Verbal Abuse - Red, White & Violent

This is Verbal Abuse’s 1995 release. The music is not what you expect from Verbal Abuse circa Just An American Band but somewhat an extension of Rocks Your Liver. This is thrash metal dudes! And it’s a good one. One might say it’s a little bit late for that crossover thing but personally I don’t mind. I always go for the music and not what’s “hot” or “hip” today. Give it a listen, you won’t be disappointed. Thanks to Terrorizer for giving me a copy of this gem.

Enjoy!!!


Download Here

Dream Syndicate - Days of Wine & Roses

What can I say about this record that hasn’t been said before? Nothing really. This is a classic! Infusing elements of Velvet Underground, a dash of The Doors and The Byrds and a hint of Dylan, Days of Wine & Roses was quickly lumped with the Paisley Rock of the eighties. But personally I think this one has a lot more to offer. From the first track “Tell Me When It’s Over” to the Dylanesque “Definitely Clean” to Kendra Smith’s haunting “Too Little Too Late” and of course the title track. This record is a winner and every body should own this record.

Download Here

Kylesa - Time Will Fuse Its Worth

This is a band that refuses to be categorized (who needs it anyway). Ok, they are essentially a metal band but hardcore, psychedelic, stoner, doom influences are so overwhelming that one might wonder what the f@#k are these guys up to. I was first introduced to this band early in 2006 by a friend of mine who’s into grindcore. It was their second album called “To Walk a Middle Course.” The album title says a lot about the band and their musical style. He gave me a copy of the record and I gave it a quick spin. I was totally blown away by it. Plus the album cover is unmistakably Pushead’s, and that’s a big plus in my book. Anyways, here’s their 2006 release “Time Will Fuse Its Worth.” You’re gonna enjoy this one for sure.

Download Here

Punk Luv Songs

This is a hurried-up post. I was supposed to post my Cupid’s Revenge CD for Valentine’s Day but somehow the computer can’t seem to read the CD. So there’s no way I can rip it. So I did the next best thing, I (tried) to compile every punk love (not!) songs I can think of and put it on a compilation. I was so immersed with what I’m doing that when I checked the list, it’s already 32 songs. And I know I still have tons of songs I left out. So forgive me if I left out song “obvious” songs that should’ve been included but I just got to stop at 32.

Even the covers are hurried-up. Anyways, I hope you like it.

Happy VD (valentine's day) to y’all!!!

Enjoy!

CD1

1. Teenage Kicks - the Undertones
2. I Have a Date - the Simpletones
3. Just Fade Away - Stiff Little Fingers
4. My Girlfriend's Dead - the Vandals
5. Rosemary - the Dickies
6. You're Too Possesive - the Runaways
7. Caught with the Meat in Your Mouth - Dead Boys
8. Ever Fallen in Love - Buzzcocks
9. Until I Say So - All
10. Nothing With You - Descendents
11. Next to You - the Police
12. Never Meant to be This Way - Betrayed
13. She's a Sensation - Ramones
14. Green Eyes - Husker Du
15. Love Song - the Damned
16. Another Girl, Another Planet - the Only Ones

Punk Luv Songs CD1

CD2

1. Gimme Some Head - GG Allin
2. Babby, Youre So Repulsive - Crime
3. Sit on My Face Stevie Nicks - the Rotters
4. Ballad of Extreme Hate - Halo of Flies
5. In My Eyes - Circle Jerks
6. Jealous Again - Black Flag
7. 1-2 Crush on You - the Clash
8. Cold Love - Cult Maniax
9. What is This Shit Called Love - the Pagans
10. Lipstick on Your COllar - the Saints
11. Gonna Make You Mine - Thee Mighty Caesars
12. In Love - the Plague
13. Sick of You - the Users
14. Forbidden Love - Slickee Boys
15. Teenager in Love - Erazerhead
16. I Hate You - Verbal Abuse

Punk Luv Songs CD2

Violent Femmes - Violent Femmes

My friend the Terrorizer gave me a CD compilation of 90’s so-called ‘alternative” hits like Liz Phair, Oasis, the Murmurs, My Bloody Valentine and so on. Though all of the songs are really good, one song stood out, lyrically, Juliana Hatfield’s ‘My Sister.’ It goes like…

“miss my sister, why’d she go ?
Shes the one who would have taken me
To my first all-ages show.
It was the violent femmes and the del fuegos,
Before they had a record out. before they went gold,
And started to grow.”

