Precious Wax Drippings - Ain't We a Wishin' Bunch

I'm back after a three-week trip to the USA, so I'll kick off the blog again with a nice little EP I chanced upon at the wonderful Amoeba music shop in Hollywood. Although the name of this band did sound familiar to me, I didn't really have any idea on how they might sound; but the price tag of $2.99 and the words "Chicago Recording Company" and "Iain Burgess" on the back of the sleeve convinced me to give it a chance. And sure enough, it's really nice old-style emo-indie-punk-rock, like so much of the stuff that was coming out of Chicago during the latter part of the '80s. It's only six songs long and the instrumental "Big Cheese" is no big cheese really, but it's quite enjoyable in that "nice band that never amounted to anything although they did deserve to" kind of way. Hope you like it!

Track listing:

1. Prayers (2:26)
2. Soulbait (1:55)
3. Big Cheese (1:52)
4. Clover (2:08)
5. Keys (1:45)
6. Furnace (4:37)

Download

forgetters & Jawbreaker - Radio Sessions

Picture taken by dperitch at the Ljubljana show.

forgetters are a new-ish band featuring Blake Schwarzenbach on guitar and vocals, which is why I have coupled their recent session for the WBEZ Radio with two archive ones by Jawbreaker. I was lucky to be able to catch them on two shows of their European tour, in Ljubljana and Zagreb, and although I do tend to be somewhat too forgiving to people from bands I like (I have actually bought the last Clash LP!), I think forgetters really are an excellent band. Their recorded legacy so far consists only of one double 7" release, which you really should buy; however, they have plenty of songs that still wait to be officially released, and five of them (one being a Human League cover) were played at this session. If you clicked on the WBEZ link above, you might have seen an mp3 file available for download there - I only made separate files for each song and added ID3 tags, to make listening easier.

The Zagreb show; Darko Vaupotic.

As for the Jawbreaker part of the archive, it's a pair of ancient recordings from 1990 (read: before they have gotten REALLY good), and with rather poor sound quality, too. However, it does include two otherwise unreleased tracks, and makes a nice contrast with the main thing. Hope someone enjoys it.

WOW.

Track listing:

WBEZ November 10th 2010
1. forgetters - I'm Not Immune (4:38)
2. forgetters - Interview 1 (6:48)
3. forgetters - Hart Crane Pike (6:22)
4. forgetters - Interview 2 (4:29)
5. forgetters - Seconds (The Human League) (3:55)
6. forgetters - Interview 3 (3:31)
7. forgetters - Death Trip (4:48)
8. forgetters - Interview 4 (0:57)
9. forgetters - Stupid Libations (3:52)

WFMU June 28th 1990
10. Jawbreaker - Welcome to Our Band (2:48)
11. Jawbreaker - Softcore (3:35)
12. Jawbreaker - Seethruskin (2:28)
13. Jawbreaker - Tour Song (4:03)
14. Jawbreaker - Eye-5 (5:54)
15. Jawbreaker - You're Right (4:28)
16. Jawbreaker - Big (5:12)
17. Jawbreaker - Lawn (3:31)
18. Jawbreaker - Pack It Up (The Pretenders) (2:54)

WNYU March 29th 1990
19. Jawbreaker - Gutless (2:54)
20. Jawbreaker - Want (3:20)
21. Jawbreaker - Fine Day (4:05)
22. Jawbreaker - Seethruskin (2:25)
23. Jawbreaker - Driven (3:37)
24. Jawbreaker - Equalized (2:56)
25. Jawbreaker - Shield Your Eyes (3:29)

Download

Leatherface - Non-Album Discography

To finish off the trilogy of sad punk royalty, here is all of the non-album material from Sunderland's Leatherface, probably the most passionate and beautiful punk band there ever was. Words don't really do this band justice so listen to them and prepare to be blown away.

Track listing:

Disc One:

1. How Lonely (2:38)
2. You Wanted Everything (3:21)
3. Trenchfoot (2:56)
4. The Scheme of Things (3:16)
5. Ideal World (2:47)
6. You Are My Sunshine (Jimmie Davis) (2:19)
7. Dreaming (3:20)
8. Not Superstitious (4:25)
9. One to Say (2:32)
10. Discipline (3:16)
11. Games (3:35)
12. Live for You (3:07)
13. Pale Moonlight (3:41)
14. Talkin' 'bout a Revolution (Tracy Chapman) (2:18)
15. Dreaming (3:11)
16. Hops and Barley (Wat Tyler) (1:57)
17. A Public House (Wat Tyler) (1:50)
18. Eagle (ABBA) (3:49)
19. Do the Right Thing (3:48)
20. Cabbage Case (3:23)
21. Not Superstitious (acoustic) (3:30)
22. Skin Deep (acoustic) (2:52)

