Crumbsuckers - Life Of Demos 1983-1985

These are the early Crumbsuckers demos with David Brady on vocals. They were posted about a year ago on the band's facebook page, from David Brady's personal stash of recordings from when he was in the band, These recordings, and a couple others, have been circulating the web for a while now, but i was never happy with the quality on any of the links i've come across. Some were loaded with tape hiss and recorded at an incredibly low volume, while others were so cleaned that the sound was completely washed out. So i decided to clean the tracks myself, as i tend to listen to this stuff a lot and wanted it in decent quality. Hope you like it.

Life Of Demos

The Crumbsucker Cave demo was recorded in June of 1983 at Nino Studios in Baldwin, NY. At the time of these recordings, the band had a 15 song set (roughly), including a cover of Black Sabbath's "Sweet Leaf", Chubby Checker's "The Twist" (included on the demo), and the them to Inspector Gadget. A great mix of these songs and early versions of Life of Dreams songs can be heard on the New York Ave. 1984 Rehearsals (check out the Old, Fast & Loud blog for that). Like most high school hardcore bands, the music was pretty basic and the lyrics were kinda juvenile. The evolution of the Crumbsuckers is amazing considering that they had written some of the material for Life of Dreams less than a year later. Listening to the Cave demo you'd never think it was the Crumbsuckers, but it's worth checking out. A long-lost piece of hardcore history for sure.

1983 lineup:
Dave Brady - vocals
Dave Wynn - guitar
Gary Meskil - bass
Kevin Carroll - drums

In early 1984 Chuck Lenihan is brought in on second guitar and Dan Richardson takes over on drums. By the summer on 1985 all the band's old material is scrapped and the band records their incredible second demo. "Working the Magic" is recorded at CBGB on a 16 track. The progression from the first demo to the second is like night and day, and now the band have a super tight, metallic and very unique crossover sound. After listening to this demo about a dozen times during the past few weeks, i have a great appreciation for it. At this point i may actually prefer Dave's vocals over Notaro's. Probably just because this is new to me, so the difference in vocals sounds fresh. Dave's vocals are more of a raspy yelling, as opposed to Chris Notaro's growly, almost death metal approach (much different than his vocals on the first Krakdown demo). I'll say Working the Magic is up there with the best of the NYHC classic demos of the mid-'80s. Glad it's finally out there, and hopefully one day this stuff gets a proper release.

1985 lineup:
Dave Brady - vocals
Dave Wynn - guitar
Chuck Lenihan - guitar
Gary Meskil - bass
Dan Richardson - drums

I don't have any info on the last batch of tracks in this collection. Pretty sure they're rehearsals from sometime in 1984. Much different sounding than the New York Ave. Rehearsals. Probably some of the earliest versions you'll hear of some Life of Dreams songs. There's also a great version of an early unreleased song called The Solution. I'm guessing this is one of the last songs they cut before moving entirely in their new direction.

A few weeks after the recording of the CBGB demo, Dave splits, Chris joins, the band signs to Combat, and the rest is history.

Unfortunately i never got to see the Crumbsuckers in their prime, but i did get to see them when they played a reunuin show at BB King's in NYC on August 3rd, 2006. The show was in celebration of the 20th anniversary of Life of Dreams. I'm not much for reunion shows (although i've been to my share), but this show was amazing. The entire 1985 lineup played (plus Tom Klimchuck from Pro-Pain), and even David Brady and Dave Wynn came out for a few songs. Some of the band members even had their young children on stage, it was just a really fun show. They played LOD in its entirety and it was flawless. Seriously. If you closed your eyes you'd swear they were playing the album over the PA system. Easily the best reunion show i've ever seen, and just one of the best hardcore shows in general.

Excellent Crumbsuckers website here.

Also, i think Beast on My Back kills. Underrated ripper.

Funeral Oration - The Demos 1983-1984 revised

I first heard songs from the early Funeral Oration demos on WFMU back in the late '80s. These demos went straight to the top of my want list, and within a few years I was lucky enough to score original copies of both demos from a collector who was selling off his demo collection. I quickly made copies as not to put any wear on the original tapes, and they became a huge part of my soundtrack through the early '90s. The 1983 demo is in my top 5 hardcore demos of all time. In the mid '90s, when i had the technology, i ripped both demos to CDR (i remember back then CDRs were like 5 bucks a pop), and when i started this blog in 2009 i ripped the CDR to mp3s as part of a Funeral Oration anthology i posted that year. I've always wanted to upgrade the demos, and figured it was about time. So here they are in much better quality. These crucial recordings, aside from a couple of songs, were left off the incredibly incomplete Funeral Oration 2xCD released on Hopeless Records in 1999. I'm pretty sure all the records and sessions on that collection were incomplete actually, and if they hadn't filled the second disc with live shows (from the late '90s no less), i think they could have put together a nice discography. Oh well, that's the decision of the band (and whoever else was involved). Hopefully at some point the band decides to release a proper discography, and hopefully even include the demos in their entirety. For now, here's the upgraded demos collection. Re-transferred, re-cut, cleaned up and ripped at 320 from the original first generation cassettes. 100% mandatory listening. Enjoy!

Funeral Oration Demos

There's Nothing Left To Laugh About - 1983 demo
The inside demo cover, reads "Recorded on a gray afternoon somewhere in September '83. It was our seventh practice." The demo cover was printed on pink card stock. A fold-out lyric sheet was included, printed on front and back. According to the lyric sheet, the song Sinking Down was written in 1981 by Peter Zirschky's former band, Last Warning. The demo title "There Is Nothing Left To Laugh About" is printed nowhere other than the top of the lyric sheet. These are by far my favorite Funeral Oration recordings. This is raw, fast, yet extremely catchy basement thrash punk. Most of these songs were re-recorded for the second demo, The Godsend, but for me these are the definitive versions. Amazing from start to finish. If you've heard Funeral Oration before, and it's not your thing, keep in mind this demo sounds absolutely nothing like anything the band recorded since. This is the band at it's most aggressive and most raw. The most drastic difference between this and that came later are the vocals. While still being slightly melodic, the vocals here are angry. With growls at times that are closer to early death metal than the super melodic, almost DK like vibe that the band became known for. This tape has always reminded me a bit of Husker Du's Land Speed Records album, and that's pretty much the only point of reference i can think of for a description. The tape only slows down to catch it's breath during one minute for the song Walls on side one (kinda the way Land Speed only slows down for Data Control). Anyway i'll stop now. I can ramble on about this demo forever, i've probably played it a hundred times and i'll never get sick of it. A classic, and a ripper from start to finish.

