The Zippers – A Six Song Mini Album [12''] (1981, Rhino Records)

 

The Zippers were a Los Angeles-based punk/pop band from the late 1970s and early 1980s formed by Lou Cammarata (guitar, vocals, and member in the 60's and 70's of the soul bands Nicky C & The Chateaux and CRYSTAL), Danielle Faye (bass, vocals, also a member of Venus & The Razorblades), Bob Willingham (guitar, vocals) and Bill Willett (drums, vocals, also in The Imperial Dogs). They debuted in 1977 with the 7" single 'He's A Rebel / You're So Strange' on the Californian label Back Door Man Records. In 1981, Rhino released the 'A Six Song Mini Album' EP, produced by The Doors' Ray Manzarek.

 

 

Label: Rhino Records – RNEP 601 

Format: Vinyl, 12", Mini-Album 

Country: US 

Released: 1981 

Style: Pop Punk, New Wave, Power Pop

 

Tracklist:

A1 I'm In Love 1:50 

A2 It Hurts 2:48 

A3 Some Pay The Price (Some Never Will) 3:10 

B1 Falling Off The Edge 3:13 

B2 Someday 2:41 

B3 Lock On My Heart 3:18 

 

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Yard Trauma – Must've Been Something I Took Last Night [LP] (1985, Dionysus Records)

 

The opening self-titled track presents a different kind of Garage Rock Revival: epic, emotional and lyrical, with a fiery Latin touch. "You Don't Tell Me" though is decisively retro and fairly tame Garage Rock. "Cry A Little Longer" is more poignant, with scathing organ lines and lead guitar. The elliptical and menacing netting of organ lines steals the show in "I'm Invisible", while "You're My Style" abandons any theatrical pretense and unleashes a barrage of raw garage riffs. "Dreamt In Colour" though again offers a more mellow 60's sound. Fortunately, "Situations" steps on the gas and tosses another garage roar. The electrifying Freakbeat "I've Seen You Walking" is also first class. "Only Mistakes" keeps pounding, but "I've Got A Girl" again retreads to a harmless 60's imitation -though the guitar solo is adequately acidic. By the closing, gloom-laden, "Black And White" they finally show an awareness of the New Wave, namely the garage-ish Deathrock of 45 Grave et al. If you only ever grab one Yard Trauma record you should make it this one. It's something of an unheralded masterpiece of the second wave. Highly recommended! [SOURCE: RATE YOUR MUSIC]

 

 

Label: Dionysus Records – ID8502 

Format: Vinyl, LP, Album 

Country: US 

Released: 1985 

Style: Garage Rock, Psychedelic Rock 

 

Tracklist:

A1 Must've Been Something I Took Last Night 

A2 You Don't Tell Me 

A3 Cry A Little Longer 

A4 I'm Invisible 

A5 You're My Style 

A6 Dreamt In Colour 

B1 Situations 

B2 I've Seen You Walking 

B3 Tighten Up 

B4 Only Mistakes 

B5 I've Got A Girl 

B6 Black And White 

 

Notes: 

A3 originally performed by The Grodes and B5 by Dearly Beloved

Special guest Rich Coffee keyboards and guitars (Courtesy of Thee Fourgiven) 

 

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X•S•Energy – Use You [7''] (1979, Dead Good Records)

 

X.S. Energy was a fine band from Lincoln producing two singles on Dead Good Records. The first one, '18 / Jennys Alright / Horrorscope' (1978) and the second from 1979 'Use You / Imaginary'. This is the pick: midtempo punk riffery with catchy chorus. Pop punkish with sung, as opposed to shouted or sneered, vocals. Worth getting. Members: Freddie Voltage (Guitar/Vocals), Max Headroom (Lead Guitar/Vocals), Nicky Teen (Bass/Vocals), and Mark Up (Drums). [SOURCE: PUNK 77]

 

 

Label: Dead Good Records – DEAD 3, Dead Good Records – DEAD THREE 

Format: Vinyl, 7" 

Country: UK 

Released: 1979 

Style: Punk, New Wave, Punk Rock

 

Tracklist:

