Various – Bands That Could Be God [LP] (1984, Conflict Records, Radiobeat Records)

This is not an out-and-out masterpiece of an early Eighties Boston / coastal New England region compilation, but it has enough goodies on it to make it worthwhile. And, equally important, the collection itself makes for another key puzzle piece in the stitched-together panorama of the time and place. The Throbbing Lobster compilations would be an example of another.

 

In 1984, this was probably a big opportunity for most of the artists listed, as none of the groups except Sorry, Salem 66 and The Flies had released their own recordings to date. Most of the bands then achieved their breakthrough just under two years later. In this respect, therefore, it is an album with almost groundbreaking qualities. The recording quality is also very reminiscent of lo-fi at times. However, if you like this kind of thing, you'll be very well served here. [SOURCE: RATE YOUR MUSIC]

 

 

Label: Conflict Records – CON 001, Radiobeat Records – RB 003 

Format: Vinyl, LP, Compilation 

Country: US 

Released: 1984 

Style: Alternative Rock, Punk, Avantgarde, Hardcore Punk, Post-Punk, Emocore

 

Tracklist: 

A1 Busted Statues – Blue Cheer 3:32 

A2 Moving Targets – Changing Your Mind 2:40 

A3 Deep Wound – Time To Stand 1:42 

A4 Sorry – My Word 1:25 

A5 The Outpatients – Light Blue 1:48 

A6 Moving Targets – Waiting For The End 1:37 

A7 The Outpatients – Fight 2:09 

A8 Beanbag – Harassment 2:10 

A9 Christmas – 100 Million Flowers 3:40 

B1 Christmas – My Little Book Of Lies 2:03 

B2 Salem 66 – Sleep On Flowers 4:07 

B3 Moving Targets – Selfish 1:51 

B4 The Flies – The Plunge 1:54 

B5 Busted Statues – Nautical 3:57 

B6 Deep Wound – You're False 0:39 

B7 Beanbag – Cat's Pajamas 4:06 

B8 Sorry – One More Step 1:34 

 

Notes:  

Recorded throughout 1983 @ Radiobeat Studios, Boston except tracks A9 & B1 recorded @ Downtown Recorders and tracks B2 & B4 recorded @ Baker St. Studio. 

Mastered in January 1984 @ K-Disc, Hollywood. 

Includes a single-page, double-sided 8.5"x11" info sheet. Some copies additionally include individual pages for all the bands, with the exception of Deep Wound, stapled together with the info sheet to form a 10-page booklet. 

"The Conflict Compilation". 

 

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Wally Shoup, Davey Williams, Doug Carroll, LaDonna Smith – Close Calls In Texas [Cass] (1984, Cassette Documents)

'Close Calls in Texas' (1984) is an album exploring different sounds and voices, guitars, violoncello, accordion, saxophone, balloon sound, farts, drums, frog sounds and more, all of this changing throughout the album. This variety is mainly for the A side of the album; B side is mainly saxophone and accordion. Overall a good experiment. 

 

Wally Shoup (1944-2024) was an American jazz alto saxophonist, painter, and author. Based in Seattle, Washington since 1985, Shoup was a mainstay of that city's improvised music scene. Seattle Metropolitan named him one of the 50 most influential musicians in that city's history. LaDonna Smith is an improvisor, composer, and artist in Birmingham, Alabama. She is a violinist, violist, vocalist and musical impresario pioneering the field of free improvisation in America. Best known for her improvisation work on violin and viola and her collaborative work with avant-garde guitarist Davey Williams (1952-2019).  Doug Carroll is a Bay Area electric cellist who has studied with Stockhausen, Lou Harrison and Braxton. [SOURCE: RATE YOUR MUSIC] 

 

Label: Cassette Documents – CD 2 

Format: Cassette, Album, C60 

Country: US 

Released: 1984 

Style: Free Improvisation 

 

Tracklist: 

A Close Calls In Texas 

B Close Calls In Texas 

 

Credits: 

Alto Saxophone – Wally Shoup 

Cello, Electronics – Doug Carroll 

Guitar – Davey Williams 

Viola, Violin, Percussion – LaDonna Smith 

 

Notes: 

Recorded on 16 July 1973 

 

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The Zippers – He's A Rebel / You're So Strange [7''] (1977, Back Door Man Records)

