The Victims - Television Addict (7" Single)

Television Addict was the A-side of the debut single by The Victims, an early punk rock band from Perth, Western Australia. The song is a mainstay of compilations of Australian punk from the 1970s, and has been recorded by the Hoodoo Gurus, You Am I, The Hellacopters and Teengenerate.

It was co-written by singer-guitarist Dave Faulkner (known at the time as Dave Flick) and drummer James Baker. The slow, menacing, bass line, played by Rudolph V (Dave Cardwell), is also a prominent feature of the recording. The Victims released the single independently in late 1977 or early 1978 (sources vary), with "I'm Flipped Out Over You" on the B-side.

Lyrically, "Television Addict" revolves around a youth "who went out and shot someone", and whose lawyer then attributes his actions to violence on television: "blame the ratings for his crime." The song is, in large part, a satirical comment on the tendency to blame popular culture for crime, rather than individuals, or broader social problems.

The band broke up in 1979. During the mid-1980s, Baker and Faulkner were briefly reunited in the Hoodoo Gurus, who sometimes performed "Television Addict" as an encore. The Hoodoo Gurus (without Baker) later recorded "Television Addict", and issued it as a bonus track.

Track List:
1. Television Addict
2. I'm Flipped Out Over You

Download: The Victims - Televison Addict (3.6MB)

VA - 30 Seconds Before the Calico Wall

In the ongoing chronicling of obscure '60s garage band singles, Arf Arf delves into the super psychedelic side of the equation with 28 utterly amazing 45s culled from the late '60s. Best future Trivial Pursuit rock & roll question is served up on "I Want to Hold Your Hand" by the Moving Sidewalks, featuring a young Billy Gibbons from ZZ Top on guitar. Other highlights include "Speed" by Ron Wray, "Once Upon a Taste" by the Omen, and "Steamshovel" by Marshmellow Steamshovel. This is one trippy little flashback that truly delivers the goods.
(Year of Release: 1995)

Track List:
1. Trip on Out - Haymarket Riot
2. What Good Is Up - Inexpensive Handmade Look
3. Visions - Looking Glasses
4. Me - The Brain Train
5. Apothecary Dream - Sound Sandwich
6. I Want to Hold Your Hand - The Moving Sidewalks
7. The Black Door - Loose Enz
8. Speed - Ron Wray Light Show
9. Of Dreams [45 Version] - Morgan
10. Semi-Psychedelic [It Is] - Pepper & The Shakers
11. Love-In - Noah's Ark
12. Don't Miss the Turn - Trees
13. The Face of Time - The Plague
14. Desert Maiden - The Shaprells
15. The Third Eye - The Dovers
16. Flight Patterns - Dennis & The Times
17. Once Upon a Taste - Omen
18. Death Bells at Dawn - The Lords
19. Light the Glass Candle - Glass Candle
20. Six Feet Under Theme - Six Feet Under
21. Lost - The Tyde
22. 99th Floor - T.N.T.
23. Reference Man, Pt. 1 - Chateaux
24. He's Comin', Pt. 2 - Magic Swirling Ship
25. High Towers - Legends
26. Blue Shoes - News
27. Steamshovel - Marshmellow Steamshovel
28. Young Heartbeat [Instrumental] - The Lords

Download: Thirty Seconds Before the Calico Wall (97.1MB)

Thee Mighty Caesars - Wise Blood

Another Billy Childish band, this one after the Milkshakes... Always good, low-fi grunge punk rock with a nod to fifties and sixties beat. More punkier than Thee Milkshakes, still Rhythm and Blues, but less rock and roll. As the sleeve notes to Caesars Pleasure goes "This is Punk Rock / Rhythm and Beat as it should be; three chords, cheap gear, and a healthy dose of hatred and contempt for the outside world." Go out and make yourself a purchase of one of their CD's to get a decent cross section of the raw punk. - from trouser press

I would like to thank RYP from the Twilightzone! blog for originally posting this. Be sure to check out his blog if you haven't already.
(Year of Release: 1989)

Track List:
1. I Can't Find Pleasure
2. Come Into My Life
3. Signals Of Love
4. I Self Destroy
5. The Wise Blood
6. The Bay Of Pigs
7. The Double Axe
8. Tushunka Witko
9. Stay The Same
10. Kinds Of Women
11. Signals Of Love (Slight Return)
12. Action Time Vision

Download: Thee Mighty Caesars - Wise Blood (37.8MB)