For the record, i'll take this over Land Speed any day.

1983 lineup
Zirschky - vocals
David - guitar
William - bass
Ferry - drums

Funeral Oration II: The Godsend - 1984 demo
Inner flap of demo cover reads "Recorded on a wet day in young '84, soaked through we were. Cover printed on light blue card stock. Apparently the cassette also came in brown bag with a decal and included a 2-sided insert, a folded poster, and a sticker. Unfortunately my copy didn't come with the bag, decal or sticker. The majority of the tracks were written in 1983, aside from Send From Heaven and For Miles (my 2 favorite tracks on the demo), which were written in '84. Also included is a re-recording of the Last Warning song from '81, Sinking Down. In fact, of the 16 songs included here (not including the intro and outro), only 7 were not re-recorded tracks from the previous demo. These versions are much different though, and was pretty much the foundation for the bands sound that followed on the Shadowland ep in 1984 and the Communion LP in 1985. They traded in the raw basement thrash for a much more unique sound, with echoey guitars and much more melodic vocals. The energy of the music is still in full force here, but there are poppier, and also darker elements. When the band are at their best it sounds like some bizarre hybrid of fast-paced hardcore punk and The Cure. The song For Miles is a good example. An unofficial 12" vinyl release of The Godsend came out in 2008 on Neder Again Records. It included a lyric sheet. In 2011, Gummopunx Records in collaboration with Pain Of Mind Records reissued the demo as an LP. This one came with a printed insert with liner notes and lyrics, and completely new artwork. Intro and Outro not included. 500 copies pressed.

1984 lineup
Zirschky - vocals / guitar
William - bass
Ferry - drums

For my previous Funeral Oration post, which includes 2 of the band's first vinyl releases, go here.

Funeral Oration formed in 1983 in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. They released a nice sized discography, including a split cassette with Gepøpel in 1985, which included tracks from both demos, as well as rehearsal and live recordings.

Krieg Kopf - 1985-1987

I got a cassette copy of the Krieg Kopf demo back in the the late '80s during the old tape trading days. I always considered this an underrated ripper. At their best they seemed to fuse the early, more straight forward NYHC sounds of bands like Antidote and Cause For Alarm with the more rockin' sounds of NY punk bands like Kraut and Reagan Youth. Krief Kopf formed in 1984, and were a very short lived band, with not much recorded output. I wish they would have stuck it out a bit longer. They kicked ass, plain and simple. Enjoy!

Krieg Kopf

Jason Deranged - vocals
Mark O - guitar
Hasty - bass
Rockin' Rob - drums
on demo it says "drum tracks by Steve Pain"

The demo was recorded in 1986 at Granit Records in Babylon, LI. Great production on this tape, and great songs as well. The opening track, State Aid, was always a fave of mine. The last track, Immortal, stands out as it sounds completely different that the rest of the demo. It has a much darker feel, and an obvious So-Cal punk influence. It wouldn't sound out of place on one of the Hell Comes To Your House comps.

Warhead appeared on the One Big City compilation LP on Big City Records in 1985. It's a pretty by-the-numbers hardcore song, but i love shit like this. The One Big Crowd LP is a classic East Coast comp. Side A featuring all NY bands, and side B featuring all NJ/Connecticut bands. The comp came with a 26 page booklet full of lyrics and info. My fave bands on here being Bedlam, Chronic Disorder, Ultra Violence and the only known recording by Shock (song is a monster). I held on to my copy after all these years.

The WFMU set is the real treat here. A whopping 16 song set recorded on 10/29/87 on Pat Duncan's radio show. I wish i had a better quality rip of this, but it's worth hearing for sure. Aside from the demo tracks, they play the majority of the songs that were supposed to be put out as a full length LP for 109 Records (which was recorded but never released). Seems like they were going for more TSOL or Adolescents territory on some of these newer tracks, not unlike the last track on the demo. Maybe it's just me, but i also hear a huge Artificial Peace vibe in a lot of these songs, in both the songwriting and just the overall sound. Fine by me. Whatever the case, it's killer stuff, and hopefully the LP sees the light of day at some point. There was talk a few years back on the band's web page of the long lost album finally being released. Apparently it was recorded some time between 1986-1988. It's been a while though, so that may have fallen apart unfortunately. We'll see.

The last 2 tracks here are from a benefit compilation cassette put out by Guillotine Magazine back in '85 called United Scene. Lots of excellent (and some pretty obscure) bands each contributing a couple of tracks each, all recorded live at CBGB. Antichrist Newsboys, Leeway, Token Entry, Skinhead Youth (pre-Warzone), Good Humor, Nevermore, Mental Abuse, Disorderly Conduct, Krieg Kopf, Murphy's Law and Ultraviolence.

The band went through a few singers (including Perry from Clenched Fist) before finally calling it a day at the end of the '80s. They played a reunion show at A7 on 12/06/08.

R.I.P. Hasty

If anyone has any info on the unreleased LP, or any band pics, stories, demos/live recordings etc. Please leave a comment or get in touch.

Huasipungo - 1991-1998

I really miss those old ABC No Rio days. On most Saturdays back in the early '90s, a couple of friends and myself would take the bus fron NJ to NYC and walk to Rivington Street. Most times we didn't even bother to find out who was playing. Five bucks got you a handful of hardcore / punk bands playing in the basement, an amazing record distro on the main floor, and a place to hang out in the courtyard between bands (and sometimes have eggs thrown at you from the surrounding apartments). It was basically a place to hang out all day, and back then Saturday couldn't come quick enough. For the most part the shows were always great. A solid mix of the local "ABC bands" and the out of towners. I got to see some amazing shows back then, including Jawbreaker, Assuck, Born Against, Chisel, Rorschach, GO!, Merel, Crudos etc. And one of the bands i was lucky enough to see was Huasipungo. Their shows were serious and funny at the same time, and they had so much energy. They were just really into what they were doing. A great live band.

Huasipungo is a political, Latino hardcore band that started in NYC in 1991. During the '90s i think they were kinda overshadowed by the more popluar Los Crudos (also Latino and extremely political), but to me they were every bit as good. I prefer Huasipungo actually, and think more people should be exposed to them. So for this post i've included pretty much everything the band has ever recorded, including the rare first demo, live WFMU set, and earliest comp tracks. Enjoy!

