Crowd Of Isolated - 1987-1989

 
I Try To Tell About A Way is my single favorite hardcore album to come out of Germany. I first heard the band sometime in the late '80s on Pat Duncan's radio show on WFMU in NJ. Crowd Of Isolated seemed to be on the playlist just about every Thursday night for at least a year. From the radio show i taped a few songs which i listened to constantly. My favorite track was Don't Stop My Fight, which made it's way onto just about every mixed tape i made during that time. I still can't help but sing along every time i hear it. That track just struck a chord with me and i couldn't go a day without listening to it. A few years later i was able to get a copy of the album through some German mail-order. Eventually i came to appreciate the album as a whole, and it became one of my favorite hardcore albums on the late '80s.

Until recently i was not at all familiar with German hardcore/crossover and at the time Crowd Of Isolated sounded like no other hardcore band i'd ever heard. They had a definite Iron Maiden vibe in just about every aspect of their music, yet it still remained very much hardcore punk. It was crossover, but not in the usual way. The vocals were like a combo of Bruce Dickinson and Elmer Fudd, and once in a while a little Rozz Williams would creep into the mix. Although that may not sound good on paper (or a computer screen in this case), it worked. The music was a mix of melodic, catchy metal riffs, hardcore, and even maybe a touch of emo at times, for lack of a better term. Favorite tracks other than the amazing Don't Stop My Fight would be Under Pressure, Cold Dark World and Love Of My Life, but the album is perfect from start to finish. Absolutely essential.

The rips of the lp, ep, and comp tracks here are excellent. Absolutely no surface noise or pops. All 17 tracks are as close to CD quality as you will ever find. Enjoy!

Crowd Of Isolated

vocals - Gurke

guitar - Guschtel

bass - Claus

drums - Jürgen

The I Try To Tell About A Way LP was released on X-Mist Records in 1987, on both black and white vinyl. It was recorded at Kong Studio in Reutlingen in November of '87. The LP came with a foldout lyric sheet. It was mastered by G. Pauler at Pauler Acoustics. Produced by Armin Hofmann. Great cover art by Jaenette. Never repressed as far as I know, and never released on CD.

The Hardcore Vol. 1 comp LP was released on Starving Missile Records in 1988 as a limited edition of 1,000 copies. Produced by Mike Just. Cover design (which reminds me a lot of Richard Kern's photography) by Pyhacore. Bands on the comp: Artless, EA80, Aidscats, K.G.B., Crowd Of Isolated, Boskops and Dream Police. The 2 C.O.I. tracks on this comp sound like they were from the LP sessions, as the recording is closer to the sound on the album than on the Bad Actors ep which followed.

The Life Is Change comp LP was released on Beri Beri Records in 1989. It included a 12 page booklet about the bands: EA80, The Vernon Walters, Magnetic AD, Crowd Of Isolated, H.D.Q., Putten, Billy And The Willies, Karma Sutra, The Plot and The Ex.

The Bad Actors 7" was released on X-Mist in 1988. Lyric sheet included. Recorded at Kong Studio by Heinlin. Produced by Armin Hofmann. Insane cover artwork by "Paul". 250 copies came in special self-made covers.

The band's second full-length, Memories and Scars, was released on X-Mist on LP in 1990 and on CD in 1991.

Other comps C.O.I. appeared on:

Small Bands Big Sound comp 7" (1989 Anti-Schelski Records)

tracks: Dear Old Man / Mr. Tear

Rough Enough comp 7" (1989 Vibration Hardcore)

track: In A Field Of Roses

X-Press comp LP (1990 X-Mist Records)

track: Indian Girl

Remember The '90s comp LP (1990 Gusch Records)

track: In A Field Of Roses

Laugh And Hate comp CD (1991 Rough Trade)

track: Tremendous Strength

Trust #10 flexi ep (199? Trust Vinyl)

track: No One Can Stop Us

If anyone has any of these tracks and can share them, please get in touch.

Crowd Of Isolated on Myspace.

