FNC Diverzant vs. 5 Minutes to Steve - Split Tape

Cult tape from the '90s Croatian punk underground, featuring two bands that have also appeared together on the "Tribute to Our Parents" compilation (available elsewhere on this blog). Nice melodic punk typical for its time, complete with an unfortunate ska part right in the first song on side one. The FNCD side has been available in multiple places on the Internet, but the 5MTS side has been elusive for a long time; here's the whole thing your enjoyment.

Track listing:

1. FNC Diverzant - Toga dana (3:57)
2. FNC Diverzant - Ostao sam sam (3:02)
3. FNC Diverzant - Stranac (2:19)
4. FNC Diverzant - RNR stvar (3:12)
5. FNC Diverzant - Punk Rock Song (2:57)
6. FNC Diverzant - Put za bolje vrijeme (3:18)
7. FNC Diverzant - Zaplesi sa mnom (1:53)
8. 5 Minutes to Steve - Go! (2:00)
9. 5 Minutes to Steve - Happiness (3:37)
10. 5 Minutes to Steve - Sun (2:32)
11. 5 Minutes to Steve - So Alone (2:41)
12. 5 Minutes to Steve - Now I Know (2:02)
13. 5 Minutes to Steve - Dead (3:09)

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Los Crudos - Two Cassettes

Los Crudos were a brilliant hardcore punk band from Chicago, representing the U.S. Latin punk community for most of the '90s and releasing tons of great music during that time. Their singer later fronted the gay hardcore sensation Limp Wrist - talk about being a minority within a minority! Here for your pleasure are two tapes containing a bunch of demos, radio sessions, live recordings and so on - some songs will repeat in different versions, some in same versions, but I couldn't be bothered with sorting through what's what, and after all, why destroy the original feel of the releases? You can probably deduct which stuff came from where from the scans of the booklets, if you wish.

"1492-1992 Anos de violacion y asesinatos"

1. 500 anos (1:55)
2. Las madres lloran (demo) (0:44)
3. Identidad perdida (demo) (1:24)
4. Vendedores de dolor (demo) (1:10)
5. Desde afuera (demo) (1:30)
6. Poema (demo) (0:28)
7. Tiempos de miseria (demo) (1:04)
8. Peleamos (demo) (1:19)
9. Crudo soy! (demo) (1:45)
10. Intro (radio) (0:48)
11. Las madres lloran (radio) (0:56)
12. Identidad perdida (radio) (1:44)
13. Eliminacion (radio) (0:39)
14. Vendedores de dolor (radio) (1:37)
15. Asesinos (radio) (1:49)
16. Poema (radio) (0:27)
17. Tiempos de miseria (radio) (1:52)
18. Sin caras (radio) (1:58)
19. Desde afuera (radio) (1:59)
20. Illegal y que! (radio) (1:43)
21. Peleamos (radio) (2:55)
22. Crudo soy! (radio) (2:39)

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"Los Crudos"

1. Las madres lloran (live) (2:17)
2. Se ve en tu cara (live) (0:43)
3. Cipayos, traidores y vendidos (live) (2:09)
4. Sin caras (live) (0:38)
5. No estoy convencido (live) (1:07)
6. Desde afuera (live) (2:18)
7. Escaleras (live) (0:41)
8. Llegan empujando (live) (1:12)
9. Peleamos (live) (1:06)
10. Nada cambia (live) (1:25)
11. Que paso con la paz (live) (1:21)
12. Asesinos (live) (1:00)
13. 500 anos (live) (1:43)
14. Lucha para que te escuchen (live) (0:43)
15. Crudo soy! (live) (1:33)
16. Curiosidad (live) (0:45)
17. Lengua armada (live) (0:46)
18. Tiempos de miseria (live) (1:03)
19. 500 anos (1:54)
20. Tiempos de miseria (1:26)
21. Me robaron! (0:46)
22. Crudo soy! (1:36)
23. Las madres lloran (0:41)
24. Eliminacion (0:32)
25. Desde afuera (1:19)
26. Asesinos (1:02)
27. Se ve en tu cara (0:50)
28. Cipayos, traidores y vendidos (0:34)
29. Sin caras (0:33)
30. No estoy convencido (0:59)
31. Curiosidad (0:50)
32. Porque (1:09)
33. Tu lo ensenastes (0:56)
34. Lucha para que te escuchen (0:28)
35. Corrido jodido (1:41)
36. Lengua armada (0:49)
37. Escaleras (0:33)
38. Llegan empujando (1:24)
39. Nada cambia (1:10)

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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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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)

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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)

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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)

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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)

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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)

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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)

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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)

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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)

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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)

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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)

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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)

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

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)

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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)

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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)

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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)

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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)

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Thee Undertakers - L.A. Muerte 7"

Thee Undertakers were one of the original Los Angeles punk bands, but have somehow slipped through the cracks of the current fascination with this scene(or "scenes"; they were from East L.A., and that's a whole different story than the "Decline" crowd). Perhaps it has to do with them not being affiliated with the more well known L.A. bands from this time period, and them having released no music at all during their existence is certainly also to blame. Still, there is a great retrospective CD released on the Grand Theft Audio label which you can still buy, and that one is full of real punk gems, plucked from a session for an aborted LP and a collection of demos. This 7", released by Artifix Records and now out of print, is more like scraping of the proverbial barrel - two further nice but unremarkable demos, and two live songs of similar quality level. It's not bad at all, but I think of it as a cool bonus to the essential stuff collected on the CD. You really should buy the CD and then download this, but suit yourself!

