Crutch - Disgruntled Employee 7-Inch - 1994

Picked this record up for cheap last year. Went digging in a 50 cent bin and took a gamble on this. I think my decision was made based on the DYI graphic and record company Bong Load Records.

"Disgruntled Employee" is a good track with some punk rock whoa whoa's. There is something about the track that reminds me of TSOL circa 1985 when they contributed the track "Nothing For You" to the "Return Of The Living Dead" soundtrack.

"Kick My Ass" is also a decent rocker. Neither is a classic, but they both are fine to come up on random every once in a while.

Enjoy!

Crutch - Disgruntled Employee 7-Inch.zip

Holly Golightly - Christmas Tree On Fire 7" - 2006

Merry Christmas everyone. I know I said I didn't have any Christmas vinyl to post this year, but I actually do. It's not vintage and may not conjure up nostalgic memories of Christmases of yore, but it is still a fun little Christmas record about the Christmas Tree burning down the house. Serves as a good warning about the hazards of real Christmas trees in your house. Longtime readers of the blog know that I love Holly Golightly. She's gotten quite a few mentions over the years and I even posted some photos this last year from when I went to see her. This is a record she released a few years ago for Christmas. I'm pretty sure you can still find it online or at specialty record store so I won't leave the link active for long. You really should go find the record, buy it and support the lady. With that said, my Christmas present today is to share it for a few days.

Enjoy!

01 Christmas Tree On Fire.m4a
02 Hear My Call, Here.m4a

Budget Girls - Get In Your Ear 7" - 1996

Screechy, raucus fun. The budget girls rock. I don't know if this qualifies as Riot Grrrl or just rowdy garage rock. Whatever. Who needs labels anyways? The girls are having fun banging away on their guitars and doing something close to singing. The record has a fantasticly racey cover. Reminds me of some lame Benny Hill skit or Austin Powers. The record also has a "teabagging" track, probably one of the earliest. I don't know that for a fact, but how many songs about teabaggin do you know and how many were before 1996. "Go Away Geek" cracks me the way they screech and scream. It sounds just like some snotty girls in highschool. The thing is it doesn't sound ironic, it sounds sincere. "Pop A Wheelie" and "French One" are also good tracks. The whole 7" is good. If you ever com across it, pick it up, bcause who knows how long these links will be active.

Enjoy!

01 Pop-A-Wheelie Cop-A-Feelie.m4a
02 Teabaggin'.m4a
03 French One.m4a
04 Go Away Geek!.m4a

The Bo-Keys/The Royal Pendaltons Split 7"

Norton records is one of those record labels where you can buy records based completely on the reputation of the label. I've picked up many records from bands that I hadn't previously heard based solely on the fact that the record was a Norton record. They know what they are doing over there. That is for sure.

I should note that I first heard The Black Lips and King Khan and BBQ by picking up their contributions to this Norton Rolling Stones series.

Over the past few years they've been releasing 7" singles as part of a series of Rolling Stones covers. I'm not sure if they've collected these onto a CD or an LP, but I think they may have. I, however, have tried picking them all up on record. If you're ever in a record shop and you see one or some of these records, go ahead and make the purchase. Some are better than others, but really there isn't a bad record in the whole series. I think I've to this record lined up to share, because it was one of the last ones in the series that I bought this past year.

The Bo-Keys turn in a great version of Congratulations. Easily as good if not maybe a little better than the original. Before hearing this song I really wasn't familiar with the original. After hearing this I had to check out the original. That is one of the great things about this series. A lot of the sons chosen to cover are a little more obscure, so I've been turned onto some of those early Stones Songs that don't get much radio play. The Royal Pendaltons do a cover of Tell Me, which is okay. Not bad, but not great.
Enjoy!

01 Congratulations.m4a
02 Tell Me.m4a

Thee Mighty Caesars - Cowboys Are Square 7" - 2003

Okay, I'm going to kind of be bold and daring to start off the new year by doing a post on something relatively new. I picked this record up just this past year. I'm sure if you are one who shops in the kind of record stores that carry 7 inch records you should be able to find this record. Might take a little effort, but I'm sure it is still out there. I'm sure it is really easy to find on the internet and if I wasn't lazy I'd find a link for you. Unfortunately for you I am feeling lazy and am going to leave that chore up to you.

The Mighty Caesars, one of Billy Childish's many projects. If you know his work, then there are really no surprises here. Both cuts are typical Childish garage rock. Rowdy, rough and simple. I prefer "Ain't Got None" the best of the two tracks. The drums are great. They sound like a caveman is just pounding away with reckless abandon. Toward the end the guitar screeches and whines like a sick animal, but in a good way. Always a little off and not quite fitting the confines of musical rules. The song on a whole is a good hoof stomper. I imagine it would get a club jumping. Hopefully one day I'll have the privilege of catching Billy.