Breakdown - 1987-1997

Massive hardcore from Yonkers, NY.

If you're even slightly into NYHC then you already have most of this stuff. I try and avoid posting stuff that's still available, but i've seen the '87 demo and Blacklisted ep on at least a dozen blogs, so i don't think including it here will make a difference. In a perfect world, if any of this stuff is still in print and you don't have it, you should buy it and this collection should only act as a convenient companion piece, not as a final product. If there's a problem just let me know and i'll revise the collection.

This is a collection of Breakdown material spanning ten years. Every track like a brick to the head. Enjoy.

Breakdown: 1987-1997

1987 lineup:
vocals - Jeff Perlin
guitar - Don Angelilli
guitar - Carl Porcaro
bass - Rich McLoughlin
drums - Anthony Drago

The '87 demo was recorded at The Loft on May 26, 1987. Six tracks from the '87 demo were released as a 7" in 1990 on Blackout! as a combined effort with Noiseville Records. I remember seeing a double 7" of the entire demo back in the '90s as well. I'm not sure if that was a bootleg or not. In 2002 Blackout! released all 9 tracks on CD. There was also an unofficial CD release put out by Lost and Found in 1995 titled Dissed and Dismissed which included the demo along with 2 extra tracks, all remastered with new cover art. I'm pretty sure the last re-issue of the demo was the 7" put out by Dead Serious Records in 2005.

Shortly after the '87 demo was recorded, Carl, Rich and Anthony left the band due to personal differences and formed Raw Deal with Anthony Comunale (formerly of Token Entry) and Mike Sentkiewitz (formerly of Sick Of It All). Raw Deal were good, but in my opinion they never recorded anything even close to the intensity and heaviness of the Breakdown demo. One of my favorite NYHC demos ever. Total caveman shit.

1988 lineup:
vocals - Jeff Perlin
guitar - Rob DeFrosia
guitar - Richie Kennon
bass - Mark Sisto
drums - Larry Kaplan

I'm pretty sure somewhere between the '87 lineup and '88 lineup there was someone named Pete who played drums for a short time with the band. I'm also pretty sure he's credited as playing drums on the version of Sick People from the New York Hardcore: The Way It Is comp LP.

The NYHC: Where The Wild Things Are comp LP was recorded in 1988 and released on Blackout! / Noiseville in 1989. Mastered at The Loft. Incredible comp with my personal favorite Breakdown recordings. Dissed And Dismissed in particular is a monster. The stellar lineup was Outburst, Killing Time, Life's Blood, Breakdown, Sheer Terror, Maximum Penalty, Uppercut, Norman Bates And The Showerheads and Gorilla Biscuits.New York Hardcore: The Way It Is was released by Revelation Records on LP in 1988 and on CD in 1993. Liner notes by Ray Cappo. Photography by B.J. Papas, Beth Lahickey andRichard Unhock. The bands: Bold, Nausea, Warzone, Gorilla Biscuits, Trip 6, Breakdown, Youth Of Today, Sick Of It All, Krakdown, Side By Side, YDL and Supertouch. Like many people, this comp was my exposure to Breakdown and lots of other great bands. I think Sick People floored everyone back in '88.

The Runnin' Scared demo was recorded sometime in 1988. I have absolutely no info on this demo, and i've never owned or even seen an actual copy. I only included (and revised) the 2 tracks on the demo that were exclusive to it at that time. I had a shitty rip of the other 2 tracks to work with (All I Ask and Dissed and Dismissed), plus the comp versions are infinitely superior. I put a lot of work into these 3 tracks and i think they sound great. The song What It Is from this demo later appeared on the New Breed tape, and 2 of the tracks were re-recorded nearly 10 years later for the Blacklisted ep.

The Song Don't Give Up was taken from the New Breed cassette. A great exclusive (at the time) track to that tape. Cleaned up nice.

