1000 Aspirines

Guerilla - Virus macht 12″ (2003, Alpha Society / MSM1279 Records)

Guerilla first caught my attention when I saw the last bit of their show at the Beat ‘em Down-festival in Nürnberg, Germany in 2004. I picked up this LP and I loved it for the political message it had in the artwork, the music, the lyrics. You could critisize them for over-doing it but then again, some things just can’t be said enough.

Actually this is a topic that has been in my mind for a while now, having played tons of shows over the past 15 years where you see people come and go and yes, where you get older and observe the “new” generation and how they do things differently (or the same) as you did or still do. Without meaning to sound elitist, where I still have the romantic view of punk opening my eyes to the world around me I sometimes wonder if it still does the same for a lot of kids these days. Not that I have been on the barricades all my life but fuck me, it sometimes seems like apathy is the one and only motivation and that pisses me off.

Anyway, I don’t mean to make this sound too dramatic, but that is the reason why I really like it when a band comes with an overly political record that also rocks, and Guerilla did just that. Spring has finally hit Amsterdam so I am going to kill the computer and go out, Guerilla on the stereo! Go check out more Guerilla @ http://guerilla.antifa.net/

PS my scanner died on me today so I only hve the front cover for you.

1. Gestank
2. Widerstand
3. Industriegebiet
4. Grenzen weg
5. Freiheit für Konsum
6. Das Virus
7. Solidarität und Repression
8. Bewusst

Niels of the now retired “Eet U Smakelijk” tipped us that on the night before Queensday a number of interesting bands are playing in Amsterdam. Yes, we celebrate having a Queen, in other words: day off work and an excuse to get loaded. I never really understood what’s wrong with having a royal family

Besides Niels’ own band Sack-o’-Woes the line up features the Chemicals, Norton (with old Nitwitz/BGK member) and Frites Modern. Frites Modern? Yes! they did a reunion gig in januari, playing a couple of songs on a birthday. Seems they are enjoying what they did, so grab this chance and pogo on the bar on tunes like 1000 aspirines and Als je haar maar goed zit! So get your punk ass to Amsterdam the 29th of April! See flyer for details.

And while in Amsterdam, come check out me and Arne the day after, we play mid afternoon in front of Cafe the Minds, Spuistraat, with Gewapend Beton and many more!

Kromozom 4 - rien ne sert de gacher de la bande (split Lp w/ Heimatlos)

French ‘fun hardcore’ from the mid eighties. Got to know this through my French buddy Tiffany, about who I have been talking before. She married my best friend, who ‘unfortunately’ moved to the land of frog eaters over 15 years ago.

When listening back this record today, it (ofcourse!) brings up lot’s of memories. I always like that about listening back records that you heard in a certain period in your life. It brings up the same feel you had in those days, in a what melancholic way. And on top of that, they gave me this record the last time I visited them. So to me it’s a little gem that treasures good old memories but also seals long running friendships.

Kromozom 4 released several demo tapes and compilations, plus two split records with French hardcore outfit Heimatlos, a 7″ and this split LP. More info on their releases can be found on KFTH. I just ripped the Kromozom4 side, will do the Heimatlos side some other time. The tracks that got stuck in my head over the years and still my favourites are ‘Sharks’ and ‘Lino’. Thanks D+T!

1. Kromozom 4 bis
2. Touché coulé
3. Le pied gauche dans la merde
4. Bien vu la bave
5. Legitime défense
6. Cent thémes
7. Cling cling
8. Sharks
9. Tout fau free jazz
10. La gueule dans le gateau
11. Lino
12. Dédé le roi du valse core

I know, I know, it’s been a while. In January I lent out my record player to some friends who had their birthday party, then on that party I fell while dancing, got hurt pretty bad (left arm partially out of order), then I went on tour with Antidote and it was only last week that I got my record player back. Long and uninteresting story but the point is, hopefully I will post more regularly again.To make up for it a little, this is a double post and the follow-up to the Substandard-post I did a while back. In July 2007 I promised “I will post some more Substandard over the weekend.” I guess that’s long overdue now, shame on me…

Anyway, I still don’t know much more about Substandard than what I wrote earlier plus the comments on that post, by Substandard-members amongst others. Singer Jules is now in a band called Constant State of Terror, guitar player Notts later joined Bomb Blast Men and is now playing with Shithouse.

