Off! .....

The 3rd one...

Off!

One more new video to come on the 15th

Rebel Truth - st 7'' (1983)

I'd never heard this 7'' before I received it, but threw it on my wants list after reading a review in some fanzine. My list was a little A5 booklet that I posted to anyone willing to trade records and some kind person sent me this pretty soon after it was added.

A Californian band whose sole legacy was this 7'' until a few years ago when a compilation cd was released with lots of extras; this is really worth tracking down. The 7'' came with a lyric sheet and a sticker of their logo; my copy had the outer circle coloured in red pen and it sat on my bass guitar for years.

For some people Rebel Truth aren't as instant as some bands, I loved them from day one. I still play this in my car today and I've never grown tired of it.

Mediafire

Raw Power - Wop Hour 7'' (1985)

I saw this lot supporting someone, but my failing memory isn't letting me recall who at the moment. I do remember how much they impressed. When these guys were taking off MMR was in full swing so word of them had reached people before their first release came out, 1983, but they never seemed to get the recognition they deserved.

An Italian hardcore punk band formed around the Codeluppi brothers, Mauro and Guiseppe; vocals and guitar respectively. The rest of the band was a pretty revolving door of personnel. They signed a deal with Toxic Shock in '85 and released a great album, Screams from the Gutter, and this 7'', which is fantastic. "I do what I like" is pure gold...the 7'' was produced by Paul Mahern of Zero Boys fame.

They still continue to this day, but with Mauro as the only surviving original member; his brother suffering a fatal heart attack in 2002.

Mediafire

Big Boys - Fun, Fun, Fun 12'' (1982)

What a year 1982 was for hardcore, so many classic releases came out that year; nearly 30 years later I'm still hooked on 90% of them. The Big Boys came out of Austin, Texas like a storm into my music world and, at first, I had no clue what to make of them. Should I like, or hate, them...I decided on the former and it didn't take many listens before I was chasing every Big Boys release on day one.

A band who mixed Funk, Punk, Soul and hardcore into one vibrant concoction were always going to impress. Reading about their gigs made me so envious; gigs where the entire crowd danced, not slam danced/moshed, etc, but danced and sang along to the songs. It seemed like a party atmosphere, I wanted in. I never made it.

I'd have loved to have seen this lot live and was hopeful of a reunion at some point, sadly, cirrhosis of the liver due to untreated hepatitus C took Biscuits life a few years ago.

They left behind a great back catalogue that should be grabbed with both hands and enjoyed for what they were; a truly extraodinary punk band the likes of which we'll never see again.

The band comprised : -

Randy (Biscuit) Turner - Vocals
Tim Kerr - Guitar
Chris Gates - Bass
Fred Schultz - Drums (although they had a number over the years)

I can no longer update this post with a download

Bands website

Battalion of Saints - Fighting Boys 12'' (1982)

It probably seems strange now, but one of the things that excited me about record collecting all those years ago were the differences between UK and US records. The UK albums/12'' were printed cardboard that was fairly flimsy, whilst the US was sturdy enough to use as roof tiles. The US also printed the cover art on paper and then stuck the paper onto thick cardboard on many of the early releases.

I remember getting this 12'' in the post and just being blown away by the entire package, the thick cardboard, the cover design (Mad Mark Rude), and then the songs....just wow! Being a sucker for a good guitar riff I was destined to adore this band; I did, and still do.

BoS have been compared to Spinal Tap over the years, rather cruelly as both bands, one real and one fictional, suffered by the deaths of various band members. Chris Smith was one of a number linked to BoS who died way too early.

There's not one release by the Battalion of Saints that isn't, like their name, great.

Music

Naked Raygun when they were young........