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)

Reverend Horton Heat - Smoke 'Em If You Got 'Em

Rockabilly is the purest form of rock and roll music there is. It didn't remain popular past the late'50's and early `60's, but it can hardly be considered a fad. It is the basis for which all forms of rock and roll emerged.

The Reverend Horton Heat is not just simply copying the rockabilly of the past, but he's giving it the freedom wasn't allowed in the 1950's. He puts the energy and rebellion right out in front, something the rockabilly artists of the past were forced to be much more subtle about.

"Smoke`Em If You Got`Em" is sleazy, trashy, fun listen from beginning to end. "Bullet" is an instrumental that effectively builds the anticipation to hear the Rev burst in with his potent voice and crazy lyrics. "I'm Mad" follows up perfectly as the hardest rocking song on the album.
From there on, it's one catchy song after another. "Bad Reputation" swings like no other song and is entirely too much fun. "Psychobilly Freakout" is the twisted cousin of "Surfin' Bird" and "Eat Steak" has to one the funniest, yet demented song ever recorded.

If it's untamed rock and roll you're after, this will not fail to satisfy. (Year of Release: 1991)

Track List:
1. Bullet
2. I'm Mad
3. Bad Reputation
4. It's A Dark Day
5. Big Dwarf Rodeo
6. Psychobilly Freakout
7. Put It To Me Straight
8. Marijuana
9. Baby, You Know Who
10. Eat Steak
11. 'D' For Dangerous
12. Love Whip

Download: Reverend Horton Heat - Smoke 'Em If You Got 'Em (44.7MB)

The Hellacopters - Rock & Roll Is Dead

Just why would an album be titled Rock & Roll Is Dead when the contents within are good, old-fashioned rock & roll? Undoubtedly, it's because one of Sweden's most popular rock acts, the Hellacopters, are displeased with the state of rock music. So it would be a highly logical guess that the title is aimed at all the homogenized rock acts running amok on the charts. While most "retro rockers" have no problem replicating the sonics of yesteryear, it's when it comes to penning memorable tracks like their heroes that they usually run into a stumbling block. But the Hellacopters are one of the exceptions -- as evidenced here by such standouts as "Monkeyboy," the very Stones-y "Leave It Alone," and "Murder on My Mind." And as with most modern-day garage revivalists, the Hellacopters can't resist slipping in a few "bash and wail" numbers as well ("Bring It on Home," "Put Out the Fire," etc.). For those seeking garage rock patterned after late-'60s rock & roll (MC5, the Stooges, a dash of the Stones and the Amboy Dukes), Rock & Roll Is Dead is worthy of a listen. (Year of Release: 2005)

Track List:
1. Before the Fall
2. Everything's on T.V.
3. Monkey Boy
4. No Angel to Lay Me Away
5. Bring It on Home
6. Leave It Alone
7. Murder on My Mind
8. I'm in the Band
9. Put out the Fire
10. I Might Come See You Tonight
11. Nothing Terribly New
12. Make It Tonight
13. Time Got No Time to Wait for Me

Download: The Hellacopters - Rock & Roll Is Dead (36.9MB)

The Cramps - Songs The Lord Taught Us

Continuing the spooked-out and raging snarls of Gravest Hits, the Cramps once again worked with Alex Chilton on the group's full-album debut, Songs the Lord Taught Us. The jacket reads "file under: sacred music," but only if one's definition includes the holy love of rockabilly sex-stomp, something which the Cramps fulfill in spades. Having spent Gravest Hits mostly doing revamps of older material, the foursome tackled a slew of originals like "The Mad Daddy" and "TV Set" this time around, creating one of the few neo-rockabilly records worthy of the name. Years later Songs still drips with threat and desire both, testament to both the band's worth and Chilton's just-right production. "Garbageman" surfaced as a single in some areas, a wise choice given the at-once catchy roll of the song and downright frightening guitar snarls, especially on the solo. The covers of the Sonics' "Strychnine" and Billy Burnette's "Tear It Up" -- not to mention the concluding riff on "Fever" -- all challenge the originals. Interior has the wailing, hiccuping, and more down pat, but transformed into his own breathless howl, while Ivy and Gregory keep up the electric fuzz through more layers of echo than legality should allow. Knox helms the drums relentlessly; instead of punching through arena rock style, Chilton keeps him the rushed rhythm running along in the back, increasing the sheer psychosis of it all. (Year of Release: 1980)

