va STV Sessions Vol. 1 (1998)

 Punk / Hardcore / Ska compilation from the 90s. 

 There are lots of good songs and lots of shit songs (like most compilations). I won't say what I think are the shittiest songs on here because I try not to bad-mouth any band on my blog, but I will say that my two favorite songs are right next to each other - tracks 13 and 14. 

Backwash - "Pirates" has that great late 80s/early 90s So. Cal. hardcore punk sound when the hardcore band lightened up and played a quirky song.

This is a demo version. The version on the comp is different. 

...and Impossible 5 - "Anti" (I couldn't find a video for this one).

I have the Impossible 5 CD that this song came from. I'll post it if anybody gives a shit. Just ask. 

They have a second CD that I don't have. 

 

 

DOWNLOAD

Maude - The Birdhouse EP (1992) -and- Grace Beats Karma 7" (1996)

 Maude was a well-known punk band from Connecticut. They released one 7" in 1992 and immediately recorded a second 7" which wasn't released until after the band dissolved. 

 

Maude - The Birdhouse EP (1992)

1 Fault

2 We've Ignored

3 Nothing Left

4 Bully

5 The Sprag

6 Toilet Stall Wall

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Maude - Grace Beats Karma 7" (1996)

1 Wooden Nickels

2 Exercise in Futility

3 Lather, Rinse, Repeat *

4 Bitter Adolescent Love Song Rejection

5 Act of God

DOWNLOAD from Mediafire

DOWNLOAD from Pixeldrain

...

* Lather, Rinse, Repeat is a re-worked version of Toilet Stall Wall

X-IT - Wife Sentence 7" (1997)

 All-girl punk band from California. I think this is their only release. 

1 The Hole

2 Livin' it Up

3 What Happened to Mary

4 Heart Attack Man (Beastie Boys cover)

5 RAS

DOWNLOAD from Mediafire

DOWNLOAD from Pixeldrain

...

va Ståkkålmsjävlar 1978-1981

 

This CD compilation was released in 1989 and it is a compilation of Swedish punk/post-punk music from 1978 - 1981. 

The first song "Solglasögon" by Docent Död is probably the most well-known but my favorite song on this comp is "Sextiofem" by Grisen Skriker.  

DOWNLOAD from MediaFire

DOWNLOAD from Pixeldrain

...

va Hostage Records - Cuts Vol.1 (2002)

 

Lots of good punk from the late 90s/early 2000s California punk scene.

My favorite song here is The Main - Scene Killer. The Main was started by Spencer Bartsch from early California punk band Shattered Faith. The Main released only one single but in 2021 they put out a record limited to 150 or so copies that had all of the songs that they recorded that weren't on the single. (I do not have this record.)

The song Scene Killer is about how the punk crowd itself is responsible for killing the punk scene. They make fun of ska and pop punk:

"They took my punk rock and they turned it into jazz I think / But then again they think that punk rock is Blink"

DOWNLOAD from Mediafire

DOWNLOAD from Pixeldrain

...

No Regret - No Regret Demo Tape (199?)

 

This is just your typical 77-punk/post-punk/power pop band with a sprinkling of rockabilly and just a touch of ska band from Germany. All songs are in English.

This is a great band that I know nothing about. I don't even know what year it's from. I'm guessing early to mid 90s but who knows? It could be from 1985 or 2005. Hopefully somebody out there knows more about this band. Their song-writing ability is impressive. I hope they did more than this. 

1 Give it to Me

2 Kicking In

3 Bad in My Dreams

4 Lies

5 Beside You

6 Cause I Try

7 Come with Me

 

DOWNLOAD

 

va Stage Diving to the Oldies [NEW LINK 6-24-2023]

 This CD is from 1995 and it's a compilation of California punk bands from the 80s. 

 

DOWNLOAD

 

Some Body - Arbeit Mächt Frei 7" (1985)

 

 I'm thinking that this band went a little above being offensive to the point that it ruined the band. The title of this single has nothing to do with their music but it was intentionally offensive. I don't think it worked out too well for them. Great effort though!

From Discogs: "Arbeit Mächt Frei" is this Cincinnati power punk band's second release, following the cassette-only "Something For". The record was banned from many retailers upon release, for it's provocative title as casual shoppers in consumer record stores missed the connection between the Nazi slogan, corporate America, and it's effects... The lead off track, "Bomblast" is a bouncy, happy-sounding ska-tinged song about screwing through a nuclear war to repopulate the earth, while the backing track "Rules of Order" is a dark turn on fascism, consumer culture and peer pressure, ironically predicting the effects of being banned (as this record soon would be!).

While the original color design was color, the release was black and white – copies sold at the release party came with an 8-pack of crayons! A few color covers exist, but most of these appeared more than 20 years later, as one-offs for the band members."

A - BomBlast

B - Rules of Order

DOWNLOAD

 

The Numbers - The 4 Great Tracks (1989)

  Japanese punk - three punk songs and one ska/reggae track. . This is probably the only thing this band ever released.

My copy of the record looks pristine but it is very crackly. I tried to remove the crackles but it just isn't going to happen.

1 I Don't Submit

2 I Hate

3 Under Control

4 In that Week

 

DOWNLOAD

 

Zanoni

 Zanoni was a punk/post-punk band from New York who played it straight. No keyboards or horns. Just guitar, bass, and drums and vocals that are more gothic than punk.

Their first release was the "Subway Devils" 7" in 1981 that sound like the rhythm from Mirror in the Bathroom with the guitars from the beginning of Holiday in Cambodia. It's a weird mix, especially with the goth vocals, but it really works. 

These two records are probably the only thing they released but there's no filler here. Every song is very well-written and performed with a sense of seriousness. 

Zanoni - Zanoni (1982)

1 Camouflage

2 To Entertain You

3 Stellazine by Starlight

4 Mothers Milk

5 Lately

6 Turn Your Will

Zanoni - Subway Devils 7" (1981)

A - Subway Devils

B - I Saw Your Face

DOWNLOAD 

The scans for the EP are my own but I don't have the cover for the 7" so I stole that image from the internet.

Atila

Atila was a California band that was something between no-wave and anarcho-punk with influences from every genre. Dub, country, funk, disco, Middle Eastern folk music. It's all there. It's noisy. It's terrible but, at the same time, enjoyable.

Their first release from 1981 was a self-titled 5-track 7" that was re-released as "Rocker" with a different cover.

The second release from 1982 was a 4-track 7" simply titled "2" (pictured above).

They released their first album in 1983. It was called "International Sandwich" and it was more a study in different styles and sounds than a serious attempt at songwriting.

Then they released their final offering in 1985. It's an 8-track album that has some of their best stuff. It's called "Looking for Love".

They had three songs on compilations but all three are available on these four recordings here so I believe this is everything the band ever released.

DOWNLOAD

The Bricks

The Bricks - Volume 1 EP (1979)
A1 - Rock Steady
A2 - Sartorial Song
B1 - Leisure Complex
B2 - Local Boys

The Bricks - Startrekker 7" (1980)
A - Startrekker
B - Smash and Grab



DOWNLOAD both singles

The Inserts [Australia] - Amateur Hour 7" (1980)

A - Amateur Hour
B1 - White Reggae
B2 - Bad for Me

DOWNLOAD

va You Pick One - A Michigan Sampler 7" (1984)

A1 - Angry Red Planet - Make Me Laugh
A2 - Enforcers - Rude Girl
A3 - GCMS - Burnout
B1 - The Fury - Guild of Pain
B2 - GCMS - The Group Song
B3 - Private Angst - Act Normal

DOWNLOAD from Mediafire