Enjoy!

01 Cowboys Are Square.m4a
02 Ain't Got None.m4a

Wild Billy Childish & The Blackhands - Who Do You Think You're Kidding Mr. Hitler/Chatham Jack - 1993

Gotta love Mr. Childish. Okay maybe you don't, but I certainly do. This record should catch a lot of people's attention just because the title has Hitler's name in it. That is sort of a lightning rod. The song has kind of a reggae beat to it, which seems a little different for Billy. At least it does to me. It also feels like a pub song.

"Chatham Jacks" has what sounds like an accordion in there. This one sounds like it has a little zydeco to it. I'm not an expert on zydeco, but that is was comes to mind with the accordion and the blues mixed together. It just sounds like it came from down on the Mississipi Delta.

I've never seen, Billy but I do hope to before I die. On a related note, I am extremely upset that Holly Golightly is going to be in LA next weekend at Spaceland when I'm out of town for Thanksgiving. UUUURRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHH! I missed her the last time she came across the pond and now again. Hopefully one day the stars will align. By the way I bough her latest effort with the Brokeoffs called "Dirty Don't Hurt" a few weeks back. It also has a rootsy bluesy American flavor to it. A little different than some of the other records I have from her, but still very good.

Anyways, this may be the last "record" posting before we dive into the holidays so have have fun with it.

Enjoy!

01 Who Do You Think You're Kidding Mr. Hitler_.m4a
02 Chathams Jack.m4a

Gito Gito Hustler - Wonderful 7" - 2005

I picked this hot little 7" up a couple years ago and boy does it sizzle. Like many other people I have a keen fascination Japanese rock music and an even greater fascination with Japanese girl bands. They don't sound like anything from the West. It's a mixture of their complete abandon and the accents that make them stand out as something different and engaging. Gito Gito Hustler have a more modern punk attitude and flavor than a band like The 5.6.7.8.'s for example. As far as I can tell their still recording and playing. I can only hope that someday I'll have a chance to see them.

You can catch the Gito Gito Hustler wave by visiting some of their myspace page. You can hear a few of their other songs there. Wikipedia aslo has a little info on the band. Here's also an article from Salt Lake City.

If you like what you hear please go out and support them by picking up one of their releases from gearhead.

Enjoy!

01 Wonderful.m4a
02 Romantic.m4a


As a bonus here's a little video of Gito Gito Hustler performing "Wonderful".

Ludella Black - The Skull Of A Man 7" - 2002

If you're a regular reader you'd should probably know by now that I love Thee Headcoatees and most everything having to do with them. Ludella Black is one of those things, having been a member of the group. I only own this record by her.

"The Skull Of A Man" is a dark moody number. To me it has a sort of late 60's psyechdelic feel to it. I can see acid laced hippies dancing to something like this.

"The Pill I Take" stays in this same vain. The title evoking thoughts of "White Rabbit".

And the third song "You Opened My Eyes" also has a similar theme, but the music is a little more upbeat and rocking. It has a bit of a middle eastern guitar thing going on mixed with more of a garage rock vibe. This sounds more like something you'd expect from "Thee Headcoatees".

Enjoy!

01 The Skull Of A Man.m4a
02 The Pill That I Take.m4a
03 You Opened My Eyes.m4a

The 5.6.7.8's - Bomb The Twist 7" - 1996

This is the second record I’ve posted by the 5. 6. 7. 8.’s. The last record was Woo Hoo which everyone should know from “Kill Bill”. This record should however convince you that you should search these ladies out and buy some of their records. This shows that there is a lot more to these girls than “Woo Hoo”.

“Bomb The Twist” is a no holds barred, gritty rocker that tears from start to finish. It sounds like pure mayhem. It is rock ‘n’ roll at it’s purest form. I love the vocals that are being screeched out in the foreground and then the more in control backup vocals. And the whole thing just seems a little too fast and feels like it is going to spin out of control at any minute. When the song finally ends you can’t believe that these ladies could keep up that energy and speed the whole way through. It is simply amazing.

“It’s Raining” is a slower song. Their accents are much thicker on this one, and I find that quite charming. Many of the lines require several listens to understand, but that is okay. It’s all part of the fun with listening to Japanese garage bands sing in English.

Enjoy!

01 Bomb The Twist.mp3
02 It's Raining.mp3

Anna And The Psychomen - My Baby Needs To Rock And Roll 7"

In keeping with the garage theme of recent posts here is a rip roaring release from Anna and The Psychomen. I picked this one up on a whim, just because it looked like it was going to be wild. After getting it home and confirming that the record was great I started doing some reading on Anna and The Psychomen. On their website, which if I remember correctly was wildly out of date, it said that they played some dates with Morticia's Lovers in Italy. I thought of course I like this band. They are part of that whole circle of sleaze, garage rock and roll bands. From what I can gather they are from Italy, Milan to be exact. I'm gathering that from places other than their website, because that isn't very helpful in gathering facts. The site is fun, but is one of those sites that is all about the myth and fictitious story behind Anny and the psychomen.

