PURE HELL: Noise Addiction

Pure Hell was a first-generation US punk band formed in Philadelphia in 1974 and active in New York City from 1974 to 1978. Contemporaries of the New York Dolls, their incendiary sound was inspired by The Stooges and the MC5. They were also the first-ever all black punk band. This set includes a 30 minute live in the studio DVD filmed for a New York cable TV station in 1978 that includes two non album tracks.

The fact that I have been a punk fan for so many years and never heard about these guys is a real tragedy because this would have been a big deal back then. They only managed one single while together, the Nancy Sinatra song “These Boots Are Made For Walking” backed with “No Rules.” These two songs are included on here and “No Rules” actually rules with its amazing guitar playing and the catchy chorus. The songs are played fast, tight and with power to spare, with great vocals from Kenny Gordon who also played rhythm guitar. The rest of the band is no slouches though, they are fantastic and give their all on every track and squeeze emotion out of every note played. The rest of the band was Preston Morris III (lead guitars), Kerry Boles (bass guitars), and Michael Sanders (percussion). Curtis Knight their manager was an R’n’B singer from the Squires, who also featured a young Jimi Hendrix on guitar. He fell out with the band and refused to release the album and until his death, the tapes were lost to time, but they finally surfaced and after 27 years, the album was finally released. The sound is amazing on the studio tracks, and the DVD is rough, but a great memento of them live.

You can’t go wrong with this collection, an album that is both historic and just blindingly great from start to finish. This band has been a very small footnote in the history of punk, but they deserve a place higher and this album should help fix that. Grab some lost classics and play it fucking loud!

https://www.facebook.com/purehellofficial/

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FM: Direct To Disc: CD

On this album, Nash The Slash has been replaced by Ben Mink (electric violin, mandolin) and the band recorded this as a one track per side, direct to disc. This meant that it was recorded directly to a master disc that records were pressed from it, not on a master tape like most other albums were.

Opening track “Headroom” has five connected movements of spacey soloing, while second track “Border Crossing” has four connected movements and is a bit closer to the classic FM sound. Electric violinist/mandolinist makes major contributions throughout, Cameron Hawkins adds incredible synthesizers, fantastic bass-playing, and even some scattered background vocals, and Martin Deller does a great job with the drumming. Both tracks are mostly, but not entirely instrumental, and it really doesn’t take away from the enjoyment of the songs not to be able to sing along, instead you just let the sounds flow over you.

Direct to Disc is admittedly short on length and different from the band’s other albums, but this has to be one of the most interesting albums of their career. They became far more accessible and commercial not long after this was released, so take a listen to how the band sounded doing a very unique and risky move.

http://www.thebandfm.com/

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FM: Black Noise: CD

This is a remastered edition of the 1977 debut album by the Canadian progressive rock group FM. The band began life in 1976 with Cameron Hawkins (synthesisers, bass, vocals) and Nash The Slash (Jeff Plewman) (electric violin, mandolin, vocals) coming together as a duo, making an appearance on national TV in Canada in the Summer of 1976. By March 1977, FM became a trio with the addition of Martin Deller on drums. The Canadian Broadcasting Company offered to release the band’s debut album, “Black Noise” on their own label later that year, and was only made available via mail order. The following year the album was given a wider release on the VISA label in the USA. This release is the first time the album has been issued in Europe and has been newly remastered and includes an illustrated booklet and a new essay.

Right from the beginning of “Phasors On Stun” you just know you’re listening to something special. With the clear vocals by Hawkins, the song goes straight to the point and is so catchy and full of energy that you never want it to end. “One O’Clock Tomorrow” has a quiet synth sound, as well as Nash on violin providing a fairly light melody until the drums come in. The short instrumental “Hours” has great violin playing. “Journey” gets back to a heavier uptempo song with drums and synths leading the way. The instrumental “Dialing For Dharma,” has a nice violin solo by Nash The Slash. “Slaughter In Robot Village” is another great instrumental track. “Aldebaran” is a ballad, and here Nash’s mandolin is the star. Black Noise” is a nine minute track where the group explodes and shines in its utmost brilliance, the drumming builds on itself, and has some of the most haunting vocals.

