Broken Paws – Broken Paws [Cass] (1986, Broken Paw Music)

The 'Broken Paws' cassette from 1986 is one of those fascinating artifacts from Canada’s underground home-taping era that seems to hover just outside mainstream documentation. Released as a self-titled tape, Broken Paws emerged from Calgary, Alberta at a time when independent musicians were embracing cassette culture as an affordable and creatively liberating format. Rather than pursuing traditional label routes, artists in this scene often recorded, duplicated, and distributed their music themselves, resulting in small runs that have since become rare collector’s pieces.

 
Behind the project was Richard Reynols, who used Broken Paws as a personal outlet for experimentation. The cassette captures the spirit of mid-1980s DIY electronic music: minimal synth textures, drum machine rhythms, and analog synth explorations woven together with a distinctly homemade aesthetic. There’s a rawness to the production that reflects both the limitations and the charm of home recording technology at the time. Unconventional touches -such as the inclusion of clarinet or even music box sounds- add a layer of unpredictability that makes the tape feel exploratory rather than polished. 

Clocking in at over an hour, the cassette follows the generous runtime typical of the format. Tracks such as “It’s All Made Sound,” “Slander,” “Closed Eyes,” and “Street Life” suggest a mixture of introspective mood pieces and rhythm-driven synth sketches. Like many releases from the cassette underground, official documentation is scarce.

 

 

Label: Broken Paw Music – bP1 

Format: Cassette, Limited Edition 

Country: Canada 

Released: 1986 

Style: Minimal, Experimental, Minimal Wave, Industrial, Post-Punk 

 

Tracklist: 

A1 It's All Made Sound 5:16 

A2 Sleeping In Surveilance 1:12 

A3 The Drive 3:31 

A4 Closed Eyes 4:05 

A5 My Sins 5:03 

A6 Movement One 1:42 

A7 Slander 5:05 

A8 So Frail Your Wings 3:25 

B1 Street Life 4:28 

B2 Watch 6:12 

B3 A Rising Soul 3:00 

B4 Water 3:15 

B5 Transition 3:52 

B6 Demensions From The Crib 3:54 

B7 Making Films 4:30 

B8 Red Sky (Short Version) 1:58 

 

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Another Green World – Adjusting The Mirror [Cass] (1992, Not On Label)

'Adjusting The Mirror' is a fairly obscure cassette release from 1992, issued in the UK under the name Another Green World. It was self-released, which usually means it was produced independently and likely in a small batch. In the early ’90s, that kind of DIY cassette culture was still very much alive, especially within experimental, ambient, and underground electronic circles. Artists would often duplicate tapes themselves or in very limited runs, distribute them by mail, or sell them at small gigs and through niche record shops. Because it wasn’t put out through a major or even well-known independent label, there isn’t a huge amount of documentation available. That scarcity is part of what gives releases like this a certain mystique. They tend to live on through collector databases and word of mouth rather than mainstream music archives. 

Stylistically, the project is generally associated with electronic and ambient sounds, with touches that have been described as downtempo and possibly influenced by folk or world textures. That suggests something atmospheric and layered rather than song-based in a traditional pop sense. Early ’90s ambient and experimental electronic music often leaned toward mood and texture -synth washes, field recordings, minimal rhythms, and introspective tones- so it likely sits somewhere in that sonic territory. 

The name "Another Green World" can definitely cause confusion, since most people immediately think of Brian Eno’s 1975 album of the same title. However, this cassette is completely unrelated. The shared name appears to be more of an artistic nod or coincidence rather than a direct connection to Eno’s work.

 

Label: Not On Label (Another Green World Self-released) – AGW 003 GWM 

Format: Cassette, Album 

Country: UK 

Released: 1992 

Style: Downtempo, Ambient, New Age, Progressive Electronic

 

Tracklist: 

A1 The Pilot's Mirror 

A2 Polestalk 

A3 Elephant Eye 

B1 Shaman 

B2 Swipesy 

B3 Sakanaaji I 

B4 Sakanaaji II 

B5 Eau D'Erik 

 

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Various – Catalogue Issue [LP] (1984, IRA)

 

'Catalogue Issue' is a 1984 Italian various-artists compilation that holds a special place in the history of Italy’s alternative music scene. Released on vinyl by the independent label I.R.A. Records, it wasn’t just another compilation -it was actually the very first release by the label, making it something of a manifesto pressed to wax.

