The Adicts - Songs of Praise

I apologize once again for the delay in uploads. I should be able to resume uploading material daily within the next couple of days.

The Adicts are an English Punk rock band from Ipswich, Suffolk. They began playing under the name of the Afterbirth & The Pinz, in their hometown of Ipswich in late 1975. Popular in the 1980s, they were often in the indie charts at that time. They soon changed their name to The Adicts and became known for their distinctive Clockwork Orange 'Droog' image, which, along with their urgent, uptempo music and light-hearted lyrics, helped set them very much apart from the rest of the genre.

Songs of Praise was the Adicts debut album, released in 1981. The Adicts were one of the few early punk groups who survived the eighties, and when you hear the tracks England, and Get Adicted, you'll nod your head and understand just why. But those aren't the only great tracks to be found here. The album finishes strong with the tracks, Songs of Praise and Sound of Music. I recommend this album for those looking for a cross between the Ramones, Sex Pistols, and The Cure.
(Year of Release: 1981)

Track List:
1. England
2. Hurt
3. Just Like Me
4. Tango
5. Telepathic People
6. Mary Whitehouse
7. Distortion
8. Get Adicted
9. Viva la Revolution
10. Calling Calling
11. In the Background
12. Dynasty
13. Peculiar Music
14. Numbers
15. Sensitive
16. Songs of Praise
17. Sound of Music
18. Who Spilt my Beer?

Download: The Adicts - Songs of Praise (40.1MB)

Fantomas - Director's Cut

Sorry for the delay.. My internet connection was down for a while. Here's Fantomas - Director's Cut, as requested by Karla Verde.

Track List:
1. Godfather
2. Golem
3. Experiment In Terror
4. One Step Beyond
5. Night Of The Hunter
6. Cape Fear
7. Rosemary's Baby
8. Devil Rides Out
9. Spider Baby
10. Omen
11. Henry Portrait Of A Serial Killer
12. Vendetta
13. Investigation Of A Citizen Above Suspicion
14. Twin Peaks
15. Charade

Download: Fantomas - Director's Cut (53.6MB)

VA - Storming The Citadel - Volumes I & II

In the 1980s, Australian independent music, especially the Detroit inspired, garage style guitar driven pop, attracted some fanatical attention in Europe. Music fans in countries like France, Holland, Belgium and Spain were rabid about some of our bands. As a result, many of them sold a lot more records over there than they did at home. And, with bands like our own DM3 and the Chevelles, that interest continues today.

One such fan was Divine Rites Webmaster, a 38-year old computer programmer from Strasbourg in France. He started his own label, Divine Rites Records, and his very first release was this double 10" vinyl job called Storming The Citadel, which was limited to just 700 copies. It is a tribute to John Needham's Sydney label that was the early home of the Died Pretty, the Stems, the Trilobites, the Lime Spiders, the Screaming Tribesmen, the Bamboos, the Dubrovniks, the Moffs, the New Christs, Wet Taxis and a bunch of others. Several current Australian bands like Challenger 7, Asteroid B-612, Indignation, the Panadolls, Sheek The Shayk and Perth's Jack & The Beanstalk (doing the Spiders' Slave Girl), along with a couple of European and US outfits, will each tackle a favorite song from the Citadel catalogue.

The tapes were mixed by Rob Younger who, as virtual house producer for Citadel in the '80s, oversaw most of those bands' early sessions. His own bands Radio Birdman and the New Christs are still with the label today, as are DM3 and the now returned Died Pretty. (Year of Release: 1998)

Track List:

Volume I:
1. Jack & the Beanstalk - Slave Girl (Lime Spiders)
2. Challenger 7 - Move A Little Closer (Screaming Tribesmen)
3. Hunchbacks - Virginia (Bamboos)
4. Sheek The Shayk and his Royal Camels - Liquor Fit (Lipstick Killers)
5. Mother Jones - Sad TV (The Visitors)
6. Indignation - Sister's Life (Porcelain Bus)
7. Tension - A Legacy Of Morons (Trilobites)

Volume II:
1. Panadolls - Voodoo Slaves (Minuteman)
2. Pyramidiacs - Don't Talk About Us (Someloves)
3. Backsliders - Savage (Fun Things)
4. Louis Tillett & Charlie Owen - Headin' South (New Christs)
5. Asteroid B-612 - Mirror Blues (Died Pretty)

*Original Artist In Parentheses

Download: Storming the Citadel - Volumes I & II
Download Size: 83.4MB

William Van Huss - Love Songs For The Chemically Dependent

'Love Songs for the Chemically Dependent' was released in 2005 by William Van Huss, an independent artist and musician. He originally posted this on his personal blog Psyche Zenobia, where you can find a few other albums to download as well as some poetry. The following excerpt is taken from his blog:

I put this out in June of 2005 just before leaving for Holland. That was my deadline. Most of these songs were written just after the breakup of Murder Weapon and recorded by me at my apartment in Johnson City, Tennessee on a Fostex MR-8 with the help of Audacity for editing and mastering. Since I didn't have an actual band at the time, and wasn't really interested in putting one together, I enlisted the help of several friends from other bands to play with me on these tracks. I was pretty happy with the finished product. I consider this an album that documents a very transitional period in my life. There are a couple of catchy rockers and a couple of slow songs (a new thing for me) and a couple of extras. I'll talk a little about each track:

1. From Outer Space 2 U - I wrote this during Murder Weapon and even performed it a few times live with MW. The opening sample is from the Atari classic Berzerk. It also features theremin, which I used extensively with MW. Chad Horton plays drum and he and friend Marcus Banks did the hand claps. All other vocals, guitars, and theremin were done by me.

2. Someone Else - This was the last one written and recorded for the album. Chad on drums, myself on guitars and vocals, and Billy Woodleif on lead guitar. Billy stopped by while I was recording and kindly offered his talents to me in exchange for a toke or two.

3. The Man Who Cried - An attempt at a murder ballad turned into a folky love song. This one is just me on vocals, guitars, and Casio.

4. Leaving - This one was written during the Murder Weapon time but never played by the band because it was too slow and we couldn't break stride to slow down that much live. Fred Hartley and I play guitar and I sing. This and Castles were recorded the same night and not meant to be finished versions but after a while I got used to them and decided not to spend any more time on them.

5. Castles - Fred and I on the other track from the same night. This one was originally a poem that I thought might work better as a song. I still really like the chorus here but as a whole I never was satisfied. I included it for it's honesty and it's place in my life at the time.

6. I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man - Obviously a cover of the Prince song, this one was recorded straight live with Chad on drums and Fred on lead. I played guitar and tried to scream loud enough to be heard.

7. The Lonesome Death Of Mary Kelley - This is from a live show with Murder Weapon. Brad Ward on bass and Mark Dollar on drums.

8. The Facts Of Life - The day this was recorded Brett Hale had showed up to record Murder Weapon at my house in Bristol, Virginia. When the rest of the band didn't show I decided to make use of our time by recording something so Brett, Wayne, and I did this. I wrote the lyrics down and hummed the tune and we winged it. Wayne on drums and Brett on guitar. We also did "Night of the Vampire" by Roky Erickson that night but I'll save it for later.

So there you go. Download it and let me know what you think.

Download: William Van Huss - Songs For The Chemically Dependent (20MB)

Just Got Back From Florida

I just got back from the Down on the Farm music festival in Florida. The trip was twice as far as I've ever been away from home. I suppose you could say I've lived a bit of a sheltered life. I wasn't familiar with any of the bands that played, but they put on a great show regardless. While I was there I did volunteer work for an organization called Clean Vibes. I had a great time and met a lot of interesting people along the way. I plan on going to the Bonnaroo music festival next year, so if any of you plan on going and would like to meet up, or are interested in working at the festival, just leave me a comment on here.

I had intended to post and let everyone know that I was leaving and wouldn't be able to post any albums during that time, but I had too many things to do in order to prepare for the trip. I'm going to take the night off, but tomorrow I'll resume uploading albums.

I also wanted to say thank you to those of you who joined the Digital Meltd0wn group on last.fm We've passed the 15 member mark and now have our own charts. The forum is also beginning to stir, and the group radio has a diverse selection of great music to listen to.

The Ramones - The Ramones

With the three-chord assault of "Blitzkrieg Bop," The Ramones begins at a blinding speed and never once over the course of its 14 songs does it let up. The Ramones is all about speed, hooks, stupidity, and simplicity. The songs are imaginative reductions of early rock & roll, girl group pop, and surf rock. Not only is the music boiled down to its essentials, but the Ramones offer a twisted, comical take on pop culture with their lyrics, whether it's the horror schlock of "I Don't Wanna Go Down to the Basement," the drug deals of "53rd and 3rd," the gleeful violence of "Beat on the Brat," or the maniacal stupidity of "Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue." And the cover of Chris Montez's "Let's Dance" isn't a throwaway -- with its single-minded beat and lyrics, it encapsulates everything the group loves about pre-Beatles rock & roll. They don't alter the structure, or the intent, of the song, they simply make it louder and faster. And that's the key to all of the Ramones' music -- it's simple rock & roll, played simply, loud, and very, very fast. None of the songs clock in at any longer than two and half minutes, and most are considerably shorter. In comparison to some of the music the album inspired, The Ramones sounds a little tame. It's a little too clean, and compared to their insanely fast live albums, it even sounds a little slow, but there's no denying that it still sounds brilliantly fresh and intoxicatingly fun. (Year of Release: 1976)

Track List:
1. Blitzkrieg Bop
2. Beat on the Brat
3. Judy is a Punk
4. I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend
5. Chain Saw
6. Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue
7. I Don't Wanna Go DOwn to the Basement
8. Loudmouth
9. Havana Affair
10. Listen To My Heart
11. 53rd & 3rd
12. Let's Dance
13. I don't Wanna Walk Around With You
14. Today Your Love, Tomorrow the World

Download: The Ramones - The Ramones (26.2MB)

Hot Snakes - Automatic Midnight

Since the last Hot Snakes album I posted was well received, I thought I would follow it up with this one. I suppose I probably should have posted this album first, since it is their debut, and the previous album I posted was their sophomore release.

