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Please send vinyl (preferred), CD, or cassette releases to MRR, PO Box 3852, Oakland, CA 94609, USA. Maximum Rocknroll wants to review everything that comes out in the world of underground punk rock, hardcore, garage, post-punk, thrash, etc.—no major labels or labels exclusively distributed by major-owned distributors, no reviews of test pressings or promo CDs without final artwork. Please include contact information and let us know where your band is from!
A neat little garage pop record by some clever Chicago teens. Acoustic-type guitars create a bouncy background for the hilarious lyrics and catchy chorus in “Hardon,” which describes an all-too-typical situation facing males. “Dear One” has more of a ’60s pop feel. Not bad for a first effort.
The TOXIC REASONS finally have their own LP after two 7″ EPs and cuts on various compilations. Here, they re-do their first single, cover MAX FROST & THE TROOPERS’ “Shape of Things to Come,” and rip through the whole gamut of their live set—punky reggae, punk, and thrash. The liner notes are great and there’s a glossy magazine included. A must.
From their inception, TSOL’s finest efforts used both hardcore energy and a fiery dramatic tension to fuel their compositions. Sadly, there’s surprisingly little excitement or drama on their latest LP; instead, they’ve opted for a heavily atmospheric approach to hold together a set of weak post-punk songs. I will always admire TSOL’s contributions to the California punk scene, but I cannot recommend this record.
Two absolutely great bands from Madison who have had cuts on the Meathouse compilation. Both bands are recording with Bob of HÜSKER DÜ, and hopefully will have some vinyl out soon. If it’s half as good as this tape, we’re in for a treat.
The WHAT are an all-female group from the Midwest, and they’ve made one of those records that’s so band it’s good. You know, the SHAGGS syndrome. “Gloria” is an amateur but straightforward of the PATTI SMITH version (!); the B-side contains a complete hatchet job of the OUTSIDERS’ old classic, replete with out-of-tune guitars, off-key harmonies, and imprecise instrumentation. Yuk it up!
I think this will be out on an album soon. It’s very sparse and bass-heavy thrash. I’m not sure I like the signing that much, but the words are all great, and, given time, I’m sure their sound will become more cohesive.
This sounds like UK-’78, not FLA-’82—you know, that slow-paced Oi sound. The best part is the totally fuzzed-out guitar.
San Francisco’s most provocative all-girl outfit has preserved much of their garagey charm on this debut single. “Bamboo Curtain” and “The Plan” retain too much artiness to connect as good pop songs, but “Erotic Fridgidaire” has a pleasant melody and a bouncy guitar riff to recommend it. Above average.
From Chainsaw fanzine, this collection ranges from hardcore to hard noise. On the noise side, we have SMERSH (a lot like the SCREAMERS), SENSELESS HATE, BLIGHT, and ATTRITION. There’s slower punk by ROACH MOTEL and the BAD SEEDS, and a few cuts that have already been out on record (CRACKED ACTOR, ANGRY SAMOANS), but the hit for me was Canada’s SUBURBAN MENACE, a totally great group.
Live recordings, ostensibly taken from various shows produced by Paul Rat around the Bay Area over the last six years. This contains cuts by the DKs, FLIPPER, DOA, CIRCLE JERKS, BLACK FLAG, TSOL, BAD BRAINS, CRUCIFIX, and the late, great DILS and AVENGERS (though the latter two’s cuts are from past their prime). Most tracks are good quality, so this album should do well.
Three new releases of ’60s punk reissues, Á la Pebbles. Volume 1 focuses on California bands like the BROGUES and the OTHER HALF; Volume 2 has mostly Chicago-area bands, including the DEL-VETTS and the great SHADY DAZE; Volume 3 is a potpourri and includes the MYDDLE CLASS and the classic BALLOON FARM cut, “A Question of Temperature.” These are the lesser-knowns, the equivalents of 90% of today’s punk bands, who managed to put out that one great single before fading into obscurity in one flash of purple Owsley. The sound quality on these records is stupendous, somehow enhanced to today’s standards. Now you can compare these old gems to today’s neo-psychedelic bands, and guess who pales in the comparison? Rave on!
A potpourri of Minneapolis-St. Paul bands, all on the punk side to varying degrees. My faves are GROUND ZERO and WILLFUL NEGLECT. Thank HÜSKER DÜ, who also appear here, for this project. Unfortunately, the tape is already out-of-print.
Like the earlier volumes, one side is punk and one side is pop. Lots of the bands are new to vinyl, including KENT STATE, ILL REPUTE, CATCH 22, and RED SCARE. The vets are CH3, JFA, NO CRISIS, PARIAH, and RUDI from Ireland. Most of side one is anthemic, melodic punk. I won’t deal with the flip except to say that the BANGLES track is much rawer than their EP.
This compilation from Tucson is an admirable effort. The tape features good production and wide variety of bands. There are punk bands like CONFLICT, who have a strong thrash attack, and the URBAN GUERRILLAS, who have a garage tinge like the CHURCH POLICE—grinding, profound, and original. The defunct SELDOMS do a JAD FAIR imitation, GREEN ON RED have a live track that’s not as good as the stuff on their 12″, and the PHANTOM LIMBS have a track that sounds like Jello Biafra playing with the PANTHER BURNS. There are other pop, electronic, and psychedelic cuts that have a certain spark. Something for everybody, and a chronicle of Arizona’s musical history in one package. Let’s have some more, Lee.
