Instant Agony Think of England EP
Your basic English punk here—steady beat, drone guitar, political protest lyrics. B-side “Working Class” is catchy. Good-looking sleeve, but best part is the name of the label.
MAXIMUM ROCKNROLL
For review and radio play consideration:
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!
Your basic English punk here—steady beat, drone guitar, political protest lyrics. B-side “Working Class” is catchy. Good-looking sleeve, but best part is the name of the label.
By no means special, but a vast improvement over their first heavy metal-punk release. Increased speed is the differentiating factor rather than improved songwriting.
A bunch of losers from the DAMNED, DEAD BOYS, and SHAM 69 band together and prove they’re not has-beens. This is a really original record featuring irresistible hooks, tasteful psychedelic guitar work and enough snottiness in the vocals to hold down the pretension. A pleasant surprise.
It’s got those UK punk choruses OK. Straight-ahead delivery, but not as supercharged as their first release.
Very clever and very funny, but all too typical from a music standpoint. Except for the thrashed-out “Got Any Wrigley’s John?”, it’s the humor that makes this one stand out. (Not the award-winning title: “I Lost My Love to a UK Sub.”)
Awesome thrash punk from DC. This band has the kind of power and commitment that most groups only dream about. Not only does this blast right off the turntable, but the songs really stand out. One of the two or three best releases of 1981, no doubt about it.
Medium-tempo SF punk with anti-war lyrics (I think), a few experimental touches (especially on “Mercs for Hire”), and a guitar that could use a helluva lot more distortion. The main problem here is the lack of any discernible passion.
Weirdly-structured guitar raunch crammed with cynicism. Some of the cuts are fast (“Red Brigade”) and some are slower with herky-jerky rhythms, but all of them stimulate thought. The vicious critique of fashion-clone punks (“Mohawk Man”) is alone worth the price.
An extremely talented ’60s band from Riverside, CA that eventually immigrated to England to seek fame, fortune, and appreciation. This album, which contains some valuable unreleased material, showcases their evolution from a raw blues band with punk overtones (side 2) to a powerful, guitar-oriented group with Asian influences in the YARDBIRDS’ vein. Innovative records like this don’t age with the passage of time.
I read that the URINALS decided to change their name so they could get gigs, but apparently it also signaled a change of musical direction. Only the speedy “Dyslexia” reminds one at all of the old URINALS on this EP: the others are examples of their slower neo-psychedelic approach. Personally, I’d prefer the return of the greatest garage band in the world, but then what do I know?
If you long for those great Irish punky pop groups like the UNDERTONES, RUDI, and the MOONDOGS, you’ll love this one. In addition, this Wisconsin bunch is that rarest of birds—a political pop band (“Make the Rules”). A minor classic in a currently neglected sub-genre.
Fast synth/drum-machine music with politicized lyrics, sort of like punk without guitars. Interesting, but not for the narrow-minded.
Power pop with real power. Loud, jangling guitars and exceptional catchiness make “Friends” one of the best examples of this style in a long time. The flip is more mundane, but the OUTLETS are getting better with each release.
A really cool debut. “West Coast” is a satirical look at the California punk phenomenon which parodies the ADOLESCENTS’ “Kids of the Black Hole.” The flip is more strong mid-tempo punk with a short bridge that reminds me of the TURTLES! Recommended.
Wild thrash punk in the FARTZ tradition, minus the distinctive songwriting. For some reason, only “Fight Establishment” and “Go Die” really stick in my head later, probably because of their strong choruses. Still, this EP is raw as hell and has great lyrics.
A thinking person’s punk 45 from Philly. Two politically sophisticated songs, one a thrasher (“Apathy”), and the other slow and measured with a focus on the half-spoken, half-sung vocals. Recommended.
“Wherewolf” is yet another entry in the SoCal shock-horror-punk sweepstakes. It’s pretty good if you like that genre, and I guess it was inevitable that LA punk would branch out somewhat. “Shapes” is a pedestrian punk cover of the old YARDBIRDS’ classic.
Short snatches of New York thrash with heavy echo on the vocals. Not particularly original, thematically (“Hardcore Rules”) or musically, but such efforts still deserve support.
Representative English punk circa 1982, with gruff Oi-influenced vocals grafted onto a typical punk background. “No Escape” is fucking hot, the rest merely ordinary.
Generic Oi with a five-year-old theme and a banal sound. Too little, too late.
The best of the “skunk” bands comes up with a second terrific release. On this one the guitar sound isn’t quite as heavy and dense, but it’s more than compensated for by the accelerated tempo. A must.
Super lame. Boring songs, weak guitar, and a general lack of imagination make this a waste of vinyl. CHRON GEN were much better on their debut EP, before they allowed themselves to be overproduced. Live and learn.
A wild thrash attack makes this one a necessity. Better than 90% of the current crop of Britpunk. Why are there so few bands like this over there?
A great record that sounds exactly like CRASS at their vitriolic best. I’d swear it was CRASS if I didn’t know better, but I am convinced that CRASS have mastered the cloning process. Seriously, this is intelligent raw noise with a militaristic beat, so march out and buy it.
Like their first 7″, this is garage pop from the deep Midwest. I’d classify it as garage punk if the guitar overwhelmed the Farfisa-type organ, but it doesn’t so I won’t. Pretty good in an unremarkable way, and the critical anti-conformist lyrics to “Zombie” prove that these Okies aren’t from Muskogee.