Few albums provide an immediate jolt like Hot Snakes' debut. For a rocking good time, this band is pretty tough to beat. "Automatic Midnight" is aggressive, in-your-face, and extremely fun to listen to, coming off sort of like Nirvana with loads of swagger instead of self-conscious angst. While Hot Snakes' sound is loosely classifiable as punk or hardcore, the band transcends easy genre labels with tight, focused songwriting, razor-sharp musicianship, and a stunning level of rhythmic heft. Rick Froberg screams with such urgency his vocal cords sound like they could snap at any moment, and the band behind him is a marvel of intensity and efficiency.

The concise opening double shot of "If Credit's What Matters I'll Take Credit" and the title track (total running time: about four minutes) proves the band to be noise merchants of the highest order, with Froberg's fierce shout joined by a pummelling wall of guitars, piledriving drums, and basslines that sound like nukes going off. It doesn't let up from there, either: "Automatic Midnight" is pure adrenaline from start to finish, perfect for waking up on a hungover Sunday morning (or so I'm told). The album's best song, the woozy "Salton City," wavers and staggers like a drunk, propelled by a surprisingly intricate drum beat from Jason Sinclair. If you're into indie music, you owe this album a listen. Highly recommended. (Year of Release: 2000)

Track List:
1. If Credit's What Matters I'll Take Credit
2. Automatic Midnight
3. No Hands
4. Salton City
5. 10th Planet
6. Light Up The Stars
7. Our Work Fills The Pews
8. Past Lives
9. Mystery Boy
10. Apartment 0
11. Let It Come

Download: Hot Snakes - Automatic Midnight (28.8MB)

Tav Falco's Panther Burns - Panther Phobia

I snagged this from the TWILIGHTZONE! music blog (link below and in sidebar), which I consider the best music blog on the net. I would like to thank RYP, who runs that blog, for introducing me to so many wonderful bands, and I hope he won't mind if I use the description from his blog, as I'm pressed for time at the moment.

Yeah, it's your world now: Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Doo Rag, the Gories, the Gibson Brothers, Fat Possum Records and Rooster Blues, the Flat Duo Jets, Southern Culture on the Skids. Sure they rock. They all rock. And when they were rocking in their mamas' arms (about nine months after we balled'em), Tav Falco and his Unapproachable Panther Burns were shaking all over. These were wreckabilly, juntabilly, psychotropic evenings long before such genres were termed, when the difference between the Panther Burns and Charlie Feathers was mostly age and a few notches on the volume knob of a Vibroverb amp. Okay, and Charlie knew how to play.
Tav on the band's end of the '70s noise rock origins: "Here was an art form I could participate in by just picking up the instrument, like a Kodak Instamatic camera. It was the feeling and aesthetic that mattered, more than musicianship or virtuosity. I didn't feel hindered by my lack of conventional guitar knowledge. I just went into it full tilt."

Before applying his vision to the guitar, Tav Falco was a filmmaker and documentarian. He amassed knowledge of regal Memphis area musical greats and championed their work even before he could replicate it. (He has since gotten down with Jim Jarmusch and collaborated filmicly with Kenneth Anger, and had roles in several films, including "Great Balls of Fire" and "Highway 61." His movie appearance in the current retro-release of "Downtown 81", featuring Jan Michel Basquiat, resulted from the Panther Burns' movements on the East Village No Wave art scene in the 1980s.) Among the talent whom Tav Falco and his Panther Burns have brought to greater renown: R. L. Burnside had yet to record an album when Panther Burns began covering his songs. (Tav's 1974 footage of R. L.'s juke joint is a compelling document of a world that is slipping away.) Charlie Feathers hadn't gigged in years when Panther Burns made him a regular guest on their stage. The great rockabilly songs of Cordell Jackson ("Dateless Night," "She's The One That's Got It") found a new audience and the guitarist herself has enjoyed a second career since the Panther Burns turned the spotlight toward her. The Sir Mack Rice omnibus had receded to a couple hits before the Panther Burns revived his more outre tracks: "Tina The Go Go Queen" and "Ditch Diggin'" among others. Long before master musician Othar Turner and his Rising Star Fife and Drum Band were known to the world, the Panther Burns enlisted their talents on the band's first LP (1980's Behind the Magnolia Curtain). In the lean years of the early 1980s, the Panther Burns brought regular work to Alex Chilton and Jim Dickinson, both of whom played with and produced the band.

Tav: "The Panther Burns are the missing link between the earlier forms of swamp blues' unbridled howl and the psychological onslaught of the new millennium. We are, essentially, the ditch diggers in American music."

Named after a legendary plantation located still off 61 Highway in the lower Delta, the Panther Burns began their art actions around 1979 in a Memphis cotton loft, grew through the 1990s to a home in Vienna (and in Paris where their tango performance attracted international notoriety), and with this brilliant Panther Phobia have returned to the mythic Memphis garage of their origins. Recorded and mixed in Memphis, Tennessee, by Msrs. Jeffrey Evans (former Gibson Brother and the talent behind the '68 Comeback) and Doug Easley (producer and host to the stars at his studio, Easley Recording (901-323-5407)), Panther Phobia heralds a return to the tumultuous and exuberant tones and groans of the Panther Burns's landmark Behind The Magnolia Curtain. The music is organic, like a landlord's eviction squad. Drums pound like irate neighbors at the door. Slow songs snake like a chick passing out on 'ludes. You will lock your doors when you hear this record, you will bar your windows. Blood will flow from your nose, your lungs will itch. You will get a divorce, a speeding ticket, eleven twenty nine in the workhouse.

Tav: "You may have heard of the comedia del'arte, the peripatetic theater troupe of the 15th century, well the more rustic American version is the Panther Burns' staging of what we term antler del'arte. In other words, Panther Burns are the last steam engine train on the track that don't do nothing but run and blow."

Track List:
1. Streamline Train
2. She Wants To Sell My Monkey
3. Going Home
4. Once I Had A Car
5. The Young Psychotics
6. Cypress Grove
7. Wild Wild Women
8. Cockroach
9. Mellow Peaches
10. Panther Phobia: Manifesto!
11. This Could Go On Forever

Download: Tav Falco's Panther Burns - Panther Phobia (70.2MB)

TWILIGHTZONE! Music Blog

The Stooges - Fun House

The Stooges' first album was produced by a classically trained composer; their second was supervised by the former keyboard player with the Kingsmen, and if that didn't make all the difference, it at least indicates why Fun House was a step in the right direction. Producer Don Gallucci took the approach that the Stooges were a powerhouse live band, and their best bet was to recreate the band's live set with as little fuss as possible. As a result, the production on Fun House bears some resemblance to the Kingsmen's version of "Louie Louie" -- the sound is smeary and bleeds all over the place, but it packs the low-tech wallop of a concert pumped through a big PA, bursting with energy and immediacy. The Stooges were also a much stronger band this time out; Ron Asheton's blazing minimalist guitar gained little in the way of technique since The Stooges, but his confidence had grown by a quantum leap as he summoned forth the sounds that would make him the hero of proto-punk guitarists everywhere, and the brutal pound of drummer Scott Asheton and bassist Dave Alexander had grown to heavyweight champion status. And Fun House is where Iggy Pop's mad genius first reached its full flower; what was a sneer on the band's debut had grown into the roar of a caged animal desperate for release, and his rants were far more passionate and compelling than what he had served up before. The Stooges may have had more "hits," but Fun House has stronger songs, including the garage raver to end all garage ravers in "Loose," the primal scream of "1970," and the apocalyptic anarchy of "L.A. Blues." Fun House is the ideal document of the Stooges at their raw, sweaty, howling peak. (Year of Release: 1970)

Track List:
1. Down On The Street
2. Loose
3. T.V. Eye
4. Dirt
5. 1970
6. Fun House
7. L.A. Blues

Download: The Stooges - Fun House (46.3MB)

Dinosaur Jr. - You're Living All Over Me

A blitzkrieg fusion of hardcore punk, Sonic Youth-style noise freak-outs, heavy metal, and melodic hard rock, You're Living All Over Me was a turning point in American underground rock & roll. With its thin, unbalanced mix, the album sounds positively menacing and edgy.