1997 lineup:
vocals - Jeff Perlin
guitar - Mike Dijan
bass - Larry Susi
drums - Lou Medina

Completely different lineup again, with Jeff being the only remaining original member. With this lineup the band released the Blacklisted ep on Eyeball Records in 1997. Recorded at Mother West NYC. Mastered West West Side Music. The vinyl release contained 5 live tracks (all '87 demo songs). Great ep.

The live tracks were recorded in 1987. I'm not sure of the date or venue, or even city for that matter. It was listed as live in CT, but i get the feeling it was a NYC gig. Great, yet pretty sloppy set. They do an instrumental version of Telltale, originally written to be a Breakdown song, but later recorded (with lyrics) by Raw Deal on their first demo.

The song We'll Be Back was taken from the live WNYU set from 1988. This song was unreleased, although according to an online article by Christ Minicucci, Breakdown recorded this track, along with an alternate version of All I Ask, at Gian Studios on March 25, 1988. I'd love to hear those tracks! You can read that article here.

Lions and Cheetahs!

Show of Force - 1990

More great New York Hardcore. Show of Force existed for a very short time, starting in '89 and ending in '91. During that time they released three demos (one of which was never released), and one track for the New Breed cassette. Here we have an excellent sounding rip of the band's second demo. Thanks to Claude for the rip, Mike Dijan for the info and for letting me post this, and Freddy Alva for the help (once again). Enjoy.

Show of Force - 1990 demo

1989 lineup 1:
vocals - Nick Cirillo
guitar - Nick Benetos
bass - Mike Dijan
drums - Tony Kastanos

With this original lineup the band recorded the track Finding It Hard at Don Fury Studios for the New Breed tape in 1989. They later re-recorded and re-named the song Black Walls for the 1990 demo. Both Nick Cirello and Nick Benetos played for Fit of Anger, and Mike Dijan played for Breakdown, Crown of Thornz and Skarhead.

1989 lineup 2:
vocals - Randy Rodriguez
guitar - Mike Dijan
guitar - George Derico
bass - Jay Rufino
drums - Tony Kastanos

At this time Mike Dijan moved from bass to guitar, and George Derico and Jay Rufino, both from Outburst, were brought in for 2nd guitar and drums. With this lineup the band recorded a demo at Don Fury Studios, which is extremely rare.

1990 lineup:
vocals - Randy Rodriguez
guitar - Mike Dijan
guitar - Hector Moncada
bass - Franklin Rhi
drums - Tony Kastanos

For the 1990 lineup (which Mike Dijan referred to as the "definitive lineup"), Franklin Rhi (Shelter, 108, Crown of Thornz) was brought in on bass, and Hector Moncada on 2nd guitar. In the Spring on '90 the band recorded their second demo (the one available for download here) at Wildfire Studios in NJ. The demo was produced by A.J. Novello, guitarist for Leeway. Shortly after the band recruited Nick Cirillo back on vocals and recorded a third demo which was never released. The band broke up in 1991.

Interview with Mike Dijan here.

Chisel - Early Recordings 1991-1994

Chisel were one of my favorite bands of the '90s. As much as i love the band's 2 full lengths (8am All Day and Set You Free), and the Nothing New collection, these early songs were always my favorite. I was fortunate enough to see Chisel once sometime in the early '90s at ABC No Rio. They were amazing, and everything they've ever recorded was nothing short of excellent.

This is a collection of the band's earliest recordings, most of which was recorded in 1991. I restored all the tracks to the best of my ability. I'm really happy with this one.

Chisel - Early Recordings: 1991-1994

1991 line-up:
Ted Leo - vocals/guitar
Chris Infante - bass
John Dugan - drums

Starting off the collection is possibly the rarest Chisel recordings, 5 tracks recorded at WFMU in July of 1991. I'm not sure if this is the full set, but these were all the songs on the tape i recently acquired (thanks Matt!!). After listening to this tape for the past 2 weeks, this has become possibly my favorite Chisel stuff. The live studio version of Spike (later renamed Swamp Fox/Spike) is a killer. Following are perfectly executed renditions of 4 of the band's earliest songs, ending with a track i'm not familiar with which i titled "unknown". Great sound quality, considering it was ripped from a 20 year old cassette.