 
I.R.A. Records (often expanded as Immortal Rock Alliance or Immortal Record Alliance) was founded in 1984 by Alberto Pirelli along with Anne Marie Parrocel. The label had a clear mission from the start: to promote a new wave of Italian underground bands who sang in Italian at a time when many alternative acts felt pressured to perform in English. 'Catalogue Issue' perfectly captures that spirit. It was designed not only as a sampler of the label’s roster, but as a bold statement about the future of Italian independent music.

 
The LP features eight tracks split between four bands that would go on to become key names in the scene: Diaframma, Moda, Litfiba, and Underground Life. Diaframma appears with “Siberia” and “Delorenzo,” Moda contributes “Nubi d’Oriente” and “La Voce,” Litfiba shows up with “Onda Araba” and “Versante Est,” and Underground Life rounds things out with “India” and “Glasarchitektur.” All tracks were recorded at the Global Art System Studio in Florence, a place closely tied to the early development of this movement.

 
The release also had a strong visual identity. The cover artwork, designed by Fabio Galavotti of Moda Graphic Studio, played on the idea of a debut or launch -fitting for what was essentially the birth announcement of I.R.A. Records. The label even pushed the slogan “La nuova musica italiana cantata in italiano” (“the new Italian music sung in Italian”), underlining its cultural stance.

 
Never officially reissued, 'Catalogue Issue' remains a vinyl-only release, and original copies are now quite collectible. Some promotional versions were distributed as “Campione gratuito” (free sample) copies, which adds another layer of interest for collectors. Today, the record is seen as a landmark of the Italian new wave and post-punk era, capturing early material from bands like Litfiba and Diaframma before they became major names in Italy’s alternative rock history. 

 

Label: IRA – IR-LP2001 

Format: Vinyl, LP, Compilation 

Country: Italy 

Released: 1984 

Style: New Wave 

 

Tracklist: 

A1 Litfiba – Onda Araba 

A2 Litfiba – Versante Est 

A3 Moda – Nubi D'Oriente 

A4 Moda – La Voce 

B1 Diaframma – Siberia 

B2 Diaframma – Delorenzo 

B3 Underground Life – India 

B4 Underground Life – Glasarchitektur 

 

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Yoshinori Motoki / Junji Hirose – Chi-Chi-Chi-Nngacah [LP] (1984, Cacoon)

 

'Chi-Chi-Chi-Nngacah' is a collaborative album by Japanese experimental musicians Yoshinori Motoki and Junji Hirose, released in 1984 on the Cacoon label. Issued as a vinyl LP, it comes out of Japan’s early-1980s underground scene, where free improvisation, avant-garde jazz, and noise-based experimentation often blurred together. Today, it’s mostly known among collectors and listeners drawn to obscure and exploratory Japanese records. 

The record is built around long, open-ended improvisations rather than songs in a traditional sense. The title piece, “Chi-Chi-Chi-Nngacah,” takes up most of one side of the LP and unfolds in several connected parts. Sounds shift constantly, sometimes sparse and fragile, sometimes dense and chaotic. Instead of clear melodies or steady rhythms, the focus stays on texture, interaction, and the energy of the moment. 

Yoshinori Motoki brings in a wide range of instruments and sound sources. These include reed-altered flutes, electric guitar, tapes, Casio-Tone keyboards, percussion, and toy instruments. His contributions move between playful, almost childlike sounds and rougher, more abrasive passages. Very little detailed information about Motoki is available, but this album places him clearly within Japan’s improvised and experimental circles of the time. 

Junji Hirose was already an important presence in Japanese free improvisation by this point. Starting out as a saxophonist, he later became known for using self-made and heavily modified instruments, along with found objects and unconventional noise sources. On this album, he works with junk materials, altered string instruments, percussion, and other nonstandard tools. His playing emphasizes physical sound and texture rather than technique in a conventional sense. 

The album feels less like a finished statement and more like a captured encounter between two curious and risk-taking performers. It reflects a period when Japanese experimental musicians were actively questioning what instruments, structure, and performance could be. For listeners interested in free improvisation, early Japanese noise, or raw avant-garde recordings, 'Chi-Chi-Chi-Nngacah' remains a striking and uncompromising document from that era. 