(Lou Barlow's bass barrels forward over Murph's clanking drums, with J Mascis' guitar twisting pummeling riffs and careening, occasionally atonal solos. It established guitar heroics as a part of indie rock, bringing the noise of Sonic Youth into more conventional song structures. Also, Mascis' laconic, self-absorbed whine was a distinct departure from the furious post-hardcore rants, or the mumbling Michael Stipe imitations, that dominated indie rock. While the songwriting is occasionally uneven, the best moments of You're Living All Over Me -- "Little Fury Things," "Raisans," "In a Jar," and Barlow's proto-Sebadoh "Poledo" -- retain their power, and it's possible to hear the record's influence throughout alternative rock.
(Year of Release: 1987)

Track List:
1. Little Fury Things
2. Kracked
3. Sludgefeast
4. The Lung
5. Raisans
6. Tarpit
7. In A Jar
8. Lose
9. Poledo
10. Show Me The Way

Download: Dinosaur Jr. - You're Living All Over Me (53.6MB)

last.fm Digital Meltd0wn Group

I apologize for the recent lack of updates, but I've been working long shifts at work lately. I'll be putting up a few albums later tonight after I get off of work.

I wanted to take this time to invite all of you who use last.fm to join the group that I have made. It's for people who visit this blog, and anyone else who happens to have eclectic taste in music. So far we have seven members, but hopefully that number will increase soon. We need at least 15 members in order for last.fm to generate charts based on our listening habits.

If you're unfamiliar with last.fm then I highly recommend that you check it out. In my opinion it's the best music related site on the net, and a great tool for discovering new music. For future reference, you can find the link to the last.fm DM group and my profile page in the sidebar of this blog.

last.fm Homepage - http://last.fm
My last.fm Profile - http://last.fm/user/Zer0_II
Digital Meltd0wn Group - http://last.fm/group/Digital+Meltd0wn

Blue Cheer - Vincebus Eruptum

The trio of Blue Cheer who consisted of bassist/vocalist Dickie Peterson, guitarist Leigh Stevens and drummer Paul Whaley were one of the psychedelic sixties loudest bands. "Vincebus Eruptum" released in 1968 was a solid album full of garage rockers complete with distorted guitars, pounding drums and wailing vocals.

They were heavier than their hard-rock contemporaries, Cream, Jimi Hendrix and Deep Purple. Blue Cheer's influence can be seen in many of the heavy bands that followed, such as Black Sabbath, who released their album two years later. The Cheer were primitive, and kicked it out thick and heavy with a true sense of rock and roll. "Vincebus Eruptum" is raw, agressive distortion and feedback drenched blues-rock. "Outsideinside" is just as gutsy but trippier and more sophisticated comparably (Even some piano tastefully blended in with the sonic mayhem.) Much is made of the fact that these guys were not great musicians, and the sound quality of the recording was primitive. However what they lacked in technical capability, they more than made up for it with their energy.

"Vincebus Eruptum" is considered one of the albums that helped to usher in a new heavy metal sound, and inspired numerous bands in the years to come. If enjoy heavy fuzz drenched psychedelic rock, this album would make a great addition to your collection. (Year of Release: 1968)

Track List:
1. Summertime Blues
2. Rock Me Baby
3. Doctor Please
4. Out Of Focus
5. Parchment Farm
6. Second Time Around

Download: Blue Cheer - Vincebus Eruptum (36.5MB)

The Stooges - The Stooges

Here's The Stooges self-entitled debut album, as requested by Flávio - Brasil

While the Stooges had a few obvious points of influence, the swagger of the early Rolling Stones, the horny pound of the Troggs, the fuzztone sneer of a thousand teenage garage bands, and the Velvet Underground's experimental eagerness to leap into the void -- they didn't really sound like anyone else around when their first album hit the streets in 1969. It's hard to say if Ron Asheton, Scott Asheton, Dave Alexander, and the man then known as Iggy Stooge were capable of making anything more sophisticated than this, but if they were, they weren't letting on, and the best moments of this record document the blithering inarticulate fury of the post-adolescent id. Ron Asheton's guitar runs (fortified with bracing use of fuzztone and wah-wah) are brutal and concise, while Scott Asheton's drums and Dave Alexander's solid bass stomp these tunes into submission with a force that inspires awe. "1969," "I Wanna Be Your Dog," "Real Cool Time," "No Fun," and other classic rippers are on board, and one listen reveals why they became clarion calls in the punk rock revolution. Part of the fun of The Stooges is, then as now, the band managed the difficult feat of sounding ahead of their time and entirely out of their time, all at once (Year of Release: 1969)

Track List:
1. 1969
2. I Wanna Be Your Dog
3. We Will Fall
4. No Fun
5. Real Cool Time
6. Ann
7. Not Right
8. Little Doll

Download: The Stooges - The Stooges (45.8MB)

Lollipop Shoppe - Just Colour

I would like to thank Robert Johnsson, who runs the wonderful PunchDrunk music blog, for originally uploading this album. He has a fantastic blog, so get your ass over there if you haven't paid it a visit ;)

The Lollipop Shoppe were originally known as The Weeds and featured Fred Cole, now of Dead Moon. After The Weeds signed to UNI Records (a now-defunct subsidiary of MCA), their new manager, "Lord" Tim Hudson, insisted they change their name to The Lollipop Shoppe to fit in with the current trend of bubblegum music. The band's actual recordings, including the 1968 LP Just Colour, are hardly bubblegum, but instead a mix of garage rock and psychedelia. The album and its single, "You Might Be a Witch," are regarded as period classics and still prized by collectors, though neither made the charts. The band opened for stars such as Janis Joplin and The Doors, and appeared in the biker movie Angels from Hell. The album has been bootlegged; the Music Maniac label has announced a reissue but it has not appeared. The Lollipop Shoppe released one more single, "Someone I Knew" b/w "Through My Window, before breaking up in 1969. They reunited as The Weeds for a 1971 single.
(Year of Release: 1968)

Track List:
1. You Must Be a Witch
2. Underground Railroad
3. Baby Don't Go
4. Who'll Read the Will?
5. It's Only a Reflection
6. Someone I Know
7. Don't Look Back
8. Don't Close the Door on Me
9. It Ain't How Long
10. It's Makin' It
11. I'm Gonna Be There
12. You Don't Give Me No More
13. Sin
14. Through My Window

Download: The Lollipop Shoppe (67.4MB)

A Few Requests

I don't usually make requests as I'm normally able to find the stuff I'm looking for on my own.. plus I just don't like to ask for shit :\. However, I've been looking for the following albums, but haven't had much luck. If any of you all could help me out by finding these I would greatly appreciate it.

Lime Spiders - The Cave Comes Alive (Request Filled)
(Anything else released on the Citadel label would also be appreciated such as Died Pretty, New Christs, Screaming Tribesmen, etc.)
The Makers - Howl
Tapes 'N Tapes - The Loon (Request Filled)
Chocolate Watch Band - The Inner Mystique (Request Filled

That's it for now. I may link to this as a wish list and put it on my sidebar in the future.

Hot Snakes - Suicide Invoice

This is the Hot Snakes and Suicide Invoice is its second album. Risen from the still-smoldering ashes of San Diego punk-rock-luminaries Drive Like Jehu, the Hot Snakes reunite the incomparably tight guitar/vocal duo of John Reis (also of Rocket from the Crypt) and Rick Froberg. The lineup is rounded out by bassist Gar Wood and drummer Jason Kourkounis (from Delta 72). And the sound is searing, gritty, penetrating.

If there is a signature sound to be found within the churning stomp of a Hot Snakes song, it would have to be the driving, pulsing intensity that fires the twin guitar assault directly from the speakers into the bullseye-painted ears of the listener. The album opens on a slower note with "I Hate the Kids," a none-too-subtle stab at a demographic without a work ethic. The next two cuts begin with an open chord strum, introducing tracks with more punk power crammed into two-point-five minutes than most acts can pack into a ten-year career. "XOX" features thick chords with a buried harmony that sounds increasingly dense as organ is added toward the end. "Who Died" is another brief blast, capped by Rick's anthemic shouts over a blistering progression.

But the real meat of the record is found in the middle third of the songs, starting with the title cut. Jason Kourkounis pounds out a thundering beat as the vocals come front and center during the relatively tame verse before exploding in fury during the chorus. The highlight of the album may be "Paid In Cigarettes" with its odd-time verses and absolutely infectious bridge. The last minute showcases John Reis dueling with Rick as the guitars pile on higher still with each passing second until organ swells up in the background and leads the fade out. "LAX" is here and gone in the blink of an eye, but not before you catch yourself yelling, "L-A-X!" at no one in particular just before a seamless transition into the equally crushing "Bye Nancy Boy." You may feel stunned when the sonic mayhem finally subsides.

Suicide Invoice is a modern essential. For those about to rock, it should be to this.
(Year of Release: 2002)

Track List:
1. I Hate The Kids
2. Gar Forgets His Insulin
3. XOX
4. Who Died
5. Suicide Invoice
6. Paid In Cigarettes
7. LAX
8. By Nancy Boy
9. Paperwork
10. Why Does It Hurt
11. Unlisted
12. Ben Gurion

Download: Hot Snakes - Suicide Invoice (37.3MB)

Wire - Pink Flag

In most circles, Wire is considered one of the original art-punk bands. Their style matched up with the punk aesthetic: minimal musical experience and a penchant for short, direct songs. But while the punk movement is generally credited with trying to distill rock music down to its essential elements, Wire came from a more extreme angle.

Rather than starting with bombastic '70s rock and tearing it down, Wire started with the most basic elements of music and built musical structures without antecedent. They approached making music like art students building primitive sculptures with guitar and drum sounds instead of toothpicks and glue. As their career progressed, the band moved on to making more and more elaborate sculptures, but in the beginning, there was Pink Flag: 21 songs in under 36 minutes. Raw, varied and uncompromising, it stands as one of the more powerful debut albums of the '70s.