Next up are 6 tracks from the Stanford Hall Demos tape. Recorded on February 2, 1991 at, you guessed it, Stanford Hall, at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana. The track Elusive Butterfly (originally recorded by Bob Lind in 1966) was labeled (Revenge of) The Bright Elusive Butterfly of Love on the actual cassette. There were 2 versions of this cover on the demo, but i only used the first version (in my opinion the superior version), and i also left out the closing track, a funky, and quite sucky instrumental entitled Pornomental. Thanks to the amazing South Bend Power Nineties blog for this demo. Check this blog out for other Chisel rarities, as well as tons of other great bands from the South Bend scene, which seemed to be an like an explosion of inspiration during the '90s. Hopefully the blog is OK with me abducting these tracks, and are happy with the restoration.

Next up is my all-time favorite (yet sadly least-known) Chisel song, Sloth. This track was recorded in March on '91 at Inner Ear Studios in Washington, DC (possibly during the Swamp Fox sessions?), and released in 1992 on the Superpowers compilation cassette by Troubleman Unlimited. Sloth, with it's amazing bass line by Infante, was exclusive to the Superpowers tape, as were many of the songs of the comp. The tape came with issue #4 of Wanna Communicate fanzine. The first 300 were hand-dubbed with tapes stolen from ShopRite, then 700 professionally duplicated with the profits. This is an absolutely incredible comp, with more great bands than i can name. Standouts for me, besides Chisel, were Greyhouse, Heroin, Shudder to Think (band's best recordings), Assuck, Sticks & Stones, Merel... fuck, the whole thing is fantastic.

Now we come to the band's first record. Known as the "Swamp Fox ep", the self-titled 7" was recorded at Inner Ear Studios on March 14, 1991 and released on Assembly Records in September of the same year. Thanks to my good friend Mark for an excellent job ripping my vinyl to mp3. There's a bit of surface noise on the b-side (Listen), but not anything major, and this is certainly the best sounding rip i've heard of this track so far. Anyway, great first record.

1993 line-up:
Ted Leo - vocals/guitar
Chris Norborg - bass
John Dugan - drums

The split 7" with Brian, Colin and Vince was recorded in May of 1993 at Miami Street Studio and released on Sudden Shame Records (Colin of BCV's label) in August on 1993. On this slab, Chisel covered Brian, Colin and Vince's classic Spectacles, and BCV covered Chisel's One in Ten. Chisel's version of Spectacles was played during the closing credits of the Songs for Cassavetes documentary.

Next we have the Sunburn 7" released on Gern Blandsten Records in August of 1994. Chisel are on the top of their game here, delivering three of their best. Little Gidding (my personal favorite of the 3) was recorded in October of '93 and mixed in February of '94 at WGNS Studios. 3 O'Clock High was recorded in March of '93 at Idful Music Corp, Chicago, IL. Sunburn was recorded in June of '93 at Idful Music Corp. The Sunburn 7" was later released as bonus tracks on the CD version of the Nothing New collection, put out on Gern Blandsten in 1995.

Closing the collection is an unreleased song called My First Resume, recorded live at 242 Main on April 16, 1994. Nice sound quality.

Check out the official Chisel Myspace page here.
For more info on the band, check out the band's Wiki page here.

For those who don't know, Ted Leo is now touring with his old band, the mighty Citizen's Arrest.

Enjoy!

Life's Blood - The Don Fury Sessions 2/3/1988

I had a Life's Blood discography posted on the blog many months back, but removed the link by request due to the upcoming discography on Prank Records. Then just recently i got a CDR of the entire CBGB set from 9/25/88 courtesy of Freddy Alva of New Breed fame (thanks Freddy!). This is the infamous set with Sean Murphy of Collapse on vocals. If you've heard the tracks from the New Breed tape, you can imagine how awesome this set is. That was to be my next post, but one of the band members heard the set and decided it should be included on the discography, and kept off the blog. I'm far from being bummed about it though. I'm glad this stuff is getting a proper release as opposed to just some mp3s online, and am looking forward to this discography like no other in the past few years. Hopefully the WFMU set makes it on there as that's my favorite Life's Blood recording. We'll see.