Track List:
1. TV Set
2. Rock On The Moon
3. Garbageman
4. I Was A Teenage Werewolf
5. Sunglasses After Dark
6. The Mad Daddy
7. Mystery Plane
8. Zombie Dance
9. What's Behind The Mask
10. Strychnine
11. I'm Cramped
12. Tear It Up
13. Fever

Download: The Cramps - Songs the Lord Taught Us (56.1MB)

U.K. Subs - Brand New Age

For their second album, Brand New Age, the U.K. Subs built on the frenzied, melodic assault of their debut by developing their songwriting skills. Brand New Age contains tracks that are more ambitious than those on the debut, with more variety and lyrical depth. Rather than the amusing teen angst rants of the debut, this album shows the Subs embracing a more political point of view. "Warhead" is a seething diatribe on nuclear war, delivered with the venom and ferocity such a topic deserves. "Organised Crime" rants about government oppression, and "Brand New Age" delivers a less than optimistic slant on the forthcoming privacy intrusions of the 1980s. There's no shortage of droll humor, though, with the hilarious "Teenage" and "Emotional Blackmail," the closest the Subs have come to a song about relationships. Musically, the band have grown as well. "Warhead" has a more complex song structure than anything they did before, and "You Can't Take It Anymore" proves the band doesn't have to rely on simple velocity to get their point across. Far from falling prey to the sophomore slump, the U.K. Subs came of age on this album and proved they were one of the best, most promising punk rock acts of their era. (Year of Release: 1980)

Track List:
1. You Can't Take It Anymore
2. Brand New Age
3. Public Servant
4. Warhead
5. Barbie's Dead
6. Organised Crime
7. Rat Race
8. Emotional Blackmail
9. Kicks
10. Teenage
11. Dirty Girls
12. 500 CC
13. Bomb Factory
14. Emotional Blackmail II

Download: UK Subs - Brand New Age (27.4MB)

Exploding Hearts - Guitar Romantic

The Exploding Hearts were a bunch of young kids playing a musical style twice their age but you wouldn't know that from their flawless recreation of the sounds of the classic rock n' roll/garage movement of the late 60's. Despite their youth, there's a timeless feel to their modern take on this genre as they belt through a series of rock n' roll originals that surely would have been chart toppers in that era. Helping this out is the absolutely retro straight out of the amp, fuzzy around the edges guitars and a strict adherence to blues based rock songwriting but with a superb flair for writing memorable songs that stick out from the considerable amount of bands playing this style past and present. They also incorporate some of the energy of the early British punk movement, keeping things moving at a brisk pace that keeps the interest level high from start to finish.

Beyond a couple almost ballads (they still rock!), most of the album is packed with upbeat numbers driven by raw, jangly guitars and almost non-stop lead guitar riffs. The lead work is especially good on this album, ranging from classic straight 50's greaser type solos to bold, anthemic solos that dominate tracks like "Modern Kicks" and "Rumors In Town". At times this comes across as a more poppy version of the New York Dolls but flush with the vibe and feel of a more straight rock version of The Undertones or The Vibrators. It has that same crazy punk energy but not the angry power chords, instead going with a more bubblegum rock style full of a ton of solos.