Yesterday's Children - Yesterday's Children

I found this little gem on DC++ (if you want to try DC++ and need the address to a few excellent hubs, where you can find almost anything you need, just let me know) not too long ago and was highly impressed by this album immediately. Yesterday's Children were an obscure Connecticut group who recorded this one LP and a classic psychedelic garage punk single which appears on the Psychedelic Unknowns compilation. While the debut single was classic beat garage of the period 1966, by the 1969 album the group expanded into more hard rock and progressive styles -- and this album is drenched in the lead guitar blitz of Reggie Wright. Hunter's Moon and She's Easy are equally wonderful tracks which display Wright's abilities on guitar. The group was led by brothers Denis Croce on guitar and Richard Croce on vocals, and Chuck Maher and Ralph Muscatelli on bass and drums. The group is not to be confused with a Chicago-area group of the same name and era who appeared on the Pebbles box set. The reissue on Italian obscure specialist label Akarma is a stunning object to behold and an audiophile remaster of this underground classic.
(Year of Release: 1969)

Track List:
1. Paranoia
2. Sad Born Loser
3. What of I
4. She's Easy
5. Sailing
6. Providence Bummer
7. Evil Woman
8. Hunter's Moon

Download: Yesterday's Children - Yesterday's Children (46.3MB)

It's Good to be Back

I'm going to leave this post on top for a little while. I am currently adding albums, and they will be posted below this as they are uploaded.

After a much needed break I have decided to resume uploading albums for this blog. During my time away I have received numerous messages from people asking me to return and thanking me for turning them on to bands that they were unfamiliar with. I would like to thank all of you for your words of encouragement. So far there have been over 52,000 visitors to this blog, which is more than the population of the city I reside in. I never would have thought that so many people would take interest in this blog. As some of you may have noticed I've been working hard to remove all the spam messages that were posted during my absence. I hope that my absence hasn't permanently turned away some of the people who regularly visited here in the past. I look forward to seeing your comments and insight once again. It's good to be back!

Avengers - Avengers LP

The Avengers probably need no introduction to fans of the punk rock genre. From the first wave of 70s punk in Northern California (San Francisco to be exact), they were around for a very short time, but left their mark and influenced generations of punk to follow. They were one of the first female-fronted punk bands in the USA. Fronted by the electrifying Penelope Houston, and powered by Greg Ingraham's amazing guitar playing, they were far ahead of their time.

The story of this record is one wrapped up in confusion and turmoil. It seems that the label somehow strong armed the band into signing their life away, and also included the Dangerhouse recordings on this when in actuality they had no legal right to do so. This album also came out a couple years after the band broke up. Rumor has it that the band tried to reclaim the recordings and the label actually sued the band over it! When Frontier Records reissued some of the Dangerhouse Records catalog, David Fergusson, owner of CD Presents sued Frontier claiming rights to the Avengers Dangerhouse recordings which was proven not to be true and thus he lost the lawsuit. He promptly filed for bankruptcy upon losing the lawsuit, in an effort to get out of having to pay the enormous legal fees.

All controversy aside, this stands as one of the all time greatest punk albums and deserves a spot in every person’s collection. Unfortunately no one can go out and buy it on vinyl, or any format anymore for that matter, with the exception of a poor sounding bootleg LP. The label, CD Presents, ceased operations years ago and the owner hasn’t bothered to reprint it even on CD, or even license it to anyone. It is as if the record is being held hostage and there is a whole new generation of music fans being cheated out of the opportunity to own this. Thank god for the internet.
(Year of Release: 1983)

Track List:
1. We Are The One
2. Car Crash
3. I Believe In Me
4. Open Your Eyes
5. No Martyr
6. Desperation
7. Thin White Line
8. Paint It Black
9. The Amerikan In Me
10. White Nigger
11. Uh-oh
12. Second to None
13. Corpus Christie
14. Fuck You (live)

Download: Avengers - Avengers LP (76.3MB)

Shadows of Knight - Back Door Men

The original LP version of this album, the second by the legendary Chicago garage punk/blues outfit, was one of the most sought-after artifacts of mid-'60s punk rock. Back Door Men was a loud, feedback-laden, sneering piece of rock & roll defiance, mixing raunchy anthems to teenage lust ("Gospel Zone," "Bad Little Woman"), covers of Chicago blues classics (Willie Dixon's "Spoonful," Jimmy Reed's "Peepin' and Hidin'"), raga rock ("The Behemoth"), folk-rock ("Hey Joe," "Three for Love," "I'll Make You Sorry"), and a blues-punk grab off of commercial Top 40 ("Tomorrow's Gonna Be Another Day") all on one 12" platter. What makes the record even more startling is that every one of these tracks, however far afield they go from one another, works. The band strides across the music spectrum with a reach and boldness that most listeners usually only associate with the likes of the Beatles or the Rolling Stones, as they slide from electric guitar into extended Chess-style blues instrumentals.
(Year of Release: 1967)

Track List:
1. Bad Little Woman
2. Gospel Zone
3. The Behemoth
4. Three For Love
5. Hey Joe
6. I'll Make You Sorry
7. Peepin' And Hidin'
8. Tomorrow's Going To Be Another Day
9. New York Bullseye
10. High Blood Pressure
11. Spoonful

Download: Shadows of Knight - Back Door Men (38.4MB)

Crushed Butler - Uncrushed

Special thanks to the Green Fuzz blog for originally posting this. It's a great blog so if you like this please take the time to visit it.