A Use You 

B Imaginary 

 

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Wow Federation – Yellow Telephone [7''] (1981, Rococco Records)

Post-punk band formed in Oxford in 1978. The line up in 1980 was: Nick Horton (drums), Mark 'Mozart' Hughes aka Millree Hughes (guitar), Vicky Richardson (sax), James Rogers (organ), Andy Sizer (bass), Brian Warner (guitar) and Ian Royce Warner (vocals). Members prior to this include: Andy Mason (drums), Bill Buchanan (drums) and Carl (synth). Bill and Carl went on to be involved in the group Dum Dum Dum. Ian, Brian and Nick all used to play with the Dag Dag Bombers.

 

 

Label: Rococco Records – ROC 001 

Format: Vinyl, 7", 45 RPM, Single 

Country: UK 

Released: 1981 

Style: Experimental, Art Rock, Dance-Punk, Zolo

 

Tracklist:

A Yellow Telephone 4:30 

B Tree Credibility 3:21 

 

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Vorgruppe – Erste Auslese [7''] (1980, Monogram)

 

Vorgruppe was a Neue Deutsche Welle band from Herne, Germany, with a sound ranging between the hypnotic motorik of Krautrock and the Teutonic synth atmospherics of Kraftwerk. Formed in spring 1979, they played their first proper live gig at Jugendkunstschule Wanne-Eickel (15 Feb 1980). They released three albums from 1981 to 1986. Members: Bernd Schäumer (synths, also in Disque Omo), Detlef Ritz (vocals), Matthias Brauckmann (bass), Volker Stigge (guitar), Waldemar Hayduk (drums) and Wolfgang Hemprich (bass). They changed their name to "The Vorgruppe" in 1986. [SOURCE: LAST.FM]

 

 

Label: Monogam – 004 

Format: Vinyl, 7", 45 RPM 

Country: Germany 

Released: Apr 1980 

Style: New Wave, Synth-pop, Minimal, Neue Deutsche Welle, Minimal Wave

 

Tracklist:

A1 Menschenkinder 2:46 

A2 Liebe Oder Hass 3:37 

B Langer Abend 5:30 

 

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Urge Overkill – Strange, I... [12"] (1986, Ruthless Records)

 

When Urge Overkill broke through to the mainstream with 'Saturation' in 1993, fans who rushed out to buy up the band's back catalog may have been rather surprised by their first EP, 'Strange, I...' In contrast to the cravat-wearing, rock-god image and slick, polished pop/rock sound of their later years, 'Strange, I...' is loaded with shrieking guitars, pounding drums, and howling vocals. The influence of Steve Albini, who produced the EP, is evident in tracks such as "All Worked Out" and "My New Church." There are hints of the later Urge Overkill to follow, especially Eddie "King" Roeser's vocals on "Systems," which sound similar, albeit roughly, to Roeser's later, more radio-friendly style. Similarly, there are brief snippets where the band's later songwriting prowess appears. But for the most part, this is generic, standard-issue Chicago noise punk, with little original to distinguish it from Big Black or Naked Raygun. An EP strictly for the diehards; casual fans need not apply here. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]

 

 

Label: Ruthless Records – RRU013 

Format: Vinyl, 12", 45 RPM 

Country: US 

Released: 1986 

Style: Punk, Indie Rock, Punk Rock, Alternative Rock

 

Tracklist:

Homo Side 

A1 All Worked Out 

A2 Art Of Man 

A3 My New Church 

Hetero Side 

B1 Snakemobile 

B2 Systems 

 

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Tabea Blumenschein, Frieder Butzmann, Gudrun Gut, Bettina Köster – White Christmas [7"] (1980, Marat Records)

Best Christmas single ever, made by four stalwarts of the Berlin avant-wave scene: Tabea Blumenschein (Die Tödliche Doris, Liebesgier), Frieder Butzmann (Din A Testbild, Liebesgier, Nachdenkliche Wehrpflichtige, Wir Und Das Menschliche E.V.), Gudrun Gut (currently runs the Monika Enterprise and Moabit Musik labels, was an early member of Einstürzende Neubauten and founded Malaria!) and Bettina Köster (Liebesgier, Malaria!, Mania D., Mutabor!, Nachdenkliche Wehrpflichtige).

