Thanks to endless problems with Geocities, the reviews are late once again, but I hope they were worth the wait. More Oi! and streetrock releases are described here for your reading pleasure, and as always, email me if anything sounds like something you must get your hands on, so I can point you in the right direction. If you want to send me something in for review, my address is at the bottom of the page. Thanks again to Garth for always making this reviews section better with his high-quality contributions.
Argies- A Media Asta- Vampyr Discos- CD
Totally talented, not a bad or unpassionate song really, but......
a modern day, Spanish, Clash
copy. People like to throw around that Clash comparision, but
I don't do it lightly, and I can tell
you, this is totally The Clash. You'd almost swear that you had
"Give Em Enough Rope" playing.
While this is a great album, what is the point...... Take your
influences, and make your own
sound. A sad thing really, because like I said, they are quality,
and have heart, but what good is it
when you are standing in someone else's shoes. For reference,
Italy's, The Stab, do the same thing......
-Garth
Better Dead Than Red- A Better Land CD- RAC Records
OK... I don't really want to review a lot of RAC on this website. I
love a lot of RAC music, but it's not really something that I want to promote.
However, I did promise that I would review anything sent to me, and this
was sent in, so here goes... (by the way, in spite what you may think,
I don't believe that this band is WP at all)... Musically, this is pretty
straightforward rock, obviously influenced by the likes of "Blood &
Honour"-era Skrewdriver, and later Brutal Attack, with a touch of late
'80s U.S. Oi! along the lines of Forced Reality. I didn't really get into
the music on this CD much at all. The band just isn't tight enough for
what they are trying to pull off, often the vocals and guitars are out
of synch with the rhythm section, which makes these mostly ballad type
of songs kind of hard to listen to. They also just aren't that memorable.
I guess I'd have to reccommend this for those of you who like bands where
the music takes a backseat to the message... I'll pass.
-Simon
Bonecrusher- Singles Collection CD- Outsider
I was inspired to pick this up, mostly based on Garth's positive review
of their "Working For Nothing" release, since I probably would have passed
on these guys otherwise. Anyway, I'm glad he reviewed that disc and aroused
my curiosity---this band smokes. Just good, tough, no nonsense mature street
punk. Excellent songwriting, naturally gruff sounding vocals, perfect playing,
memorable songs, and honest lyrics. I seriously doubt that these guys consider
themselves to be anything more than a punk band, but I must say that this
is very reminiscent of classic British Oi! like early 4-Skins, even Combat
84, though without being even slightly imitative of anyone. They still
give one the feeling of listening to the great Oi! bands of the past for
the first time, by sticking to their own path, much more so than most self
proclaimed American Oi! bands do these days. I can't wait to check out
their other stuff.
-Simon
Dropkick Murphys- Sing Loud, Sing Proud- Hellcat CD
So everyone is going to get this, no matter what they hear, so why
even review it? I'll say my peace anyway: something is wrong here......
It's a bit hard to identify, but I will say that before, with songs like
"Barroom Hero", "Road of the Righteous", "Caps and Bottles","Blood and
Whiskey" etc. the band was able to welcome in everyone, and really accomplish
something that very few Oi! bands have ever done, and that's get big, still
keep their original fans, and still keep the passion. The songs on
this new one are lacking some of that. It's like the whole heritage,
brotherhood, etc. is becoming forced, rather than just a natural side affect
of this, the best of bands. Honestly, I was disappointed in this
album, and it felt insincere. You know you are going to get it anyway,
and form your own
opinion, so why talk further...... By the way, the two standouts
are "The Gauntlet" (one of the best DM tunes ever in my opinion, despite
the fact that the album as a whole wasn't to my liking) and "Good Rats",
featuring Shane MacGowan, which has me thinking........
Shane MacGowan and the Popes-The Snake- ZTT CD
This has been out for a few years I think, but I recently heard it
for the first time. I never was into The Pogues, but this thing has
got me hooked. I'm not educated enough on the style to talk in depth,
but I don't think anyone is going to dislike this material. I've
heard Shane M. fanatics say that along with The Nips and "Rum, Sodomy,
and the Lash", this is his best. It's worth getting for just two
songs alone, "Church of the Holy Spook" and a Sinead O'Connor duet "Haunted"
-Garth
Dropkick Murphys/Business- Mob Mentality split CD- Taang!
Of course I had to get this, but by the time I finished listening to
it, I wished I hadn't. Probably a low point in the career of both bands.