Four groups—COLCOR, NO LABELS, NO ROCK STARS, and CORROSION OF CONFORMITY—share this effort to show the world that hardcore lives in the American South. Well, if this is representative, it not only lives, it thrives! The cassette’s cover sums it up: it shows a Rebel flag being burned.
A follow-up to Is That All There Is?, and from start to finish, it’s a blitz. Made up mostly of Ohio bands like ZERO DEFEX, the AGITATED, STARVATION ARMY, the URBAN MUTANTS, the OFFBEATS, the DARK, and the IDIOT SAVANTS, it’s a total joy. For only $2, you’re really a jerk if you don’t send away for it.
Yet another LA compilation, and like most of the others, this is well worth the cash. The sound quality is mostly good, and it features well-knowns like REDD KROSS and JODY FOSTER’S ARMY, barely-knowns like the SINS, YOUTH GONE MAD, and SIN 34, and unknowns like MORAL DECAY, CRANKSHAFT, SADIST FACTION, the DEMENTED, the NAUGHTY WOMEN, and DEAD YOUTH. My faves are JFA, SIN 34, and REDD KROSS.
More urgent and exciting than their debut 7″, this single boasts two vibrant street anthems which update the ’77-punk style into the ’80s. A powerful guitar mix combined with a slashing vocal attack merge especially well on “Urban Rebel,” even though the flip is almost as good. ABRASIVE WHEELS have become a definite contender.
A letdown. The ADICTS’ newest funnypunk release is neither as funny nor as punky as their earlier efforts. The band is clearly capable of making entertaining music, but on this EP inferior material and overly clean production result in yawns rather than laughs. That doesn’t bode well for their new album.
This is a fine record. It’s very slow amateur punk, but it’s got haunting pop vocals and other distinctive qualities that make it stand out. For example, “Freedom Fighters” has a reggaefied structure and twin guitars, one sparse and one ultra dense, which complement each other perfectly. Way cool.
God, a real disorienting week. First, an intelligent record from the EXPLOITED, and now this—a strong pop-punk single with halfway decent lyrics from the biggest geeks around. Both sides benefit from good English production, have good hooks, and stick with you. I give up.
A 50-50 proposition. The strongest tracks are the ones with the cool back-up soccer chants—really powerful punk. And then there are the others, either too sparse, over-produced, or just plain lame (like their cover of LOU REED’s “Vicious”).
On one hand, it’s slow, repetitive UK punk. On the other, it’s so raw and weird that the instruments seem to turn into vacuum cleaners and electric saws, while the vocals become eerie PiL-type drones. Definitely odd. It might even grow on me.
This one’s got little to offer except very nasty Oi vocals. “Fighting the System” is a reggae-influenced number that doesn’t really go anywhere, and “Soldier” is tedious Britpunk that wouldn’t even disturb your grandmother.
CHELSEA seem to have fallen into a stylistic rut in their latest single. While the production factors are raw (a welcome change), CHELSEA have galvanized the hooks and choruses from their last two singles and album into an effective but unoriginal package. The lyrics, too, tend to degenerate into the predictable.
One record with a separate band on each side. In the No Future world, this is an appropriate move, because one side is punk, the other Oi. CRASH is the punk band, and they’re similar to many of the bands on that label—anthemic songs Á la BLITZ. CRUX are more like the EXPLOITED or the 4-SKINS, only sorta low-key. “I’ll Die with My Boots On” is the epitome of Oi topics, but “Streets at Night” is the better song. Nothing exceptional here.
Long-lost proto-Oi band COCK SPARRER have unexpectedly returned. This new release showcases their peculiarly melodic, buzzing guitars, and high-pitched vocals that sound like like a cross between soccer choruses and the singing of certain glam-rock bands from the ’72-’74 era (SWEET, SLADE, etc.). Though “England Belongs to Me” is avowedly an attempt to take the Union Jack back from the extreme right and make it a symbol for all Englishmen, it still reflects a reactionary world-view where petty nationalism is glorified.
A fairly unremarkable follow-up to their pretty decent first LP. It would help a lot t have a lyric sheet, especially since a couple of songs (“Sewage Worker” and “Jailbait”) are not even clear enough to tell whether they’re serious or not. If they are serious—note the sexy/sexist cover—it would contradict their otherwise progressive views.
More snappy pop-punk from the DAMNED, complete with organ, synthesized marimbas, and music-hall singing. This may be a far cry from “Neat Neat Neat,” but it’s got an undeniable charm of its own. There are even—dare I say it?—some tasteful guitar licks amid the overall silliness.
This live LP (EP?) by DIRT captures all of the raw intensity of their exemplary debut, and fuses it with a punky venom that’s quite irresistible. Admittedly, the songs on this record vary considerably in quality, but their fiery version of “House of the Rising Sun” is alone worth the price.