Download

Disc Two:

1. Moon River (Henry Mancini) (1:52)
2. I Can't Help Falling... (Elvis Presley) (2:13)
3. Discipline (live) (3:10)
4. Colorado Joe - Leningrad Vlad (live) (2:58)
5. I Gotta Right (Iggy and the Stooges) (3:44)
6. Meaning (2:14)
7. Hops and St. Pauli (Wat Tyler) (1:57)
8. Teenage Warning (Angelic Upstarts) (2:15)
9. Melody Lee (The Damned) (2:08)
10. Unfurnished (3:50)
11. Boogie On Down (2:24)
12. Shipyards (piano and vocals mix) (3:21)
13. In My Life (acoustic) (4:37)
14. Colorado Joe - Leningrad Vlad (3:00)
15. Postwar Product of a Fat Man's Wallet (3:10)
16. Doublewhiskeycokenoice (The Dillinger Four) (2:02)
17. Deep, Deep Sleep (2:52)
18. Little White God (Live Regensburg 4-24-2004) (1:13)
19. Plastic Surgery (Live Kessel-Lo 4-6-2004) (2:21)
20. Heart Is Home (Live Kessel-Lo 4-6-2004) (4:58)

Download

Moving Targets - Three Singles

Here's a quick update for anyone who liked the previous post. The Moving Targets were a mid-80's Boston band who had a great pop-influenced-hardcore sound in the vein of later Hüsker Dü records. During their time together they have released four full-length LP's and three singles, which are collected here. Roughly half of these songs also appear on the LP's, and the other half are exclusive to the singles, be they new songs, alternate takes, or a Led Zeppelin cover. You can figure out for yourself which are which somewhere on the vast plains of the Internet.

Track listing:

1. Less than Gravity (3:30)
2. Faith (2:38)
3. Squares & Circles (2:19)
4. Away from Me (3:24)
5. Falling (2:58)
6. Selfish (2:16)
7. Last of the Angels (2:36)
8. Babble (3:01)
9. No Quarter (Led Zeppelin) (7:58)
10. Answer II (3:33)

Download

Pegboy - Three Songs and Five Shows

I did have a cassette dub of this album for years, but this is not my tape. In the 90's in Croatia we had a war, not 100 min Type II cassettes from Japan.

Time and time and time again, I have put on a Pegboy album and decided that they were my favourite punk band of all time, above the Clash, even above the Ramones. Now, I realise these are heavy words, but so is this band - heavy on the ears, heavy on the liver, heavy on the heart. They are one of those bands whose lyrics you are never able to fully grasp, and sometimes you're not sure whether they're beautiful, pathetic or just stupid, but that's the point when you need to stop reading the lyrics sheet and blast the song at full volume, preferably in the company of a few good friends and/or beers. The band was formed in Chicago by former Naked Raygun guitarist John Haggerty, and while the two bands do share some similarities, I like to think of Pegboy as the heart to Naked Raygun's brains - more monotonous and blunt in their approach, but also (even) more emotionally satisfying. That's if you like punk rock performed by sad men, of course.

As all of their albums are available from most regular music outlets, I will share three songs which do not appear on either one of them, and five bootleg live shows; there is a sixth one available, "Live at the Metro" from 2004, but you can buy that on iTunes and support the band in doing so. OK I did steal it from some guy on SoulSeek but I'm allowed to do that because I am doing such great things for the punk rock scene on these here Internets. On to the track listings:

"Three Songs"

1. Walk On By (2:12)
2. Chutes and Ladders (2:49)
3. Emerald (Thin Lizzy) (3:55)

"Walk On By" is the B-side of the "Field of Darkness" 7"; "Chutes and Ladders" came out on a Chicago bands compilation; and "Emerald" comes from a rare Thin Lizzy tribute disc and features some great swords-and-sorcery lyrics which sound rather hilarious coming out of Larry Damore's mouth.

Download

"Live at CBGB's July 16th 1991"
1. Method (3:57)
2. Strong Reaction (3:41)
3. Not What I Want (2:31)
4. My Youth (2:49)
5. Field Of Darkness (2:39)
6. Fade Away (3:23)
7. Time Again (2:59)
8. Still Uneasy (2:43)
9. Walk On By (2:11)
10. Locomotivelung (1:45)
11. Through My Fingers (3:51)

A good early show with passable sound quality and some great song choices. There are some problems with the sound of the vocals (sometimes the microphone seems to be distorting the sound, sometimes they're too loud, sometimes they're REALLY off-key) but I can live with that.