Huasipungo - Demos and Live

The demo was recorded at Giant Studios in 1991. Raw recordings of songs that would later be re-recorded for their first 7" and various compilations. The live set was recorded at the WFMU Studios for Pat Duncan's radio show on 11/21/1996. Thanks Arty!

Huasipungo Discography 1991-1998

The first 4 tracks were recorded at Don Fury Studios in 1991. The first song, Estúpida Ambición (Stupid Ambition), a re-recording of a demo track, was on the In the Spirit of Total Resistance 2x7" compilation released by Profane Existence in 1991. The comp was a benefit for the Mohawk Nation of Kanesatake and came with a 64-page booklet. Other bands on the comp included Jonestown, Los Crudos, Man is the Bastard, Pollution Circus, One By One and Dogfight. Stupid Ambition also appeard on the long lost Fuck Rock: ABC No Rio 1991 comp that finally came out in 2010 thanks to Freddy Alva's rejuvinated Wardance Records. The next 2 tracks, Canción De Guerra (War Song) and Fosas Comunes (Mass Graves) were released on the War Compilation put out by Tribal War Asia in 1991. This was a great comp that included some ABC bands like Rorschach, Merel, Hell No, Bugout Society and Warning, along with a bunch of foreign bands. The final Don Fury session track was unreleased as far as i know, until the ¡Nucanchic Huasipungo! CD in 1997.

1991 lineup
Esneider - vocals
Ivan - guitar
Dave - bass
Francisco - drums

Tracks 5-10 were recorded at 6/8 Studios in 1993. These are my favorite Huasipungo tracks. There's a much heavier sound on these recordings, and the vocals are monstrous. The first three tracks from these sessions appeared on the split 7" with Los Crudos released in 1993 on Discos Sanjuanito / Lengua Armada Discos. I consider this a classic hardcore record of the '90s. The remaining three tracks from these sessions were unreleased until 1997. Of these my fave is the massive Piensa.

1993 lineup
Esneider - vocals
Amanda - guitar
Mike - bass
Tom - drums

Tracks 11-15 were also recorded at 6/8 Studios. These songs were released as the Tiempos de Miseria y Lucha 7″ in 1995 on Discos Sanjuanito Records.

1995 lineup
Esneider - vocals
Christian - guitar
Mike - bass
Amilcar - vocals / drums
David - lyrics

Tracks 16-24 were recorded at Nervous Studios in 1997 and released on the ¡Nucanchic Huasipungo! CD in 1997 by Discos Sanjuanito. This is a great batch of songs. Really catchy stuff. An earlier version of the song Caminos was released on the Sick But Slick compilation put out by Nawpost Records in 1992. That version is not included here unfortunately, as it was the only song i couldn't get a hold of.

Track 25, ¿Quién Luchara Por Ti?, appeared on the Libérame compilation 7" released in 1998 on El Grito Records. The comp included a 28 page lyric book / booklet covering immigrant issues and violations on their human rights. Once again, Los Crudos shares the comp.

1997-1998 lineup
Esneider - vocals
David - vocals
Arturo - guitar
Mike - bass
Dave - drums
Amilcar - vocal

Tracks 26-32 are from the band's debut 7", Canciones Para Una Causa Perdida. Released in 1992 on Discos Sanjuanito Records. Recorded at Giant Studios, the same studio they recorded their demo shortly before. This record is pure chaos. Frantic, crazed hardcore that always sounds like it's on the verge of falling apart into complete cacophony. Influenced by bands like Larm and Napalm Death, as well as '80s Spanish hardcore punk bands, it sounds like no other record to come out of NYC. I love this stuff.

1992 lineup
Esneider - vocals
Ivan - guitar
Dave W - bass
Francisco - drums

Tracks 33-36 were recorded live on WFMU in 1991. The first two tracks appeared on the Superpowers cassette compilation on Troubleman Unlimited in 1992. The second two tracks were used on the Toxic Waste On Yer Plate comp cassette on Green Earth Tapes in 1991.

All vinyl and cassette tracks cleaned as best as possible. CD versions used for all available. Everything ripped at 320.

Huasipungo are still playing shows (most likely with a new lineup aside from Esneider), and are still involved with ABC No Rio. Check out their website here.

Vision pt. 2

It's rare that i'll post newer live shows, but this set from Vision sounds so incredible i just had to include it. This was recorded at the This Is Hardcore Fest on Saturday, August 11th at The Electric Factory, 421 North 7th Street in Philadelphia, PA. Great energetic and tight performance, and an excellent soundboard quality recording. Enjoy!


Vision 2012

Thanks to Dan from the Old, Fast & Loud blog for sending me this!

Soundboard mix by Len Carmichael.

Thanks to Jmarc from the great Pay No More Than blog i was finally able to get a quality sounding rip of the first Vision ep from 1987. Four killer songs that are not on any other releases. Classic stuff.

  

Vision 1987

The Vision 7" was recorded at Little Apple Studios and released on New Scene Records in 1987.

1986-1987 lineup

Dave Franklin - vocals

Pete Ventantonio - guitar

Sean Brazel  - guitar

Garrett O'Brien - bass

Brian Boucher - drums

Vision's second full length, Just Short of Living, was released in 1992 on Criminal Records. It was remastered and re-released on March 9, 2004 on Knife Or Death Records, along with the 4 tracks from the 1987 ep, which, unfortunately, skipped like crazy. Just Short of Living was a huge departure from the band's previous material. It's a grower though, although the new metallic sound and vocal delivery takes some getting used to i would imagine.

Vision 1992

1992 lineup

Dave Franklin - vocals

Vin Villanueva - guitar

Peter Tabbot - guitar

Christopher McGill - bass

Matt Riga - drum

Vision

Here's another one of the great East Coast bands i discovered on Pat Duncan's radio show back in the late '80s. Most Thursdays, Pat would play songs from the 1988 demo as well as the first two 7"s. Eventually the band played live in the studio. The first time was either '88 or '89, i forget, but as usual for back then, i recorded it and played it endlessly. That tape, along with most of my tapes, was lost by the mid '90s. Recently i was lucky enough to get a good sounding rip of the band's second trip to Pat's show on WFMU in 1990, along with the '88 demo. I also dug out the 1993 demo that a friend ripped for me years back, and cleaned everything up as best as possible. This collection of Vision recordings really shows the bands diversity. From punk with DC "Revolution Summer" and indie rock influences, to ripping hardcore punk, to full on metal. Dig in:

Vision - Demos and Live

Here's an anthology of my favorite Vision recordings spanning 1988 to 1996. I wanted to include the band's great 1987 debut 7", but unfortunately i couldn't get a rip of the vinyl, and the recordings that appear as bonus tracks on the CD version of the band's second LP from '92 (Just Short of Living) skip like crazy. I tried to fix the skipping problem, and put way more time into it than i should have, but gave up in the end as it was driving me nuts.