The Zippers were a Los Angeles-based punk/pop band from the late 1970s and early 1980s formed by Lou Cammarata (guitar, vocals, and member in the 60's and 70's of the soul bands Nicky C & The Chateaux and CRYSTAL), Danielle Faye (bass, vocals, also a member of Venus & The Razorblades), Bob Willingham (guitar, vocals) and Bill Willett (drums, vocals, also in The Imperial Dogs). They debuted in 1977 with the 7" single 'He's A Rebel / You're So Strange' on the Californian label Back Door Man Records. The A-side is a nice and punchy new wave cover penned by Gene Pitney and originally recorded by The Crystals in 1962. The B-side is too moody and epic but might appeal to anyone interested in hearing a very early example of neo-psychedelia. [SOURCE: RATE YOUR MUSIC]

 

 

Label: Back Door Man Records – 5002 

Format: Vinyl, 7", 45 RPM, Single 

Country: US 

Released: 1977 

Style: Punk, Garage Rock, Power Pop, New Wave 

 

Tracklist: 

A He's A Rebel 2:38 

B You're So Strange 2:45 

 

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The Young Ones – Rock 'n' Roll Radio [7''] (1978, Virgin)

 

The Young Ones (aka The Reputations) was a power pop/new wave group from London, England active in the late 70s (preceding the famous TV show of the same same). They are best known today both for the 1978 single "Rock n Roll Radio" released by Virgin as well as the fact that band keyboardist Wix Wickens went on to join Paul McCartney's solo band. [SOURCE: LAST.FM]

 

 

Label: Virgin – VS 205 

Format: Vinyl, 7", 45 RPM 

Country: UK 

Released: 1978 

Style: New Wave, Power Pop 

 

Tracklist: 

A Rock 'n' Roll Radio 2:45 

B Little Bit Of Loving 3:31 

 

Other Versions: 

'Rock 'N' Roll Radio' (7", 45 RPM, Single) Virgin [11 957 AT] (Germany, 1978)

 

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Wash Your Brains – Krähen Röhren - Röhren Krähen [LP+Cass] (1988, Schimpfluch)

Wash Your Brains is another project by Rudolf Eb.er (real name Rudolf Ebner). Rudolf Eb.er’s rites and artefacts are portals to the traumatic expanses and abysses of human existence. Regarded as psychopomp or art-brut shamanist, his trail of work leads deep down to -and through- the nethermost regions of the human psyche.

Rudolf Eb.er’s research de-occults the psychic body through psycho-physical tests and trainings. He employs and combines abreactive and cleansing actionism with sonic rituals, psychoactive acoustics and close-up field recordings of nature and decay, generating audio-environments into which he plants grotesque psycho-magic rituals and tantric exercises that trigger a nondual, higher awareness.

Rudolf Eb.er aka Runzelstirn & Gurgelstøck founded the Schimpfluch extreme and outsider artist collective in Zürich in 1987. Schimpfluch exponents are highly regarded for their unique and obscure aural and visual work; their confrontational, physically demanding performances and shock treatments remove the boundaries of the body and open up accesses to the collective unconscious. Rudolf Eb.er lives and works in Japan.

 

Label: Schimpfluch – SH 01 

Format: Vinyl, LP + Cassette, C20. All Media, Limited Edition 

Country: Switzerland 

Released: 1988 

Style: Noise, Experimental, Sound Collage 

 

Tracklist: 

LP-A Wash Your Brains – Das Schuldgeständis Des Trööt (Jekröt Desto Quqg) 

LP-B Wash Your Brains – Die Stammellaute Des Kn K Knarr (Jegans Desto Schnatt) 

Tape-C Wash Your Brains – Stürm In Your Wund 

Tape-D 4 Schizoide Musikanten – Würm In Your Schlund 

 

Notes: 

Limited edition of 150 copies. Packaged in 9" by 12" jacket with A4 insert. The cassette is wrapped in plastic and comes in a zip lock bag with sawdust and four cards. 

 

The cover says: "a limited edition of suggestive records 1". There is a small slip of paper with the cassette that says: "stürm in your wund besteht ausschliesslich aus mechanisch-akustisch manipulierter stimme" ["stürm in your wund consists exclusively of mechanically and acoustically manipulated voice"]. 

 

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Vandykes – Breakin My Heart / Heaven Will Fall [7''] (1984, Black Records)

 

Vandykes were a Post-Punk band from Boston formed by Craig Kutner (later in Tall Paul), Frank Dehler (The Chord Rockers, The Gremies, Tomato Monkey, Unnatural Axe, Tall Paul), Roger Tripp (La Peste, The Mighty Ions, Unnatural Axe, The Transplants) and Kurt Henry. They only released the 7" single 'Breakin My Heart / Heaven Will Fall' on Black Records, a Boston-area label that released also the La Peste 7". 