The pseudo-disco "Stille Nacht" (= "Silent Night") version is not quite a destruction, but a complete and utter deconstruction of Christmas songs. That old Irving Berlin classic, however, is turned into a slow, nightmarish, dissonant free jazz piece. Anyone who dearly hates this piece of fake Christmas sentimentality will be healed by listening to this version. [SOURCE: RATE YOUR MUSIC]

 

 

Label: Marat Records – 24 

Format: Vinyl, 7", 45 RPM 

Country: Germany 

Released: 1980 

Style: New Wave, Avantgarde, Holiday, Christmas Music, Minimal Synth, Experimental Rock  

 

Tracklist:

x Stille Nacht Goes Disco 3:30 

y White Christmas 2:55 

 

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The Snakes Of Shake – Southern Cross [7''] (1985, TBC Records)

Snakes of Shake were a Scottish band formed in 1984, whose indie pop sound incorporated cajun and folk influences. They released two albums before splitting up in 1987, with some members subsequently forming Summerhill. 

 
The band was formed in Glasgow by Seori Burnette. The group at the time of the recording of the first album consisted of the following members: Seori (vocals, guitar, harp), Tzen Vermillion (guitar), Sandy Brown (piano, accordion), Robert Renfrew (bass guitar), and Rhod "Lefty" Burnette (drums).

 
Their debut release was the 'Southern Cross' mini-LP in March 1985, the title track also released as a twelve-inch single. Vermillion and Rhod Burnette left to be replaced by Neil Scott (guitar) and Iain Shedden (drums, formerly of punk rock bands Jolt and The Saints), the band now moving to the Making Waves label. Another release of 'Southern Cross' followed in August 1986, the song also appearing on their second album, 'Gracelands and the Natural Wood', released in July 1987. [SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA]

 

 

Label: TBC Records – GOBS 1 

Format: Vinyl, 7", Single, 45 RPM 

Country: UK 

Released: 1985 

Style: Post-Punk 

 

Tracklist:

A Southern Cross 

B You Walk 

 

Other Versions:

1. 12" single on TBC Records on 1985 with catalogue number GOBS 12-1 (UK)

2. 7" single on Making Waves with catalogue number SURF 116 (UK)

3. 7" single on Stiff Records with catalogue number 6.14519, 6.14519 AC, GOBS 1 (Germany)

4. 12" single on Making Waves with catalogue number SURF/T 116, SURFT 116 (UK)

 

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Really 3rds – Everyday, Everyway [7''] (1981, The Really 3rds Record Label)

From Pontypridd in Wales, Really 3rds were a trio comprising guitarist Neil Lawrence, bassist Paul Pember, and a drummer identified only as Philip. After the self-financed release of the single 'Everyday, Everyway', they changed their name to Shake Some Action in 1982 and became a mod revival band, but don't appear to have recorded in their new identity. [SOURCE: DISCOGS]

 

 

Label: The Really 3rds Record Label – EJSP 9610 

Format: Vinyl, 7", 45 RPM 

Country: UK 

Released: 1981 

Style: Power Pop, Indie Rock

 

Tracklist:

A Everyday, Everyway 

B Daptapper 

 

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Picture Book – Laughing In My Hand / Reflex Action [7''] (1984, Crystal Records)

Picture Book were a synth-pop band from Portsmouth (UK). They released only this 7", 'Laughing In My Hand / Reflex Action' in 1984 on Crystal Records, engineered and produced by Steve Hoff at The Crystal Studios, Portsmouth. They also contributed on the 1986 'Against The Tide' Bite Back! compilation cassette with the song "Scarlett Everywhere" as well as in the 'Subtle Hints' compilation album with the track "Success".

 

 

Label: Crystal Records – Crystal 2 

Format: Vinyl, 7" 

Country: UK 

Released: 1984 

Style: New Wave, Synth-pop, Minimal Synth

 

Tracklist:

A Laughing In My Hand 

AA Reflex Action 

 

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