Vision - Hardcore Anthology 1988-1996

The Undiscovered 7" was originally released in 1988 on New Scene Records. It was re-released on CI Records in 1996. The four tracks on this 7" were later re-recorded for the band's first LP, but these versions remain my favorites, and just my favorite Vision material all together.

The In The Blink Of An Eye full length was recorded at Trax East Studios in South River, NJ in May of 1989, and was released on both LP and CD in 1989 on Nemesis Records. It was re-released on Tacklebox Records in 1997. This is a NJHC classic.

In 1990, Vision played The Country Club in California, along with East Coast buddies Killing Time and Sick Of It All, and West Coast greats Carry Nation, Chorus Of Disapproval and Point Blank. Out of this even came the Hardcore 1990 - East Meets West compilation 7", released on Nemesis in 1990. The Vision track is a brutal live version of Animosity Overkill, a song that wound up on the band's (much more metallic) Just Short Of Living LP in 1992. This version kills the studio version in my opinion. The East Meets West track was later included on the Best Of Nemesis Live CD in 1995.

1988-1990 lineup:
Dave Franklin - vocals
Pete Tabbot - guitar
Chris McGill - bass
Matt Riga - drums

The One And The Same 7" was recorded January 19-20 of 1996 at Trax East and released on CI Records the same year. It was also released on CD with various ep, live, and comp tracks as a bonus. After nearly 10 years, this ep is a return to the band's more punk sound from their early days, and i think much better than anything else they released after 1990. During this time the band also recorded 2 excellent cover songs. Suspect Device (Stiff Little Fingers), released on the Let's Try Something Newer! compilation 10" on CI Records, and Stop Me If You Think You Heard This One Before (The Smiths), released on The World Still Won't Listen - A Tribute To The Smiths CD on Too Damn Hype Records.

1996 lineup:
Dave Franklin - vocals
Pete Tabbot - guitar
Paul Famula - guitar
Nate Gluck - bass
Matt Riga - drums

Vision was founded by vocalist Dave Franklin, who originally played in Neurotic Impulse, formed in 1986 in Bridgewater NJ. You can read more about the band's history here.

Thanks to Jason, Gen, Mike and Coregasm for helping out with the music.

Goth Punk Classics

Just a quick update before i get started with the post. The INFEST 2xCD has been revised for better sound quality. This has a much better sounding rip of the Mankind 7", as well as various comp tracks. The only real flaw that i can hear is a slight skip in the song Plastic, but other than that i'm finally happy with it. I'd say it's worth the upgrade, especially if you're an INFEST fanatic like me. You can grab it here. Also, all links are now direct downlaods. No Sendspace links.
 
Since i tend to spin a lot of dark music during the month of October, i figured i'd share some of my favorites here. I've decided to stick to dark post-punk. All rips are from the CD versions (in many cases here, they're actually harder to find than the vinyl), and most have loads of great bonus tracks. All of it is mandatory listening. Hope you dig it, and if any of it's new to you, hopefully you'll be as blown away as i was when i first heard this stuff.
 
I've always been drawn to dark music. Shit, since age 5 i've been infatuated with Black Sabbath, and can remember playing Hand of Doom over and over thinking it was the greatest thing ever. During art school at the end of the '80s, i was turned onto stuff like Rudimentary Peni, 45 Grave, Septic Death, Undead etc. It was like discovering a new world. After that came Bauhaus, X-Mal, Christian Death (i'll never forget how floored i was when i heard Only Theatre of Pain for the first time), Sisters of Mercy, The Sound, Kommunity FK and loads more. Now, 30 years later, there seems to be a pretty big revival of this sound. Newer bands like Funeral Parade, Bellicose Minds, Lost Tribe, Cemetery, Shards, Ciril, Blue Cross, Arctic Flowers, Moral Hex, Spectres, Christ vs. Warhol and Cross Stitched Eyes come to mind. All influenced by a huge range of music, from Bowie, to Peni, to Sisters to The Wipers. For starters, check out the newest Ciril album "Sick Surreal". My pick for best album of 2012.
 
OK, let's get to the music.

First off is Peilitalossa, the amazing first album by Musta Paraati from Finland. Recorded in 1983 and originally released on Johanna Records. This rip is from the 2001 re-issue CD and contains all the tracks from the band's other 7"s, three tracks from the band's second full length, Käärmeet (1984), as well as one demo track and one live track. Ripped at 320. Peilitalossa is a goth punk classic. The band broke up after the second LP, which is also excellent by the way.

Musta Paraati - Peilitalossa

Peilitalossa lineup (1983):
Jore Vastelin - vocals
Saku Paasiniemi - guitar
Panda Nikander - bass
Ykä Knuutila - drums
Jari Kääriäinen - synthesizer

Käärmeet lineup (1984):
Epe Kronholm - vocals
Saku Paasiniemi - guitar
Panda Nikander - bass
Sande Vettenranta - drums
Jesu Hämäläinen - synthesizer

The band went through several lineup changes between 1982-1984, with different members playing on different 7"s. The only constant members were Saku and Panda.

Next up is the great overlooked German band Serene Fall. This band has such a unique sound. Kinda like Joy Division fused with the pop sensibilities of a band like Screeching Weasel, with vocals in the Peter Murphy (Bauhaus) and Andrew Eldritch (Sisters of Mercy) vein. It works somehow. I mean REALLY works. I've listened to this stuff countless times and it never fails to amaze me.