 

 

Label: Black Records – CB 411 

Format: Vinyl, 7", 45 RPM, Single 

Country: US 

Released: 1984 

Style: Power Pop, Punk, Indie Rock, Post-Punk, Jangle Pop 

 

Tracklist: 

A Breakin My Heart 

B Heaven Will Fall 

 

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The Untamed Youth – Sophisticated International Playboys [LP] (1992, Norton Records)

 

The Untamed Youth were a mid-1980s garage rock band from Columbia, Missouri, United States, led by Deke Dickerson, who is best known as the frontman for Deke Dickerson & the Eccofonics. Original members (1986) were Deke Dickerson, Steve Mace, Doug Walker and Joel Trueblood (Alcohol Funnycar, Neko Case). 

 
The Untamed Youth first performed in Columbia at local club The Blue Note in January 1987, and quickly started playing locations throughout the United States between the years 1988–1993. The group disbanded in August 1993, but later reformed for a European tour in 1996 and to record two studio albums for both the Estrus and Norton labels in 1997 and 1998 respectively. 

 
The Youth were primarily a '60s-styled surf/frat rock band known for their wild stage antics such as spraying the audience with cans of beer and for their self-deprecating sense of humor (most notably to be found on their last album for Norton, 'Youth Runs Wild'). All this, while holding a true reverence for their influences.

 
While their live shows were generally hard-edged, their albums are notably well-produced and arranged particularly their early Norton work, which was produced by Billy Miller of Norton Records and Andy Shernoff of The Dictators. Despite considerable local success and strong critical acclaim (including album reviews in Goldmine, Alternative Press, and Maximum Rock & Roll), the band followed many of their garage rock brethren into obscurity due to the (at the time) limited appeal of 1960’s retro music. However, as has often been the case with bands of this genre, the Youth gradually acquired a cult status as is evidenced by their reuniting recently for festivals in both the U.S. and Europe. The band's first albums, 'Some Kinda Fun' and 'More Gone Gassers' are now highly sought after collector’s items on vinyl. [SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA]

 

 

Label: Norton Records – ED 223 

Format: Vinyl, LP, Album 

Country: US 

Released: 1992 

Style: Garage Rock, Lo-Fi 

 

Tracklist: 

A1 Adam And Evil 

A2 Land Beyond The Moon 

A3 Long Green 

A4 Brown Paper Sack 

B1 Kapo 

B2 Mean Woman 

B3 Sour Grapes 

B4 Rollerland 

 

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The Tapes – On A Clear Day [LP] (1981, Disc'Az)

The Tapes were a band from Amsterdam, Netherlands, active between 1977 and 1982. Singer / guitarist Rolf Hermsen and guitarist Michiel Brandes met at the Rietveld Academy, and the group started in late 1977 with bassist Igor Roovers and drummer Dick van der Vaart. The influences came from emerging new wave bands like Talking Heads, XTC, Wire and Scritti Politti -especially with Talking Heads, with which the band was often compared. With its short and quirky songs, the debut album 'You Just Can't Sleep' (1978) was well received, and the band attracted interest from record labels, and abroad. The LP 'Party' was recorded on a larger budget, and distributed by Passport / WEA. There was a new drummer (Peter Meuris), and they work at Music Farm Studio in Baambrugge, under the direction of producer Don Willard (Beach Boys, Ron Wood, Steve Marriott). The album received good reviews in the country and abroad in 1980.

 
For this album -and the last one- producer John Leckie (XTC, Magazine, Simple Minds) was cast. The group gained identity, ceasing to be "the Dutch Talking Heads". On this record they received participations from Henk Hofstede and Michiel Peters (Nits), Dennis Duchhart (Minny Pops -who would continue to perform with the band, replacing keyboardist Huba de Graaff), and from the pop and jazz singer Mathilde Santing (all artists who achieved recognition abroad). But The Tapes did not receive financial support to pursue an international career (although the record was released in the USA), and decided to stop.

 

 

Label: Disc'Az – AZ/2 406 

Format: Vinyl, LP, Album 

Country: France, Benelux, US 

Released: 1981 

Style: New Wave, Post-Punk 

 

Tracklist: 

A1 Night After Night 3:45 

A2 Hot Line 2:50 

A3 Concern 2:40 

A4 Next In Line 3:50 

A5 March 2:55 

A6 Mouth Of The World 4:37 

B1 Bits And Pieces 4:08 

B2 Stella 2:26 

B3 Good Riddance 3:10 

B4 Swell 2:30 

B5 Salt Desert 3:18 

B6 Strategy 3:57 

 

Other Versions: 

'On A Clear Day' (LP, Album) WEA [WEAN 58.321] (Benelux, 1981) 

'On A Clear Day' (LP, Album) PVC Records [PVC 8907] (US, 1981) 

'On A Clear Day' (Cassette, Album, DOLBY) PVC Records [PVCC-8907] (US, 1981) 

 

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