The record's spread can make it hard to sum up. There is no unified statement made, merely a collection of concepts that is impressive for its sheer weight. Though the punk era was one of grand statements that made people re-think what rock and roll was about, Wire does that here simply by playing its heart out. It can be abrasive, but Pink Flag's density and widely varied smorgasbord of musical ideas make it a landmark album. (Year of Release: 1977)

Track List:
1. Reuters Listen
2. Field Day For The Sundays
3. Three Girl Rhumba
4. Ex Lion Tamer
5. Lowdown Listen
6. Start To Move
7. Brazil
8. It's So Obvious
9. Surgeon's Girl
10. Pink Flag
11. The Commercial
12. Straight Line
13. 106 Beats That
14. Mr. Suit
15. Strange
16. Fragile
17. Mannequin
18. Different To Me
19. Champs Listen
20. Feeling Called Love
21. 1 2 X U
22. Options R [*]

[*] - Re-Issue Bonus Track

Download: Wire - Pink Flag (54.9MB)

Horrorpops - Hell Yeah

Fronted by upright bassist/vocalist Kim Nekroman, the sextet have absorbed a heady mix of '50s rock & roll and late-70s punk, and given birth to a debut that's genuinely fun. The leadoff track, "Julia," utilizes the steady lurch of the Clash's "London Calling" to set the stage for a record that, while positively rank with influences, somehow manages to rise above them and achieve a singular voice, and that voice belongs to Nekroman, a statuesque, subterranean Betty Boop, with a set of pipes that alternately comfort and destroy. With her cat-like growl and thick-slapped bass, she burns through standout tracks like "Ghouls" and "Psychobitches Outta Hell" with an abandon that recalls the feline energy of early B-52's. As a group, the HorrorPops sound like a small army, and like the Misfits, they fill each chorus with wordless melodies and unison replies. The obligatory surf-instrumental, "Horrorbeach," transcends the banality of the billion or so revivalists who have nearly beaten the genre out of existence. By adopting such a devil-may-care attitude to a style that nearly invented the phrase, they have avoided the forced reverence of previous imitators, and brought back the simple, sexy enthusiasm that made rockabilly so forward thinking in the first place. It's this kind of execution, attitude, and middle-finger-with-a-grin approachability that makes the HorrorPops a band to watch out for. (Year of Release: 2004)

Track List:
1. Julia
2. Drama Queen
3. Ghouls
4. Girl in a Cage
5. Miss Take
6. Where They Wander
7. Kool Flattop
8. Psychobitches Outta Hell
9. Dotted With Hearts
10. Baby Lou Tattoo
11. What's Under My Bed
12. Emotional Abuse
13. Horrorbeach

Download: Horrorpops - Hell Yeah (55.3MB)

New Bomb Turks - Oh-Boy-Destroy!

Destroy-Oh-Boy! is the kind of full-on flamethrower album that could make the most jaded cynic believe once again in the curative powers of punk rock. On this set, the New Bomb Turks combine 1950s and 1960s roots rock at it's rawest, '70s punk at it's snottiest, and '80s hardcore at it's most intense. Then they filter out what's lame, put the good stuff together, and send it down the track at 150 miles per hour. The results are wild, frantic, and thoroughly enjoyable; Jim Weber's fuzzy guitar communicates nearly as much through the power of downstroke as Johnny Ramone himself, bassist Matt Reber, and drummer Bill Randt push the horsepower into the red with a fury that is a wonder to behold, and Eric Davidson proves he's one of the great frontmen of 90s punk: smart, funny, wise-ass when he wants to be, and possessing a genuine sense of purpose. From the moment they crash into "Born Toulouse-Lautrec," the New Bomb Turks grab your ears and won't let go, and you won't mind a bit. (Year of Release: 1993)

Track List:
1. Born Toulouse-Lautrec
2. Tail Crush
3. Up For The Downslide
4. Tattooed Apathetic Boys
5. Dragstrip Riot
6. We Give A Rat's Ass
7. Runnin' On Go
8. Long Gone Sister
9. Mr. Suit
10. Let's Dress Up The Naked Truth
11. Hapless Attempt
12. I Want My Baby...Dead?!
13. Sucker Punch
14. I'm Weak
15. Tryin' To Get By
16. Cryin' Into The Beer Of A Drunk Man

Download: New Bomb Turks - Oh-Boy-Destroy! (53.5MB)

Public Image Ltd. - Metal Box

This one is for you Phibes, as requested.

Public Image Ltd. is a band that went through so many mutations throughout it's career that you really can't compare one era with another. Their first three albums, with the Wobble/Lydon/Levene line up, were dark and brooding, as dissonant as they were brilliant.

PiL's later work (essentially as Lydon's solo vehicle) can be spliced into two eras: '84-'87 and '88-'92. Albums like 1986's "Album" were hard rock with an artistic, commanding attitude while 1989's "9" LP saw Lydon reveling in dance-pop while maintaining a lyrical depth unseen in mainstream pop music.

For all PiL's artistic swings, however, it is Metal Box that stands out as their Crowning Glory. After showing signs of uncertainty with their debut, Metal Box delivered the promise PiL had spouted off about in press interviews: one hour of original, challenging and commanding, forceful proof of life after rock `n roll.
From the first thunderous bass notes of "Albatross" to the guitar-as-weapon assualt which drives "Chant," PiL were making sounds never before heard in the context of popular music, all the while setting this hell-fire blaze of chaos to almost-disco power beat of Martin Atkins' drums and Wobbles devilish dub-like basslines. In fact this entire album is dub like; vocals, sythesizers, and other sounds float in and out of the mix, bass and drums always in front and at their deepest.

This is music both jarring and beautiful, impenetrable and addictively listenable. This is the album that made PiL heroes to generations of kids who believe there can be more to music than top-40 aspirations; there are still new places in sound to be discovered. (Year of Release: 1979)

Track List:
1. Albatross
2. Memories
3. Swan Lake
4. Poptones
5. Careering
6. No Birds
7. Graveyard
8. The Suit
9. Bad Baby
10. Socialist
11. Chant
12. Radio 4

Download: Public Image Ltd. - Metal Box (69.4MB)

The Detroit Cobras - Mink Rat or Rabbit

The Detroit Cobras manage a pretty rare feat with their debut LP by transcending classic R&B material by sticking not to the original sound or slavishly recreating arrangements and stylistic trappings of the genre, but by finding the essence of the rough-and-tumble spirit of the original streetwise tunes the Cobras tackle on Mink Rat. That they've chosen as their material obscure R&B nuggets from such legendary labels as Fortune Records and tunes from the glory days of regional hits and AM radio (with the left-field cover of the Oblivians' "Bad Man" here titled "Bad Girl") only aids and abets their efforts to make this material uniquely their own. Led by rhythm guitarist Steve Shaw, the Cobras are so tight, instrumentally, that they're loose. The sound, in modern terms, is dirty garage rock, but emboldened by a sense of rhythm that eludes most trash rock and punk-leaning outfits. But, really, what the Detroit Cobras peddle is rock & roll, just as raw and funky as it was originally intended. Shaw may lead the instrumental charge, but it's vocalist Rachel Nagy that steals the show. With a limber, husky voice that recalls Peggy Lee gone to seed and chain-smoking while standing on a Detroit street corner, Nagy is soulful without resorting to histrionics. Instead, she infuses her treatment of the material with an alluring bad-girl bravado and a feral sultriness. A fitting tribute to the spirit of rock& roll and a reason to go dig through the crates to hear the originals. (Year of Release: 1998)

Track List:
1. Cha Cha Twist
2. I'll Keep Holding On
3. Putty (In Your Hands)
4. Easier To Cry
5. Jackson
6. Bad Girl
7. Summer (The Slum)
8. Midnight Blues
9. You Knows What To Do
10. Hittin' On Nothing
11. Out Of This World
12. Chumbawa
13. Breakaway

Download: The Detroit Cobras - Mink Rat or Rabbit (28.2MB)

Murder Weapon - Murder Weapon EP

The first record by Murder Weapon, released in 2002, a punk/power pop band from Tennessee. The four songs here are a decent representation of their sound, which was a sort of mix between early pop punk like The Dickies and Simpletones with a little something more sinister at work. Murder Weapon was a three piece with William Van Huss on vocals/guitar, Brad Ward on bass, and "Marquis" Mark Dollar on drums. Catchy songs about Love, Hate, and the Hollow Earth.

Track List:
1. Flaming Creatures
2. Science
3. Symzonia
4. Wages of Sin

Download Murder Weapon - Murder Weapon E.P. (10MB)

Sleepytime Gorilla Museum - Grand Opening and Closing

Many prog-metal bands seem to be a combination of heavy metal, symphonic prog and fusion. SGM is more like where heavy metal meets avant prog and dada. They use a large collection of homemade instruments in addition to drums, bass, violin, keyboards and (occasionally blisteringly loud) guitar. Many of the invented instruments are percussive, like the "slide piano log" that produces the deep, vibrating notes that open "Powerless".