Superior thrash punk from SoCal with a roaring sound and more punch than most in a genre known for hitting power. Need I say more? Highly recommended.
MDC, formerly the Texas STAINS, are one of the most politically-aware punk bands around today, and this record has enough food for thought to gorge the average listener with ideas. The music is exceptionally fast but much more complex than the typical thrash attack, a combination that can be disorienting until the material becomes more familiar. My one complaint is that the mix emphasizes the vocals at the expense of the guitars, but this is still one of the year’s best albums.
Garage punk at its finest. Only someone as smart as Touch and Go fanzine editor Tesco Vee could be responsible for something this trashy. With its gritty sound and themes like infanticide, repressed sexuality, and Beatlephobia, this EP is guaranteed to offend anyone with a speck of decency, so buy two and send one to the moral puritan of your choice. Me, I’m sending a copy to Senator Jesse Helms (R-North Carolina).
A mod-punk hybrid which is kind of catchy but too wimpy to have much impact. At least it’s different.
A new political punk group whose music isn’t yet wild enough to shake you up, though “Death to Humanity” comes close. “Bottled Oi” is notable for its ironic feel and its vicious critique of Oi mindlessness.
One of the truly magnificent records of 1981, which inexplicably received almost no media attention. 12 thrash garage tunes (a new subgenre) like the best of the MEAT PUPPETS, but with political themes. It’s really too great for words, so get it if you can find it.
Depressing. Once a great guitar-heavy pop band, RUDI has now resorted to sickening keyboards. Just because the UNDERTONES added strings doesn’t mean that it’s OK for other Irish groups to get wimpy. Shoot the synth player.
A better-recorded 11-song follow-up to their first release, but loses speed and rawness in the process. A bit more post-punk influence here, and a bit more repetitive, but still strong.
Great funnypunk with a powerful sound and Oi vocals. This is the kind of record that it’s uproariously fun to sing along with, especially if you’re drunk.
“Big City” is a really outstanding cut, fast and with a ’77-style chorus. The rest is generic English punk rock.
An oddball release from a new funnypunk group featuring brilliant satire (“No Russians”) and a snarling song sans guitars and bass (“Revolution #10″). Atypical and recommended for that reason.
A strong debut for this group. Real fast standard punk throughout, none too original, but better than most.
A band that’s really deteriorated since their first two EPs. This new one, though not as bad as its immediate predecessor, barely halts the downward spiral. Beki seems bent on taking the same route as Siouxie, and the band appears content to follow lamely along. Only “Tomorrow’s Soldier” packs a real wallop because of its straightforward nature and louder guitars.
The third 7″ from one of my favorite Oi bands. Though their amazingly gruff vocals and speedy tempo again lift them above the usual fare, none of these tracks is as irresistibly catchy as “Violent Society.”
Whether you call this slow punk or fast post-punk, it’s got a certain flare. The buzzing guitars in “Fugitive” are attention-getting, and the melody line sticks in your head. Give it a listen.
Manic thrash punk with gravelly Oi singing. With its speed and intensity, this is probably the best record yet from Sweden. They thank BLACK FLAG, the DEAD KENNEDYS, DISORDER, and Dischord Records on their info sheet, which should give you some idea of their influences.
Cuts by UK groups VICE SQUAD, ORGANIZED CHAOS, ABRASIVE WHEELS, COURT MARTIAL, CHAOS UK, DEAD KATSS, RESISTANCE 77, HAVOC, MAYHEM, EXPELLED, TDA, UNDEAD, LUNATIC FRINGE, CHAOTIC DISCHORD. A few previously released tracks, most not. Pretty good collection. Favorites are by HAVOC and CHAOTIC DISCHORD.
Possibly the fastest thrash garage punk ever recorded. So fast that the music cannot be structurally confined and sometimes degenerates into total noise. Some might think it’s too fast, but I really like the NEOS’ combination of aural chaos and political conscience.
A ska-ish band from SoCal. I was prepared to hate this, but it’s not all bad. “Disarm” is fairly straight ska, but “Destiny” is an engaging ska-punk fusion with a super fuzz guitar. Progressive lyrics provide a further bonus, so check it out.
Boston is happening! SS DECONTROL fired the shots heard ’round the world and generated a thriving hardcore scene. This great album shows why, with its ferocious thrash assault, committed delivery, and intelligent radical lyrics. Fan the flames!
A strong new release from the only real underground label in New Orleans. This EP offers ’77-type punk with a bite. Worth your attention.
LA Satanic chic by 45 GRAVE’s lesser shadow. “Become a Pagan” is a fast, haunting chant with spooky vocals that would provide an excellent soundtrack for pagan ritual dancing. The rest are slower dirges better suited to luded-out covens.
A huge disappointment. This is so lame it’s hard to believe TSOL put out one of the best punk EPs of 1981. “Man & Machine” is alright punk, “Statues” is embarrassingly wimpy and pretentious, and the others sound like substandard out-takes from the LP.
This female trio from Austin plays melodic, harmonic music. But underneath that soft exterior are fine poets who say the obvious but not so obvious. “Men in Politics” is a gem.
This band successfully combines punk and hardrock, much like early GENERATION X and SUICIDE. Some tasty guitarwork and nice fuzz, one of the few bands to make longer songs tolerable. B-side is weak.