It’s great to hear the remastered sound giving us the ability to hear all of the nuances clearly and feel the emotion and power that they put forth on this album. The liner notes were really interesting and this is an all around winner…get it!

http://www.thebandfm.com/

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GOOD VIBRATIONS: The Punk Singles Collection: CD

Twenty-five tracks showcasing the very best of the legendary late 70s Northern Ireland label. This release features contributions from bands such as Rudi, The Undertones, The Outcasts, Protex, The Moondogs, and The Bankrobbers (featuring Joby Fox who went on to join Energy Orchard), plus this release also includes previously unreleased songs from Shock Treatment, and the Androids. This CD ends with the debut 45 from label owner / founder Terri Hooley, backed up by Rudi and they were Terri and The Terrors.

A great collection of bands that mostly didn’t get a lot of looks in from people outside of Northern Ireland, but now get the respect and hearing that they deserve. Every song is ace, and the pure energy that is on display here, is something that bands nowadays could really learn from. Of course The Undertones are great, but it’s the other songs by lesser known bands that really make this a great compilation to hear music that might have gone lost forever, but now you can put this on, turn it up and truly enjoy the youthful power that is on this CD. As soon as you put this CD on, you realize that these bands had the chops to create music that still sounds fresh and thrilling after all these years and is a CD that you will pull out and play over and over again. I wasn’t aware of a lot of the bands on here except for their names, but now I have to go searching for more music from the bands.

Grab this album, turn it up, pogo around the house, try not to spit and drive your neighbors mad with the great songs on here. Read the information about the bands included and maybe you will find a new favorite.

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LEGIONAIRE’S DISEASE BAND: Rather See You Dead: 7″

LEGIONAIRE’S DISEASE BAND was formed in Houston, TX by Jerry Anomie who took the band and went into Magic Rat Studios in 1979 with just $120 and recorded this single which was released on their own Disease Unlimited Records in a small run, with a second batch on Lunar Lab shortly after. Anomie conceived a plan to promote the record by staging his own funeral, he got a casket from a local funeral home and making an announcement on KPFT, the ploy lured people into Warehouse Records and Tapes where Jerry was rolled out in the casket. Chris Lord of Plastic Idols read his Eulogy before Jerry was resurrected and the band played an in-store.

This single is a fantastic slice of old school punk rock with energy and anger that still sounds fantastic today. Huge guitar, crashing drums, thumping bass, and a singer that seems like he’s not right in the head makes for a great re-release. This is the kind of punk rock that bands try to emulate and really have a hard time duplicating because of the freshness of the music and the ability to offend and scare the normals that’s lost nowadays.

A great single from start to finish that will have you shouting out Bahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

https://www.facebook.com/cheaprewards  http://thelegionairesdiseaseband.bandcamp.com/album/rather-see-you-dead

http://cheaprewards.net/

ANGRY: Wild Ox Shangri-La: CD

Formed in 2012 in the wake of two of Vancouver, BC’s aggressive music juggernauts, JAKARTAH and LAST PLAGUE, ANGRY’s debut album is nine tracks of angry music. Guitarist Richard Fudalewski, drummer Kyle Ledingham, vocalist Heath Fenton and bassist Wes Cook are the guys who created this group of songs that shoot for the jugular.