The problem with all three split 7″es I have by Substandard is that the split band sucks and even though I know this will get me some complaints, I am not posting the split sides, Substandard only. The records posted here are on a Dutch label called Wicked Witch.

Following h-bomb, from now on I will post thumbnails of sleeves. Just click them and you’ll see the sleeve in proper size.

Substandard / Detestation split 7″ (1996, Wicked Witch)

1. For the kids
2. Annihilate
3. Corruption comes to light

Substandard / Pink Flamingos split 7″ (1997, Wicked Witch)

1. It ain’t fucking you
2. Excuses
3. Jitterbuggery

Waste - s/t 7″ (1982, Miranda-prut 04)

If you read the Holland Scene report Arne posted, you got a nice little insight in the early ’80’s Dutch punk scene, written by Tony Nitwit.  In the end he does a “last minute update” and mentions a new single being put on the Miranda’s label.

Nice little bridge to posting this single. I do not know much about Waste. Were they from the same area as the Miranda’s? Did they do more releases? Besides that, what was release 3 on the label? Questions that some web research could not answer. It did bring up a nice photolog. Picture below is taken from that picture log from ‘Broodje’. You’ll find tons of old Dutch punkpics there. Well worth a visit! Speaking of pictures, from now on I will post thumbnails of the sleeves. just click them and you’ll see the sleeve in proper size.

1. history repeats
2. brain wash
3. blue light
4. tomorrow

La Came aux Damelias - s/t 7″ (Oxygene, 1978)

The great compilation “Rare Punque Francais ‘77-’83″ features the A side of this single. It’s simply awesome. It rocks, it’s mean and the guitar solo’s…the song got stuck in my head and I simply had to go and find this gem.

I know nothing about these guys, besides being on a compilation called “125 Grammes de 33 Tours” along with Strychnine, Electrochoc and more. Can anyone tell me if that comp holds another tune besides the two posted here?

Back side of the cover has the band greet their 2nd guitarist, who appeares to be locked up for a year at the time of the recoring. Side B meets the front cover, with the song “chopper”. Although I am more into sport bikes, it makes me want to do a post on punks and bikes… Enjoy!

1. la 5e roue du système
2. chopper

Lullabies - single single EP (1981, Rock Against)

Holland’s first wave of punkbands were bands that started playing punk. After that, punks started playing bands. Lullabies were one of the first Utrecht punkbands that really blew it off. Have inspired many others to pick up instruments and start a band. Have released this single, a double single and were on some interesting compilations (Utreg-Punx 7″ or “7,50 comp”).

I am dead tired from touring, Arne and me just got back from a great tour with Gewapend Beton through Europe. Therefor I keep it short. A very interesting read on punk in Utrecht can be found here  (dutch!)

1. cops in the streets
2. politiek zijn we
3. i’m a junk
4. could be anybody
5. vuile fascisten
6. fashion punx
7. utrecht
8. flags
9. radio aktiviteit

full cover

My friend from Opiate Records sent me the following link to an archive of old fanzines, and then especially to a 1983 Maximumrocknroll issue which featured a Holland scene report. Interesting read, especially if you are into Dutch punk from that era (which you obviously are, otherwise you would not be here). Enjoy!

Holland scene report
Punk zine archive

Murder Inc III - there is no after 12″ (1985, Dark Productions)

Hailing from the north of Holland, Murder Inc III blasted out one of my all time favs in dutch punk history. The song “Stoer zonder studs” just rips everything apart. It’s basically saying punk ain’t fashion, so get rid of you spikey hair and studs. You can be totally cool without, burn your leather jacket! Or… do you just want to be cool?

punk is geen mode - verbrand je leren jack - laat je haren groeien - sla je studs plat - punk is geen mode- verbrand je leren jack - kam je haren recht - wees stoer zonder studs stoer zonder studs - of wil je alleen maar heftig zijn?

