Here’s a really obscure record that I’ve had since the late 80’s I think. Can’t remember who I got it from. This is a big call to Steve at Low Down Kids or James at Worthless Trash to help me out since I’ve found absolutly nothing on Chronics. Not even on a want list. The intro is completly pointless bit as soon as the song starts going it’s a great Clashis punk rock song that would fit on one of those famous compilations. The other band on this flexi “Living End” is so bad it should be erased from history forever.
Country: UK
Year: 1981
Label: Apathy Product
Format: 7″ fexi
Songs:
Chronic
No Time.mp3
Living End
Procession
This is one of my favourite records. Sounds as though its been recorded live in the studio….it’s a really quiet recording, listen carefully just after the intro and it sounds like the sound engineer ups the volume as he realises it’s just a bit too damn quiet! Their only other vinyl appearance was on one of the ‘1 in 12 club’ comp LPs…tho’ it’s not really a worthwhile song to track down.
For anyone whose interested, Andy (Ashton) from this band Chronic went on to form a brilliant band here in Cornwall called Moondragon, who were together from 1990 up until 1999. Along with two of his brothers Paul and Tim (now of 3 daft monkeys) They rocked Cornwall in the nineties and were the best band ever. if you type in Moondragon into youtube you’ll find a couple of videos.
Can’t really add anything to this except that Chronic were one of those bands who frequented those anarcho-punk cassette comps during the early 80’s, never heard any of their material before and this flexi is a new one to me. Not a bad song once it gets going.
I got a friend to look these guys up and he sent me the link there is a band down here in falmouth called the shirts who have two members of this band in both brothers heres the link its very interesting to hear them now its not bad tho except for the poetic bit.
I got a friend to look these guys up and he sent me the link there is a band down here in falmouth called the shirts who have two members of this band in both brothers heres the link its very interesting to hear them now its not bad tho except for the poetic bit. http://www.theshirts.co.uk/
heres a patched together bio basically two brothers mark and andy Mark:
At the age of 15 I got bitten by the bass guitar bug and went from vertical to horizontal plucking, playing with my brother in a punk band and writing most of our own material for Chronic
Andy:
By 1980 I had progressed to the guitar in order to form a punk rock band called Chronic.
thats all there are in terms of other internet references
Can’t stop listening to this one… And I think the intro serves a purpose – it makes the song better.
I have this song “No Time” on an early 1990 live gig by Moondragon
Glad you find a purpose for the intro Johan :). I had to listen to it again. And fuck yeah it’s such a great song.
Chronic were from Bradford and indeed had a later connection with Cornwall. Two of their members moved down there in the 80s and had some success with a non-punk (hippy festival rock?) band – Moon Dragon Dance. I have some info somewhere…..I spent a long time trying to track these guys down as their much “better known” track is quite simply one of the greatest punk rock spine tinglers EVER – the phenomenal “Terror Squad” that appears on the “Raw War” comp cassette. That track deserves to be posted here if you have it – one of my top 5 punk songs of all time. Still jaw dropping EVERY listen.
..
Having hunted the Web relentlessly for these guys, following up leads but getting no replies to any of the leads I emailed out (except for a guy in The Living End who claimed to have been their manager but had no contact now) I sort of…. gave up! Anyone else care to have a go?
Yeah, the band in question you are talking about is called just “Moondragon” (Not moondragon dance) The guitarist/singer of Chronic Andy Ashton formed Moondragon in January/February 1990 along with two of his younger brothers Paul and Tim Ashton, here in Cornwall. I first saw them here in Cornwall in December 1990 & followed them religiously there after. The split in 1999. Follow the youtube link below
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OloX_GuxjSM
It’s a slideshow montage I did of them & will show all of their audio relases as Moondragon. Interesting to note that Chronic had a song called Moondragon dance as this is the song i’ve posted on youtube which they did as Moondragon and obviously where they got the name from. I’d absolutely love to get hold of the song Moondragon Dance by Chronic if anyone has it? Anyway hope that helps you a little. Below is another youtube link to Moondragon live 1990
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3CB-zoxepfs
Enjoy!