This thing feels so much like a cash in that I felt like a sucker for buying
it. Here are the stats: Both bands collaborate on the title track, which
is played twice. Then each band covers two songs by the other, redoes one
of their own songs, does a punk cover, and then a non-punk cover. Sounds
like it could be fun, but it just wasn't worth it. The best tracks are
the two non-punk songs, which would have made a great split 45: The Dropkicks'
version of "The Kids Are Alright" is outstanding, while The Business' Faces
cover is probably the best song they've recorded since "Do A Runner". If
only the rest of the album was that good...
-Simon
Get Out - Between Friends CDep - Hit
This Dutch Oi! band has an OK sound, but they would be a lot better
without the hardcore influence that crops up a little too often in their
songs. Not that there's anything wrong with oi-core per se, but I just
don't think this band pulls it off as well as it does straight Oi!
Also the vocals are just the standard forced gruff singing style, and the
lyrics are pretty standard as well, so the whole thing comes off sounding
not too far off from your typical US generic Oi! band. They could easily
improve on future efforts though, as evidenced by one killer song here,
"In The Field", in which the hardcore influences are well integrated, and
the vocals really fit. Not quite worth the price for that song alone, but
a good cut nonetheless.
-Simon
Mad Parade- "Re-Issues"- CD- Dr. Strange
So these guys have existed off and on for years, but I unfortunately
didn't take much note until
recently. They did fall into kind of a black hole for Americans
who came into punk in the years that I did, late 80's, because their earlier
material hit just slightly before then, on vinyl, while me and so
many others had just cassettes, so bad timing, and the wrong medium
for me. I still knew about
them back then, but just blew them off for a variety of poorly chosen
notions, even up until recent
times I was doing this. I feel like a fool now, I learned my
lesson when a friend of mine picked up
their "A Thousand Words" LP, I'd make fun of him for it, but then go
on to love it repressed on this
CD, along with their debut LP from 84, and two 86 ep's. Soundwise
they stand fairly unique, mixing
American "hardcore" punk of the times with a British feel (evidently
they took a lot of influence from
overseas friends, Chelsea), like only just a few others (Toxic Reasons,
Youth Brigade, Naked
Raygun, etc.) did. One of their oddest traits is the vocals,
who a friend described best as Dead
Kennedy meets Cock Sparrer meets The Misfits. Actually, I'd even
cite that as a just description for the band as well. What made me
finally came around with these guys is that a friend picked up a still
sealed copy of this, at a used record store, for 4 bucks (no one hardly
likes good music in our city, so who knows how the hell in ended up there).
He had the same past take on the band as me, but
was drawn in by the absolutely killer cover. Both of us had the
same initial reaction, that it was a bit
odd with it's U.S. meets UK feel and unique vocals, it took a few listenings,
but shortly, we were
both hooked, and both of us swear by these guys. I now own my
own copy, which I will play for
anyone who will listen, and any bands I know, I try to urge them to
hook up with these guys. I feel
like a dipshit, saying that this is one of my favorite bands, because
to do such I think you need a
history with a group, and aren't justified in doing saying this when
you spent years ignoring them, and
just came around within a few months or so, but I've got to say, were
I to have been not such an idiot in the 80's and established a history
with them, then this would indeed rank probably in my top ten. Shit, I'm
putting it there anyways, young idiot when I slagged them or not!
Lastly, unlike so many other California bands that were their contemporaries,
these guys didn't have
the moronic, unite, fight, fuck you Ronald Reagan attitude. They
weren't about any kind of "scene",
and appeal to me particularly because the basic decree in their songs
seems to center around men
with values, making it alone in a rough world, full of debauchery.
While I'm not at all religious, would probably call myself atheist, there
is even a Christian reference in one of the songs, "Animal Riot", if that
gives you any indication of the strength of character these guys packed,
and I'm sure still do.
-Garth
The No Talents- 100%- No Co (France) Broken Rekids (USA) CD
A friend of mine played a clip of this band from his computer for me
a few weeks ago, and I was blown away. I always saw this full length,
but the cover photo led me to believe it was some kind of garage style,
nasty rock n'roll so I always passed, but what my buddy played was full
on 77, and I ordered this that very night. While waiting for the
order, another friend informed me that this band had out a few ep's and
then the album. He heard the ep material, loved it, but said he couldn't
vouch for the full. A few days later he bought one at a local shop,
didn't like it, and sold it to me as my order online had seemed to have
never gone through. I should have stuck with my intuition, because
the album was in fact nasty rock n'roll- not my thing! I must have
heard ep cuts coming out of the computer, because this full length is just
plain weak. The songs are recorded like shit (they sound like they
are in a box) and they are all pretty much unlistenable- rather obnoxious
vocals (the band is
French, but sings in English), and music that really goes nowhere.