The music ranges in style from the ultra-heavy, paint peeling "1997" to the vaguely threatening lullaby that makes up the first half of "Sleepytime" and the very sparse "Sunflower" (comprised of just intermittent bells and plucked strings of what sounds like a harp). And even though it often gets unusual enough to draw comparisons to bands like Mr. Bungle or Thinking Plague, the music is also catchy enough at times that it might appeal to mainstream metal fans.

To give some idea of the quirkiness of this band - the second track is a nifty instrumental with odd time signatures and shifting accents, and only one word of lyrics, when the vocalist shouts "Ambugaton!". The credits read "music: David, word: Hank Williams". The liner notes are also a mindbender, detailing the history of the dadaist museum from which the band takes its name, and the mysterious characters who inspired it all. Is any of it true? Who knows, but it makes for interesting reading.

The band's live performances are even better than the album. They'll probably appeal to fans of the heavier end of the avant spectrum as much as (if not more than) fans of regular prog-metal. (Year of Release: 2001)

Track List:
1. Sleep Is Wrong
2. Ambugaton
3. Ablutions
4. 1997 (Tonight We're Gonna Party Like It's...)
5. The Miniature
6. Powerless
7. The Stain
8. Sleepytime (Spirit Is A Bone)
9. Sunflower

Download: Sleepytime Gorilla Museum - Grand Opening and Closing (63.2MB)

The Datsuns - The Datsuns

The Datsuns are, in my opinion, one of the better bands to emerge within recent years. Although they are much better live (look them up on http://youtube.com), their self titled debut album is definitely worth a listen. While the group has been associated with the Strokes, the Hives, and the White Stripes, this isn't exactly accurate -- though the Datsuns are very much a "return to rock," the rock they return to, and how they return to it, is considerably different. While the other bands mix mid-'60s mod and garage rock with late-'70s punk (as well as other influences), the Datsuns re-create the sound of a beer- and weed-fueled Saturday night in 1973, borrowing and blending the revving guitar riffs and choked, macho vocals of Thin Lizzy, Bad Company, .38 Special, and on occasion, the hornier side of Led Zeppelin. Unabashedly heavy and silly at the same time, the band approaches the excesses of '70s rock in a relatively straightforward fashion, as compared to overtly stylized acts like Urge Overkill or Spinal Tap's outright parody. Ultimately, the Datsuns' take may be the most contrived out of all of these, since they replicate the details of the music so slavishly. From the phased vocals on "MF From Hell" to the Deep Purple-esque organ that introduces "In Love" to the omnipresent cowbells, The Datsuns provides a nearly exact replica of a generically entertaining, early-'70s hard rock album. At their best, as on the opener, "Sittin' Pretty," and the wonderfully stupid "Harmonic Generator," the Datsuns rise above their influences and produce some undeniably fun rock. Though their melodic sensibilities desert them by the end of the album, on their debut the Datsuns prove that they can craft vintage-sounding hard rock like no one else. (Year of Release: 2002)

Track List
1. Sittin' Pretty
2. MF From Hell
3. Lady
4. Harmonic Generator
5. What Would I Know
6. At Your Touch
7. Fink For The Man
8. In Love
9. You Build Me Up
10. Freeze Sucker

Download: The Datsuns - The Datsuns (53.5MB)

The Dirtbombs - Dangerous Magical Noise

The Dirtbombs are a rock and roll band based in Detroit, Michigan, notable for blending diverse influences such as punk rock, glam, and soul while featuring a dual bass guitar, dual drum lineup. The Dirtbombs were formed by Mick Collins (of the influential garage rock band The Gories) as a side project and started recording songs by 1995

With their unconventional lineup and unique melding of genres, the Dirtbombs create a sound that is all their own. The structure of two bassists and two drummers gives the band a heavy rhythm-bass sound that drives the music forward and inspires the dance in even the stiffest of blokes. This structure isn't going to become the new standard for rock bands - it definately wouldn't work for everyone, but it's perfect for the Dirtbombs' sound. Drawing on Detroit's rich musical history, the Dirtbombs are a hybrid of influences including soul, blues, Motown and garage/punk. The listener hears Stevie Wonder one second and the MC5 the next.

From the beginning breathless rush of "Start the Party" on, the bandmembers rarely take their feet off the gas. Pounding tracks like "Get It While You Can," "Earthquake Heart," and "Stupid" will keep the party going at a fever pitch, and tracks like the anthemic "F.I.D.O." and "21st Century Fox" will have you singing along in the car on your way back home at 3:00 a.m. When they do dial the rock back a little, like on the slow-groove garage-soul of "Sun Is Shining," it gives Collins a chance to show off his always great vocals. They also exhibit some newfound glam rock influences on the super-cool "Motor City Baby" and the hilarious "I'm Through With White Girls." The Dirtbombs are a rock & roll band pure and simple, and if you like pure and simple rock & roll with a dash of soul, you will flip over Dangerous Magical Noise. (Year of Release: 2003)

Track List
1. Start The Party
2. Get It While You Can
3. Don't Break My Heart
4. Sun Is Shining
5. Earthquake Heart
6. Thunder In The Sky
7. Motor City Baby
8. Stuck In Thee Garage
9. I'm Through With White Girls
10. 21st Century Fox
11. Stop
12. Stupid
13. F.I.D.D.

Download: The Dirtbombs - Dangerous Magical Noise (49.4MB)

Jon Spencer Blues Explosion - Extra Width

This album brought blues-rock into the alternative era. On its second full-length release, the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion lives up to its name. Merging blues with the post-grungeangst of Sonic Youth or Mudhoney and a rock & roll urgency,the band brings down the house with 11 sexy, rocking tunes.

The Explosion play from the inside with soul. The Structure centers around minimilistic riffs, stuck together in ways that keep you guessing. It's got a live vibe with well thought out production layers. Sythns, distortion, echoes, delays.....it's all there keeping your ears alive over the central backdrop that is the blues explosion. This album gives you the impression that their jams are out there - literally exploding with energy. The title is referencing the genres that they demonstrate their knowledge of. The use of the fender rhodes sounding organ reminds you of the jams on the second side of 'Check Your Head' by the 'Beastie Boys'. The crazy screeching saxophone and it's mirrored guitar solo's throw you back to 'Fun House' by The Stooges; exploring a fuzzed up raw power of their own. Similarites to 'The Pixies' and 'Mudhoney' are also worth mentioning. Above all, this is a three piece with most of the tracks actually leaving the bass out and still managing to sound heavy as hell. This is a noise trip not for the faint hearted, but one that will make you angry and enthused inside. (Year of Release: 1993)

Track List
1. Afro
2. History Of Lies
3. Back Slider
4. Soul Letter
5. Soul Typecast
6. Pant Leg
7. Hey Mom
8. Big Road
9. Train (2)
10. Inside The World Of The Blues Explosion
11. World Of Sex

Download: Jon Spencer Blues Explosion - Extra Width (51.5MB)

The Monks - Black Monk Time

This is the soundtrack to one of the most bizarre stories in rock and roll. In 1966, five American GI's stationed in Germany decided to form a band designed to disturb people. Calling themselves The Monks, they shaved their heads, donned black robes and pounded out impossibly primitive songs like "I Hate You", "Complication" and "Shut Up". Radical stuff for audiences in the midst of Beatles' "I Want to Hold Your Hand" infatuation; predictably, their album went nowhere. This was, after all, an ocean away and a year before The Velvet Underground's first experiments with atonal noise, and a full 10 years before the punk explosion.

Three decades later, this reissue of The Monk's only album finds them still out of time, but slightly more acceptable to audiences. Only slightly - this is Very Wacky stuff. With pulsing fuzzbox bass, slashing electric banjo, tribal drums and deliberately amateur organ squeals, The Monks thumped out quasi-surf cacophony, two-chord rants, angst polkas and surprisingly catchy melodies yelped by "singer" Gary Burger with a dark, campy sense of humor.

There's nothing to these songs but raw energy and primal rhythms, with a lyric or two (at most) tossed in for emphasis, like "I hate you with a passion baby, but call me". That's all you get for 3 minutes, and that's all you need. Call them the first punks, call them angry delirious Beat poets, but any way you slice it, whether avant-garde weirdness, garage rock or vicious punk, these guys did it first.

Track List:
1. Monk Time
2. Shut Up
3. Boys Are Boys and Girls Are Choice
4. Higgle-Dy-Piggle-Dy
5. I Hate You
6. Oh, How to Do Now
7. Complication
8. We Do Wie Du
9. Drunken Maria
10. Love Came Tumblin' Down
11. Blast Off!
12. That's My Girl
13. I Can't Get Over You [*]
14. Cuckoo [*]
15. Love Can Tame the Wild [*]
16. He Went Down to the Sea [*]

[*] - Reissue Bonus Tracks

Download: The Monks - Black Monk Time (42.9MB)

The Damned - Damned But Not Forgotten

"Damned But Not Forgotten" features singles, b-sides, alternate takes and demos recorded by the Damned during the early 1980s, and serves as a handy summary of the Damned's early-'80s albums, an unfairly overlooked period in the group's career. "Damned But Not Forgotten" makes a strong case for the band's brand of good-humored goth-touched punk rock. While the Damned's best work remains their early sides for Stiff Records, "Damned But Not Forgotten" is a good second step for those who wish to explore further. (Year of Release: 1985)

Track List:
1. Dozen Girls
2. Lovely Money
3. I Think I'm Wonderful
4. Disguise
5. Take That
6. Torture Me
7. Disco Man
8. Thanks For The Night
9. Take Me Away
10. Some Girls Are Ugly
11. Nice Cup Of Tea
12. Billy Bad Breaks

Download: The Damned - Damned But Not Forgotten (56.9MB)

Screaming Lord Sutch - Lord Sutch and Heavy Friends

Lord Sutch was one of the goofiest, but undoubtedly most entertaining, shock rockers of his day. He was even known to emerge from coffins during his live performances, a move taken directly from Screaming Jay Hawkins. I don't think he ever took himself very seriously as a "horror" entertainer, (as did his American counterpart, Alice Cooper). Sutch just lived for the times and rocked along with some of the greatest. It was a sad for rock and roll when he took his own life in London in 1999.