I still wanted this great NYHC band represented on my blog. Besides being one of my favorites, i'm striving to post collections by every band (or as close as possible) that were featured on the New Breed tape. Soon there will be a New Breed post with links to all related bands.

I've seen the band's 7", radio sets, and demos on various blogs, and wanted something exclusive to Blogged & Quartered. These unreleased Don Fury sessions seemed like the perfect choice. This is a collection of a dozen tracks selected from the sessions recorded on February 3, 1988. The entire Don Fury sessions can be downloaded here, all in one mp3. The tracks here were hand-picked by myself as my favorite versions of each song. Sound quality is really good. With any luck some of this stuff will be remastered and included on the Prank discography. In any case, i see no harm in posting it here. There's not a Life's Blood fan alive who will not buy the discography because they have some mp3s of selected tracks from these sessions.

Enjoy.

Life's Blood - Unreleased Don Fury Sessions 2/3/88

The following info is taken from my past Life's Blood post, which is now deleted.

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

Defiance 7" - 1988 Combined Effort Records, unknown pressing. Reissued by Vermiform in 1990. 4166 made, 4 pressings.
New York City Hardcore: Where The Wild Things Are Compilation LP - 1989 Blackout Records, unknown pressing.
Life's Blood/Sticks & Stones split 7" - 1990 Radcore/Forefront Records. Limited edition of 2000. Comes with lyric sheet. All songs recorded live on WFMU on 03/17/88.
Murders Among Us Compilation 7" - 1990 Vermiform / Combined Effort Records. 2500 made.
New Breed Compilation cassette - 1989 Urban Style Records. Cassette & fanzine, 1000 made (and many bootlegs in the 90's). Two live tracks. Sean Murphy (Collapse) on vocals.
Demo - 1988
Don Fury Session - 02/03/88
Live on WFMU - 03/17/88
Live on WNYU - 03/24/88

from wiki:

Life's Blood was a hardcore punk band formed by four first year college students in New York City in 1987. It consisted of Adam Nathanson on guitars, Neil Burke on bass, John Kriksciun on drums, and on vocals, Combined Effort promoter and fanzine editor Jason O'Toole. They were part of the scene that grew out of CBGB's Sunday matinees and the long defunct Some Records store, where they all hung out. Known for their sound which blended East Coast hardcore-punk with melodic Oi!, as well as their biting, intelligent lyrics, Life's Blood performed with bands as diverse as Agnostic Front, Sheer Terror, Beyond, Judge, Project X, and Soulside before breaking up little more than a year later. Nathanson would go on to form Born Against out of its ashes with Sam McPheeters on vocals. Burke would go on to many bands, including Born Against, Sinking Body and Men's Recovery Project. Life's Blood played live on WNYU and WFMU, and played 26 shows throughout New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Ohio. Their songs have been covered live and on recordings by bands from as far flung as Sweden and Japan as well as by American hardcore bands. One notable cover being the version of "It's not in your heart" by MK-ULTRA. Among Life's Blood's recordings are Defiance originally on Combined Effort, the Vermiform Records compilation EP Murders Among Us, the New York Hardcore compilation Where the Wild Things Are on Blackout Records as well as a rash of bootlegs. Vermiform released a CD containing the original "Defiance" ep along with extra material. Prank Records now has the rights to Life's Blood recordings and a re-release of this hard to find material is forthcoming.

Assück - The Audio Death Collection 1989-1998 (revised 8/08/10)

Grindcore perfection from St. Petersburg, Florida. This is as good as it gets. Assück created an effortless blending of hardcore punk and grindcore/death metal, in a way i'd never heard before or since. The band's first full length LP, Anticapital, is my favorite recording in the genre, only after the early Napalm Death Peel Sessions.