Oh…and 2 more things…..
Here’s some info I used as my starting point for the fruitless hunt – http://killfromtheheart.com/bands.php?id=2387
2nd – after mentioning them on a newsgroup I got an email from someone suggesting I try a noted old UK scenester from Southampton with a cassette demo colection the size of Africa. Bingo – 2 demos from one of which the track you’ve posted here (which I think is a bit dull…) is taken. Also includes the brain-stopping surge of “Terror Squad” and at least 2 other killer songs as well as a number of varied tracks some of which border on post punk.
Just to clarify, have I mentioned that their track “Terror Squad” should by all rights have been on Killed By Death Volume 1? And that it’s a mind blower? Good.
OK…maybe if I’d read Phillip’s Shirts link above……how I missed that in MY search I don’t know. Will pursue Andy for info………
Andy was in a band in Cornwall throughout the nineties Called Moondragon (a.ka. Lordryk)
What a classic tune! I missed this the first time around. Fanx to Charlie M. and his comment I found this. Really crackin track!!!
Only my personal opinion but having heard this version & a very rare later live version by Moondragon. I prefer the Moondragon version . More punkier & raw but in a good way.
After all my dribbling over this band’s meisterwerk, Gabe has just posted the whole Raw War tape here –
http://gabesuk82.blogspot.com/2008/12/va-raw-war-comp-tape-83.html He must read this blog?
There it is…Chronic’s finest moment – ‘Terror Squad’. Drool, whitter, rant, prattle etc. etc. Amazing!
(As I have this tape I haven’t bothered downloading it – in case there’s no track breakdown, see here –
http://homepages.nyu.edu/~cch223/comps/rawwar.html )
Interestingly, Gabe seems to have fallen foul of others in blogland much like some mis-users of THIS fine site – see here –
http://punkfriction.blogspot.com/2009/01/nation-on-fire-thieving-twat-again.html
Before Christmas I emailed Mark and got back some initial info – suffice to say all the Chronic master tapes for the demos were lost years ago. So no hi-fi reissue. More info if I get any.
Now, about that book………..
And on the subject of Raw War…do you have the SIB LP you could post Peter? Or the better tracks from it at least. The 2 tracks on RW are great.
Thanks for the links Charlie(got stuck in the spam que). I had or still have the Raw War tape. I can´t find it and it´s a bummer.
Nope don´t have the SIB LP and me too first heard them on Raw War and got totally hooked.
The SIB LP is one of the most boring records I ever heard. If I ever feel like doing something spectacularly dull, I will rip and post it.
SIB LP boring? I’d heard the same too but the 2 tracks on the XNT comp ARE totally great fem-vox-punk. They may be the only 2 good tracks on the LP……..
OK….Mark emailed the following edited bits which I forgot to post earlier on – “neither Andy nor I have even got recordings of most of the Chronic stuff. It’s one of those weird punk things but it was the live stuff that kept us going. The studio masters of all the Chronic recordings have been lost or stolen over the years and during various house moves.
There was even a video recording of us live at The Bierkeller in Leeds but it got swiped.
We did have a slightly diverse song on a compilation for the 1 in 12 club in Bradford. I think the record was called ‘enemies of the state’. Our track was called ‘who cares’? I have a recording of that.
We would love to hear any Chronic recordings to both refresh our memories and allow us to reminisce.
You may already know that we changed our name around 1984 to The Rub. We kept the line up of Andy, me and Mash. Simon “Stoneface” Ibson didn’t stay with us. We then released an 11 track cassette called The Embezzler. I have a copy of that on cassette.”
A kindly geezer has digitised the demos for me too – quality’s not brilliant though some of the tracks are. Email me direct Peter and I’ll forward to you.