The first track "My Baby Needs To Rock 'N' Roll" is awesome from start to finish. It will kick you up side your head and feel no regrets.

"I Love To Hate You" following int he same vein. It starts with a clip of an Italian guy on the radio with some surf music in the background. Then the song kicks in. Again punch your lights out energy and garage heaven.

"Cannibals Love To Rock 'N' Roll" is my second favorite song on the record. It was this title that really caught my eye when I was flipping through the record bin. I mean it's got cannibals right there in the title. How bad could it be?

"Dressed In Black" could possibly be the longest song on the record at about 4 and a half minutes. It starts off with a little more build up and anticipation. It is a little slower. I don't mean that it is a slow song, because it is not. It is rock and roll through and through, but it has a little more control to it. It doesn't sound like it is going to implode at any moment.

All in all the record is great. If you have a chance to buy this one one of their other releases do so. If you have a chance to see them play definitely go and then tell me about it. I'd love to see them, but I doubt i ever will. I don't know if they'll ever come to the states and because their website is years out of date I'm not sure they are even still playing. Oh well. I have this record to make due.

Enjoy!

a1 - My Baby Needs To Rock'n'Roll.mp3
a2 - I Love You, I Hate You.mp3
b1 - Cannibals Love To Rock'n'Roll.mp3
b2 - Dressed In Black.mp3

The Royal Guardsmen - Snoopy Vs The Red Baron 7" - 1966

This is easily one of my favorite records in my entire collection. When I picked this up I was like a kid on Christmas, giddy with excitement. I could hardly wait to get home and spin it.

After buying it "Snoopy Vs. The Red Baron" quickly made its way onto a mix tape that was played constantly in my car. Then when I got into ripping vinyl to my computer it made its way onto a mix CD. And then when I got an Ipod of course this one was an essential song.

As a kid I had a Snoopy album that had this song on it. I loved that record. My wife had the same experience and so we've passed that love down to our kids. The song itself is pure pop bliss. It's catchy, the lyrics are funny and very memorable. The song is less that 3 minutes and so when it is over, you are ready to listen to it again.

Today when I'm really into the whole garage band sound, I really appreciate this song, because to me it has a lot of that flavor to it. The song when it was released was wildly successful. It peaked at number 2 on the charts. It may not be number 1, but that is pretty amazing fo a song about a dog flying a plane, shooting down Germans. This was of course when Snoopy was at the peak of poularity. For more on the Royal Guardsmen here is a link to a pretty informative site.

The "B-Side" isn't Snoopy themed at all. It is just a nice garage ballad and I like it quite a bit. If you've never hears any of the Guardsmen's non Snoopy songs, I think this one will surprise you. These guys were good.

Enjoy!

01 Snoopy Vs The Red Baron.m4a
02 I Needed You.m4a

Morticia's Lovers - Rock 'n' Roll Overdose - 2003

Before I ever really got into searching for music on soulseek ad before bittorrent I would search record label websites for free downloads. At some point I came across Morticia's Lovers. They had a few songs from this album to download. I fell instantly in love with the complete abandon and screeching vocals. The songs were short, fast, full of punk rock energy, but weren't really punk. They were somthing else. It many respects this was one of the bands that got me into the whole garage rock/garage punk thing that I'm so into now.

"C'mon Yeah" basically is a rip of Chuck Berry with more raunchy rock 'n' roll craziness. I remember my daughter being 4 or 5 years ago and singing along with this song in the car. That says something. The song is completely rock and roll, but was catchy enough for a little kid to connect to it. The girl's voice is interesting. At times it sounds like it is a little Japanese girl from some anime. Gives the song a different vibe.

The other song that I initially downloaded and fell in love with is the title track "Rock N Roll Overdose". It just sounds like what punk rock should sound like. I mean that mostly in the attitude, because of course Punk can take on many forms, but at it's core there is just an intangible attitude that says punk rock to me. This song has it in spades.

Well eventually I found this record and I bought the whole thing. It is 10 songs of raucus rock and roll heaven. I wish I could see these guys perform. I have no idea if they are still together or if they travel. Their website hasn't been updated forever the last I checked. I guess I'll just have to be happy with these songs. You should seek out the record and buy it as well if you like what you hear. Maybe it will give them a reason to tour or record some more.

Enjoy!