The "Heavy Friends" record was "heavily" panned. Regardless of the fact that he recruited some of the best names in rock, (Jimmy Page, John Bonham, Jeff Beck, and Noel Redding), most critics and listeners couldn't get past Sutch's raw vocals. This is not a legendary album in the way that "Houses of the Holy" or "Are You Experienced" is, but it easily stands as one of the greatest lost classics ever to be released from the late '60s/early '70s era of rock and roll. This is an album for someone who likes arena rock, (like Zeppelin or Deep Purple), but also digs groups like the Stooges or the MC5.

Jimmy Page and Ritchie Blackmore seemed all too eager to tear out some of their rawest chops once they collaborated with the Lord. Songs like "Wailing Sounds" and "Flashing Lights" just absolutely kill. I would go as far to even say they rock harder than anything by Zep. The fact that Jimmy Page and John Bonham more than likely saw their time spent with Sutch as fun rather than an obligation, led to some bombastically rockin' results. (Year of Release: 1970)

Track List:
1. Wailing Sounds
2. 'Cause I Love You
3. Flashing Lights
4. Gutty Guitar
5. Would You Believe
6. Smoke and Fire
7. Thumping Beat
8. Union Jack Car
9. One for You, Baby
10. L-O-N-D-O-N
11. Brightest Light
12. Baby, Come Back

Download: Screaming Lord Sutch - Lord Sutch and Heavy Friends (30.8MB)

New York Dolls - New York Dolls

Way grittier and wilder than their glam rock kin (David Bowie and T. Rex), the Dolls basically updated the early rock 'n' roll of Chuck Berry and Jerry Lee Lewis. What the Dolls lacked in instrumental prowess they made up for in reckless sexual abandon and crazy R&B swagger. Thunders' guitar is HUGE, sloppy, and manic, and his filthy riffs and solos are what make this album. .

The opener Personality Crisis establishes everything the Dolls were about--stomping piano, riproaring guitar, and Johanson's cocky swagger and crazy vocals. The 1-2-3 punch of Personality Crisis, Looking For A Kiss, and Vietnamese Baby is then followed by the short reprive of Lonely Planet Boy. The epic Frankenstein brings the rock back, and it is immediately followed by the insanely addictive sing-a-long Trash. The album ends with Jet Boy, which hooks you with the biggest freakin' chorus ever.

The New York Dolls' first release ranks up there with The Stooges' Fun House and The MC5's Kick Out The Jams as the definitive proto-punk album. (Year of Release: 1973)

Track List:
1. Personality Crisis
2. Looking For A Kiss
3. Vietnamese Baby
4. Lonely Planet Boy
5. Frankenstein (Orig.)
6. Trash
7. Bad Girl
8. Subway Train
9. Pills
10. Private World
11. Jet Boy

Download: New York Dolls - New York Dolls (57.7MB)

Mission of Burma - Signals, Calls, and Marches

Boston's Mission of Burma was one of the first post-punk bands before any such thing actually should have existed. Featuring a sound that was rife with jangly, skewed guitars placed over punkish rhythms, Mission of Burma has become one of the quieter influences of their time. Their songs have been covered by the likes of Moby, R.E.M. and the Scrimmage Heroes in more recent times. They are one of those bands who may not have received raging success and noteriety during their time, but apparently everyone who did hear them started their own band.

Signals, Calls, and Marches was originally a six song EP. The 1997 Rykodisc version appends their Academy Fight Song seven-inch single to the end, giving listeners a great overview of the band's early times. Vocalist/guitarist Roger Miller is a creative guitarist, both in writing jaunty, driving rhythms and overlaying them with feedback and experimental noise, but all within reason and never overpowering the song. His singing voice is a bit rough and occasionally a tad uncomfortable delivering the lyrics. The rhythm section offers an appropriate backdrop with bassist Clint Conley throwing in intelligent basslines to either underscore the music or act as a vying counterpoint. But what this band excelled at was precise songwriting and an inherent catchiness that causes the listener to fully remember the songs. "Academy Fight Song" is rhythmic and forceful while "This is Not a Photograph" is unhinged and abrupt. "All World Cowboy Romance" is a jangly guitar instrumental. And as we all know, this is where the original version of Moby's "That's When I Reach For My Revolver" comes from.

Signals, Calls, and Marches is a taut modern rock album, at times tense but always strong throughout. Mission of Burma has always quietly been one of the pioneers of what would become modern and alternative rock and this reissue is as good of place as any to become acquainted with their music. (Year of Release: 1981)

Track List:
1. That's When I Reach For My Revolver
2. Outlaw
3. Fame And Fortune
4. This Is Not A Photgraph
5. Red
6. All World Cowboy Romance
7. Academy Fight Song
8. Max Ernst

Download: Mission of Burma - Signals, Calls, and Marches (35.7MB)

Siouxsie and the Banshees - The Scream

After building up an intense live reputation and a rabid fan base, Siouxsie and the Banshees almost had to debut with a stunner -- which they did, "Hong Kong Garden" taking care of things on the singles front and The Scream on the full-length. Matched with a downright creepy cover and a fair enough early producing effort from Steve Lillywhite -- well before he found gated drum sounds -- it's a fine balance of the early band's talents. Siouxsie Sioux herself shows the distinct, commanding voice and lyrical meditations on fractured lives and situations that would win her well-deserved attention over the years. Compared to the unfocused general subject matter of most of the band's peers, songs like "Jigsaw Feeling," "Suburban Relapse," and especially the barbed contempt of "Mirage" are perfect miniature portraits. John McKay's metallic (but not metal) guitar parts, riffs that never quite resolve into conventional melodies, and the throbbing Steve Severin/Kenny Morris rhythm section distill the Velvet Underground's early propulsion into a crisper punch with more than a hint of glam's tribal rumble. The sheer variety on the album alone is impressive -- "Overground" and its slow-rising build, carefully emphasizing space in between McKay's notes as much as the notes themselves, the death-march Teutonic stomp of "Metal Postcard," the sudden near-sunniness of the music (down to the handclaps!) toward the end of "Carcass." The cover of "Helter Skelter" makes for an unexpected nod to the past -- if it's not as completely overdriven as the original, Siouxsie puts her own definite stamp on it and its sudden conclusion is a great moment of drama. It's the concluding "Switch" that fully demonstrates just how solid the band was then, with McKay's saxophone adding just enough of a droning wild card to the multi-part theatricality of the piece, Siouxsie in particularly fine voice on top of it all. (Year of Release: 1978)

Track List:
1. Pure
2. Jigsaw Feeling
3. Overground
4. Carcass
5. Helter Skelter
6. Mirage
7. Metal Postcard (Mittageisen)
8. Nicotine Stain
9. Suburban Relapse
10. Switch

Download: Siouxsie and the Banshees - The Scream (34.6MB)

Electric Prunes - I Had Too Much To Dream (Last Night)

I've uploaded and posted all of the albums by the Electric Prunes that I know to exist, with the exception of 'Songs in F Minor'. If you would like for me to upload it, or know of any other prunes albums, please leave a comment.

Although they've almost been completely lost in the shuffle of popular music, the Electric Prunes are still remembered (in some circles, anyway) for their classic mid sixties single, "I Had too Much to Dream (Last Night)." This 1967 album consists of that song and 11 others, and it makes for a decent slice of psychedelic rock and roll-ery. At thier best, the Prunes rock: The afformentioned title track is a reverb-soaked psych-pop masterpiece, complete with shimmering guitars, a rousing chorus, and some wistful, haunted vocals. The album's other single, "Get Me to the World on Time," is a rumbling raver with a thumping Bo Diddley beat and an infectious rush of melody. "Try Me On For Size" is a garage rock classic, the snarled vocals dripping with salivating machismo, while the guitars crunch out pure innuendo. "Train For Tomorrow" is an eerie, smoky psychedelic tune, while "Onie" is a surprisingly wistful ballad. "Luvin'" is a fun, if un-spectacular, blues rocker.

The Prunes were a fine group, but there are much better representations oftheir sound than this album. I reccomend picking up their superb live album, Stockholm 67, which I have already posted (check the archive) and features a rendition of "I Had too Much to Dream" that positively smokes the version found here.

Overall, if you're interested in mid-sixties rock, you should have this album in your collection, but be sure to pick up the Stockholm first.

