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)

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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)

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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)

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