it's much shoddier than TJL's "Head", either. I don't know why this band isn't more known, at least within the boundaries of the noise rock scene; but it's not for lack of quality, for sure. Hear for yourself if you think this might be up your alley.

Track listing:

1. Coming Up Slow (4:26)
2. John Shaft (2:55)
3. Sweet Francis (3:40)
4. Bullet (3:30)
5. Black Hole White Ring (4:32)
6. Toy Boat (5:15)
7. Lying Next to You (6:59)
8. Just Obscene (4:17)
9. All the Love in the World (3:57)

Download

Various - Hog Butcher for the World

This is a compilation of alternative bands from the Chicago area circa 1987, and it really is much more "alternative" than the cover would suggest - lots of it is rather quaint indie rock, not pigfuck noise you might expect from looking at the cover or flipping it to find a Big Black song in the track listing. Some of the bands here really remained obscure for a reason, but there is good stuff on it - the aforementioned Big Black in a strangely "funky" sounding edition, the dark Americana of an early version of Freakwater (here called Mojo something-or-other - I first thought it was an alias for Mojo Nixon, but the Internets say otherwise), a cool track by the pre-fame Urge Overkill, two nice otherwise unreleased songs by Joe Haggerty's Bloodsport and (already featured on this blog) Precious Wax Drippings, and so on. Nothing to really get your panties wet about, but still worthy of preservation.

Track listing:

1. Bloodsport - Ink of Your Soul (3:50)
2. God's Acre - 1-2 a Boy's Life (3:33)
3. Mojo Wishbean & Trippy Squashblossum - Little Black Train (2:35)
4. Urge Overkill - Last Train to Heaven (3:41)
5. Precious Wax Drippings - No Place I Can't Go (2:17)
6. The Garden - Walking through the Darkness (4:41)
7. Big Black - Big Money (live) (2:42)
8. The Defoliants - The End (3:51)
9. Permabuzz - Drivin' (3:20)
10. The Sapphires - Evil Eye (2:54)
11. Ungh! - Turn the Light On (2:39)
12. Material Issue - Chance of a Lifetime (3:04)
13. End Result - Truly Evil Thought (2:48)

Download

Zeke - Live at Hultsfredsfestivalen, Sweden 19.06.2004.

Writing about Zeke seems utterly unnecessary - if you like them, you already know them; and if you don't know them, chances are you won't like them. If you do know and like them, here's a rather good sounding bootleg of one of their ass-kicking shows, so you can relive the enjoyment you must have had when you saw them live; or, so you can punch yourself in the face because you DID NOT go see them the one time they played in your country, because you didn't really think you should spend all that money on a show and they'll come back anyway and what the hell. Well, I did not go to their Zagreb show back in 2002, and they never came back, and they never will come back, so I'll keep listening to shitty bootlegs instead. Woo-hoo.

Track listing:

1. Highway Star (0:47)
2. Wanna Fuck (1:05)
3. Chiva Knievel (1:42)
4. West Seattle Acid Party (1:20)
5. Arkansas Man (3:21)
6. Little Queen (1:49)
7. Chinatown (1:30)
8. Holley 750 (1:36)
9. T-500 (0:39)
10. Mainline (3:12)
11. Slut (1:19)
12. Dragonfly (2:16)
13. The Hammer (1:51)
14. Raped (0:41)
15. Twisted (1:56)
16. Dogfight (1:08)
17. Overkill (0:56)
18. Mystery Train (1:32)
19. God of GSXR (1:01)
20. 302 Cubic Inch V-8 Powered Blues (3:52)
21. Zeke You (2:08)
22. Lawson (0:51)
23. (Intermission) (1:49)
24. Schmidt Value Pack (1:19)
25. Young Man Blues (2:37)
26. Galaxie 500 (0:59)
27. Wreckin' Machine (1:32)

Download

Death Disco - Demos

Death Disco were a Croatian post-punk band based in Zagreb, hailing from Split, and sounding like they were from Belgrade. They reminded me most of the legendary Yugo band Sarlo akrobata, perhaps a bit faster. They were active throughout the first half of the '00s, released one album, and quit soon after - which was a pity because they were getting better all the time and could have become a really great band; as it is, they were always fun live, and had some really cool songs, some of which were never released but are preserved in the form of the first half of this collection of demos. Along with the unreleased stuff I've added the two demos that were available from the band before the release of the album, one of which is a kind of a test run for the album, and the other an embryonic version of the band that sounded completely different than the final version. If my memory serves, the "band" at this point consisted only of the bassist and the guitar player, and the tunes were constructed via e-mails from Split to Zagreb and back. This demo does have its moments (and a great song title in "Buena Vista Death Dub"), but they've gotten much better when they became a real band. Nowadays, the bassist plays in a synth-pop band called Hemendex, the guitar player lives in Amsterdam, and the drummer is a writer with six published books (as of 2012).

Legendary photo of bassist Narantxa in my father's living room after a Death Disco show in Osijek.