I always loved that song. Simple and right to the point. Unfortunately I cannot find the booklet that came along with the record. I have it somewhere, and as soon as I recover it, I will scan and add it. It’s such a great document of time…mid ’80’s, cold war, punk and DIY spirit…need I say more?

They featured on two compilations, the infamous “Babylon Bleibt Fahren” and “Punk live in Brouwershoeck”. Now specially the last one in kind of cool to hear, because it shows the band in an early stage. It teaches us the song “Why” was already on their setlist in 1982, but in a different (slower) version. The ’stoer zonder studs’ version on “Babylon Bleibt Fahren” is as raw as it can get. Maybe it’s the sloppyness that just adds that little punch, I don’t know.

The other tracks on the 12″ may not all be as interesting (our own mistake), but as they come on the record, they come for download. I cannot get the colour right with my scanner, so click the cover to go to a picture I took of the sleeve.

1. Uniforms
2. Why 1
3. Stoer zonder studs
4. Our own mistake
5. Me myself I
6. After the bomb
7. Why II + leave me alone (live)
8. Stoer zonder studs (Babylon Bleibt Fahren)
9. Why (live in Brouwershoeck)

I just searched my old tapes and started listening to them, especially the ones from East-Germany, because I’m from there. These bands have still something really special to me, mostly because of combination of good music and meaningful lyrics. I guess, you have to be born in the GDR to get some finer points in them, they often dealed with living in a “communist” regime (which it wasn’t) and the daily problems you have to handle. Of course, most punk bands did that, but life was different in the GDR compared to Westgermany. I know what I’m talking about… Please note, all songs are taken from demo-tapes, so the quality is excellent

I start with a band which is not really punk, but this was the band which played at the first show I saw. That was summer 1987 on the ‘Insel der Jugend’ (island of the youth) in East-Berlin. There was a huge pogo-mob, and I fell immediately in love with that ‘dance’. In the audience were a couple of men, all with the same clothes and the same haircuts, and they were standing with the back to the stage. How much more obvious can a secret service (the Stasi) be…? Anyway, this band also has a real nice name:

Tina has never had a Teddybear - He’s coming back (Demo 1987)

My first tape from an east-german punkband was Papierkrieg from Frankfurt/Oder. The tape is called ‘Noch nie hat ein Diktator seine Volksabstimmung verloren’ (Never before a dictator lost his national referendum) and was sold for 35,- Mark, which was the equivalent of the rent for a small flat, due to the high costs of audiotapes and the handmade covers (xerox etc. was not available, so often foto’s were used). They covered a lot of classic Deutschpunk-songs, but also had a couple of own songs, like this one:

Papierkrieg - A 11 (Demo 1989)

Another band which had a big influence on me during that time was Die Firma, which was also a nickname for the Stasi. Great lyrics and great music. Unfortunately I lost all tapes I had from them, but recently got copies from them again! So because I’m happy about this i decided to put 2 songs from them here:

Die Firma - Geh und Lach (Demo ‘Kinder der Maschinenrepublik’)
Die Firma - Anti Armia (Demo ‘Kinder der Maschinenrepublik’)

Short excursion: to get a car in East-Germany you had to sign in waiting lists and then wait for 12 years! And all you could get was a Trabant or a Wartburg. And if you got it, you could sell it immediately for 5 times the price! Crazy times… how do I come to tell you this? Right, the name of the next band is Wartburgs für Walter, they made a great demo-tape in 1987 where this song is from:

Wartburgs für Walter - More More Anymore (Demo 1987)

Last band in this first round of east-german punk (more to follow) is Kaltfront. They were quite succesful and did a couple of tapes including an excellent live one where i took this song from. The lyrics are from Erich Mühsam, a famous jewish german anti-war writer, which was killed by the nazis…

Kaltfront - Kriegslied (live) (Demo ‘A Friday Night In San Francisco’ 1988)

There are so many other good bands from East-Germany and I’ll post more later if someone is interested in it…