This sounds like the better side of VICE SQUAD. I’ll just leave it at that.
A lot’s been said about this band being a bunch of moronic yahoos, much of it probably justified, but on this record there’s evidence to the contrary. “Computers Don’t Blunder” is a great anti-militarist song about the possibility of technology-induced holocaust. The B-side is as strong an anti-drug song as you’ll find. The music is fast and powerful.
The title song shows lots of promise on this, their third 7″. Pretty s-punky stuff, but the B-side cuts are pretty unexciting.
Surprisingly good for these normally boring Oi-sters. “Low Life” is twice as powerful as anything on their awful LP, and damn catchy to boot. Louder guitars and soccer choruses pull this one up by its braces.
The A-side is a standout powerhouse punk song, instrumentally. I can’t say much about the lyrics (as with many of their songs) because I have no idea what they’re singing about, even after reading them printed.
This release ranks right up there with those of the 4-SKINS and ANTI-PASTI (Caution in the Wind LP) in the contest to see which English band can put out the worst album. Mediocre material, a mundane instrumental attack, flat production, and generic Oi themes make this duller than an overused razor. “In for a Riot” and “Boot Boys” are decent new tracks, but you know something’s wrong when a hoary old MOTORS’ cover like “Emergency” sounds real strong. Zzzz…
Back for the fifth time with their distinctive sound—medium paced, ’60s fuzz guitars (almost folk-rock), plaintive vocals, real melodies, and personally outraged lyrics. This band is sorta like a punked-out cross between the old MODERN LOVERS and CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL.
A great, great record. Both sides start with long slow punk intros, then launch into powerful thrash. This is especially true of the A-side, which breaks on through into the manic. I love it.
Speed alone would make the MAU MAUS’ second EP noticeable among this month’s UK releases. Both tracks on the B-side are firmly in the DISCHARGE/GBH tradition, but the title cut is almost ruined by an atrocious heavy metal intro. Basic thrash—nothing more, nothing less.
This record represents a dramatic change of direction for POISON GIRLS, Britain’s preeminent post-punk band. Their highly produced, sometimes disco-fied instrumental backdrops provide an unexpected contrast to their scathing commentaries on sex, politics, and power. Where’s the Pleasure? may lack the standout compositions which accompany their other albums, but the open-minded will find good music in a variety of styles here.
The best release yet by this Oi group. Both sides are faster than their norm, and the record is well-produced with a really full sound. This is British punk at close to its best.
Well, they’ve finally put an album out. The sound quality is so good that you’d never know it was live except for the crowd noise and interaction between the band and audience. These guys produce powerful Oi music, but their themes are questionable, as with most such groups. They have all sorts of songs about “birds”—the English equivalent of “chicks”—and not being able to get off. Then we have the familiar ode to fighting, getting beat up, and the wimps that won’t fight in “Moped Lads.” Socially relevant themes in “Keep England Untidy” tell us to litter, and “Shitstirrer” is where they explain that when things are bad they will make them worse. Their song “Elvis Is Dead” is a classic, though, and “Maniac” is a great pun. But who knows at this point if they’re serious? Fun band to listen to but not to contemplate. They are thugs and proud of it.
This band’s name must refer to resistance to the ’77 spirit of creativity and original thinking. Actually, that’s not entirely fair, because this EP is better than much of this month’s English crop. “Nottingham Problem” and “Nuclear Attack” have a bit of raw, foot-tapping spunk.
This intriguing four-track EP contains music reminiscent of early KLEENEX, with an added sophistication of production values. “The Ballet Dance” and “Unemployed” are recommendable kinetic rockers, but the catchy “Something to Give” gets added points for interesting lyrics and a strong melodic sense.
I can’t believe this is a new band, and not some undiscovered reject from 1977 that someone decided to put out now. Actually, the lyrics are politically strong (anti-NATO, etc.), but the music makes the first MEKONS single look real professional.
One more plodding Britpunk record that makes me wonder how I got into punk in the first place. The title song has a passable poppy chorus, but the others are big zeros—no tunes, no intensity, no originality, no nothing. How much more of this shit do we have to hear?
Typical medium-to-slow Britpunk. RABID have a nice raunchy guitar tone, but it doesn’t compensate for the generally listless material. “Police Victim” sounds like the DAMNED’s “New Rose” at times, and “Glory of War” has some energy, but not enough. Note: label is incorrect.
The A-side sounds too much like IAN DREARY to me, but the three cuts on the flip are great funnypunk, combining Oi with some innovative vocal and guitar interruptions.
Totally great, both sides. Truly energetic, exciting thrash with cool guitar punctuation. It’s nice to see this kind of attack spreading in England.
Also known as EUGENE CHADBOURNE’S CHADBOURNES, SHOCKABILLY cover ’50s and ’60s hits. It’s like when you sit in the bathtub and sing “96 Tears” by recall… you sing the organ intro, what you remember of the lyrics, and your own transcendental version of a guitar solo. You follow that with a quick trip through the funhouse and outcomes “shockabilly.” Same ballpark as PANTHER BURNS, but outfield.