Download

"Live in Pittsburgh December 14th 1995"
1. Intro (1:23)
2. Strong Reaction (4:41)
3. Sideshow (3:18)
4. Not What I Want (3:28)
5. Locomotivelung (2:52)
6. You (2:59)
7. Field of Darkness (4:40)
8. Dad (Didjits) (2:34)
9. Sinner Inside (2:48)
10. Gordo (3:33)
11. Wages of Sin (4:07)
12. Witnessed (2:28)
13. Fade Away (3:41)
14. Never a Question (2:56)

Recorded during the "Earwig" tour, interesting song choices again, plus a cover of DIDJITS, of all bands?! Too bad the sound is really shitty, probably coming from a Walkman in the audience, but I'm PUNK AS FUCK and I like it anyway.

Download

"Live at the Fireside Bowl, Chicago, 2000"

1. My Youth (4:00)
2. Never a Question (4:10)
3. Hardlight (2:08)
4. Strong Reaction (4:29)
5. Dog Dog (3:58)
6. Method (4:18)
7. Field Of Darkness (4:28)
8. Not What I Want (3:16)
9. Through My Fingers (5:21)
10. Revolver (4:35)
11. Superstar (2:57)
12. Locomotivelung (3:54)
13. Time Again (3:18)
14. Dangermare (4:13)
15. You Fight Like A Girl (3:14)
16. Walk On By (3:11)
17. Treason (Naked Raygun) (4:47)

I guess these were the last days of the band as a functioning unit - they even talk about needing to (and not really wanting to) record a new album if I recall correctly, it's been a while since I last heard this particular bootleg. The sound is good and the set closes with a great Naked Raygun cover.

Download

"Live at Touch and Go 25th 2006"

1. Intro (1:23)
2. Still Uneasy (3:20)
3. Not What I Want (2:50)
4. Strong Reaction (4:24)
5. Locomotivelung (4:00)
6. Field of Darkness (3:47)
7. Walk On By (2:49)
8. Sideshow (3:49)
9. Time Again (4:55)
10. Superstar (3:27)
11. Fade Away (4:10)
12. Method (4:11)
13. Dangermare (2:51)

The first reunion show, at the Touch & Go records 25th anniversary festival in Chicago. The best sounding one from this collection (although the vocals could be a little quieter, and the guitar a little louder) and featuring wonderful stage banter about Larry being, alternately: 1) drunk off his ass at 1 PM, 2) fat, old and ugly, and 3) utterly unsuccessful in his musical career. THIS is how you speak before an audience. If you don't want to bother with all these shows, make sure you get at least this one and the 2000 one.

Download

"Live at Riot Fest 2009 (Live at the Congress Theatre)"

1. Dangermare (2:47)
2. Through My Fingers (4:05)
3. Field Of Darkness (3:04)
4. Witnessed (2:38)
5. Time Again (3:20)
6. Strong Reaction (4:00)
7. Hardlight (1:34)

Not much to write about this one - average sound, no surprises in the setlist, plus it's only seven songs, 21 minutes. I do believe it is the only show here which features the two-guitar line-up (Larry now also plays guitar) but it's not like you can hear it or anything. Get it anyway, it's not like you're PAYING for it, is it.

Download

Naked Raygun - Live at WRUW

I wonder how many times I will use the phrase "best band ever" on this blog. Today the best band ever is Naked Raygun of Chicago, who you should listen to every day or you have, to paraphrase Mark Prindle, "been living your life incorrectly - go back and start again". I fell in love with them after hearing their song "I Remember" on a Homestead Records compilation back when I was in high school, a perfect pop song if there ever was one - you won't hear it on this live session for a Cleveland radio station, but you will hear many other incredible tunes, starting and ending with their two "hits", "Treason" and "I Don't Know". This is a live recording but the sound quality is excellent, and the set includes their cover of "Folsom Prison Blues", which I have not seen anywhere else. Enjoy!

Track listing:

1. Treason
2. Metastasis
3. Strip
4. Coldbringer
5. Dog At Large
6. The Promise
7. Walk In Cold
8. Jazz Gone Bad
9. Wonder Beer
10. Peacemaker
11. Vanilla Blue
12. Entrapment
13. Home
14. Backlash Jack
15. Hips Swingin'
16. Home of the Brave
17. Crowd Noise
18. Folsom Prison Blues
19. Surf Combat
20. I Don't Know
21. Outro

Download