Serene Fall collection

Serene Fall was founded in 1989, then called My Eden Dies, featuring guitarist Maul from the classic German punk band EA80. This is a collection of the band's work spanning roughly ten years. The first LP, Oh My Prophet Oh My Liar was recorded from June '91 to May '92 in Manchester, and released on Beri Beri Records in 1993. Also included is the band's demo. This may have been recorded in 1995, but i'm not totally sure of that, and i'm not even sure this is the full demo. After that is the title track from the Audry Rose (remember that movie?) 7" released in 2001 on Major Label Records. This is a fantastic track with a huge Mourning Noise (or Misfits to a lesser extent) vibe. Pretty different from their other stuff. Ending it all is a batch of tracks from various German compilations. Serene Fall also released an album in 1999 called The Long March (that one didn't do much for me unfortunately), and an album in 2010 called Burn Out The Light which I haven't heard yet.

1991 lineup:
Hqöuxä - vocals
Oesd - guitar Aural Activator - bass
Nico - drums

45 Grave was the first "goth punk" band i ever heard and it made a hell of an impact. The Autopsy LP (more of a collection of early material than a proper album) was released on Restless Records in 1987, but recorded in 1981. Much faster and more abrasive than the Sleep In Safety LP from 1983 (which i love). This may actually be my favorite record to come out of the whole early '80s LA punk scene. This is ripped from the extremely rare CD version, which was released the same time as the LP, but never repressed for whatever reason. As bonus tracks i included the two tracks from the Hell Comes To Your House compilation from 1981.

45 Grave - Autopsy

1981 lineup:
Dinah Cancer - vocals
Paul Cutler - guitar
Rob Graves - bass
Don Bolles - drums

Members of 45 Grave were also in Germs, Vox Pop, The Consumers (early versions of some of these songs appear on the Consumers LP),  The Bags, Alice Bag Band and more.

Bassist Rob Graves died in 1991.

I'm guessing the great Dutch post-punk band Coitus Int. remains pretty obscure, This is one of those bands i would have easily overlooked if it weren't for music blogs. Their self-titled, self-released LP from 1981 has reached classic status in my book. The music is doomy and bleak, minimalist punk. Bass-heavy (with some amazing bass lines, check out The Connection Is Obvious), with a jagged guitar sound that just kind of creeps in over the bass lines from time to time. The vocalist has a powerful voice but keeps it subdued for the most part. The Joy Division influence is obvious, but there's much more to this than just some clone band. At times it sounds like late '70s anarcho punk played at half speed. Whatever it is it begs to be heard. Over and over. The band's first 7", Dead Excitement (released in 1980 on Rock Against Records), is faster and a bit more straight forward, but with goth/wave leanings already showing. A great debut, and a legit ripper for the time. Also included here is the split tape with Local Negatives, recorded in 1982. Three tracks that follow in the footsteps of the self titled LP. As a bonus i tacked on my favorite tracks from the band's second full length, Sex For The Wealthy, self-released in 1985. While not as instantly satisfying, it's a grower for sure, and the song The Habit Stayed is up there with the best of any '80s post-punk i've heard. If you dig any of this stuff, and i know you will, you may still be able to get some of the band's catalogue on Infrastition Records. There was a also a reissue of the Dead Excitement 7" on Bunkerpop Records a while back.

Coitus Int. Anthology 1980-1985

Jos de Groot - vocals
Marcel Uffing - guitar
Heino L'Ortye - bass
Rob van Asperen - drums

All songs recorded at Rosegarden studio, Utrecht, Netherlands.

Ex-Humans were a punk band from Athens, Greece. They formed in 1982 (originally called Soldiers Of Anarchy) and released one album in 1984 entitled Anofeli Epiviosi (Futile Survival) on Enigma Records. They also contributed two tracks for the  compilation Diataraxi Koinis Isyhias (Disruption Of Public Peace). Considered one of the greatest Greek punk bands, the music is an aggressive sounding mix of hardcore punk and post-punk. Some tracks have a heavy Rudimentary Peni / Mob vibe, with a killer bass sound that stands out in the mix. It doesn't get much better than this. This is ripped from the CD version, although i wish it was at a higher bit-rate. If anyone has the CD that they can rip at 256 or higher i would really appreciate it. Or if anyone has a copy for sale, or knows where i can get one, please get in touch.

Ex-Humans

The band went through many different members throughout their short existence.

Line-up for the Anfoneli Epiviosi LP (1984):
Giorgos "Havoc" Aleuras - vocals / guitar
Giannis Trobetas - bass
Fibos Pergaliotis - drums

Line-up for the compilation tracks (1984):
Giorgos "Havoc" Aleuras - vocals / guitar
Giannis Trobetas - bass
Giorgos Glinelis - guitar
Giorgos Damelos - drums

I'm not sure how accurate the spelling is on both the band members names, and the record titles. I've seen them spelled at least three different ways on various websites over the years.

Fibos Pergaliotis was also in an '80s goth band called South Of No North. Giorgos Aleuras and Giannis Trobetas also played in the band Velocity (not sure if they are still active).

Ex-Humans also released a demo in 1983 on Bluurg Records. Five songs. Written on the inside of the demo cover is "All lyrics in Greek! But the ideas are universal. So read the lyric sheet and hear the music.

I worship Fliehende Stürme. There's no other way to put it. They started way back in 1980 as the classic German hardcore band Choas Z, who were active up to 1984, and then reformed in 1995. By the end of 1983 the band's sound changed from Discharge influenced hardcore to a more darkwave sound, mostly influenced by Killing Joke. Soon after they changed their name to Fliehende Stürme (Fleeing Storms) and released at least a dozen albums and several eps between 1988 and present day.

This is my favorite Fliehende Stürme material, the band's first album An Den Ufern (On The Banks), recorded in April of 1988 and released on Storm Records. I guess this would kinda be the band's crossover album, mixing their early Discharge fueled punk and their icy darkwave sound. The results here are goth-punk perfection. This is a 320 rip of the 1998 reissue CD on Snake Records, which includes three extra tracks, two of which were recorded as Choas Z for the Keine Experimente Vol.2 comp, released on Weird System Records in 1984. The two tracks are In Gefahr (my favorite song on the CD), and Ein Tropfen im Feuer.

Fleeing Storms

1988 lineup:
Andreas Löhr - vocals / guitar
Thomas Löhr- bass / backing vocals
Michael Ortner - drums

If you want to explore this band further, i'd recommend their 1991 album  Priesthill. You should also check out the Choas Z "Dunkle Strassen" double LP (or CD) 1981-1995 discography on Weird System Records.

