Something I Learned Today

I’ve been beating myself up trying to decide whether to post the first Joy Division 7″ or the band’s oft-booted “lost” LP from 1978. Easy solution - why not both? The whole Joy Division story can be found here. My first exposure to the early Joy Division sound came in college. I had only been familiar with the band’s “Love Will Tear Us Apart” and the follow up work by New Order. A friend in my dorm had the 12″ version of Joy Division’s An Ideal For Living, and I was blown away upon my first listen. Despite claiming to “hate” the record, he refused to part with it. Fucker. After graduation I never saw the record again, left with a beat up tape copy until another friend made me a CD-R of not only the single but the band’s shelved 1978 album Warsaw. The story as I know it is that the band recorded the album in May of 1978, but rejected it after hearing the final mix. I love this early Joy Division sound, so raw and aggro and unrefined when compared to the band’s proper albums.

recorded in December, 1977 while still known as Warsaw. Officially released in 1978
Joy Division - Warsaw.mp3
Joy Division - No Love Lost.mp3
Joy Division - Leaders of Men.mp3
Joy Division - Failures.mp3

recorded in May 1978 but rejected by band. Booted many times over (whole thing here)
Joy Division - They Walked in Line.mp3
Joy Division - Transmission.mp3
Joy Division - Living in the Ice Age.mp3
Joy Division - Shadowplay.mp3

notes:
Scans from the excellent Joy Division Central
An old post of Joy Division covers
The first 7 inch tracks have been included on the Joy Division compilation Substance

Minneapolis’ Arcwelder made some beautiful noise in the 90’s, releasing 6 albums all told. Fuzzed out guitar, alternating vocals, strong hooks, noisy pop melodies - Arcwelder always reminded of a latter day Husker Du. While still technically an active band, the trio of Scott Macdonald and brothers Bill and Rob Graber haven’t released an album in 7 years. Presented for your listening pleasure are Arcwelder’s two 7″ released on Touch & Go. While not their best work (check the bands sonic masterpiece Pull or the nearly as great follow up Xerxes), these records hold their own. The Raleigh 7″ comes from demos recorded prior to Pull in 1992. A more refined version of “Raleigh” made it onto Pull, “Walls” and “Rosa” appear only here. The Captain Allen 7″ appeared in 1995 as a stop-gap until Entropy could be released. The gem here is an on the mark cover of the Volcano Suns “White Elephant”. I’d love to hear something more from the band, but I’m not holding my breath.

from 1992’s Raleigh 7″
Arcwelder - Raleigh.mp3
Arcwelder - Walls.mp3
Arcwelder - Rosa.mp3

from 1995’s Captain Allen 7″
Arcwelder - Captain Allen.mp3
Arcwelder - White Elephant.mp3

Not as if anyone would have noticed, but those first two sentences are recycled from an earlier Arcwelder post. I’m just phonin’ this shit in now.

Last week I posted on the Shit Dogs, and you, dear readers, underwhelmingly responded with exactly one comment. Well, fuck you I’m going back to the well with some more Louisiana punk rock. This time we have The Skinnies from New Orleans. Their Kill The Beat 7″ was released on ‘Lectric Eye back in 1978, and has been given the the whole Killed/Hyped/Death treatment. CollectorScum calls it “Classic loser punk”. Do you need anything else? Really, both of these tracks are excellent and deserve a listen. Anyone wanting to share info on the band is welcome to comment

Skinnies - I’m a Dullard.mp3
Skinnies - Out of Control.mp3

Satisfying a waaay old request, here’s New Jerseys’ Got It? Released on Buy Our Records in 1985, the compilation is nothing but Garden State bands. I’ve been sitting on this one for a good, long while, because honestly it’s mostly disposable. Most of the tracks here play like mediocre, second-tier material. The highlights are a deranged Cows like track from Cynamid, a fuzzed out stomper from Pleased Youth, weird, theatrical noise from Children in Adult Jails, and hyperactive thrash from Adrenalin OD. The highlights are listed below: (whole LP can be found here)

Bedlam - Mongoofy.mp3
Bodies in Panic - Wendy O.mp3
Cynamid - Support.mp3
Pleased Youth - Obedience School.mp3
Children in Adult Jails - Fishing for Compliments.mp3
Stetz - Kids Habits.mp3
My 3 Sons - People Who Bleed.mp3
Sacred Denial - What Religion.mp3
Adrenalin OD - Infiltrate The State.mp3

notes:
>Strange Reaction has the My 3 Sons 7″ available. Check it out
>Many of the bands here were also featured on the Big City - One Big Crowd comp LP. Vinyl Mine gives you the nickel tour.

Although the writing doesn’t demonstrate it, I often spend several weeks ruminating over posts, playing tracks, and doing research before sitting down to write a post. One of the major frustrations I encounter is having to toss a post when it’s discovered that another blog has beaten you to the punch. With all of the punk related blogs out there now it’s happening more and more often. Even though it’s not an mp3 blog, Agony Shorthand always seems to be one step ahead of me. Hinman usually hits the nail on the head with spot on reviews and great writing style, often leaving me standing with my cock in my hand. Well, fuck it. For the umpteenth time I’ve been trumped, this time when it comes to the Shit Dogs World War III compilation on Italian label Rave Up. Most of you are aware of the Shit Dogs as a result of their inclusion on the Killed By Death series. Rave Up has compiled the Baton Rouge, Louisiana band’s 1980 History of Cheese EP, 1981’s You Bet 7″, and the Dog Style LP all on release. 22 tracks of lo-fi goof rock that gets compared to the Ramones or The Eat. I think you can still get this one, along with other choice reissues of Louisian greats The Skinnies and Toxin III. Some samples

originally from 1980’s The History of Cheese 7″
Shit Dogs - Reborn.mp3
Shit Dogs - Killer Cain.mp3
Shit Dogs - Raw Meat.mp3

originally from 1981’s You Bet 7″
Shit Dogs - Calling Dr. Modo.mp3
Shit Dogs - Can Opener.mp3

originally from 1983’s Dog Style LP
Shit Dogs - Rats in the Tunnels.mp3

By Request - 2 more from the Shit Dogs (You Bet 7″)
Shit Dogs - Under Slithery Moons.mp3
Shit Dogs - Flippin’ Burgers.mp3