01 C'Mon Yeah.mp3
02 Gangbus.com.mp3
03 Rock 'N' Roll Girl.mp3
04 Sign Of Love.mp3
05 Boredom.mp3
06 Rock 'N' Roll OVerdose.mp3
07 You Gotta Shake.mp3
08 Do The Uganda.mp3
09 Pink Punk Fuckin' Machine.mp3
10 Let's Go.mp3

Morticia's Lovers - Rock 'n' Roll Overdose (Vinyl).zip

The Dwarves - Salt Lake City 7"

My favourite thing I've ever read about the Dwarves was on Allmusic.com. The last sentence of the review of "The Dwarves Must Die" it says, "If it wasn't for the blood and nudity, they'd be huge." I think this sums up the Dwarves better than any other statement. These guys can write catchy hooky punk rock. They play incredibly tight. They have all the makings or rock and roll success, but I think they just don't want to make it very easy to be marketed. Their albums and singles have lots of naked women and lots of blood. I don't see Wallmart carrying any other their releases anytime soon.

I have quite a few of their singles. I love this one because I can relate to the song. I lived in Utah for a few years and can completely sympathize with the sentiment of not wanting to go there. My wife and I went to school there and they day after my wife finished school we packed up a U-haul truck and got out of there. It's been over ten years now and we've never looked back.

"Salt Lake City" also has guest vocals by Dexter Holland. If you know the Offspring, you'll be able to pick out his distinct voice. The song feels a lot like the Ramones. So if you like that straight ahead punk sound that the Ramones pioneered, then you'll love this song.

"Go" is a great thrasher of a number. The song kicks in going a hundred miles an hour and never lets up. It is only a minute and a half long and fun the whole way through.

"Kaotica" is a complete change of pace. It is a sort of experimental rock/hip hop song. Kind of hard to classify and describe. It is definitely in its own world. You may love it or you may hate it. I'll just say that sometimes I love it's wackiness and other times it is just annoying. I think it depends on your mood.

My first real introduction to The Dwarves was at a "Hellbilly" show. The show was actually supposed to be a "Demented Are Go" show, but they had some trouble with immigration at the last moment and couldn't make the show. The first act of the night was Blag Dahlia doing a solo acoustic set. His songs were catchy and had a funny sense of humor. For a taste of what that show was like you can download a song called "This Jihad" from the Dwarves website for free. He did that song that night. It was enough to get me interested in hearing more. I had seen their records in the 7" bin with the outrageous covers, but now I had a reason to buy them. I fell in love. This 7" was part of that original purchase of records.

This past year I finally had the chance to see the Dwarves. I had heard they had a crazy stage show, but I wasn't really ready for what I got. I took my son to the show. He was 15 at the time. He knew the songs and loved their music as well. We saw them at Safari Sams in LA. The stage there isn't very high and we were right up front. So when they took the stage and the guitarist came out wearing nothing but a Mexican wrestling mask, socks and boots it was shocking. It was even more shocking when the guitarist ended up right next to me and I had his penis just about a foot away from my face for most of the show. Eventually the shock wore off and I had a really good time at the show. They have so many great songs from such a long career that it was just hit after hit. They weren't promoting a new record, so I knew all the songs. So if you aren't put off by a naked man playing guitar, then I highly recommend seeing the Dwarves live. It will be a night you won't forget. Until then you can rock out to these three songs.

Enjoy!

01 Salt Lake City.m4a
02 Go!.m4a
03 Kaotica.m4a

Jay Reatard - Hammer I Miss You 7"

Finally I've gotten to my Jay Reatard post. This record came out a few years ago and really was my introduction to Jay. If you like this I strongly recommend you seek out Jay's album "Blood Visions" which is great from start to finish. Jay has a talent from writing catchy songs, which keeping a rough raged edge around everything. This is garage music at it's purest.



Jay just recently release a new single on Matador records. I got it in the mail this past week and it also is great. You should seek it out. I ordered it right from the Matador sight.

As for this record, "Hammer I Miss You" has become a standard in Jay's live show. It is the reason I bought the record. Not that I had heard the song. I just saw the title and had high hopes. I mean really is anyone else singing about Hammer and missing him?

When I put the record on the song that really sold me on Jay was "It's So Useless". When you break the song down, it is just a good little power pop song, but the voice is just crazy. It's is hard to explain, but he sounds a bit like he does belong in a mental institution when he sings. Then the chorus is just punk rock. The song sounds like it is just going to spin out of control toward the end. It is Rock and Roll bliss.

"All Wasted" is again another great example of Jay at his best. Simple song. Catchy chorus. And it has the extra added bonus of having lyrics with "Zombies". I like zombie songs. Yes, I know that is probably a pretty weak statement, but it is true. I'm sure the song will make it onto a Halloween compilation one year.

So take this little sample of Jay Reatard and get yourself hooked. Once you are you'll find that he is pretty prolific recording under many different band titles. I recommend going back to the beginning with his Reatards recordings and then working your way out to some of the other projects like Angry Angles.

Enjoy!

01 Hammer I Miss You.m4a
02 Its So Useless.m4a
03 All Wasted.m4a