It wouldn't be a proper Halloween post without the mighty Bauhaus. Here's the legendary debut full length In The Flat Field from 1980. Simply one of the greatest recordings of all time, any genre. This is a 320 rip of the 1998 remaster on 4AD Records. As a bonus i loaded this up with my favorite ep tracks, radio sessions and alternate mixes. The incredible Dark Entries is my fave, maybe because it was the first Bauhaus song i ever heard (on the Gothic Rock comp on Jungle Records in 1992). Also here are my favorite versions of Telegram Sam and St. Vitus Dance, and can't forget the BBC-only sinister track Party Of The First Part. All this stuff is essential. Listening to Bauhaus always has me daydreaming of standing in some smoke filled cave-like goth bar in 1980, with Peter Murphy on stage belting out In The Flat Field, while a group of sweaty people all dressed in black look on in a hypnotic state. Dream away:

Bauhaus

In The Flat Field 1980 lineup:
Peter Murphy - vocals / guitar
Daniel Ash - guitar / saxophone
David J - bass
Kevin Haskins - drums

In The Flat Field was recorded in Southern Studios in London in June-July of 1980. The album was self-produced, as the band had a clear vision of what it should sound like. They used the BBC version of Double Dare on the LP, as they could never seem to record a version that matched the intensity of the version they recorded for John Peel's BBC Radio programme. A very similar situation happened with the song Third Uncle used on the band's 1982 album The Sky's Gone Out (my second favorite Bauhause LP). They recorded a batch of albums after Flat Field, but never quite captured that same spirit that made that album so amazing. Or maybe it's just me.

Siekiera formed in 1982 in Poland, originally named Trafo. They changed their name to Siekiera (Axe)  in the Autumn of 1983, and released a 17 song demo (basically a band practice) a year later in the Autumn of 1984. Much like Fliehende Stürme, the band started out playing fast hardcore (the demo rips) and a couple years later became heavily influenced by (mostly) Killing Joke. The demo tracks were released in 2008 on an LP called 1984 put out by W Moich Oczach Records.

The Nowa Aleksandria LP was recorded in 1985 and released in 1986 on Tonpress Records.  It is regarded as one of the greatest Polish albums ever. This is a 320 rip of the remastered CD put out by Tonpress in 2004. It includes the two tracks from the band's 1986 7", and a track that was released on the compilation 22 Polish Punk Classics put out by Sonic Records in 1991.

Siekiera

1984 Demo lineup:
Tomasz Budzyński - vocals

Tomasz Adamski - guitar / music / lyrics
Dariusz Malinowski - bass
Krzysztof Grela - drums

1986 LP lineup:
Tomasz Adamski - guitar / vocals / music / lyrics

Dariusz Malinowski - bass / vocals
Paweł Młynarczyk - keyboards
Zbigniew Musiński - drums

Siekiera also released an album called Ballady Na Koniec Świata in December of 2011. I haven't heard it, but from what i've read about it, there doesn't seem to be too many original members left. Also there's like four flute players and two trombone players? It's labeled as Folk, World and Country. I think i'll pass on this one.

There was also an amazing looking enhanced collection CD put out in 2008 called Na Wszystkich Frontach Świata. Thirty tracks of remastered demos and live sets, plus a video, all recorded in 1984. This may be my next purchase if it's still available. I found out about this damn thing way too late!

I was looking through some little hole in the wall record store on 2nd Ave. in the East Village, NYC sometime in the '90s. I forget the name. It was mostly rockabilly and surf type stuff. But they had a small section of hardcore vinyl in the back so i did my usual weekly hunting. I remember picking up a Feederz LP that day, the one with the sandpaper on the front. Then i noticed a Spanish punk section which was pretty extensive. I came across a record by a band called Paralisis Permanente. The cover got my attention. A blurry photo of a lady on a crucifix, with the bands logo in a medieval type gothic font. I knew it would be right up my alley, so i skimmed through the rest of the records and came across an LP by the band. I bought both records, the Feederz LP, and headed for the next record store. Later that night i was spinning all the stuff i picked up that day, probably a lot of powerviolence type stuff from Generation Records at first. When i got to the Paralisis Permanente records i couldn't believe what i was hearing. How could i have not heard of this band? This stuff was right up there with early Christian Death as far as i was concerned. I must have played both records at least three times that night, and the very next day i took the ride back into NYC from Jersey. I went through the Spanish section again looking for anything else by this amazing band, or maybe something that looked like it would sound similar. All i found was a split 7" between Paralisis Permanente and a band called Gabinete Caligari. Only two tracks, but that was fine by me. For a while the band became an infatuation. Some years later i was able to get a copy of the band's discography CD though some Spanish mailorder. This was all the stuff i had, plus another 7' and some alternate LP versions, all remastered, in seriously the nicest looking CD packaging i own. A 40 page book housed between hardcovers, with all new artwork, loads of info (in Spanish though), and tons of pictures and lyrics. It's called Grabaciones Completas 1981-1983, and was put out by 3 Cipreses Records in 2001. This is a 320 rip of the discography CD. Enjoy!

Paralisis Permanente 1981-1983

Madrid's finest punk band, Paralisis Permanente formed in 1981 and were done by '83, producing roughly 30 songs. The two founding members, Eduardo Benavente and Nacho Canutwere were also playing in the popular Spanish wave band Alaska Y Los Pegamoides. The Pegamoides were great (they're actually my 7 year old daughter's favorite band). Their self-titled LP released in 1983, which is a compilation of early material, is their best stuff. It's all you need really. Certain songs like El Jardin, Vertigo and Reacciones were already veering into the dark punk/wave territory that Paralisis Permanente would record on their six song demo in 1981. Those tracks wound up on the Singles Y Primeras Grabaciones collection CD, but were not on the discography CD unfortunately. When Nacho left the band to focus more on The Pegamoides, Ana Curra left the Pegamoides and joined Paralisis Permanente to play on the El Acto LP in 1983.

The band's first release was the split 7" with Gabinete Caligari released in 1981 on Tic Tac Records. This record has the band's most straight forward punk song (and also the first song they ever wrote), Autosuficiencia. The other song, Tengo Un Pasajero (re-recorded in 1983 for the El Acto LP), was heavily influenced by Killing Joke. It was a good debut, but their greatness was yet to be heard.