Track List:
1. I Had Too Much To Dream (Last Night)
2. Bangles
3. Onie
4. Are You Lovin' Me More (But Enjoy It Less)
5. Train For Tomorrow
6. Sold To The Highest Bidder
7. Get Me To The World On Time
8. About A Quarter To Nine
9. The King Is In The Counting House
10. Luvin
11. Try Me On For Size
12. The Toonerville Trolley
13. Ain't It Hard
14. Little Oliver

Download: Electric Prunes - I Had Too Much To Dream (36.8MB)

Christian Death - Death Club 1981-1993

I apologize for the wait time between updates. I was extremely sick for a few days, and I have to work two long shifts the next two days. I'll try to come back with a bang on Monday, but of course I'll make sure to uppload a few albums before then also

It's getting closer to Halloween so I thought this would be a good album for to help set the mood.

Christian Death Club were the founding fathers of American goth/death rock, Christian Death took a relentlessly confrontational stand against organized religion and conventional morality, with an appetite for provocation that made Marilyn Manson look like Stryper. Regardless of who was leading or performing in the group, Christian Death set themselves up to shock, both in their cover art and their lyrics, which wallowed in blasphemy, morbidity, drug use, and sexual perversity. Their self-consciously controversial tactics set them apart from the British goth scene, having more to do with L.A. punk and heavy metal, and thus the band dubbed its sound "death rock" instead; however, their sensibility was ultimately similar enough that the "goth" designation stuck in the end. Their music also relied on slow, doomy, effects-laden guitar riffs and ambient horror-soundtrack synths, and their theatrical performances were strongly influenced by British glam rockers like David Bowie and Roxy Music, as well as industrial provocateurs Throbbing Gristle

"Death Club" is essentially to Christian Death/Rozz fans what "Crackle" is to Bauhaus devotees - a sampler of the band's best years with Rozz Williams as frontman.

The only album cuts NOT included are those from "The Iron Mask"(understandably, as it's only re-recordings of most of these songs anyways), "The Rage Of Angels" and Christian Death's various live releases. Included though are the semi-hard to find "Invocations" studio cuts,which include "Haloes", "This Mirage" and the rarer "Spectre (Love Is Dead)".

For the uninitiated, get this album and think of it as Christian Death footnotes. Then get the albums you can still find. For established Rozz fans the rare inclusions make this a must have to complete the Christian Death history.

Track List:
. Dogs
2. Deathwish
3. Cavity/First Communion
4. Romeo's Distress
5. Cervix Couch
6. The Drowning
7. Ashes
8. The Luxury Of Tears
9. Spectre
10. Halos
11. This Mirage
12. The Angels (Cruciform)
13. Venus In Furs
14. Psalm (Maggots Lair)
15. Bonus Track

Download: Christian Death - Death Club 1981-1993 (96.1MB)

Sonic's Rendezvous Band - City Slang

Sonic's Rendevous Band was a rock and roll band from Detroit, Michigan in the 1970s, featuring veterans of the 1960s Detroit rock scene. Led by guitarist Fred Sonic Smith, formerly of the MC5, Scott Asheton of the Stooges, SRB featured singer/ songwriter Scott Morgan formerly of the Rationals, a soul-influenced Detroit band of the 1960s, and Gary Rassmussen of the Up.

A master musician who consistently chose to move forward creatively, Fred "Sonic" Smith set an exemplary pace for future music explorers who would follow. After the demise of the MC5, Fred continued to be one of Detroit's most original and prolific performers. The trail blazing music he created with Scott Asheton, Scott Morgan, and Gary Rasmussen easily rivals that of the Five without benefit of trendy counter-cultural trappings and further expands upon the "liberation through high energy" musical philosophy. Someone recently remarked that perhaps Fred never got over the breakup of the Five. This second compilation, together with the Sweet Nothing album, proves that nothing could be further from the truth.

This collection features the original studio recording of "City Slang", digitally restored and remastered, along with a number of never-released live recordings that further document the explosive musical force of
Sonic's Rendezvous Band.

Music writer Edwin Pouncey described "City Slang" as "an urban rocker that comes down like a falling asteroid and explodes like a star being born." Frequently cited as one of the greatest Rock & Roll songs to ever emerge from Detroit, and perhaps Fred "Sonic" Smith's most fully realized work, "City Slang" rivals the best of his recordings with the MC5. At a time when "Skunk (Sonicly Speaking)", "Sister Anne", "Baby Won't Ya", "Over And Over ", "Tonight" and "Shakin' Street" were already well-known testimonials to the songwriting skill of Fred "Sonic" Smith, Sonic's Rendezvous forged the next potent chapter of an already powerful legacy.

Track List:
1. City Slang (1999 Mix)
2. So Sincerely Yours (Bookie's, Detroit 2/3/79)
3. Step by Step (Bookie's, Detroit 2/3/79)
4. Clock With No Hands (Palace Theater, Cleveland 6/23/79)
5. Heaven (Palace Theater, Cleveland 6/23/79)
6. Goin' Bye (Second Chance, Ann Arbor 10/23/79)
7. You're So Great (Bookie's, Detroit 2/3/79)
8. Earthy (Bookie's, Detroit 2/3/79)
9. Thrill 5:12 (Bookie's, Detroit 2/2/79)
10. Detroit Tango (Bookie's, Detroit 2/3/79)
11. Gone With The Dogs (Second Chance, Ann Arbor 10/23/79)
12. Sweet Little Sixteen (Second Chance, Date Unknown)
13. City Slang (Original 1978 Mix)

Download: Sonic's Rendezvous Band - City Slang
Download Size: 93.3MB

Recommendations/Requests - Please Read

I'm having some problems with the upload host that I normally use. So I thought I would take this time to see if any of you might have requests for me. Please don't let the fact that something might be obscure stop you from requesting something, because I'm normally able to find rare albums.

I also wanted to ask you all to recommend some music to me. I realize that you all aren't capable of knowing what I've heard, and what I haven't, but there's a good chance that I might not have heard it, so please just throw out anything you can think of.

Hopefully I'll be able to resume uploading material sometime tonight. Oh yeah.. almost forgot to mention. Someone from Touch and Go/Quarterstick Records has asked me to remove the album "Songs About Fucking" by Big Black, so I've went ahead and removed that from my blog. I personally think this is a mistake on their behalf, because in a lot of cases people download 'pirated music' in order to hear a band that they wouldn't be willing to take a chance and buy. Then if they like the band they will go pick up the album at the store in order to support that artist. Oh well..

MC5 - Back in the USA

While lacking the monumental impact of Kick Out the Jams, the MC5's second album is in many regards their best and most influential, its lean, edgy sound anticipating the emergence of both the punk and power pop movements to follow later in the decade. Bookended by a pair of telling covers -- Little Richard's "Tutti Frutti" and Chuck Berry's "Back in the U.S.A." -- the disc is as much a look back at rock & roll's origins as it is a push forward into the music's future; given the Five's vaunted revolutionary leanings, for instance, it's both surprising and refreshing to discover the record's emotional centerpiece is a doo wop-inspired ballad, "Let Me Try," that's the most lovely and gentle song in their catalog. The recurring theme which drives Back in the USA is adolescence, its reminiscences alternately fond and embittered -- while cuts like "Tonight," "Teenage Lust," "High School," and "Shakin' Street" celebrate youth in all its rebellious glory, others like "The American Ruse" and "The Human Being Lawnmower" condemn a system which eats its young, filling their heads with lies before sending them off to war. Equally gripping is the record's singular sound -- produced by Jon Landau with an almost complete disregard for the bottom end, Back in the USA captures a live-wire intensity 180 degrees removed from the group's live sound yet perfectly suited to the material at hand, resulting in music which not only salutes the power of rock & roll but also reaffirms it. (Year of Release: 1970)

Track List:
1. Tutti-Frutti
2. Tonight
3. Teenage Lust
4. Let Me Try
5. Looking At You
6. High School
7. Call Me Animal
8. The American Ruse
9. Shakin' Street
10. The Human Being Lawnmower
11. Back In The USA

Download: MC5 - Back In The USA (38.6MB)

The Rezillos - Can't Stand the Rezillos: The (Almost) Complete Rezillos

The 1993 re-release of the Rezillos' sole album as such lives up to its name perfectly -- Can't Stand the Rezillos: The (Almost) Complete Rezillos is indeed almost the complete collection of work that the band officially released during its heyday-of-punk lifetime. As such it's an absolute killer, divided between the original Can't Stand the Rezillos album and the live Mission Accomplished album, along with both sides of the "Destination Venus"/"Mystery Action" single. Ira Robbins' detailed and appreciative band history also makes note of what's missing for completists' sakes -- the original recording of "I Can't Stand My Baby," a remake of the Beatles' "I Wanna Be Your Man," "20,000 Rezillos Under the Sea," and the single version of "Top of the Pops." There's one other excision -- the live "Destination Venus" had to be dropped from Mission Accomplished to fit everything else on the disc. But the end result really can't be argued with -- the remastering of the studio tracks is solid, the live tracks, while not recorded as clearly as they could have been, get shined up as best as they can.

There is not one song on this CD that is not utterly top-notch. 'Flying Saucer Attack' is a catchy song about flying Saucers attacking us and "frying us alive." It might be the best song of the CD, and it might be the best song ever. 'Somebody's Gonna get their Head Kicked in' is an angry song, without the female vox, but is still catchy as hell and worth by itself the cost of the entire CD. 'Top of the Pops' is nothing short of stellar. Even the cover songs are done in a top-notch manner.