This is a collection of 7"s, compilation tracks, demos and live tracks, most of which are not on the band's 2 CD releases. Excellent sound throughout. Enjoy.

Assück: The Audio Death Collection

1996 line-up:
Steve Heritage - guitar / vocals
Rob Proctor - drums
Steve Kosiba - bass

The song "Alabaster" is the last song the band released. It was featured on the 403 Chaos Comp: Florida Fucking Hardcore CD in 1998 on Schematics Records (Steve Heritage's label). The comp was a collection of hardcore/punk bands that have played at 403 Chaos in Tampa, FL. The CD was packaged as a ten-inch, filled with lyrics, fliers, and contributions from the zines In Abandon and Haili. Tracks (mostly exclusive) by Reversal of Man, Tomorrow, Assuck, Strikeforce Diablo, Hot Water Music, Combat Wounded Veteran, Cavity, Omega Man, Nineteen Hundred and Twelve, Early Grace, Discount, Dragbody, Twelve Hour Turn, Cease, Hankshaw, Bird of Ill Omen, I Hate Myself, Scrotum Grinder, and Jud Jud. "Alabaster" was also on the Can't Stop This Train comp CD in 1999 on Join The Team Player Records. The song was recorded sometime after the Misery Index sessions at Morrisound Studios. The Misery Index LP was released in 1997 on Sound Pollution Records. Jason Crittenden replaced Steve on bass after the LP was recorded, and did a couple of tours with the band.

The song "Corners" was featured on the Big Pants Waste Precious Fabric comp CD, released in 1995 on No Idea Records. The CD (mastered by Steve Heritage) was included with No Idea Fanzine issue 11. 10,000 were pressed. Paul Pavlovich is on the vocals for this version of the song, and Steve Kosiba played bass. "Corners" was re-recorded for the Misery Index LP a year later.

Big Pants Waste Precious Fabric was an excellent compilation, and a great document of all the different sounds that were going on in the punk scene during the early-mid '90s. From Assfactor 4 to Rain Like The Sound Of Trains, from Drop Dead to J Church. And everything in between.

1992 line-up:
Paul Pavlovich - vocals
Steve Heritage - guitar
Rob Proctor - drums
Pete Jay - bass

The Bloodless Unreality comp 7" was released in 1992 on Forfeit Records (Forfeit 01). Artwork by Paul Pavlovich and layouts by Steve Heritage. Mastered at Fullersound. The sleeve came as an 8 page booklet with lyrics and info on the featured bands. All great tracks by Destroy, Hellnation, Confrontation and Assück. "Procession", from the Anticapital LP, was remixed for this comp with a bass track added in. "Blindspot" was on the Blindspot 7", originally released on Open Records in 1992, and re-released by Schematics Records that same year, and by Sound Pollution in 1993 as a limited European tour edition. The Blindspot 7" was the band's first record with a bass player (Pete Jay). It was recorded in June/July of '92 at Morrisound Studios in Tampa. FL, and mastered at Fullersound. Great artwork again by Paul Pavlovich. Produced and engineered by Scott Burns. An incredible 7" with a sound that perfectly bridges the gap between Anticapital and Misery Index.

The Apocalyptic Convulsions comp 10" was released in 1992 on Ax/ction Records. Limited to 1500 copies (500 came with bonus 7"), the comp included a poster insert with liner notes contributed by each of the bands. Amazing cover art by Morbid Mark. The 2 Assück tracks from this comp, "Anticapital" and "Spiritual Manipulation" were both previously on the Anticapital LP. I'm not sure if these 2 tracks were re-recorded, or if Pete Jay just added bass tracks to the original LP recordings. Check out the Infest post for further info on this (mostly) great comp.