1981 "split ep" lineup:
Eduardo Benavente - guitar / vocals
Ignacio (Nacho) Canut - bass
Jaime Urrutia - guitar
Johnny Canut - drums

The band's next release was the Quiero Ser Santa 7" released in 1982 on DRO Records. They really found their sound on this one. Four of their strongest songs effortlessly merging punk and new wave. Un Dia En Texas (inspired by The Texas Chainsaw Massacre) that closes the ep is their fastest, most hardcore sounding song.

1982 "Quiero Ser Santa" lineup:
Eduardo Benavente - guitar / vocals
Ignacio (Nacho) Canut - bass
Jamie Caligari - guitar
Johnny Canut - drums

The El Acto (The Act) LP was released in 1982 on 3 Cipreses Records. Although subtle, i hear so many influences on this LP, but it all comes together as their own sound. I definitely hear some Bowie in there (they even cover Heroes), early Christian Death, Chameleons, XMal Deutschland, The Cure, Killing Joke of course... the list goes on. Also there's a huge heaping of late '70s / early '80s new wave here (check out the song Vamos A Jugar), similar to some of the stuff Alaska Y Los Pegamoides were doing early on. They do a great cover of the Stooges' I Wanna Be Your Dog, with a guitar sound that brings to mind Rudimentary Peni. And the last song, Esa Extrana Sonrisa is a slow, creepy classic that has the dark feel of something like Bauhaus meets Joy Division. From fast punk songs to doomy melancholic songs and everything in between, this album is up there with the best of the deathrock genre.

1982 "El Acto" lineup:
Eduardo Benavente - guitar / vocals / percussion
Rafa Balmaseda - bass / backing vocals
Ana "Pegamoide" Curra - keyboards / backing vocals
Johnny Canut - drums

The band's final 7" was released in 1983 on 3 Cipreses. Recorded March 3rd and 4th of '83 at Doublewtronics Studio. Two tracks of the band's most sombre, gothic sounding material. Much less punk than anything they recorded prior. It's a great record though, and i can only imagine the haunting music the band would have recorded after this ep had they not disbanded.

1983 "Nacidos Para Dominar" lineup:
Eduardo Benavente - guitar / vocals / percussion
Rafa Balmaseda - bass / backing vocals
Fernando - guitar
Ana "Pegamoide" Curra - keyboards / backing vocals
Toti Arbolés - drums

In 1983, shortly after the release of the last 7", Eduardo, Ana and Toti got into a major car accident, and Eduardo Benavente died instantly. That's when the band ended.

All of the band's records were re-released on Munster Records in 2002.

DRO Records also released the Singles Y Primeras Grabaciones/El Acto 2xCD in 2006. This seems to be the most complete collection so far, compiling the eps, the LP and the demo tracks. I'd say it's worth your money if you can find it.

EA80 is one of the oldest punk rock bands, still making music now for over 30 years. The group formed in Mönchengladbach, Germany in 1979 as Panzerfaust and changed their name to EA80 in 1980. This is a 320 rip of their first full length album, Vorsicht Schreie, another one of my all-time favorite albums. Goth punk of the highest quality. Enjoy!

Vorsicht Schreie

Vorsicht Schreie was recorded in September of 1983 at Joswig Studio in 3 days and self-released by the band that year. EA80 has a pretty big catalogue at this point, but this album is by far my favorite. The band's first 7", Der Mord Fällt Au, released in '82, was pretty much straight up Joy Division worship. It was OK, but Vorsicht Schreie was a huge leap forward, and set the bar pretty high for German punk in the eraly '80s. The first track is sang in English, and the rest of the album in German. Every song is a classic. The album was re-released in 1992 on a glow in the dark picture disc, with the Der Mord Fällt Au 7" as bonus tracks. It was also re-recorded in 2004 (21 years after the fact) and contains a Yacoepsae cover. Weird. I've never heard the re-recorded version, and don't think i want to.

1983 lineup:
Junge - vocals / guitar
Hals Maul (Thomas Hütten) - guitar
Nick - bass
Nico - drums

Takte Später

The band's second album, 2 Takte Später, released in 1985 is excellent as well. After the second LP the band started to lose their dark edge and put out more straight forward punk albums.

This is a collection i made a while back of my favorite Christian Death songs, all with Rozz Williams. I figured i'd share it here as it fits this post. While a lot of people tend to think the first album, Only Theatre Of Pain was the band's best work, i think their best stuff came with the following two albums. Everything they did up to 1985 is pretty much flawless in my opinion.

Burnt Offerings

This is a 320 rip of selected tracks from the Deathwish 7" (1981), Only Theatre Of Pain LP (1982), Catastrophe Ballet LP (1984), Ashes LP (1985), Skeleton Kiss (1992), plus tracks from the band's 1981 and 1985 demos, and various live tracks. The live cover of Gary Numan's "Down In The Park" is a standout. As is the live version of Theatre Of Pain which is completely different than the LP version. Lullaby is a live version of an unreleased song.

Lineup:
Rozz Williams - vocals
guitar, bass, drums - too many to name
That's it. Hopefully this post exposes some people to some great music.
Have a fun Halloween!

Here's some other great dark punk albums to check out:

Mine, Ether Command (pre-Serene Fall) "The Land Of Roses" tape (1989)
Kommunity FK "The Vision And The Voice" LP (1983)
Villa 21 "The Ghost On The Move" LP (1983)
The Sound "From The Lion's Mouth" LP (1981) / "Jeopardy" LP (1980)
Xmal Deutschland "Fetisch" LP (1983) / "Tocsin" LP (1984)
Leitmotiv "1981-1988" CD
UK Decay "For Madmen Only" (1981)
Pyhät Nuket (post-Riistetyt) "Kuoleman Sotatanssi" (1984)
Coma "In A Coma" EP (1985)
Hexenhaus "1986 Demos"
Rudimentary Peni - everything from 1981 up to 1989
Human Sexual Response "In A Roman Mood" LP (1981)
Modern English "Sex & Lace" LP (1981)
Quel Domage "Bright Lights" 7" (1984)
English Subtitles "Original Dialogue" LP (1982)

Plus of course all Joy Division and Sisters Of Mercy! 

Life's Blood - Live Recordings

In anticipation of the Life's Blood discography that's coming out on Prank Records i've decided to post some great sounding live sets. Enjoy!