 

Label: Cacoon – CACOON-003 

Format: Vinyl, LP 

Country: Japan 

Released: 1984 

Style: Free Improvisation 

 

Tracklist: 

A1 Chi-Chi-Chi-Nngacah (Parts 1 - 3) 19:26 

A2 Solo I (To Motoki) 3:00 

B1 To Apeiron 3:01 

B2 IRc2 3:13 

B3 Facing The New Morning 6:35 

B4 Raise Your First! 7:34 

B5 Solo II (To Hirose) 2:33 

 

Notes:  

Recorded at :- 

Kid Ailack Art Hall, Tokyo, June 23, 1983 (Side A). 

Akasaka International Artist Center, Tokyo, December 11, 1982 (B1 to B2). 

Terpsichore, Tokyo, June 25, 1983 (B3 to B4). 

Takoyaki-Ya, January 12, 1984 (B5). 

 

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Zones – Sign Of The Times [7''] (1978, Arista)

'Sign of the Times' is a 1978 single by the Scottish band Zones, a group that emerged from the late-1970s punk and new-wave scene. Zones were formed from the remains of PVC2, a band that once featured Midge Ure before he moved on to Rich Kids and later Ultravox. By the time this single was released, Zones were developing a sound that mixed punk urgency with melodic power pop and early new-wave influences.

 
The single came out in 1978 on Arista Records in the UK as a 7-inch vinyl release, with "Sign of the Times" on the A-side and "Away from It All" on the B-side. It followed their earlier single 'Stuck with You', which had gained them attention on BBC Radio 1 thanks to support from John Peel. That exposure helped the band secure their deal with Arista and brought them a bit more visibility within the UK underground scene. 

Although 'Sign of the Times' didn’t chart or achieve mainstream success, it’s often seen as a solid example of the band’s transition from raw punk toward a tighter, more polished new-wave style. Around this period, Zones recorded sessions for John Peel and built a modest reputation as a strong live act, even if wider commercial success remained elusive. 

Zones would go on to release their only album, 'Under Influence', in 1979, along with a few more singles, before splitting up later that year. Today, 'Sign of the Times' is remembered mainly by collectors and fans of late-1970s punk and new wave as a small but interesting snapshot of that era’s restless, fast-moving music scene. 

 

Label: Arista – Arist 205, Arista – ARIST 205 

Format: Vinyl, 7", 45 RPM, Single 

Country: UK 

Released: 1978 

Style: New Wave, Power Pop 

 

Tracklist: 

A Sign Of The Times 3:12 

B Away From It All 2:28 

 

Other Versions: 

'Sign Of The Times' (7", 45 RPM, Single, Stereo) Arista, EMI Electrola [1C 006-61 598] (Germany, 1978)

'Sign Of The Times' (7", Single, 45 RPM) Arista [5C 006-61598] (Netherlands, 1978)

 

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Yard Trauma – Music [LP] (1986, LSD)

'Music' is an LP by the Tucson, Arizona garage-psych band Yard Trauma, released in 1986. It’s not a standard studio album, but more of a compilation that pulls together singles, rarities, and tracks from the band’s early years. Because of that, it feels like a snapshot of where the band was at between roughly 1982 and 1986, rather than a single, cohesive recording session.

 
The record captures Yard Trauma’s raw, jangly garage-rock sound, with strong psychedelic and punk influences that fit right into the mid-’80s underground scene. Songs like “See Your Face,” “City of People,” and “I Got a Girl (Ours)” show their loose, energetic style and DIY attitude. The material on 'Music' mostly comes from non-LP releases and lesser-known recordings, which is why it’s especially interesting to fans and collectors. 

In the band’s discography, 'Music' sits between their 1985 studio album 'Must’ve Been Something I Took Last Night' and later releases like 'Face to Face' and 'Lose Your Head'. While it might not be as polished as their full albums, it’s often seen as an important release because it rounds up a lot of hard-to-find material and gives a fuller picture of Yard Trauma’s early sound and evolution. 