1989-1991 line-up:
Paul Pavlovich - vocals
Steve Heritage - guitar
Rob Proctor - drums

The State To State 7" was released in 1992 on SOA Records. With the exception of a spoken-word piece called "A Nation's Tear" (spoken by Dawn Wilson, and early roadie for the band), all tracks had previously been released on the Anticapital LP. These songs were recorded September 16-19, 1991 at Morrisound, Tampa, FL. Released in 1991 on Sound Pollution Records on blue and black vinyl. Engineered by Scott Burns and produced by Rob Proctor and Steve Heritage. Anticapital was re-released by Sound Pollution in 1994 on CD, along with the tracks from the Blindspot 7", the 2 tracks from the split 7" with O.L.D. (1991 No System Records), and the track from Bllleeeeaaauuurrrrgghhh! (1991 Slap A Ham).

Even though these tracks are on the Anticapital LP/CD, i decided to include them here for 2 reasons. First, the sound is much fuller than on the album. It's ripped from the Old Days Nostalgia 3xCD (SOA Records). And second, these 4 tracks just flow perfectly together, it's the perfect ep.

The Necro Salvation 7" was recorded in 1989 at Morrisound, and released in 1990 on Rigid Records. Engineered by Scott Burns, produced byAssück. Original pressing was black and white sleeve with green vinyl. Later repressed on No System Records with different cover art. Some versions came in a 10" sleeve, not sure which label or pressing though. I've come to love this ep over the years. Less political than the later records, this one is lyrically more sex and Satan. Juvenile, but with tongue planted firmly in cheek, with a few moments of greatness, and little hints as to what was to come. This is a really nice sounding rip. Best i've heard yet.

Next up is the band recorded live on January 10, 1990 at a sports bar called Body Talk in N. Pinellas Park in Florida opening for a band called Meatwagon. Roughly 25 songs, really good quality. Sounded like a fun show.

Ending out the collection is a nice treat. The hard to find, entire 17-song "Born Backwards" 1989 demo. This is a nice, loud and clean sounding rip (320). Best you'll hear. I didn't remove any of the tape hiss as i didn't want to mess with the sound, but aside from a few tracks (like the first one), it's hardly even noticeable. The wall of noise music actually covers up 90% of the hiss.

It's mind-blowing how much this band progressed both musically and lyrically in one year.

From the Discog site:Final line-up:
Rob Proctor - Drums (Crucible, Anthem Eighty Eight, No Fraud, Manic Dose, Nasty Savage, Cease, Discordance Axis)
Jason Crittenden - Bass (ex-Reversal of Man, Early Grace, Anthem Eighty Eight, Frogg Pound)
Steve Heritage - Guitar, Vocals (ex- Jud-Jud, Bombs of Death, Anthem Eighty Eight, People's Court)

Past line-up:
Paul Pavlovich - Vocals (currently in Track the Curse)
Dave "Spinach" Malinski - Vocals/Roadie
Austin Farrell - Roadie/Tour Manager
Daryl Kahan - Vocals "1993/1994 European tour" (ex-Citizens Arrest, Abazagorath, Funebrarum, Forced Expression, Taste of Fear)
Pete Jay - Bass (ex-Meatwagon, No Fraud, Manic Dose, Peepole, Black Queen, currently in Oakhelm)
Steve Kosiba - Bass (ex-Inhumanity, Scrotum Grinder)

Hogan's Heroes - 1985-1995 2xCD

 
Hogan's Heroes Volume 1

Skip Hoefling - vocals
George Barberio - guitar
John Cuccinello - bass
Tony Scandiffio - drums

"Built To Last" LP

Excellent debut from this NJ (Tom's River) hardcore band. Recorded in 1987 at Waterfront Studios and first released in May of 1988 on Straight-Ahead Records. The LP was re-released worldwide on LP and cassette in May of 1989 on New Red Archives. The LP was mostly a collection of re-recordings from the band's 1986 demos, and really (for me anyway), just a hint of the greatness that was to follow.

"Hogan's Heroes" LP

My personal favorite Hogan's Heroes material, and just one of my favorite hardcore albums in general. They up the energy and intensity level on these tracks and produce some vicious music, hardcore with elements of black metal (especially on the opening track "First") and reggae (most of side 2). Standout track would be the furious "Breaking Your Rules". For this song i used the version from the Hardcore Breakout USA CD for superior sound quality.