Life Sentence. Shit, I damn near wore out the grooves on their first LP, playing it what seemed to be every day in 1988. I didn’t know much about the band at the time, other than that high profile bands such as DRI and Corrosion of Conformity sported their t-shirts in photos. That, and they were pretty smoking live when I finally got the chance to see them. Apparently there was a whole world of drama surrounding the band that I never knew until many years later. If you’re interested in tales of drug addiction, legal matters, and band animosity then head over to the Punk Vault and read the comments. As for the music, Life Sentence’s 1987 debut LP was pretty killer - breakneck speed, chunky guitar, and all sorts of breakdowns that my brother and I used to slam to in our basement. Ahhh, good times. the second “Life Sentence” LP No Experience Necessary was released in 1989. It was OK but seemed to lack gutfire. A disappointment for me, both then and now. The first album still remains a fun listen though (hot metal licks aside). Hopefully someone will give this a reissue, along with what I’ve been told is a great pre-album demo. My favorites:

from 1987 s/t LP
Life Sentence - Problems.mp3
Life Sentence - Punks for Profit.mp3
Life Sentence - In The Streets.mp3
Life Sentence - Figure It Out.mp3

from 1989’s No Experience Necessary
Life Sentence - Win, Lose, Or Sue.mp3
Life Sentence - No Experience Necessary.mp3

I doubt anyone will question the inclusion of La Peste’s “Better Off Dead” in the upper echelon of amazing American punk tracks of the ’70’s. The b-side “Black” is mostly forgetable, but the a-side, oh man, what a great fucking song. On the strength of that one track I picked up the band’s 1996’s collection on Matador, which contains the band’s lone single, latter day recordings, and live tracks from 1979. Everything I had read about La Peste praised their fierce live shows, and most of the live tracks here are indeed pretty hot ( and I’m not one to heap praise on live recordings). Some of the studio tracks are limp (”Let Me Sleep”, uggh), but all in all this a mostly solid collection for those with a taste for pop-edged 70’s punk. Sure, nothing tops “Better Off Dead”, but there are a couple of tracks that almost approach that zenith. I’m pretty sure this is now OOP, but shouldn’t be that hard to track down. A couple of my favorites

from the 1978 single
La Peste - Better Off Dead.mp3

live in 1979
La Peste - I Don’t Wanna Die In My Sleep.mp3
La Peste - Kindness Invites Abuse.mp3
La Peste - Acid Test.mp3
La Peste - Spymaster.mp3

Notes:
> Agony Shorthand’s take on the disc
> La Peste pages at Boston Rock Storybook and New England Music Scrapbook

I thought it was just yesterday that I posted some tracks from bands associated with Rip Off Records, but it really has been awhile since I covered anything from them. So why not take a listen to The Metros, who are responsible for some of my favorite records on Rip Off. A 5-piece from Detroit, the Metros released two singles and an album between 1998 and 2000 before vaporizing. I’ve read descriptions of the band’s sound as “pure Gun Club fueled punk”, which suggest to me the reviwer either didn’t listen to the record or doesn’t have a clue about the Gun Club. Whatever. The Metros dish out two minute chunks of gritty garage punk with hooks, and dig it. I think all of their material is still available, check them out if you haven’t already. Here’s a taste:

from their first 7″
The Metros - Hot-Wired.mp3

from their 1999 self-titled LP
The Metros - Black Leather.mp3
The Metros - Lay It On Me.mp3

from their second 7″
The Metros - I Gotta Go.mp3

Is a post on LA’s X too pedestrian for the refined and esoteric tastes of the mp3 blogosphere? Fuck if I care. Los Angeles and Wild Gift are both staples in regular rotation at the homestead. I was hooked on the band the minute I heard their shit hot tracks from Decline of Western Civilization. Pure punk rock bliss - I was hypnotized by Billy Zoom and that odd, plastic smile. Anyhow, these early tracks are X at their best. The Adult Books/We’re Desperate 7″ was released on Dangerhouse in 1978. Both songs were later included on Wild Gift, but these are the definitive versions. The cover art is an absolute killer to boot. “Los Angeles” is from the one-sided Dangerhouse compilation Yes LA. All of these tracks are readily available in some form or another (Dangerhouse Volume 1, Dangerhouse Volume 2, Beyond and Back), but not all on the same release the last time I checked. For your convenience:

from their 1978 debut 7″
X - Adult Books.mp3
X - We’re Desperate.mp3

from 1979’s Yes LA compilation
X- Los Angeles.mp3

Notes:
> Is there a better source of amazing band and record info than Break My Face? No, their really isn’t. This page has all the info on Dangerhouse Records you’ve ever wanted to know.
> Nothing in common besides the name, an earlier post on Australia’s X