It seems that like with most bands of this style, that's just the key-
style before quality, and this album is getting itself sold. If I
was to see their early 7 inches compiled, I'd get such a release,
but this one is just lame......
-Garth
The Pride - Life After CD - Hit
The third (?) full length from this Belgian band comes as something
of a return to form after the often bizarre experimentation to be found
on "...and the glory". The release is still marred by a sort of metal production
style and wanky solos, putting it in a league with the Business' mid period
stuff like "Saturday's Heroes". Still, it's closer in style to their first
album, which means lots of singalong Oi! anthems. Another thing I like
about this CD is the lyrics, which get very odd for an Oi! band at times
(though some are more typical, like "Harder and More") and are refreshingly
different. Overall a pretty good album, but unfortunately not something
that I'll listen to all that much thanks to the metallic style.
-Simon
Red Rockers- Condition Red- Lost and Found- CD
A nearly forgotten, late 70's\early 80's, California band (who
technically started out in New Orleans). They don't really have much
to do with streetpunk or Oi!. They take influence mostly from
The Clash, and sound like Mad Parade, or D.O.A. in their early days.
The CD comes with no real info., but I can tell you that in the 80's these
guys went new wave, had a minor hit, and toured with U2. This album
is their first, and well before that time, why it got rereleased confuses
me, as there is little interest in this sound anymore. A pity, because
that was a great period in American punk. And no, they weren't communist.
Leftist lyrics yes- anti-military and so on, but what does one expect from
18 and 19 year old punks, 20 years ago in America.....? Also, the
recording is of course ancient, and not up to current, in your face standards.
A friend of mine has them on vinyl, with worn out grooves, and this CD
has about the same quality. So while nothing was done to clean up
the sound, or offer info. on them with the release, it's still a great
album, and worth putting in anyone's collection who has a taste for this
era, or any of the curious; after all, no new band is ever really going
to capture those days, much less try with the obscurity surrounding the
era.
-Garth
Roots & Boots- Working Class Heroes- Pinn Up- CD
Those unfamiliar with this Malaysian act soon will be..... People
have been raving about this, and it's
been compared to Cock Sparrer and The Business. The vocals
are what most reminds of those
two- much like a mix of Mickey Fitz and Colin, and also in singalong
English. At times the music
itself has a Cock Sparrer feel, but it's also very modern and heavy
on occasion, in league with metal
tinted German Oi! Of the ten tracks, all are anthems, no filler,
joke songs, or crap, each one will
kick your head. I can't even site standouts, because they all
are. Lyrics are spirit of 69, but not
cliched. I really can't go on much more about this; there's really
no discussion, find out for yourself...
-Garth
The Staggers- The Sights, The Sounds, The Fear and the Pain....-
CD- Haunted Town
Having gotten a glowing preamble from a couple of bands who had played
with this ex Riot squad group, I was eagerly awaiting the release of this
full length. For some reason, I couldn't find anyone who was getting
it in stock fast enough, so I jumped in the car, and drove an hour to visit
a band who had played with them. This band also owned a little shop,
had played with The Staggers just two or three nights prior, and I had
hoped that they would have picked up a few copies of this album for the
shop. I was in luck, they had gotten 7, I believe, and were down
to 2 in only about 48 hours. I had never really listened to Riot
Squad (having been intrigued by the cover on "Scary Picture Show" but never
getting anything by them.) and my only thing to go on was The Staggers
contribution to Scene
Killer 2, which was short, and didn't give me a lot to work with.
Popping this in, I was surprised at just how refreshing their sound was;
imagine a steady, streetpunk group, with vocals like Jerry Lee Lewis or
Roy Orbison, and songs that not only cover the usual, working man's topics,
but also have a lot of horror and B movie sensibility. A few
of the songs are a bit too country feeling for my taste, and the drumming
is a bit faster than I usually like it, but overall, I'd cite it as one
of the best and most original releases recently. There are a number
of standout tracks, most notably is one called "Last
Man on Earth". I don't know what the song is about entirely,
but it conjures images not only of sci fi, like Planet of the Apes, or
the Burgess Meredith Twilight Zone where he plays a dorky banker, who falls
asleep in the vault, only to awaken to post nuclear devastation, but also
I get some political feel from it; as if the band were writing about the
collapse of values.......? That's another point to bring up, when
these guys sing about life and politics, they are dead on. I picked
up their Riot Squad album recently, and it comes through even stronger
there. They seem really honest and traditional, not liking the decay
of the nation, and the rape of working people. As further testament
to this, Matt
Walz of Leprock, formerly Walzwerk, said that this never leaves the
CD player.