Charlie
I’ll email you Charlie and thanks a lot :).
About the SIB LP. Yeah I was really disappointed cause just as you I think the 2 tracks on XNT comp are great. Stay away from the LP at all cost.
As much as I want to poke fun at the lyrics in the intro, they somehow do make the song better. I come back to this song fairly often–and sometimes even shake my aging fist, which grows increasingly green with varicose veins. (Of course my veins are occasionally more pronounced elsewhere.) It’s a great song, thanks for posting. Abort!
I always love reading your comments Levi. For some reason I wish you where my dad.
Great 7″!
You could certainly see your enthusiasm within the paintings you write. The sector hopes for more passionate writers such as you who are not afraid to say how they believe. Always follow your heart.
I’ve uploaded a version of this song No Time by Moondragon recorded in 1990 in Cornwall onto youtube if any is interested. Follow the link below. Cheers!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-quqwDA6-Ew
Had the flexi back in the day… (i was mates with the manager’s younger brother and i believe we “aquired” a few copies)…Also used to have a cassette demo from them entitled “There’s the Rub”… lent it to someone and never got it back…. I think that moondragon was a track on it….gutted, as the whole thing was an absolute gem!…shame to hear that no-one seems to have a copy anymore.. Funnily enough, first saw them when i was about 10yrs or so old, when they played at Bronte House school (nr leeds)…and then saw them at another school do….Woodhouse Grove (which all the Ashton brothers attended) and then sometime later at the Bierkeller in Bradford and some festival at the local university….Andy Ashton : guitar/lead vox, Mark Ashton : bass / b/vox, Paul Ashton guitar/b/vox, can’t remember who the drummer was tho’!!!…..I remember that they were certainly regarded as being a right talent… I might well be wrong about this but i think that some of them were also in a band called Requiem (Andy was for sure) and St Vitus Dance (Andy Farrow, manager and singer of The Living Dead was on vocals….
Thought you may be interested in this. Andy & Mark Ashton from ex – Chronic uploaded it onto YouTube a few days back. Also check out my Moondragon / Lordryk blogsite
http://moondragonlordryk.blogspot.co.uk
as Moondragon was the band Andy formed here in Cornwall in 1990 after he left Bradford. Anyway hope you like it.
Sorry I’m such a muppet! I forgot to put the Chronic video link for you after all that. Here it is. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ceS4Lk-ckxs
Hope you like it. I live in Cornwall so never knew Chronic, but knew Andy’s other band Moondragon well. Used to see them gig loads down here. They split in 1999.
Used to be in a band with Tim Ashton and Dave Farrow (Mark and Andy’s younger brothers). Lived just round the corner from Dave. A real rave from the grave finding this page. Thought the Ashtons went south earlier than 1990. Farrows originally from Tamworth. Dave left for the states and we lost touch. Love to catch up. I still have my Flexi disc but all my tapes are rooted!
Yes. They moved down to Cornwall & started a band called Moondragon, which they formed in 1990 up until 1999 when they split up. Sadly Andy Ashton died earlier this month (December 2019)
Moondragon went on in 1993 to have an alter ego band called Lordryk. They were amazing & the best band Cornwall has had or will ever have.
Chronic were excellent – very exciting to see live, and their recordings were some of the best sounds to come out of Bradford at the time. Andy Ashton et al were involved in some great ventures in the Bfd – promoting gigs etc via Apathy Productions – the stand out release has to be the Apathy Compilation tape vol 1 – there are some real gems on that cassette – and for me they will always remain legendary for the Crass / Poison Girls / Anne Anxiety gig they promoted at the Italian Club (Sweatbox) in Bfd. Check out the link below to an article on my blog where you will find all 3 copies of the Apathy fanzine – another little gem of a thing….I could go and on about these guys….
http://si-site-nogsy.blogspot.co.uk/search?q=apathy