The self-titled LP was recorded in August of 1989 at S & Saatchi Studios in NYC and released on New Red Archives in 1990. Two of the tracks, "Soulsight" and "Kick It In" were originally recorded for a 7" on Straight-Ahead Records titled "New Jersey", but was never released.

Hardcore Breakout USA comp LP

Released September 5, 1990 on New Red Archives on LP, CD and cassette. The comp featured 3 Hogan's Heroes tracks, "Last Will" from the "Built To Last" LP, "Breaking Your Rules" from the 1990 LP, and one exclusive track called "Full On". Hardcore Breakout USA was re-released in 1995 on J!mco Records Japan with a new title, "Snowboard Addiction", and new artwork. Other bands on the comp were Ultraman, Jawbreaker, Samiam, Bedlam Hour, Crucial Youth, Kraut, G-Whizz, Dirge, Agitators, UK Subs and P.E.D.

101/3 Fists And A Mouthful CD

Released in 1995 on New Red Archives. Six of the tracks were recorded in August of 1991 at Ocean Gate Studios. Guitarist George Barberino played both guitar and drums for these tracks, as well as bass for 4 of them. There are a couple of re-recordings of 1985-86 demo tracks, and some killer, and (until '95) unreleased songs. Some of the band's most aggressive and heaviest material, and my favorite recordings after the self-titled 1990 LP. The other 5 tracks (not included here) were recorded between 1994 and 1995 at Sonic Edge Studios in Manhattan, and Excello Studios in Brooklyn. These songs were recorded with a mostly new line-up, and the music went in a much more rock direction.

Hardcore Breakout USA Vol. 2 comp LP

Released in 1995 on New Red Archives. Two excellent exclusive tracks, "Cold" and "Fill It Up", a re-recording of an old 1986 demo track with George playing guitar, bass and drums. I'm guessing this track was recorded during the "Fists And A Mouthful" 1991 sessions. Hardcore Breakout USA Vol. 2 featured many of the bands from the first comp as well as tracks by MDC, Reagan Youth, No Use For A Name, Christ On A Crutch, and many more.

Many of the tracks in this Hogan's Heroes collection went on to appear on various compilations. "Last Will" and "Breaking Your Rules" were on the "Radio Sampler" comp (1990 New Red Archives). "Corporate Life" and "Self Defense" were on "The Punk, The Bad, And The Ugly" comp (1997 Cleopatra Records). "Corporate Life" was also on the "At War With Society" comp (1998 New Red Archives), the "Mighty Attack" comp (1999 Flavor Records Japan), and "A Triple Dose of Punk" 3xCD (2000 Cleopatra), which included all 24 tracks from "The Punk, The Bad, And The Ugly".

Hogan's Heroes Volume 2

1986 Demos

Known as the "Straight*Proud" demo. Released on November 15, 1986, shortly after the new vocalist and drummer joined the band. This is the entire 13 song demo, nicely restored.

1985 Demos

Scott Cassidy - vocals
George Barberio - guitar
Gerry Daseking - bass
Matt Gunvordahl - drumsJohn Cuccinello - bass on "T.S.A." (track 23)

The first 9 tracks were recorded in December of 1985. The last track, T.S.A. (Terry Schaefer's Ass) was recorded in June, '85. The songs "Self Defense" and "Batman" were featured on the "Blastin' Out Of New Jersey" comp in 1986 courtesy of Faith Zine. All tracks cleaned. The quality on the first track is a bit rough, but it gets better.

Uncle Ben 7"

Skip Hoefling - vocals
Ian Smith - guitar
John Cuccinello - bass
Brian Strahle - drums

Released in 1995 on Mofo Records.

Sorry, that's all the info i have on the demos and the "Uncle Ben" ep. Any further info would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks to Michael, Moe, David, Tommy (Social Decay), Dan (Old, Fast & Loud), and anyone i may have forgot for helping out with the music.

Enjoy.