“Right Loose” is the hard as nails opener where vocalist Fenton seems to be shredding his throat as you listen to him, especially with his screams of “Right Fucking Loose”, the band seems to be trying to destroy their instruments by bashing them as hard as they can and it all ends up as a glorious mess of a track, “Bad Day” comes crashing in like a typhoon and wipes out everything in its wake, more of the insane screaming and heavy bass, speedy guitar playing and incessant drumming, “Colony Of Murder” has great stop / starts that put it into more of a sludge type groove, and “Shoot The Messenger” has fantastic drumming and great over the top screaming. The band has a lot of talent and even with all of the craziness going on, you can hear the little nuances that they throw into the songs, like the keyboards on “Shoot The Messenger”. The rolling bass playing from Cook and the strong drumming from Ledingham really complements one another, guitarist Fudalewski plays fast and hard, but throws in some sweet licks every once in a while that you nod your head along to and Fenton’s screaming shows how pissed off he is at pretty much everything. Some of the songs that stood out to me were, “Umbrella Fight”, and “Humanical”.

This is an intense album to listen to, with Fenton screaming venom and bile at you for the course of the entire album and no let up. You could hear the emotion coming at you from the band with the tight and concise playing and it shows that even though a lot of people think Canadians are quiet and reserved, we all know that we bottle up our anger and scream obscenities when we get the chance…at least Fenton and I do.

https://www.facebook.com/Angryyyyyy  http://angryfucks.bandcamp.com/music  https://www.facebook.com/DefiledUnderMusic  http://defiledundermusic.com/

PISS N’ BLOOD: F.T.W.: CD

PISS N’ BLOOD was formed by front man Ron Anger and guitar player Cam Mosavian in August 2007, they released their first single in May 2009, had a song included on the Gasoline Records compilation The Sounds of Gasoline (Vol. 5), and has no put out their self-released debut album. PISS N’ BLOOD also include drummer Parker Johnston and bassist Mike Betancourt.

“G.I. Junkie” starts the album off with a song that has a great chorus and brings back memories of the early 80s punk bands like the FORGOTTEN REBELS and a bit of Johnny Rotten’s sneering vocals. “24 hour machine” has a nice thick sound with the guitar coming out of the mix with a few choice licks whipped off, “Manic Trigger” has a great guitar riff that open the song, then kicks off into some blazing punk rock with vocals that remind me of the DEAD MILKMEN, and “Insane” has some nice pissed off and snotty vocals. PISS N’ BLOOD play full-out and tight on this album with every song being a potential new favorite depending on how you’re feeling at that moment. Lots of neat and tidy solos from Mosavian that make you want to get out the old air guitar and play along with, sure and steady drumming that gets the feet tapping by Johnston, driving and melodic bass playing from Betancourt and singer Anger has the ability to sound different on every song, going from an English type accent to different punk rock vocalists, which makes for a very cool and diverse sounding release. Other songs that grabbed my ears were, “Treason”, which had a strong SEX PISTOLS sound that I loved, “New Breed”, “Piss N’ Blood” which reminded me of EMI by the SEX PISTOLS, “Killer Robot” that was a fantastic instrumental punk song with an outstanding performance from the band, “Beautiful Losers” and a blistering cover of IGGY & THE STOOGES “Search & Destroy”.

If you like old school punk rock without any pretensions or newer angst and whining, PISS N’ BLOOD are the band for you, they sure are for me. This is the kind of stuff that got me into punk in the first place and kids today need a dose of real, honest to anarchy, punk rock.

https://www.facebook.com/PissNBlood  http://www.pissnblood.com/

Comic Characters I Have Liked

I’ve been collecting on and off for many years and have liked certain characters more than others. I’m not going to get super involved in the history of comics, just some characters I can think of right now.

I’ve always been a fan of Superman, the Vision, Prez, Sandman, Mon-El, Shazam (Captain Marvel), Sgt Rock, Sgt Fury, OMAC, Deathlok, Batman (70’s – early 80’s), the Beast, Wolverine (not anymore, overexposure), Captain America, the Cat (Hellcat), Spider-Man, Tigra, Omega, Nova, Hyperion, Captain Thunder, Human Torch, Thing, She-Hulk, and lots of team books with various members, but I’ll save that for another day.