Life's Blood - Live NJ

The first set was recorded live on Pat Duncan's radio show on WFMU in NJ on March 17, 1988. Four of these songs (It's Not In Your Heart, Resist Control, Maximum Security, and Left Out On The Ice To Die) wound up on the Life's Blood / Sticks & Stones split 7" released on Forefront Records in 1990. The set was engineered by Dan X. of the mighty NJ punk band A Priori. Three of these four songs were never released until this split, and the only studio versions that exist (that i know of) are the Don Fury studio outtakes from the demo. You can download those songs here. I was lucky enough to snag a copy of this split from Pat Duncan when one of my old bands played live on his show back in '90. I played the hell out of that record, and since then have always considered the WFMU set to be my favorite Life's Blood recordings. This is a really nice sounding set, super clean, perfectly re-cut, and ripped at 320.

The second set was recorded live at the Dirt Club in Bloomfield, NJ on January 21, 1988. Probably the best sounding Life's Blood live set i've yet heard. This was the band's first show.

The cover image i used was the original art for the Defiance 7" (released on Combined Effort Records in 1988), which was scrapped in favor of the Lamont W. Harvey illustration.

Jason O' Toole - vocals
Adam Nathanson - guitar
Neil Burke - bass
John Kriksciun - drums

Confusion - The Live Recordings

Confusion - The Live Recordings

Following text by bassist Mike Scondotto

CONFUSION
Live @ City Gardens - Trenton, NJ
March 1993
also on the bill - Breakdown, Power Move and Worlds Collide (or Worlds Apart?)

1. Intro
2. Storm The Walls
3. Confusion
4. The Seeds of Greed
5. Distorted Visions
6. Gasping for Air
7. Half Dead
8. Trendy World
9. Outro

Mike - vocals
Mike - bass
Mike - guitar
Ralph - drums

This was a really good show.
Not packed, but the kids who were there were into it for sure.
A fight broke out during our set and our singer was pretty vocal about his opinion on it to say the least.
The drummer for Breakdown at the time got arrested after they played for attacking the promoter over $.
The promoter Randy did indeed pay us though... perhaps because we didn't threaten his life?
I made friends at this show with people I still know to this day, nearly 20 years later.
I was wearing a sweet Carcass shirt at this show.
My hair was long as hell. 
We had no shirts for this show and had ran out of our 7" at the time.
Good memories of this whole set for sure!

CONFUSION
Live on WNYU's Crucial Chaos
February 13th 1992

1. Confusion
2. A Fatal Infection
3. Distorted Visions
4. Early Frost
5. Without Hope
6. Selfish
7. Taste of Hate

Mike - vocals
Mike - bass
Mike - guitar
Frank - guitar
Ralph - drums

I remember it was really really cold out, the day before Valentine's Day.
I remember Johnny Stiff was the host and he was cool to us... still cool to this day! 
I remember this was my second time playing on Crucial Chaos, as my first time was in 1989 with CLOSE CALL.
I remember no one could hear a word I was saying as the 2nd mic was not on, ha!
Listening to it again, it is funny how hard we were promoting a 7" that was not yet finished and would not even come out until about 7 months later. 
Fun times! I miss Crucial Chaos.

Damn, this took a year to get here., but i'm really excited this finally made it to the blog. If you're a fan of this band's demos you will be floored by these recordings. Massive stuff here. The Intro to the City Gardens set is such a monster song. Kills me every time. For band bio check out the previous Confusion post. Enjoy!

Blogged & Quartered is back up and running...

Thanks to Seth for letting me host my files on his server on Firstpress, everything should be running very smoothly from now on. All links are working great, and no more being directed to online media servers, these are (mostly) all direct downloads. I'm also in the process of revising certain collections i was never too happy about. In the next few weeks i'll be re-doing the Absolution, Warzone, and Infest collections for starters. I'll also be posting live sets by Confusion and Close Call (thanks Michael Scondotto). And as usual, i'm always open for suggestions / requests. Also, if you are, or have been in a band (preferably '80s though mid-'90s) and have any obscure and/or long lost recordings you'd like to see on here, please get in touch. I'll do my best to make any recordings sound better if possible, and do the artwork etc.

I'm psyched to be doing this again, and until Seth contacted me, i never thought it would happen. I could never thank this guy enough.

I Figured i'd contribute to this revival post by uploading the new and improved Supertouch collection. Similar to the one posted way back, but this one has the 5 song unreleased demo from 1988 with the speed and pitch corrected. If you've heard those songs you'll know they're way too fast, with Mark Ryan sounding like Alvin Chipmunk at times. Great to finally hear this the way it should be heard. As a bonus I also threw in 3 comp tracks. Hope you like it.

It's a shame this stuff was never documented, as most of these songs were never released, and some never even recorded in a proper studio. So here you go, 22 tracks recorded between 1987-2000, as the band made their transition from Death Before Dishonor to Supertouch. All files cleaned up to the best of my capabilities. Enjoy.



Supertouch: The Early Recordings  
1988 lineup
Mark Ryan - vocals
Jon Biviano - guitar
Joe - bass
Andy Guida - drums

The first 5 tracks were recorded at Don Fury Studios in late 1988 to be released as a 7", which obviously never happened, although 3 of the 5 tracks were later re-recorded for the "What Did We Learn" 7" on Combined Effort Records in 1989. Excellent sound quality on these 5 tracks which were recently adjusted to have the correct speed and pitch.

Tracks 6-12 were recorded live on WNYU's Crucial Chaos in March of 1988. Some of the tracks here, like Stugglin' To Communicate and A Death In the Family were never recorded outside of the WNYU Studio, and various live shows (most of which suffer from awful sound). The first track sounds a bit rough. It sounds like whoever was working the boards was adjusting the levels during the intro until they got the guitar right (about halfway through the song). After that, the set sounds great.

Tracks 13-19 were recorded sometime in 1987 when the band were still called Death Before Dishonor. Although they started playing live in the early '80s (according to some of the flyers i've seen), they never recorded any material until just before they changed their name. Supposedly these tracks were recorded to pass around to friends and hopefully find new band members, and never actually released as a demo, although it's usually labeled as the '87 demo. The original Death Before Dishonor lineup consisted of Mark Ryan on vocals, Mike Ferraro on drums, Jimmy Yu on Guitar and Steve Yu on bass, although i don't think that's the lineup that played on these recordings. Mike and Steve of course went on to play in Judge shortly after leaving Death Before Dishonor.

Ending the collection are three compilation tracks.