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 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)

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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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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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