Usually when music writers throw around the phrase "proto-punk" it doesn't mean to much, but this is the true thing right here. Very few bands managed to fill the post-73-Stooges, pre-76-Ramones void that was the sputtering dying hippie dream of peace, love, and paisley pants. Sure their was Glam, and Prog, and some tough-as-nails rock'n'roll, but not much really that matched the mountain of fuzz and nothing-to-loose attitude that the Stooges has established as far back as '69.

Not so, as this absolutely killer 6 song E.P. of unreleased demo recording clearly shows. Apparently recorded over the course of 3 years in 3 different studios, Crushed Butler learned the had way that being way ahead of your time usually means no one understands you. Subsequently, you won't be appreciated, you won't make money, and you'll be kicked out onto your asses before you even get started.

Legend has it that when drummer Darryl Read, guitarist Jesse Hector, and bassist Allen Butler were invited to record EMI studios on a wave of local success, they were graciously brought in on limousine, but after laying down a few tracks of their gnarly working class street-skum anthem "Factor Grime," were then less then graciously given the boot and had to ride the subway back home.

The drums are relentless, the guitar moronically-brilliant, the vocals strained and desperate. PERFECT! All the songs are scorchers, even "Love is All Around Me" which sounds weak but isn't. "Love Fighter" is a slow dirge number, but still heavy-as-shit and thick-as-bricks. "High School Dropout" is a bit more standard I-V-IV rocker like Back in the USA era MC5.
(Year of Release: 1970)

Track List:
1. It's My Life
2. Factory Grime
3. Love Is All Around Me
4. My Son's Alive
5. Love Fighter
6. School Dropout

Download: Crushed Butler - Uncrushed (38.4MB)

Redd Kross - Phaseshifter

On Phaseshifter Redd Kross has stripped away many of the '60s and '70s pop-culture trappings that figured prominently on earlier recordings (covers of Brady Bunch and Charles Manson songs, for instance). As a result, the band (basically brothers Jeffrey and Steven McDonald) have brought their strong melodic sense, psychedelic punk/metal mix, and fine harmonies to the fore on standout tracks like "Lady in the Front Row", "Monolith", and one of the band's best rockers "Crazy World". The brothers' '70s-TV obsession certainly hasn't disappeared, though, as evidenced by songs like "After School Special" and the Partridge Family-inspired cut "Dumb Angel" (Susan Dey being replaced here by keyboardist Gere Fennelly). For some great Redd Kross music, get both Phaseshifter and the band's 1997 release, Show World.
(Year of Release: 1993)

Track List:
1. Jimmy's Fantasy
2. Lady In The Front Row
3. Monolith
4. Crazy World
5. Dumb Angel
6. Huge Wonder
7. Visionary
8. Pay For Love
9. Ms. Lady Evans
10. Only A Girl
11. Saragon
12. After School Special


Download: Redd Kross - Phaseshifter (40.3MB)

The Dukes of Stratosphear - 25 O' Clock

After the total commercial failure of their last two albums (Mummer and The Big Express), XTC decided to try their hand at something a little different. Assuming the name The Dukes of Stratosphear and various different pseudonyms for themselves (Andy Partridge became Sir John Johns, Colin Moulding morphed into The Red Curtain, Dave Gregory became Lord Cornelius Plum, and temporary member Ian Gregory adopted the name E-I-E-I Owen), the band set out to create an EP of songs based on the music of the 60s which they had grown up listening to.

It sounds like a fairly simple concept, however the songs that resulted from the project are superb and created with a great deal of love and respect for the artists they are inspired by. It's a lot more expert than a simple "Let's pretend to be the Beatles" sort of thing. Right down to muffled samples, backward sounds, hidden whispers, and specific chords, each song is crammed full of references to bands of that glorious era.
(Year of Release: 1985)

Track List:
1. 25 O'Clock
2. Bike Ride to the Moon
3. My Love Explodes
4. What In the World?
5. Your Gold Dress
6. The Mole From the Ministry

Download: Dukes of Stratosphear - 25 O'Clock (38.3MB)

The Sonics - Psycho-Sonic

Everyone would agree that the Sonics reached their peak on their 1964-65 recordings for Etiquette. This 29-track compilation has everything they recorded for the label, extended not just to everything from their singles and two albums, but also with an alternate take of "The Witch" and live recordings of "Psycho" and "The Witch." Consequently, it's the best Sonics release on the market, though you should be warned: it's not wall-to-wall greatness. After the first half-dozen or so songs, you might well be ready to buy into their legend as one of the great (and certainly rawest) '60s garage bands, as those tracks include their toughest elementary riff-fueled pounders: "The Witch," "Psycho," "Boss Hoss," "He's Waitin'," and "Strychnine." But too much of the rest is filled out with covers of '50s and '60s rock and R&B standards, and the relentlessly frantic bang-it-out frat punk and throat-tearing vocals get blurry after a while, though at least they threw in a little-covered tune with their version of Adam Faith's "It's Alright."

