Manic Street Preachers - Generation Terrorist

During the late 8os and early 90s, I saw my musical taste shifted from punk to metal, specifically thrash metal. Metal is not that alien to me since my older brothers groomed me to bands like Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin. So shifting gears towards metal was like visiting an old uncle. Metallica, Slayer, Exodus, Death Angel, Motorhead, Iron Maiden and the crossed-over DRI were the staples around the house for a number of years. And in between my Metallicas and Slayers were the so-called alternative bands like Sonic Youth and the Pixies. To make matters worse for punk music, a bag full of punk and hardcore cassettes was stolen. Though most of them were copies I made from my friends’ LPs, punk classics such as Black Flag’s Damaged, Dead Kennedys’ Fresh Fruits, Crucifix’ Dehumanization, Descendents’ Milo Goes to College and Enjoy, and Verbal Abuse’s Just An American Band we’re lost in that bag.

And then, a slew of “underground” releases were made available locally that made me realized how much I missed punk rock. Bands like Manic Street Preachers, Senseless Things and Ned’s Atomic Dustbin gave me a wake-up call. I know, these bands were not exactly punk bands but they sure sounded like one which was more than ok for me. The Manic’s Generation Terrorist and Senseless Things’ Empire of the Senseless” were totally awesome plus Ned’s Atomic Dustbins’ Kill Your Television” blew me away!

So, I tried to scrounge every music store here in Manila looking for my old punk classics. At first, all I can manage to get were the Clash, the Damned, Minor Threat and Sex Pistols’ records. Then came Tower Records. They carried lots of titles my normal record store wouldn’t carry. I bought my Bad Brains’ ROIR cd there, tons of Descendents, Black Flag and Circle Jerks records plus a whole lot more. I know what it felt like to be in a record collectors’ heaven! But the downside was these records don’t come cheap but that didn’t stop me. I finally got the Verbal Abuse and Crucifix cd’s from my friend who introduced me to crust.

I ran across my high school buddy in our reunion 6 years ago and asked him if he still has the Crucifix and Verbal Abuse vinyl. He still has them but wouldn’t sell them to me. Damn!

Anyways, I was so glad I came across Manic Street Preachers and the Senseless Things. They sure helped me find my lost youth.

Enjoy!


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Senseless Things - Empire of the Senseless

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Senseless Things - Postcards CV

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Ned's Atomic Dustbin - God Fodder

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Anarchy 6 - Live Like a Suicidal & White Stripes - Redd Blood Cells

Another month passed us by and I haven't posted anything yet. Actually, I have uploaded a lot in my Mediafire account but I haven't gone around it. I will be posting them sooner than you think.

Anyways, this came from the comments section of the Anarchy 6 post. A reader by the name of Greba Guru was kind enough to upload the two Anarchy 6 releases - Hardcore Lives and Live Like Suicidal. My Hardcore Lives link is still active though but he managed to put these releases into one link. He also added the White Stripes thing Steve McDonald did for good measure. Steve McDonald added bass guitars on the White Stripes album White Blood Cells and renamed it Redd Blood Cells.

While the Live Like a Suicidal is a cassette-only release of punk/hardcore covers recorded live. The songs covered here were from Circle Jerks (Greg Hetson used to play with Red Cross before going to the Circle Jerks), SOA, Fear, Suicidal Tendencies and Red Cross/Red Kross. I personally like the rants in-between songs, it's hilarious.

The band consisted of members of Redd Kross and Sin 34.

Vocals: Steve McDonald (aka Chemical Warfare)

Drums: Dave Markey (aka Mark Davey)

Bass: Phil Newman (aka H.C. Skinner)

Guitar: Michael F. Glass (aka Spike Geek)



Tracklist from Live Like a Suicidal:

I Love Livin in the City
State of War
Lost in Space
I Just Want Some Skank - Beverly Hills
12 Hour Trip
Rich Brat
Institutionalized
Shutdown
Slam, Spit, Cut your hair, Kill your mom
Louie Louie

Again, thanks to Greba Guru.

Enjoy!


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Philippine Violators - Sikat na si Pedro

Sorry for the late posts friends, call it extended vacation! Hehehe. Anyways, I was already uploading some stuff and I forget that I’ve already uploaded stuff by Philippine Violators last December! Yeah, it’s called memory gap.

Philippine Violators is one of the pioneers of Pinoi punk. They are fronted by the Espiritu brothers and lived near our place where I grew up. Actually, they’re from a different city but it’s just a 15 minute ride from us.

The posts are they’re first release (At Large!) with the Twisted Red Cross label , the pioneering indie label here in the Philippines that released such classics like the Betrayed’s first album, Urban Bandit’s Independence Day, WUDS’s ARMSTALK and all the great Pinoi comps in the 80’s like Rescue Ladders and Human Barricades, Fatal Response and Third Bombardment, just to name a few.