The music transcends the simple punk-power chord structure and moves into a realm of utter perfection. The vocals are all done exactly as they should be, mixing male and female vox to create an extremely cohesive medley. Then the bassist is amazing. He provides a perfect texture for the band to play over, while at the same time demonstrating his own skills. The guitar is at times simple, but jumps into more complicated rhythyms and the occaisional solo. The Rezillos are reminiscent of a weird Ramones/B-52s amalgamation--as fun as the Ramones, but more coherent--and as weird as the B-52s, but in my opinion much more listenable. The distinctive style of the Rezillos' music, combined with stellar bass lines and enthusiastic vocals, makes for a non-stop barrage of super-fun songs that will make you want to jump around and dance

Track List:
1. Flying Saucer Attack
2. No
3. Somebody's Gonna Get Their Head Kicked in Tonight
4. Top of the Pops
5. 2000 A.D.
6. It Gets Me
7. I Can't Stand My Baby
8. Glad All Over
9. (My Baby Does) Good Sculptures
1. I Like It
11. Getting Me Down
12. Cold Wars
13. Bad Guy Reaction
14. Destination Venus
15. Mystery Action
16. Top of the Pops (Live)
17. Mystery Action (Live)
18. Somebody's Gonna Get Their Head Kicked in Tonight (Live)
19. Thunderbirds Are Go (Live)
20. Cold Wars (Live)
21. Teenbeat (Live)
22. No (Live)
23. Land of a Thousand Dances (Live)
24. I Need You (Live)
25. Culture Shock (Live)
26. Getting Me Down (Live)
27. Ballroom Blitz (Live)
28. (My Baby Does) Good Sculptures (Live)

Download: The Rezillos - Can't Stand the Rezillos: The (Almost) Complete Rezillos (67.8MB)

Iggy Pop - Lust For Life

On The Idiot, his first solo album, Iggy Pop looked deep inside himself, trying to figure out how his life and his art had gone wrong in the past. But on Lust for Life, released less than a year later, Iggy decided it was time to kick up his heels, as he traded in the mid-tempo introspection of his first album and began rocking hard again. Musically, Lust for Life is a more aggressive set than The Idiot, largely thanks to drummer Hunt Sales and his bassist brother Tony Sales. The Sales' proved they were a world class rhythm section, laying out power and spirit on the rollicking title cut, the tough groove of "Tonight," and the lean neo-punk assault of "Neighborhood Threat," and with guitarists Ricky Gardner and Carlos Alomar at their side, they made for a tough, wiry rock & roll band -- a far cry from the primal stomp of the Stooges, but capable of kicking Iggy back into high gear. (David Bowie played piano and produced, as he had on The Idiot, but his presence is less clearly felt on this album.) As a lyricist and vocalist, Iggy Pop rose to the challenge of the material; if he was still obsessed with drugs ("Tonight"), decadence ("The Passenger"), and bad decisions ("Some Weird Sin"), the title cut suggested he could avoid a few of the temptations that crossed his path, and songs like "Success" displayed a cocky joy that confirmed Iggy was back at full strength. On Lust for Life, Iggy Pop managed to channel the aggressive power of his work with the Stooges with the intelligence and perception of The Idiot, and the result was the best of both worlds; smart, funny, edgy, and hard-rocking, Lust for Life is the best album of Iggy Pop's solo career.

Track List:
1. Lust For Life
2. Sixteen
3. Some Weird Sin
4. The Passenger
5. Tonight
6. Success
7. Turn Blue
8. Neighborhood Threat
9. Fall In Love With Me

Download: Iggy Pop - Lust For Life (37.4MB)

Gun Club - The Las Vegas Story

The tragedy of the Gun Club's third album, Las Vegas Story is that it was largely ignored by both critics and fans due to the mixing and mastering disaster that was its predecessor, Miami -- an album that was full of great songs and performances but was so marred by poor sound that it sounded lifeless. Both records were issued by Chris Stein's Animal label. Las Vegas Story was produced by Jeff Eyrich who was just coming off T-Bone Burnett's Proof Through the Night project and was about to enter the studio with both the Plimsouls and Thin White Rope. Its lineup features the return of original guitarist Kid Congo Powers, as well as drummer Terry Graham and new bassist Patricia Morrison (aka Pat Bag) from L.A. punk outfit the Bags. Late frontman /guitarist Jeffrey Lee Pierce was writing feverish rock & roll songs that took their inspiration from Southern blues and West Texas country music all framed by an angular, jagged post-punk energy. The screaming rawness at the heart of the band's debut, Fire of Love, had been replaced by a dry, moaning lonesome, percussion heavy desert sound, space and echo float through the mix like a ghost through Pierce's slide guitar playing. Bass drum and tom-toms fuel the attack with a basic, primitive nocturnal energy. Topics ranged from personal disintegration in "Walkin' With the Beast," and the country-blues-drenched "Eternally Is Here," and the shambolic, two-step country confusion of "My Dreams" that quotes directly from Television's "Marquee Moon" to the disappearance of the nation in "Bad America"'s edgy guitar wrangle. There are a couple of covers on the set tossed right in the center of the album: "The Master Plan," a spooky, brooding, rock read of Pharoah Sanders' and Leon Thomas' "The Creator Has a Master Plan," and a slovenly, funereal version of "My Man's Gone Now," by George and Ira Gershwin from +Porgy and Bess. Las Vegas Story is a provocative record that offers the Gun Club pulled in many directions at once, and though the tension is in evidence on every track, it nonetheless holds together. After Fire of Love, Las Vegas Story is their most satisfying and is, perhaps, the band's most visionary offering. (Year of Release: 1984)

Track List:
1. Las Vegas Story
2. Walkin' With the Beast
3. Eternally Is Here
4. Stranger in Our Town
5. My Dreams
6. Master Plan
7. My Man's Gone Now
8. Bad America
9. Moonlight Motel
10. Give Up the Sum
11. Secret Fires

Download: Gun Club - The Las Vegas Story (53.3MB)

The Saints - (I'm) Stranded

(I’m) Stranded has all the intense purity of a band hell bent on making a racket. From the first anthematic chorus of “(I’m) Stranded” to the last blistering chords of closing track “Nights in Venice,” this cheaply recorded album crackles with a contagious energy almost entirely missing from today’s super-produced punk records. This rough and raw record is so unstoppable that even its pair of ballads, “Messin’ With the Kid” and “Story of Love,” do nothing to slow it down. If anything, these two songs add nuance and balance to the hard-fast set, with Kuepper’s mean blues-drenched guitar (“Messin’ With the Kid” pretty much lifts the opening riff from the Rolling Stones’ “Sway”) and Bailey’s youthfully snarled lyrics of discontent making them quintessential punk laments.

Everything about this album is iconic. From the front cover – the band posing in front of the fireplace of a decrepit Paddington house – to the wonderfully fuzzy production, and of course, the songs themselves. The album was recorded in two breakneck days by frontman Chris Bailey in 1977, resulting in a style described in the liner notes as "so primal it should have been carrying a club".

Perhaps one of the most important and timeless albums to emerge from the less-than-encouraging cultural surrounds of Brisbane in the ‘70s, (I’m) Stranded provides as much social commentary as it does fantastic music. (Year of Release: 1977)

Track List:
1. (I'm) Stranded
2. One Way Street
3. Wild About You
4. Messin' With The Kid
5. Erotic Neurotic
6. No Time
7. Kissin' Cousins
8. Story Of Love
9. Demolition Girl
10. Night In Venice
11. Lipstick On Your Collar [*]
12. River Deep Mountain High [*]

[*] Bonus Tracks

Download: The Saints - I'm Stranded (48.1MB)

Magazine - Real Life

Magazine's Real Life is post-punk ground zero. Singer/lyricist Howard Devoto split from Buzzcocks to be less musically direct and therefore more adventurous with his new outfit. Taking the groundwork laid by his previous band and applying the artsy abstractions given to the basic rock formula pioneered by the likes of Roxy Music, David Bowie, and Krautrock, Devoto chose his new partners well -- partners who were talented musicians, not afraid to display their skills. (Well, actually, the flat-drumming Martin Jackson would be gone after this, replaced by the much better John Doyle.) Magazine were never about finding a riff, bashing out a knuckle-dragging rhythm, screaming about everyday young-adult angst, and taking a break after every two minutes. The arrangements and structures here -- as on each successive Magazine recording -- are herky-jerky, tightly wound, unpredictable, and incredibly dynamic (for one great example of the latter, check the onset of the breakdown just before the three-minute mark of the opening "Definitive Gaze"), perfectly suited for Devoto's swoopy, livewire vocal tendencies. Even the most punk sounding song here, "Recoil," sounds a little bizarre when compared to most of Magazine's contemporaries. And then there's the more daring aspects, like the spacey keyboard passages (some of which haven't aged too well, though they're hardly Asiatic) and Devoto's lyrics, a how-to manual for many songwriters that followed, from Momus to Thom Yorke. Often cryptic and very open to interpretation, his wordplay is always enough to command interest and provoke analysis. It might be up for debate as to what the best Magazine record is, but Real Life is an undeniably terrific debut, thanks in no small part to the Devoto/Shelley-penned "Shot by Both Sides" and the thumping "The Light Pours Out of Me." Everything else is gravy. (Year of Release: 1978)

Track List
1. Definitive Gaze
2. My Tulpa
3. Shot By Both Sides
4. Recoil
5. Burst
6. Motorcade
7. The Great Beautician In The Sky
8. The Light Pours Out Of Me
9. Parade

Download: Magazine - Real Life (54.6 MB)