V.A. White Dopes on Punk: 50 Punk & New Wave Rarities [2005]

The world needs a '77-era punk version of Nuggets series, one that focuses on the lesser-knowns of the era rather than the same old names ad nauseum. However, rather then break new (old) ground by doing their own version of Killed By Death, re-issue mavens like Rhino Records make do with re-capitulations of the obvious like No Thanks.





Castle Music's 2005 collection White Dopes on Punk limits the obvious choices (Sham 69, Damned, Adverts, UK Subs, Eater, Slaughter & the Dogs do make it on) but mostly features more obscure bands. To be fair,  it's a bit of a mess. In the 51 [!] tracks herein you get KBD bands like Cyanide, Genocide, Powerpearls bands bands like the Distractions, Tin Openers and The Out, more Messthetics entries like John Cooper Clarke, Gyro not mention a few entries that are more so tangentially related to punk rock (Deaf School, The Fabulous Poodles, Dead Fingers) plus quite a few punxsploitation 'bands' like Jilted John, The Water Pistols and The Punkettes. All in all, it's a pretty glorious mess.

CD1:
01. The Damned - New Rose
02. The Adverts - One Chord Wonders (Live)
03. Sham 69 - (There's Gonna Be A) Borstal Breakout
04. Sister Ray - Suicide
05. John Cooper Clarke - Innocents
06. Eddie Mooney & The Grave - I Bought Three Eggs
07. The Distractions - It Doesn't Bother Me
08. Tin Openers - Set Me Free
09. The Out - Who Is Innocent?
10. Cyanide - I'm a Boy
11. Toy Dolls - Tommy Kowey's Car
12. Gyro - Central Detention Centre
13. Genocide - Renegade
14. Speed - She's All There
15. V2 - Man in a Box
16. Victim - Why Are Fire Engines Red?
17. I.Q. Zero - She's So Rare
18. Frantic Elevators - Voice in the Dark
19. Deaf School - All Queued Up
20. Dead Fingers Talk - Can't Think Straight
21. Slaughter & The Dogs - Cranked Up Really High
22. The Freshies - Yesterday / Tomorrow
23. Chelsea - Right to Work
24. The Teardrops - Seeing Double
25. Alberto y Los Trios Paranoias - Anarchy in the UK





CD2:
01. The Nosebleeds - Ain't Bin to No Music School
02. The Water Pistols - Gimme That Punk Junk
03. The Punkettes - Goin' Out Wiv a Punk
04. Eater - 15 (Live)
05. Cyanide - Do It
06. Steroid Kiddies - Seaside Teaser
07. Horrorcomic - I'm All Hung Up on Pierrepoint
08. Frantic Elevators - Hunchback of Notre Dame
09. U.K. Subs - I Live in a Car (Live)
10. Norman & The Hooligans - I'm a Punk
11. Matt Black & The Doodlebugs - Punky Xmas
12. Jilted John - Jilted John
13. Ed Banger - Kinnel Tommy
14. Pathetix - Love in Decay
15. Private Sector - Just Wanna Stay Free
16. Public Zone - Naive
17. The Fabulous Poodles - Convent Girls
18. Toy Dolls - She Goes to Finos
19. Lucy - Really Got Me Goin'
20. The Teardrops - Colours
21. Chris Sievey - Baiser
22. Direct Hits - Back to the Sixties
23. Public Skool - Walking the Rat
24. The Damned - Help
25. Ritchie Hale & the Stormers - Punkski
26. Alberto y Los Trios Paranoias - Fuck You

 
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Amazing Billy Idol Fan Art Uncovered!

I love scouring through stacks of vinyl records from a collection about to be dispersed. This is not because I'm an absolute die-hard vinyl junkie, I just enjoy music-related surprises. So, yesterday morning when I volunteered to help do some what-chaff separation on a friend's vinyl collection, I had expectations of serendipity. The fact that much of the collection was bought from thrift shops in the 90's, the low-point of record collecting, only heightened my expectations. So, while rifling through the mish-mash of trash 'n treasure, I couldn't resist pulling out that old used bin stand-by, Rebel Yell by Billy Idol. Sure, I'm more of a fan of Idol's seventies punk band, Generation X but I do have a soft spot for this LP. Then, lo and behold, as I pulled out the vinyl, something extra slipped out.

Whoa! It was a finely-shaded pencil portrait of Mr. Idol signed by one Debra Posthumus back in 1987 [!] Sitting there, staring at this picture, which the owner of the collection had never seen, was like a little window on a time when music fandom could inspire such fastidious effort. So Debra, wherever you are, I salute your love and dedication to Mr. Idol and for leaving if for me to uncover twenty-six years later.

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V.A. The Clash Tribute: The Never Ending Story (1991)

Well we've been talking about the The Price (see HERE) and their label Released Emotions Records (see HERE) and Clash-loving in general, so while were in the thick of things, here's that label's tribute to The Clash which includes The Price's folk-punk take on "English Civil War".





The covers are pretty eclectic (read: some stinkers) and my favourites are the ones with some bloody oomph (The Price, Red Letter Day, PKRK etc.)

1    Crass - Intro        
2    The Indestructible Beat - Capital Radio        
3    Bleach - Complete Control        
4    Kage Engineering - Charlie Don't Surf        
5    Pop Am Good - London's Burning        
6    Attila the Stockbroker - Washington Bullets        
7    Terry Edwards - Version City        
8    Anhrefn & One Style MDV - Bankrobber        
9     Levellers 5 - Hateful        
10   The Price - English Civil War        
11   Walls Have Ears - Spanish Bombs        
12   Mass - London Calling        
13   The Moonflowers - Armagideon Time        
14   Bad News - Police and Thieves        
15   Red Letter Day - Straight to Hell        
16   The Blaggers ITA - Guns of Brixton        
17   PKRK - Somebody Got Murdered        
18   Les Cadavres - Stay Free        
19   Serious Drinking - London's Burning (Reprise)

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A Clash/Pistols/Damned tribute album which overlaps a bit with this is available HERE!

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Covering Dylan's "Long Ago, Far Away"

Other than a couple of home-made YouTube and Soundcloud versions, there seem to be no recorded cover versions of Dylan's heavy-handed (heavy-fingered?) and somewhat obscure (official release came on the Bootleg Series Vol. 9) 1962 protest song, "Long Ago, Far Away".

Update: Odetta did do a version not available on-line on her "Odetta Sings Dylan" album!

However, after reacquiring A Thousand Words by mega-underappreciated eighties SoCal punk band, Mad Parade (more to come), I discovered that they'd interpolated the first verse from "Long Ago, Far Away" into the album's stand-out tune, "Animal Riot". While I recommend taking in all the nice little arrangement tricks the band pulls out over the course of the song, if you need to get right to Bobby D.'s part, it starts at 2:39, after the break-it-down part and the guitar solo, but before the ultra-brief Robert plant tribute.





Mad Parade on iTunes


Dr. Strange Records


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Joe Strummer: Rock Art & Style.

 [Chris Shary]

It's not east memorializing the immediacy of rock n' roll in pen, ink or paint but fortunately artists aren't dissuaded by challenges.

Yesterday, the famous Strummer memorial in NYC was blasted off. I can't deny my first reaction to that image was not a warm one, however, seeing how it moves so many of my fellow Strummer-ites has raised my esteem of the image greatly.

[Bobby Williams]

Interestingly, the day the mural went Straight To Hell (though it is soon to return), punk artist and portraitist Chris Shary (more HERE) decided to do one of his quick Sharpie portraits of Strummer. It's a strong image that goes for immediacy without much worrying too much about the fidly bits

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