The second was their 20th anniversary compilation. This was compiled by a Korean entrepreneur. I personally do not a have copy of this one but thankfully my buddy gave me a CD-R copy.

The third one's their 90's release called Sikat na si Pedro. This was an awesome release and quite a departure from their debut release At Large!. This a testament of the band's maturity. I personally like this one and never get tired of playing it. You should check this one out.

The Violators are on hiatus and once in a while, when the members are all present, they hold handful of gigs. But they are all busy now with their day jobs!

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Philippine Violators - 20th Anniversary Compialtion 1984-2004

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Philippine Violators - At Large

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Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year

I'm so sorry that I missed to greet you all a Merry Christmas. I was so busy doing something close to nothing that I totally forgot about about. My apologies. Anyways, I'm going to make up right now with an early New Year greeting - HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU FRIENDS!!!

I also have a gift to all you Beatle maniacs and Stones fans out there. I stumbled upon these two compilations - Patti Smith Covers the Stones and and Oasis compilation of Beatles covers. I don't know if these are bootlegs or just compiled by the bloggers themselves.

I'm not very fond of Oasis, they got some good songs though but I'm not a fan nor I'm a fan of the Beatles but I figured a of guys like them, especially the Beatles. So if you like the Beatles or Oasis, then this post is for you. But I can't say the same thing with Patti Smith and the Stones. I love 'em both! (Who doesn't?)

I'm trying my best to find the blogs where I got these to get more info on these comps but to no avail. So there it is, Patti Smith and Oasis doing the Stones and the Beatles repestively. Enjoy!

Patti Smith - Covers the Rolling Stones


Oasis - Covers the Beatles

Bob Mould - Body of Song

I case you haven’t noticed it yet, I’m a huge fan of Bob Mould. From his days with Husker Du, with Sugar to his solo efforts, he’s just an awesome songwriter. Some would expect that at this point in his illustrious career he would be churning out mediocre works, but no, he’s just not over yet. In fact he’s just picking up steam, a second wind if you will. His 2005 release Body of Song totally blew me away upon hearing it. Great lyrics, even better melodies. It’s hard to pick out a favorite but I’ll try…

Songs like I am Sound, I am Vision, Best Thing, Missing You plus the mid-tempo numbers such as High Fidelity, Gauze of Friendship made this album a great listen. His lyrics really paints a great picture and never pretentious. He always says what he means, and means what he says. He’s never vague, the way songwriters ought to be.

The other post is the audio rip of the Circle of Friends DVD. This was recorded live at the 9:30 Club during his touring supporting the release of Body of Song. I actually have the DVD, so if like me to upload it just let me know. If there are enough requests I’ll upload it.

Note:

My friend, the Terrorizer, uploaded this record plus the Audio-rip of the Circle of Friends DVD. He said that he found these in the torrent and gonna upload them on his Multiply site. So instead of uploading my copy, I just asked him if I could post these here and he obliged. Great guy indeed! Thanks bro and more power.

Enjoy!

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Bob Mould - Circle of Firend (Audio Rip)

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Sonic Youth - Hits Are For Squares

Sonic Youth, in my opinion, is the epitome of the so-called alternative rock. I’m not very fond of the term alternative rock since it’s very general, ambiguous at best. Because it can mean a lot of things - noise, grunge, shoegaze, indiepop, etc. Even powerpop bands are sometimes called alternative. But since the term’s already been accepted in most circles, I’ll be using it for familiarity’s sake and not be an ass about it.

Going back to Sonic Youth, they are primarily an art-noise band trained in the Glenn Branca’s school noise rock. They were even lumped with the No Wave movement together with the Contortions and Swans among many others. Their feedback-laden music became the cornerstone for a lot of alternative bands in the 90’s. Over the years, their music became more and more radio friendly without losing their college-radio credibility.

The first post is the album compilation called Screaming Fields of Sonic Love. After signing to DGC and releasing Goo and Dirty, Sonic Youth released this compilation from their years with SST and Enigma records. This is somewhat of an introduction of what Sonic Youth was all about. They picked up highlights from each album and crammed them into this one neat compilation. The album served its purpose well, although the edited versions of Teenage Riot and Candle were kind of a bummer if you ask me.

The second post was Hits Are For Squares. This is a controversial compilation since it was released/available in Starbucks stores. But the idea for this comp is truly amazing – celebrities and fellow musicians pick out their favorite Sonic Youth songs and compiled them into this rather unique comp.

Enjoy!!!