This song reminded me of my high school days and the radio station WXB 102.7 FM. This radio station opened the eyes of Filipino youth to the new music of the 80’s. From punk, hardcore, goth and new wave. They played everything from ‘famous’ like Depeche Mode & Echo & the Bunnymen to the ‘obscure’ like Under Two Flags, Half Man Half Biscuit and Classix Nouveaux. They also got this program called Capitol Radio for which they played punk, hardcore and other stuff.

Anyways, Violent Femmes received regular airtime thanks to Blister in the Sun and Gone Daddy Gone while the Del Fuegos received minimal airplay but they’re still given airtime as well. Man, good times indeed. I remember being glued to the radio every chance I get.

I’m gonna say it now, WXB 102.7 changed my life!

Enough about nostalgia and let’s talk about the posts. I’ve posted Violent Femmes’ debut album and their second ‘Hallowed Ground’ and Del Fuegos’ Longest Day & Boston, Mass. Just scroll down to find the links to the posts. It’s individually posted.

Enjoy!

Here's what AMG has to say about the VIolent Femmes' self-titled debut:

"One of the most distinctive records of the early alternative movement and an enduring cult classic, Violent Femmes weds the geeky, child-man persona of Jonathan Richman and the tense, jittery, hyperactive feel of new wave in an unlikely context: raw, amateurish acoustic folk-rock. The music also owes something to the Modern Lovers' minimalism, but powered by Brian Ritchie's busy acoustic bass riffing and the urgency and wild abandon of punk rock, the Femmes forged a sound all their own. Still, the main reason Violent Femmes became the preferred soundtrack for the lives of many an angst-ridden teenager is lead singer and songwriter Gordon Gano. Naive and childish one minute, bitterly frustrated and rebellious the next, Gano's vocals perfectly captured the contradictions of adolescence and the difficulties of making the transition to adulthood. Clever lyrical flourishes didn't hurt either; while "Blister In the Sun" has deservedly become a standard, "Kiss Off"'s chant-along "count-up" section, "Add It Up"'s escalating "Why can't I get just one..." couplets, and "Gimme the Car"'s profanity-obscuring guitar bends ensured that Gano's intensely vulnerable confessions of despair and maladjustment came off as catchy and humorous as well. Even if the songwriting slips a bit on occasion, Gano's personality keeps the music engaging and compelling without overindulging in his seemingly willful naiveté. For the remainder of their career, the group would only approach this level in isolated moments."