 

Label: LSD – TRIP ONE 

Format: Vinyl, LP, Compilation 

Country: Germany 

Released: 1986 

Style: Garage Rock, Psychedelic Rock 

 

Tracklist: 

A1 See Your Face 

A2 City Of People 

A3 I Got A Girl (Ours) 

A4 Cry A Little Longer 

A5 You Don't Tell Me 

A6 Way It Will Be 

B1 Try It 

B2 I've Got A Girl (Dearly Beloved) 

B3 Some People (Cave Mix) 

B4 Little Girl Who Left 

B5 I'm Not Like Everybody Else 

B6 Music 

 

Notes: 

"The songs on this LP were written, played and recorded in various living rooms, bedrooms, and even a couple of recording studios throughout Hollywood California, Tucson and Phoenix Arizona between early '83 and early '86" 

 

Other Versions: 

'Music' (LP, Compilation, Limited Edition, Multicolor Vinyl) LSD [TRIP ONE] (Germany, 1988)

 

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Wasted Lives / Big Black Puppets – Divorce / False Hopes [7''] (1979, Spoken Records)

 

This 7″ single, Wasted Lives / Big Black Puppets – “Divorce” / “False Hopes,” is a split release from the very early Vancouver punk scene. It came out in 1979 on Spoken Records and is a classic example of the DIY, small-run singles that were popping up around Canada at the tail end of the ’70s punk explosion. Copies are scarce today, which has helped give it a bit of cult status among collectors of early Canadian punk.

 
On one side is Wasted Lives with the track “Divorce.” The band was short-lived but packed with people who would go on to play important roles in the Vancouver scene. Members were connected to bands like D.O.A., Modernettes, UJ3RK5, Corsage, and Private School, making Wasted Lives something of a brief but intense crossover project. “Divorce” is raw, fast, and straight to the point -very much in line with late-’70s punk energy. 

The flip side features Big Black Puppets with “False Hopes.” They were also part of the same Vancouver punk and new wave ecosystem, contributing to a scene that was energetic but not always well documented outside the region. Their track balances aggression with a slightly more angular, art-punk feel, fitting right in with what was happening locally at the time. 

Overall, the single is a snapshot of Vancouver punk in its formative years, before many of these musicians became better known in other bands. It’s historically interesting, musically rough around the edges in the best way, and now considered a pretty desirable piece of Canadian punk history. 

Label: Spoken Records – none 

Format: Vinyl, 7" 

Country: Canada 

Released: 1979 

Style: New Wave, Punk 

 

Tracklist: 

A Wasted Lives – Divorce 

B Big Black Puppets – False Hopes 

 

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Vee VV – Life, Liberty And The Pursuit Of Happiness [LP] (1988, Payola)

Vee VV were a New Wave/indie rock band that came out of Blackpool in the early 1980s and stayed active through to around 1990. They sat firmly in that rough-edged UK underground scene where bands mixed jangly indie guitars with post-punk tension and a bit of noise. Their sound wasn’t polished or radio-friendly in the mainstream sense -it was sharp, urgent and very much part of the late-80s independent spirit. The lineup shifted a lot over the years, but Martin Reynolds and Mark Ormrod stuck around for most of the band’s life. One of the founding members, Ian Butterworth, left toward the end of the decade, around 1988.

 
They built their reputation mainly through live gigs rather than big commercial releases. Around the North West and across the UK they developed a cult following and ended up sharing stages with some seriously important bands of the era -Jesus and Mary Chain, New Order, James, My Bloody Valentine, A Certain Ratio and others. That gives a pretty good idea of the musical territory they lived in: noisy, independent, intense and slightly left-field. 

Their mini-album 'Life, Liberty And The Pursuit Of Happiness' came out on vinyl in 1988 on the Payola label. It’s a six-track release and feels very much like a snapshot of that raw, scrappy indie moment. The first four songs actually came from a Piccadilly Radio session recorded in Manchester, which adds to its live-in-the-studio energy. The remaining tracks kept the same gritty feel. Production was handled by Nick Garside at Out of the Blue Studio, and the artwork was done by Rachael Ball. Over time the record became a bit of a collector’s piece, especially since the vinyl has been sold out for years. 

Musically the mini-LP captures Vee VV at their most direct -loud guitars, tight rhythms, slightly abrasive textures and that restless late-80s indie urgency. It isn’t glossy or carefully layered; it sounds like a band pushing hard in real time, which is exactly why fans of that era love it.