-Garth
Templars - Biaus Seignors Freres CD - TKO
I suppose most of you must already have this, but if not, you might
as well pick it up, because like all Templars material it's quality stuff.
The first few songs are collaborations with others--Riton from WSB, Ivan
from Asocial, and a member of Yesterday's Heroes (I wonder what happened
to that band...?) Of these songs, I think the only one to be previously
released was the Nabat cover with Ivan/Asocial on vocals. All of the above
mentioned songs are good, but the real reason I got this was to get ahold
of the tracks that were orginally released on the "Oi! This Is Dynamite"
comp, which I haven't been able to find. These tracks rank with the Templars'
best, particularly "Unemployed Again" and "The Only Way Out". So an essential
purchase for Templars fans, but if you haven't heard them yet (what are
you waiting for?!), look for "Jaques De Molay" or "Phase 2" first.
-Simon
Templars - Milites Templi 7" - TKO
Two new ones from the most consistent band out there. "Violence" is
a fast one that recalls past hits like "Computerized Work Force" or "Concrete
Grave", not their best song, but still good stuff. I prefer "Carry On",
one of their best tracks ever, both musically and lyrically. Another quality
addition to this bands's massive discography.
-Simon
V/A - American Fight Club- Outsider- CD
I really like this 4 way split idea. People are throwing some
fits about who started this idea on CD,
and who ripped off who, but I couldn't care less, I love these things.
First up are 6 tracks from The
Authority!, that see them continuing on the path to excellence they
went down with "On Glory's Side" (see past reviews for that one).
The real standout here, and the finest moment on this disc, is "Just Fine",
an over three minute bit that breaks some new ground in street music.
I don't know a damn thing about musical terminology to peg it properly,
but the best way that I can put it is that this cut takes the band's standup,
full of pride brand of streetrock, gives it a Black Sabbath tint, and puts
it to a flow very similar to The Pretenders. It might sound insane,
but check it out for yourself, see if you don't agree, and don't end up
hooked on it! Next up are Callaghan, from Chicago, who sounded like
early Social Distortion (take note, early 80's "hardcore" will make a comeback,
it's already
started with represses of bands both obscure and famous- D.O.A., M.I.A.,
Red Rockers, Naked
Raygun, Mad Parade, etc.). I was never a big fan of that style,
so I wasn't too much into Callaghan,
but they do offer something fresh, and 8 tracks of it, ranging from
fair to good. Hudson Falcons then
come in with an 8 song session from a Cambridge, MA radio station.
There are a couple new ones,
a Chuck Berry cover, and some old favorites, like "Free Lori" and "Revolution".
So, if you haven't
had a chance to check them out live (you should, they've hit most states
now, and more than once at
that) you can do so here, but sadly missing the effect of everyone
and their grandma singing along, as
well as Mark Linskey giving the good word between songs. To close
are 6 from CA group, The
Trends, who sound almost identical to The Bodies. I still haven't
decided about this style yet, that
obnoxious Randumbs thing, but if you like it, there you go.
-Garth
V/A - Oi! The Resurrection CD - Harry May
The first release on Link Records has been reissued by Harry May, so
for once they put out something worth getting... Starting out with The
4-Skins' "Yesterday's Heroes", a harder version, with Hodges on vocals.
Other interesting tracks include Skin Deep (the one that later went on
to be a ska band, not the one that recorded the "Football Violence" 7")
with "Self Respect", a surprisingly sloppy sounding Oi! song, with real
thick-sounding vocals. Still an OK song. Renegade bring "Revenge",
a really good song, better their track on "Sound of Oi". (Major) Accident
do "Crazy", a song which they re-did (and actually improved 100%) on their
"Ultimate High" CD. The Strike and Intensive Care also have good tracks.
Other bands on the CD are Vicious Rumours, Menace, Condemned 84, the Business,
Rejects, Section 5, Magnificent and Last Resort, with mostly familiar tracks.
I like link comps because I remember when the only way to hear a lot of
these bands/tracks in Canada (outside of the UK in general I imagine) was
through these comps.... Times have certainly changed, with just about all
of these bands now having their own retrospective CDs that anyone can easily
get.
-Simon
My Address:
Simon Beneteau
247 Esdras Place
Windsor, Ontario
N8S 2M4/Canada