Track listing:

1. Register to Die (1982 demo) (1:46)
2. Electric Eye (1982 demo) (2:08)
3. Don't Mean Anything (1980 Hong Kong Cafe) (0:56)
4. It's a Sin (1980 Hong Kong Cafe) (1:59)

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KBO! - Cassette Discography

KBO! are the longest-running punk band in Serbia, having begun way back in 1982. They have released two vinyl LP's and and four CD's by now, but before that, they had several self-released cassettes spanning the latter part of the '80s, which I have collected here, as you can find the proper albums elsewhere. These tapes have been recorded before they have gotten really good, in my opinion at least, but there is good stuff to be heard here, too, plus there's the historical value and what have you. My favourite of these is the last tape, "Moja sloboda", combined here with the never released (to my knowledge) "Live in Osijek", which features mostly songs from their finest LP (again - in my opinion), "Pozovi 93". I had this tape as a kid, lost it years and years ago, and was thrilled to find it on Soulseek recently (thanks to "gari sa limana" for all the stuff he's been providing me for this blog!). I also like the dark post-punky songs from the "Tama" cassette, while the rest of the material is mostly youthful rudimentary hardcore-punk which doesn't leave much of an impression - again, except for the documentary purposes. The sound is mostly quite good considering the conditions in which these tapes were recorded and the shortcomings of the medium itself; it's somewhat on the trebly side, but this also has to do with the band's characteristic sound (they never had a bass player, choosing instead a lineup of two guitars and drums). On to the links...

1987 - Nove obrade starih stvari + Tama

1. Buducnost (1:07)
2. Frka na juznoj tribini (1:37)
3. Radijatori (1:47)
4. Opasnost (1:21)
5. Jebeni zivot (1:13)
6. Pesma (1:38)
7. Bolovanje (2:17)
8. Smrt Aparthejdu (2:40)
9. Oni (2:08)
10. Divlji Zapad (1:05)
11. To je podrig (0:51)
12. Gradjanin grada (1:36)
13. Kragujevac (2:00)
14. Per aspera ad astra (2:19)
15. Boban pocinje (2:14)
16. Ruska stvar (2:03)
17. Espana (2:47)
18. Zasto rat (1:31)
19. Mrak (3:14)
20. Bella ciao (2:28)
21. Patriota (live) (1:43)
22. Basketball (live) (1:36)
23. Radijatori (live) (1:41)
24. Gradjanin grada (live) (1:45)
25. Kragujevac (live) (1:56)
26. Boban pocinje (live) (2:41)
27. Mrak (live) (3:07)
28. Ruska stvar (live) (2:02)
29. Per aspera ad astra (live) (2:04)

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1988 - !OBK + Live in Budapest

1. Forever Punk (4:06)
2. Mi smo... milion glasova (1:36)
3. Borba za opstanak (1:31)
4. Instrumental (2:45)
5. Basketball (1:22)
6. Suzy (2:16)
7. Poslednji Mohikanci (4:52)
8. Balada (1:53)
9. Ne ulazi u restoran (1:20)
10. Drugovi... (3:57)
11. Jasnoca (1:09)
12. Forever Punk (live) (4:07)
13. Kragujevac (live) (1:32)
14. Divlji zapad (live) (1:07)
15. Balada (live) (1:36)
16. Suzy (live) (2:04)
17. Ringispil (live) (1:26)
18. Per aspera ad astra (live) (2:06)
19. Instrumental (live) (2:49)
20. Buducnost (live) (0:56)
21. Mi smo... milion glasova (live) (1:30)
22. Radijatori (live) (1:31)
23. Bolovanje (live) (2:00)
24. Gradjanin grada (live) (1:38)
25. Opasnost (live) (1:14)
26. Patriota (live) (0:58)
27. Boban pocinje (live) (2:33)
28. Basketball (live) (1:16)
29. Forever Punk (live) (3:30)

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1989-90 - Moja sloboda + Live in Osijek

1. Perspektiva (3:12)
2. Srecan covek (2:13)
3. Pobuna u predgradju (1:13)
4. Kada izadjem (3:24)
5. Gubi se (1:25)
6. Maj (2:39)
7. Ne (1:34)
8. Outro (1:36)
9. Ulica br. 12 (2:02)
10. Moja sloboda (3:12)
11. Lopovi (1:33)
12. Proslost (2:31)
13. Zapaljene svece (1:52)
14. Outro (live) (2:25)
15. Kragujevac (live) (2:02)
16. Perspektiva (live) (3:22)
17. Alkohol (live) (3:07)
18. Ulica br. 12 (live) (2:12)
19. Intro (live) (3:41)
20. Pobuna u predgradju (live) (1:51)
21. Samoca (live) (3:20)
22. Basketball (live) (1:36)
23. Balada (live) (1:51)
24. Lopovi (live) (1:49)
25. Pozovi 93 (live) (3:29)
26. Kada izadjem (live) (3:17)
27. Proslost (live) (2:29)
28. Moja sloboda (live) (3:19)
29. Grk (live) (4:57)
30. Forever Punk (live) (1:27)

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