Track listing:

1. Reli Sutjeska (2:01)
2. 66 (2:06)
3. Rezervni dijelovi (2:24)
4. Ja sam sisao s trake (2:15)
5. Meatball's Party (1:24)
6. Bunny Kebab Song (2:31)
7. Photo Death (2:39)
8. Kravate (3:49)
9. Seafood Restaurant (2:49)
10. New V (3:12)
11. Bunar (2:01)
12. Cekici (1:21)
13. Tajnici hoce na paradu/MIG A4 (2:18)
14. Roboti (1:28)
15. Paviljon (2:41)
16. Dijagrami (1:11)
17. Tramvaji dole (1:42)
18. Test (1:32)
19. Televizor (1:35)
20. Skare (Crveni signali demo) (2:14)
21. Slucaj (Crveni signali demo) (1:10)
22. Francuski brijaci (Crveni signali demo) (3:54)
23. Sudbonosno da (Crveni signali demo) (1:40)
24. To se ne jede (Crveni signali demo) (0:28)
25. Crveni signali (Crveni signali demo) (2:00)
26. Icepick 001 (Wrap the Pump demo) (2:56)
27. Cour'd Mallarde (Wrap the Pump demo) (4:49)
28. Killer Movie (Wrap the Pump demo) (4:40)
29. Braunnoisé (Wrap the Pump demo) (2:37)
30. Gold (Wrap the Pump demo) (5:24)
31. Buena Vista Death Dub (Wrap the Pump demo) (0:58)
32. I Like Little French Girls (Wrap the Pump demo) (4:31)

Download

Future of the Left - Sessions

Pictures of the L.A. Echoplex gig stolen from LosAnjelous.com.

This is a collection of all Future of the Left radio sessions I could find, ranging from 2007 to 2012 and featuring two distinctly different lineups of the band - the three-piece lineup with Kelson on bass, and the current four-piece with Julie on bass and Jimmy on second guitar and vocals. The collection spans three albums and a bit more (songs nr. 2 and 3. are as of yet unreleased; and the "Bethan & Huw" session was recorded prior to any FOTL recordings seeing the light of day - could it be it was their recorded public debut?) and it's all gold, basically. There's a bit of repetition but what kind of person could complain about hearing "Small Bones Small Bodies" or "Arming Eritrea" too many times? I've divided the interview snippets into separate tracks so you don't have to listen to them every time you want to hear the tunes, but you should hear them at least once because the band members really are such nice and funny people as the host of the KEXP sessions says. I've seen them again for the fifth time a few months ago in Los Angeles (supporting Andrew Jackson Jihad, a cool band that I wouldn't have discovered otherwise) and, enjoyment of the show notwithstanding, was again left with the impression they really are the nicest people in the current indie rock scene. Be it Jack running off from the merch stand to try and get my wife inside the sold-out show, or Falco talking to me for a good ten minutes until it was ME who finished the conversation, afraid that we were making too much noise for the other people to enjoy the main band. I think it was the first time I ever went to talk to the performer after a show where I didn't feel the slightest bit like I'm hassling the poor guy who is obliged to listen to my drivel and repeat "Thanks mate" until I get the message that I'm boring him. Nice people, I tell ya. And a wonderful band of course. I'm looking forward to what I hope will be tons of more great music from them.

P.S. You should check out Falco's blog for some of the most amusing person-in-a-band writing you will ever read.

P.P.S. The last song here is just a shitty live recording off of YouTube, but I've added it because I really used to love hearing this one as the show closer, and seeing as it went the way of Kelson and will probably never be played live again, I like to hear it every time I can.

Track listing:

1. Failed Olympic Bid (Radio 1 Session 2012) (3:08)
2. Johnny Borrell Afterlife (Radio 1 Session 2012) (2:19)
3. Prescriptions (Radio 1 Session 2012) (3:57)
4. Interview (KEXP Session 2012) (0:24)
5. Beneath the Waves an Ocean (KEXP Session 2012) (3:25)
6. Interview (KEXP Session 2012) (1:46)
7. Robocop 4 - Fuck Off Robocop (KEXP Session 2012) (2:45)
8. Interview (KEXP Session 2012) (2:38)
9. Small Bones Small Bodies (KEXP Session 2012) (2:38)
10. Outro (KEXP Session 2012) (0:16)
11. Arming Eritrea (WOXY.com Session 2009) (2:53)
12. Chin Music (WOXY.com Session 2009) (1:57)
13. Small Bones Small Bodies (WOXY.com Session 2009) (2:41)
14. Fingers Become Thumbs! (WOXY.com Session 2009) (2:01)
15. Land of My Formers (WOXY.com Session 2009) (2:44)
16. Introduction (KEXP Session 2009) (0:10)
17. Arming Eritrea (KEXP Session 2009) (2:58)
18. Chin Music (KEXP Session 2009) (2:08)
19. Interview (KEXP Session 2009) (0:38)
20. Small Bones Small Bodies (KEXP Session 2009) (2:47)
21. Stand by Your Manatee (KEXP Session 2009) (3:17)
22. Outro (KEXP Session 2009) (0:39)
23. Introduction (Bethan & Huw Session 2007) (0:43)
24. Fingers Become Thumbs! (Bethan & Huw Session 2007) (1:51)
25. Interview (Bethan & Huw Session 2007) (4:12)
26. March of the Coupon Saints (Bethan & Huw Session 2007) (2:07)
27. Outro (Bethan & Huw Session 2007) (0:23)
28. The Lord Hates a Coward (SXSW Lounge Session 2007) (3:36)
29. My Gymnastic Past (SXSW Lounge Session 2007) (2:27)
30. adeadenemyalwayssmellsgood (SXSW Lounge Session 2007) (3:10)
31. Cloak the Dagger (Live at the Warehouse, Calgary 2009) (7:10)
Download