Download Here

Violent Femmes - Hallowed Ground

After the surprise success of their landmark debut, Violent Femmes could have just released another collection of teen-rage punk songs disguised as folk, and coasted into the modern rock spotlight alongside contemporaries like the Modern Lovers and Talking Heads. Instead they made Hallowed Ground, a hellfire-and-brimstone-beaten exorcism that both enraged and enthralled critics and fans alike. Like Roger Waters purging himself of the memories of his father's death through The Wall and The Final Cut, bandleader Gordon Gano uses the record to expel his love/hate relationship with religion, and the results are alternately breathtaking and terrifying. Contrary to initial public response, Hallowed Ground is not a parody. Gano, the son of a Baptist minister, may wear his faith like a badge of honor, but it's a badge, not a shield, and what keeps the songs so volatile is the fact that they're filtered through the eyes, ears, heart, and loins of a teenager. Like the first record, all of the songs on Hallowed Ground were written during Gano's high-school years -- he was barely in his twenties when it was released -- resulting in a perfect rendering of the sweetness and brutality of the postpubescent teen, especially on the album's centerpiece; a searing indictment of loyalties broken and the snitches that break them, "Never Tell" is the perfect balm for the bloody righteousness of youth, and when Gano screams, "I'll stand right up in the heart of Hell/I never tell," it's hard not to stand right beside him. Christian imagery aside, Hallowed Ground is not as polarizing as some make it out to be. The band explores gothic Appalachian folk and child murder on the banjo-fueled "Country Death Song," bawdy and bluesy Lou Reed-inflected infatuation on "Sweet Misery Blues," and nuclear holocaust on the brooding title track, leaving little doubt that this is the same band that penned underground classics like "Gone Daddy Gone" and "Add It Up." Even the decidedly politically uncorrect "Black Girls," with its free jazz mid-section that includes everything from jaw harp to the screaming alto sax of John Zorn and the Horns of Dilemma, is full of the same smirk and swagger that made "Blister in the Sun" the soundtrack to so many people's halcyon days. The Femmes are nothing if not true to themselves, and Hallowed Ground is a testament to their tenacity, courage, and sheer obliviousness to industry ogling. Each track is as naked as it is bursting with ideas, and as the landscape changes, the band changes with it, leaving the listener at a crossroads; with each incantation, growling invective, and honey-whispered promise, they're forced to either jump off the gospel train or ride it along with them into the mouth of Hell. [from AMG]

Download Here

Del Fuegos - The Longest Day

The Del Fuegos were proud sons of Boston, Massachusetts, but you might not have guessed that by listening to their debut album, The Longest Day, which mixed the swaggering thunder of heartland garage rock with the rootsy twang of Dixie-fried rockabilly and roots-conscious rock 'n' roll. While the band would later claim that producer Mitchell Froom slicked back their sound considerably from that of their raucous club shows, which earned them their hometown reputation, the results actually capture the band's swing and stomp without an excess of sonic affectation (something that would later become Froom's hallmark), reveling in the crack of Brent "Woody" Giessmann's drums, and the bark of Dan and Warren Zanes' guitars. And if Dan and Warren's songs didn't exactly stretch the boundaries of early rock archetypes, they honored the traditions in the best ways -- by playing roots rock with sweat, fire, good humor, and a lot of heart and soul. And you just can't argue the genius of this line from "When The News Is On": "And sometimes love is a lot like a shoe/ You run around too much and it'll fall apart." The Longest Day isn't the sort of album likely to change the way you look at rock and roll, but it will probably remind you why you love the stuff, and that's more than enough reason to slap it into your stereo and turn it up. [from AMG]

Download Here

Del Fuegos - Boston, Mass.

The Del Fuegos' debut album, The Longest Day, sounded like a great bar band roaring through a beer-fueled set on a Saturday night, but their sophomore effort, Boston, Mass., found the group sanding off a few of their rough edges and adding a touch of pop polish to their sound. While producer Mitchell Froom had added keyboards to a few cuts on The Longest Day, he's much more of a presence on this set, and the slinky romanticism of "I Still Want You" and the late night vibe of "Coup De Ville" are more adventurous in their conception and approach than anything on the first album. The Del Fuegos' energy and no-frills rock & roll attitude carried them over the rough spots on The Longest Day, and here it helps them skate past the slick spots of Boston, Mass.; the interplay between Dan Zanes and Warren Zanes' guitars may be tighter, but they still know when to crank up the amps and how to leave some space to breathe, and bassist Tom Lloyd and drummer Woody Geissman remain a crack rhythm section who keep this music in gear at all times. Beyond a bit more gloss than it needs, the greatest flaw of Boston, Mass. is that the band didn't have quite as many good songs at their disposal as they did on the debut, but while it's not the group's best album, it comes in as a close second and time has been kind to it. [from AMG]

Download Here

Lux Interior - Rest in Peace

This is kind of late post but I can't ignore the passing of one of my heroes. Lux Interior lived and breathed rock n' roll. During the early to mid 70's, while everybody's going the punk way, the Cramps went the other way. The most punk rock thing to do. They opened the door to future "stars" like Stray Cats and Pussy Galore. They also brought to my attention the musicians that should have been "lost & forgotten". Bands like the Novas, the Sonics... I could have passed these bands by if not for the Cramps.

