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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Solenoid – Norey Games [Cass] (1982, Not On Label)

Solenoid's 'Norey Games' from 1982 is one of those incredibly obscure artifacts that sits right at the heart of early DIY cassette culture. It isn’t a video game or a soundtrack tied to one -despite the name- but a privately released cassette by the Dutch experimental group Solenoid, who were active for a short time around 1981–1982 in Harderwijk, the Netherlands. 

 
Solenoid operated firmly in the underground. Their music leaned toward experimental pop, no wave, and early industrial sounds, mixing live instruments like guitar, bass, organ, and rhythm boxes with tape experiments and noise manipulation. This was very much in line with the early ’80s home-taping scene, where bands recorded cheaply, released tiny runs, and circulated music hand to hand rather than through labels.

 

'Norey Games' itself wasn’t a commercial release at all. The cassette was handed out at a private party in the summer of 1982 and was never intended for wider distribution. The recordings are mostly taken from live performances, mixed with lo-fi tape experiments and sound collages. Because of that, it plays more like a snapshot of a moment than a polished album -raw, uneven, and very much of its time. 

 
For decades, the tape wasn’t available online and existed only as a rumor among collectors and fans of obscure cassette culture. There’s no confirmed tracklist, no catalog number, and no official documentation beyond a few niche archival blogs that later mentioned it. That scarcity is part of what makes it interesting today: it’s a genuine example of how experimental music circulated outside the mainstream before the internet. 

 
Overall, 'Norey Games' is less about “songs” and more about atmosphere and context. It captures a brief moment in the early ’80s underground, when bands like Solenoid were experimenting freely, releasing music for friends and local scenes, and leaving behind tiny, hard-to-trace traces that only resurfaced decades later. 

 

 

Label: Not On Label (Solenoid Self-released) – none 

Format: Cassette, Album, C60 

Country: Netherlands 

Released: 1982 

Style: Industrial, New Wave, Experimental, Experimental Rock, Post-Punk

 

Tracklist: 

This Side 

A1 Alice Ou La Dernière Fugue 4:19 

A2 Absurd 4:30 

A3 Silex Hippopola 3:26 

A4 Dead Bodys 3:44 

A5 Den Beinen 3:08 

A6 Aliens 3:07 

A7 So Wie Es Ist 2:54 

A8 Gib Mir Das Licht 3:49 

The Other Side 

B1 Pop Art 2:58 

B2 Gorey Games 4:27 

B3 Ecoutez 3:30 

B4 The Idea 3:20 

B5 All Rights Reserved 3:47 

B6 T.L. Licht 3:35 

B7 Alkaloide 1:55 

B8 S.W. 4:18 

B9 Spoiling 2:19 

 

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Relèvement '82 – Red Hair / Glad Song [7''] (1984, M.M.P.)

 

Relèvement ’82's 'Red Hair / Glad Song' is an obscure but interesting early-80s Dutch post-punk/new-wave single that has gained a bit of cult status over time. It was released as a 7-inch in the Netherlands around 1984 on the small M.M.P. label (catalogue number MMPS 5110) and ended up being the band’s only official release. The A-side, “Red Hair,” runs for about four and a half minutes, while the B-side, “Glad Song,” is just over four minutes long. Musically, the record fits squarely into the moody, melodic post-punk sound of the period, with echoing guitars and an anthemic feel that many listeners note is strongly influenced by early U2. Relèvement ’82 formed around 1981 as a four-piece, and although they never released anything else under that name, the members later became involved in playing U2 tribute shows, eventually using the name U2pia in the mid-1990s. Because it was a small local release with no follow-up, the single is now fairly rare and mainly sought after by collectors of obscure European 1980s records. There’s very little documentation beyond basic release details, no chart presence, and almost no contemporary press, but that sense of mystery is part of what makes 'Red Hair / Glad Song' appealing to fans of forgotten underground music. 

 

Label: M.M.P. – MMPS 5110 

Format: Vinyl, 7" 

Country: Netherlands 

Released: 1984 

Style: New Wave, Post-Punk, Coldwave, Big Music 

 

Tracklist: 

A Red Hair 4:33 

B Glad Song 4:06 

 

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Quincy – Quincy [LP] (1980, Columbia)

 

'Quincy' is the self-titled debut album by Quincy, a New Jersey–based new wave and power pop band, released in 1980 on Columbia Records. It’s one of those albums that didn’t make a huge splash at the time but has slowly built a reputation as a hidden gem among fans of early-’80s power pop. 

The band came together in the late 1970s and was centered around two sets of brothers, Stephen and Brian Butler and Gerald and Alex Takach, with keyboards and drums filling out the lineup. They were part of the wider New York and New Jersey club scene, drawing energy from places like CBGB, but their music leaned more toward melody and smart songwriting than punk aggression. 

The album was produced by Tim Friese-Greene, who later became well known for his work with Talk Talk. Sonically, Quincy sits comfortably alongside records by The Cars, Elvis Costello, Joe Jackson, and The Knack. It’s tight, catchy, and polished, built on jangly guitars, strong harmonies, and punchy rhythms that feel very much of the era without sounding dated. 

Songwise, the record is consistent from start to finish. Tracks like “Critics’ Choice,” “Grow Up,” “Always in the News,” and “Can’t Live in a Dream” show off the band’s knack for memorable hooks and slightly sarcastic, everyday-life lyrics. There isn’t much filler here, just a run of concise, radio-friendly songs that deserved more attention than they got. 

Not long after the album came out, the band ran into trouble over their name. Quincy Jones objected to them using “Quincy,” and Columbia Records chose not to fight the issue. As a result, the band was forced to change their name to Lulu Temple, which effectively killed the momentum they had built. They released a small EP under the new name a few years later before breaking up.

 
At the time, Quincy passed by with little commercial impact, but over the years it’s become a cult favorite. For power pop and new wave fans, it’s a snapshot of that brief moment around 1980 when major labels were signing hook-heavy bands with big pop potential, and Quincy had the songs to justify the gamble. After the band ended, some members went on to form Smash Palace, which found more success in the 1980s power pop scene.

 

 

Label: Columbia – NJC 36471 

Format: Vinyl, LP, Album 

Country: US 

Released: 1980 

Style: New Wave, Power Pop 

 

Tracklist: 

A1 Turn The Other Way Around 3:15 

A2 Critics' Choice 3:47 

A3 Don't Knock On My Door 3:38 

A4 Always In The News 3:09 

A5 Dime Store Lies 3:34 

A6 Can't Live In The Dream 2:59 

B1 Just A Tragedy 3:32 

B2 Stop Now 3:12 

B3 Grow Up 2:44 

B4 Roamin' Catholic 3:49 

B5 Stuck On You 3:49 

B6 Ordinary Town 3:11 

 

Other Versions: 

'Quincy' LP, Album, Stereo CBS [S CBS 84451] (UK, 1980)

'Quincy' LP, Album, Stereo Columbia [NJC 36471] (Canada, 1980)

'Quincy' LP, Album Columbia [NJC 36471] (Spain, 1980)

'Quincy' Cassette, Album, Stereo, Dolby System Columbia [NCT 36471] (US, 1980)

'Quincy' LP, Album CBS [CLS-5708] (Mexico, 1980)

 

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