Sadly this first record is also the last as three fourths of the band died in a car accident coming back from a gig. Truly a tragedy as this was one of the best new bands I've heard in quite some time but at least they left this one gem of a record for us to remember them by. (Year of Release: 2003)

Track List:
1. Modern Kicks
2. I'm A Pretender
3. Thorns In Roses
4. You're Black & Blue
5. Sleeping Aides & Razor Blades
6. Rumours in Town
7. Throwaway Style
8. Boulevard Trash
9. Jailbird
10. Still Crazy

Download: Exploding Hearts - Guitar Romantic (38.1MB)

Radio Birdman - Radios Appear

Although the best-known band of the early Australian punk scene of the late '70s was the Saints, the first band to wave the punk rock flag in the land down under was Radio Birdman. Formed by Australian émigré Deniz Tek (originally from Ann Arbor, MI) and Aussie surfer-turned-vocalist Rob Younger in 1974, Radio Birdman's approach to rock & roll was rooted in the high-energy, apocalyptic guitar rant of the Stooges and MC5, sprinkled liberally with a little East Coast underground hard rock courtesy of Blue Öyster Cult. Their first EP, Burn My Eye, released in 1976, was a great record and still remains a seminal chunk of Aussie punk. Loud and snotty, with Younger bellowing his guts out and Tek on a search and destroy mission with his guitar, this was a great debut that set the stage for the impending deluge of Aussie punk bands waiting in the wings. After the release of their debut LP, Radios Appear (the title comes from a lyric in the Blue Öyster Cult song "Dominance and Submission"), in Australia a year later, Radio Birdman seemed poised to break Aussie punk worldwide. And although the American label Sire (then the home of the Ramones) was quick to sign them and distribute Radios Appear internationally in 1978, there was a gap of three years before they released a second album, Living Eyes. During that time, dozens of other Aussie punk bands stole their thunder, and Radio Birdman split up almost immediately after Living Eyes was released. Sire never released the record outside of Australia, and Radio Birdman, who should have been the biggest band in Aussie punk, were now highly regarded punk forefathers. (Year of Release: 1978)

Tracklist:
1. What Gives?
2. Non-Stop Girls
3. Do the Pop
4. Man With Golden Helmet
5. Descent Into the Maelstrom
6. New Race
7. Aloha Steve & Danno
8. Anglo Girl Desire
9. Murder City Nights
10. Your Gonna Miss Me
11. Hand of Law
12. Hit Them Again

Download: Radio Birdman - Radios Appear (38.6MB)

MC5 - Kick Out The Jams

Rather than try to capture their legendary on-stage energy in a studio, MC5 opted to record their first album during a live concert at their home base, Detroit's Grande Ballroom, and while some folks who were there have quibbled that Kick Out the Jams isn't the most accurate representation of the band's sound, it's certainly the best of the band's three original albums, and easily beats the many semiauthorized live recordings of MC5 that have emerged in recent years, if only for the clarity of Bruce Botnick's recording. From Brother J.C. Crawford's rabble-rousing introduction to the final wash on feedback on "Starship," Kick Out the Jams is one of the most powerfully energetic live albums ever made; Wayne Kramer and Fred "Sonic" Smith were a lethal combination on tightly interlocked guitars, bassist Michael Davis and drummer Dennis Thompson were as strong a rhythm section as Detroit ever produced, and Rob Tyner's vocals could actually match the soulful firepower of the musicians, no small accomplishment. Even on the relatively subdued numbers (such as the blues workout "Motor City Is Burning"), the band sound like they're locked in tight and cooking with gas, while the full-blown rockers (pretty much all of side one) are as gloriously thunderous as anything ever committed to tape; this is an album that refuses to be played quietly. For many years, Detroit was considered the High Energy Rock & Roll Capital of the World, and Kick Out the Jams provided all the evidence anyone might need for the city to hold onto the title.

Track List:
1. Ramblin' Rose
2. Kick Out The Jams
3. Come Together
4. Rocket Reducer No. 62 (Rama Lama Fa Fa Fa)
5. Borderline
6. Motor City Is Burning
7. I Want You Right Now
8. Starship

Download: MC5 - Kick Out The Jams (36.9MB)