I can still remember the first Cramps song I heard, "This one's dedicated to all you Gucci bag carriers out there, it's called You Got Good Taste." Damn, I haven't heard that song for some twenty plus years but the it's still in my head as if I just played it a minute ago.

Anyways, this one's for you Lux!

the Cramps - Psychedelic Jungle/Gravest Hits

Agression - The Best of

Agression was an American rock band from Silver Strand Beach, Oxnard, California, and considered[who?] one of the most influential founding bands of the Nardcore sound within the hardcore punk scene, and are generally considered the creators of the subgenre "skate punk", being the first band to fuse the skate culture with the punk scene- featuring a song about skateboarding (Intense Energy), and a skater in a pool as album art on the on the cover of their first and most popular album, "Don't be Mistaken".
Agression was very well known for its fast-paced, aggressive songs such as "Slammin' at the Club", "Money Machine", "Intense Energy", "Never Alone", "Go to War", and "Locals Only.”

Download Here

Amen - We've Come for Your Parents

This California, USA-based outfit transformed their underground status into mainstream success by ladling their high-energy take on nu-metal with venomous helpings of raw punk attitude. The band was formed in Los Angeles in 1994 by Casey Chaos (b. Manhattan, New York, USA; vocals) and Paul Fig (guitar). A veteran of the Californian scene, Chaos had enjoyed a brief spell with Christian Death and recorded with his own hardcore outfit, Disorderly Conduct. Drummer Shannon Larkin (ex-Ugly Kid Joe; Wrathchild America) and two former members of Snot, guitarist Sonny Mayo and John "Tumor" Fahnestock, completed the line-up which recorded Amen's independent label debut, Slave. Three years later the band achieved their major breakthrough when their second album was overseen by leading nu-metal producer Ross Robinson, and marketed through the partnership between his I Am imprint and Roadrunner Records. Chaos allegedly shed real blood during recording sessions in an attempt to recreate the near-anarchic energy of the band's live shows, arguably succeeding on tracks such as "Coma America" and "Whores Of Hollywood".
A troubled period followed, however, as the band embarked on a shambolic tour with Slipknot, Coal Chamber and Dope, during which Chaos was accused of destroying the latter's equipment. Relations with Roadrunner fell apart after several other incidents, and not long afterwards the band found themselves the beneficiaries of I Am's new distribution contract with Virgin Records. Robinson assumed the production reins once more for the recording of the band's wonderfully-titled sophomore set, We Have Come For Your Parents. Released in October 2000, this album saw the band's attacks on consumer society and organised religion reaching new heights of vitriol on the tracks "Mayday" and "Under The Robe".
Record company problems exacerbated the band members' tenuous working relatioship, and Fig left the band the following November. Larkin, Mayo and Fahnestock departed soon after leaving Chaos as the only original member. He was forced to search for another deal without a regular band, and began recording new material with a number of session musicians. Chaos eventually signed to the new label formed by System Of A Down's Daron Malakian and released Amen's fourth album, Death Before Musick, in summer 2004.(NME)

Download Here

Gothic Slam - Killer Instinct

Gothic Slam were a thrash metal band from New Jersey, USA that were formerly knows as Stryker. "Killer Instinct" was their first release and thus far has only been released on vinyl and cassette. Their style is urban thrash metal with a bit of groove and a whole lot of East Coast attitude. For the most part Gothic Slam stear clear of speed-for-speed-sake, technical wankery and artistic embellishment and rely more on heavy mid-paced riffs and memorable songwriting. Lyrically it's all about the morally sick society we live in, not unlike something you would expect from Suicidal Tendencies or Anthrax.

Download Here