Tracklist

"Bull in the Heather," selected by Catherine Keener
"Sugar Kane," selected by Beck
"100%," selected by Mike D
"Kool Thing," selected by Radiohead
"Disappearer," selected by Portia De Rossi
"Superstar," selected by Diablo Cody
"Stones," selected by Allison Anders
"Tuff Gnarl," selected by Dave Eggers and Mike Watt
"Teenage Riot," selected by Eddie Vedder
"Shadow of a Doubt," selected by Michelle Williams
"Rain on Tin," selected by Flea
"Tom Violence," selected by Gus Van Zant
"Mary-Christ," selected by David Cross
"World Looks Red," selected by Chloe Sevigny
"Expressway to Yr Skull," selected by Flaming Lips



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Sonic Youth - Screaming Fields of Sonic Love

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PTL Klub - 13 Commandments

I was talking to the guitarist of a local punk band called Bad Omen a couple of months back about music (what else!), and I was kind of surprised that he actually liked PTL Klub's 13 Commandments. Surprised? Yeah because he was not actually into "noisy" bands as he carefully puts it. So, we were laughing our asses off when he confessed that he actually enjoyed 13 Commandments.

He was the reason why I posted these PTL Klub records. Fast, thrashing, and "noisy", the way we wanted it!

Enjoy!!!


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PTL Klub - Living Death

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PTL Klub - Living Death II

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PTL Klub - Nobody Cares Anymore

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VA - Dark Pleasures

About a week ago, my friend conned me to compile songs for the Halloween. At first, I was adamant about it but I later caved in to his request. So i list down all the scariest songs I know and compile it in one CD. Scary, that's the operative word here. Not just songs about monsters or ghouls or whatever but really scary stuff. So forget about Monster Mash or Thriller or other songs that were usually played during the season, you're not gonna find them here.
My criteria in picking out the songs was simple: the lyrics should be dark or twisted or both. Plus the backing music should add to the overall eerie/creepy feel of that song. That's why you're not gonna see any Rob Zombie/White Zombie stuff in here since I don't find hard rock/metal songs to be that scary. Sure, Rob Zombie/White Zombie lyrics are really dark & grim but the driving music behind the lyrics actually makes me bang my head instead of cower under my bed. I want my scary song to really shock me both lyrically and aurally.
The songs here mostly deal with the apocalypse, the devil, vampires, ghosts and murder. Norwegian black metal bands sing about these themes on a regular basis but they lack the sophistication of these songs. Their often blatant lyrics will actually make the listener kicks his stereo in disgust instead of being truly scared.
Happy Halloween my friends!


Scariest Songs:

1. Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath
In my opinion, the first gothic rock song. It's about a dark figure Geezer Butler saw at the foot of his bed after waking up from a nightmare. The figure vanished into thin air and he quickly went for the book on witchcraft Ozzy gave to him earlier that day. To his astonishment, the book was gone. Ozzy made a song about Geezer's experience and made it as dark as possible. The finished product was Black Sabbath. The sound of thunder and rain made the song more disturbing. A classic.

2. Slayer - Dead Skin Mask
This song reminds me of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre. I always picture Leatherface coming for me whenever I hear this song. Maybe Hannibal Lecter should tag along since the title fits him as well. The more the merrier.

3. Juan Dela Cruz - Langit
This is the only song that actually scared the living crap out of me. I was a pre-schooler when this song came out. And my older brother loved it and played it 24-7. But the apocalyptic imagery of the song was too much for my then young mind with fertile imagination. That's why I'm always having trouble going to sleep whenever I hear this song at night. The the first stanza alone will already paint a very dark image on your mind, "Langit ay itim ang kulay, Hindi na yata magbabago, Puso ko'y nagdurugo, Wala na bang tutulong, Ang mga tao dito ngayon ay naghihintay na lang, Sa kanilang kamatayan at sa kabilang buhay."

4. Sisters of Mercy - Lucretia (My Reflection)
The bassline of this song tells it all. Then, throw in Andrew Eldritch's very deep voice and the song title and you have a Goth classic.

5. Joy Division - Dead Souls
This song freaked out my friend in college. Apparently, he was listening to it during a black out or something. And the next day, he told about this song and how it bummed him out the night before. After listening to it, I got to agree with him. The song's foreboding lyrics, "they keep calling me, keep on calling me," gave goosebumps to the listener. I think, Dead Souls was released after Ian Curtis hanged himself.

6. Concrete Blonde - Bloodletting
A vampire in New Orleans! Imagine Nosferatu (Edward Cullen is a p#$$y!) terrorizing the merry-makers during the Mardi Gras... Now that's a picture.

7. Bauhaus - Bela Lugosi's Dead
One of the greatest Goth bands singing about the death of an actor responsible for the Dracula template. Need I say more?

8. Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds - Red Right Hand
The title was inspired by John Milton's Paradise Lost. The song's about the man in black, not the alien-fighting force of Will Smith & Tommy Lee Jones, who will promise you everything ("Stacks of green paper in his Red Right Hand") in exchange for your ...

9. Depeche Mode - Fly on the Windscreen
I never liked this band but this song's really, really cool. This song could easily come from a George Romero film. "Death is everywhere, There are flies on the windscreen"

10. Skinny Puppy - Killing Game
Nivek Ogre sung "I taught the killing game first", like he actually taught the killing game first! Marilyn Manson and Trent Reznor can't hold a candle to these guys.

11. the Cure - Subway Song
Before becoming an international phenomenon, the Cure wrote a song about a murderer stalking victims in London's subways. The last portion of this song scared the $h!t out of me when I first heard it in my Walkman.

12. Sonic Youth - Death Valley 69
The first time I saw the video for this song was also the first I heard the song. It was on a Betamax format filled with videos by the Jam and Sonic Youth among others. The video was so disturbing. It featured the band members murdered in the different parts of the the house. It was a perfect video for the song which is as equally disturbing. Plus the additional vocals by Lydia Lunch added to the doom feel of the song.

13. Husker Du - Diane
Greg Norton's bass line defined this very dark song about a sexual predator. What's unsettling about this song was how Grant Hart described the details of what the maniac is going to do to Diane after he's finished with her but left the actual rape and murder details to the listeners. Afterall, they're Husker Du and NOT Cannibal Corpse. "We could lay in the weeds for a little while, I'll put your clothes in a nice, neat little pile, you're the cutest girl I've ever seen in my life, It's all over now, and with my knife."

14. Samhain - Trouble
Glen Danzig loved this song so much he covered it when he was in Samhain and covered it live in Danzig's Thrall/Demon Sweat Live EP. But I included Samhain (pronounced as "sa-wun") because 1. it's an ancient Celtic harvest festival and festival for the dead and it's where the modern-day halloween was derived from and 2. this version has the eerie feel to it especially with the addition of the organ part at the beginning of the song while the live version was just brute force all the way which does not fit the comp's theme. With the lyrics like "My daddy was a demon, werewolf Jack, Because I'm evil, My middle name is misery," it'll definitely end up in a lot of people's halloween playlists.

15. the Doors - The End
Jim Morrison managed to transform this simple goodbye song into a twisted tale of Oedipus Complex. Hearing Jim sing "Father. Yes son? I want to kill you. Mother, I want to fuck you" will definitely take your breath away and rewind the song just a couple of seconds just to confirm if you heard it right the first time. Lyrically, this song lacks the subtleties of other Morrison's song but packs a wallop for shock value. Great soundtrack for family reunions!


Credits:

Front Cover by:
Erin Emocling

Back Cover by:
Jenny Palacios-Bautista

For the Blank CDs:
Lena Johnston

Model:
Barbara Anne


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Have Heart - Songs to Scream at the Sun

Don’t call this a comeback!

I always wanted to say that. Hehehe. Anyways, for my ‘comeback’ post, I give you Have Heart, a Boston-based (Massachusetts actually) straight-edge hardcore band best-known for their ‘Posicore’ stance. Actually, I have no idea who these guys are until they came here early this year during their ‘farewell’ World Tour which I wasn’t able to catch. (Yeah, I’m a moron for not knowing this band and missing the gig and a lot ‘moroner’ for admitting it. I can actually pretend I’ve been listening to these guys for years but that’s not just my style.) So, I asked a friend of mine if he actually knew Have Heart and if he has records of them. He said he would rip and e-mail me his Have Heart CDs. And I also asked his permission to post them and he obliged though he doesn’t want to be named.

I hope you enjoy these posts as much as I do. And thanks to you my friend, you known who you are.

Enjoy!


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Have Heart - The Things We Carry

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Have Heart - You Can't Go Home Again EP

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Back from Hell

Hello friends, I'm back!!!

First up, I'm sorry for the recent non-activity since I was really busy lately. In case you don't know it yet, I'm taking another course (my second) and thinking of a career shift. I'm in my final year so there are lots of things to do such as oral and written revalida, reports and papers to submit. Plus the fact that I'm a father of two wonderful boys, Dylan and Tommy. What can I say, they are a handful and needs constant attention.

Anyways, my schedule's clearing up so expect posting to resume any day now. I didn't know I'm gonna miss this since I'm actually contemplating of quitting this blogging business. Then I realized that this helps me keep my sanity from school/hospital work.

So there you go I'm here to stay!

It's nice to be back!