Track List:
1. Witch
2. Do You Love Me
3. Roll Over Beethoven
4. Boss Hoss
5. Dirty Robber
6. Have Love, Will Travel
7. Psycho
8. Money (That's What I Want)
9. Walking the Dog
10. Night Time Is the Right Time
11. Strychnine
12. Good Golly Miss Molly
13. Hustler
14. Psycho [Live]
15. Cinderella
16. Don't Be Afraid of the Dark
17. Skinny Minnie
18. Let the Good Times Roll
19. Don't You Just Know It
20. Jenny, Jenny
21. He's Waitin'
22. Louie, Louie
23. Since I Fell for You
24. Hitch Hike
25. It's Alright
26. Shot Down
27. Keep a Knockin'
28. Witch [Live]
29. Witch [Version 2]

Download: The Sonics - Psycho-Sonic (72.5MB)

Electric Prunes - Stockholm 67

Stockholm 67 is some kind of a miracle. This is a previously unreleased performance from a nearly unknown US band 37 years ago, back when live recordings barely existed. Well, the sound is astonishing. It could have been recorded in the nineties, you wouldn't tell the difference. And when it comes to music, it's even more amazing. It's raw rock'n'roll, with a light garage touch, strong vocal performance and incredible guitar sound. The band fully captures the essence of British sound and adds to it a bit of American roughness. The Electric Prunes even outperform the Yardbirds on the cover version of Smokestack Lightning. Second only to The Who's Live At Leeds for what regards live albums. (Year of Release: 1967)

Track List:
1. You Never Had It Better
2. I Had Too Much To Dream (Last Night)
3. Try Me On For Size
4. I Happen To Love You
5. I Got My Mojo Workin'
6. Long Day's Flight (Til' Tomorrow)
7. Smokestack Lightning
8. Get Me To The World On Time

Download Electric Prunes - Stockholm 67 (64.3MB)

Instructions For Unpacking .rar Files

A lot of people get confused when they download an album only to find that it is compressed into a .rar file. A .rar file is simply a file format used by compression software. The archives are created because it makes it easier to upload entire albums as one file, and since it is compressed, it also reduces the size of the file being uploaded/downloaded. In order to extract the contents of a .rar file you will need the proper software. The most common program used for creating and extracting .rar archives is WinRar, which is shareware. However, there are a number of great freeware programs that do the job just as nicely. I've created a list of freeware audio programs, which you can find here:

Freeware Audio List

There are several free Compression/Decompression programs available for you to choose from at the bottom of the list. If you are still having trouble feel free to leave a comment and I would be more than happy to assist you.

Request An Album

If you're having trouble finding an album, or would just like to hear an artist that you're not familiar with, please leave a comment here. I'm usually able to find just about anything, even if it's very rare, and if I can't I have a few good connections which may be able to. If I'm able to find what you're looking for on another blog, then I will simply post the address where it can be found in the comments of this post, so be sure to check back. I will handle all requests as quickly as possible.

If you are going to request an album as an anonymous user, please leave information so that I can contact you once I have filled your request. If you do not, then your request will not be filled.

Report A Dead Link

If you find an album which has a broken download link, and would like to request that it be re-uploaded, please leave a comment here. Please do not leave a comment on the actual post, as it might get overlooked, while this list is checked often. Once you have notified us of a dead link, we will add it to the list below, and it will be re-uploaded as soon as we have the time.

If you have downloaded one of the albums below from this blog, and would like to help out, you can do so by uploading one of the albums below and leaving a comment here. It will help save us a lot of time, and ensure that we can continue focusing on sharing material that hasn't already been posted here.

Re-Upload Queue
Pink Fairies - Never Never Land
VA - A " " Dose of " " Psych (Entire Series)
VA - Do the Pop
Ananda Shankar - Ananda Shankar
Flamin' Groovies - Flamingo
Lost Goat - Equator
The Blues Astronauts - No Sanctuary
Suicide - Suicide
Thee Mighty Caesars - Caesars Remains
Siouxsie and the Banshees - The Scream
VA - The 60's Choice Collection of Scarcest Garage Records
Electric Prunes - Too Much To Dream

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)