 
Years later, interest in the band resurfaced and a retrospective called 'Payola' was released in 2019, pulling together recordings from 1982 to 1989 and showing how the band evolved through different incarnations. More recently, a 2024 release called 'Crackerjack!' appeared under the Vee VV name, suggesting the project (or at least the name) carried on in some form with newer recordings and a cleaner modern production style.

 

 

Label: Payola – PAYLP1 

Format: Vinyl, LP, Mini-Album 

Country: UK 

Released: May 8, 1988 

Style: Post-Punk

 

Tracklist: 

A1 Red Shelley 

A2 Fish On Friday 

A3 Better The Devil 

B1 Shoot The Moon 

B2 Romance Is Over 

B3 Love Canal 

 

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Untamed Youth – Untamed Youth [7''] (1979, Hard Core)

 

The Untamed Youth 7-inch single from 1979 is one of those really obscure late-70s DIY punk-era records that mostly lives in collector circles today. It was released under the name 'Untamed Youth', but it’s important to know right away that this has nothing to do with the better-known garage/surf band from Missouri that used the same name in the late ’80s and ’90s. This is an entirely different, earlier act.

 
The record came out in 1979 on a tiny independent label called Hard Core, with what’s believed to be the catalogue number HAR 001. Like a lot of small punk and post-punk pressings from that time, it seems to have been produced in very limited numbers and never had wide distribution, which explains why almost no mainstream music databases mention the band at all. 

 
The single has two tracks. The A-side is a song titled “Untamed Youth,” credited to J. O’Keefe, and the B-side is “Runnin’ Wild,” credited to J. Loveday. Beyond those songwriting credits and the label info, there isn’t much solid documentation about who the band members were or where exactly they were based, which is pretty typical for ultra-small independent releases from that era. 

 
Because the pressing was so limited and the band didn’t go on to wider recognition, most of what we know about this single comes from vinyl collector communities rather than traditional music history sources. It’s basically one of those records that hardcore collectors stumble across and treasure, but casual listeners almost never hear about. 

 

 

Label: Hard Core – HAR 001 

Format: Vinyl, 7" 

Country: UK 

Released: Dec 1979 

Style: Mod, Punk Rock, Mod Revival

 

Tracklist: 

A Untamed Youth 

B Runnin' Wild 

 

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The Taxi Boys – The Taxi Boys [7''] (1981, Star Rhythm Records)

 

The Taxi Boys ' 'The Taxi Boys' 7″ single is a small but interesting slice of early-’80s American punk and garage rock history. It came out in 1981 in the United States and was released on Star Rhythm Records, with the catalog number SR-1002. Like a lot of indie singles from that era, it was pressed in relatively small numbers, which is why it tends to pop up today more as a collector’s item than a commonly documented release.

 
The band itself, The Taxi Boys, didn’t stick around for long. They were active for only a brief period around 1981 and are generally described as a raw rock-and-roll or punk-leaning garage band. As far as anyone can tell, this 7″ single is essentially their main official release, which adds to its obscurity and appeal among record collectors and fans of underground punk.

 
There’s also an important connection to John Felice, best known from the Boston punk band The Real Kids. According to stories that circulate in punk and collector circles, The Taxi Boys were formed by Felice during a short breakup or downtime period for The Real Kids. The Taxi Boys project didn’t last long, and Felice soon returned to The Real Kids, making this single feel like a quick side project rather than a fully developed band with a long career.

 
Details about the exact track listing and credits on the 7″ are surprisingly hard to pin down, which isn’t unusual for DIY releases from the early ’80s. Some references link the band to the song “Up Is Up,” which appears in online audio and video uploads, but official documentation is sparse. Discography sites like Discogs do list the single (and sometimes related releases under the same name), though even there the information is fairly minimal. 

Overall, 'The Taxi Boys' 7″ is one of those records that sits at the crossroads of punk history and collector culture: short-lived band, tiny discography, strong connections to a more famous act, and just enough mystery to keep people talking about it decades later. 

 

 

Label: Star Rhythm Records – SR-1002 

Format: Vinyl, 7", 45 RPM, EP, Stereo 

Country: US 

Released: 1981 

Style: Garage Rock, Power Pop 

 

Tracklist: 

A1 I Can't Kick 2:40 

A2 Down To You 2:12 

B1 Up Is Up 3:03 

B2 Some Love Like Yours 3:50 

 

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