Killed By Death Records

When Guy Robert Arcahmbue(lewdsnot,zoloft_anaconda) was at my house he explained to me how much he loved the Sema 4 7inch. He loved to play it when driving his car. Ha ha he don’t even have a license. I said that I thought it was crap. He then changed his mind and said:”ahh I think it was the other Sema 4 7inch.”. Why is it so important for some people to agree on the music taste? He was also upset when I played short snippets of his records and said right out:”No this is shit. Too long. I hate it this sucks.”. I saw in his eyes that he didn’t like what I said:”If someone said what you’re saying about The Lewd I will get upset cause they’re friends of mine.”. Ha ha yeah right.

Continuing the Dizzy theme:”Jock & Steve had both been in a “6th form band” called ‘Stratford Canning’ with 2 other members Dave (Fawlty) Sollitt and Mick Gregg. This was the epitome of being bored and we practised and played anywhere and everywhere during our 6th form years………………..never achieving anything - original punks I guess.“. If you’ve heard the version of “Even If I know” on the Best Of British Mod and compare it to the one here you’ll hear that they’ve speeded it up a little bit on that comp.

Country: UK
Year: 1979
Label: Pollen
Format: 7″
Songs:
Even If I Know.mp3
Semaphore Messages.mp3
Actors All.mp3
Do You Know Your Friends.mp3

I love Dizzy at Detour:”Boosted by the fact that the guitarist now had a full set pf strings and the drummer actually had a Hi-Hat, the guys played their first gig at a girls’ house party (the gig that is seen on the EP sleeve). Band rehearsals took place in a large hen shed on a nearby farm, but was later demolished so the band had to move to the loft on the other side of the farm.“.

Totaly messed up amateurish punk rock that is one you truly love or hate. To me this is as close to punk rock perfection you can get. Out of tuned guitars and want-to-play-faster-but-can’t but played with the right attitude so you can hear that these guys are for real and really enjoy what they’re doing. Hey kids! Get inspired and stop wanking around with trying to become better at your instruments. Record your shit now and release it!

Country: UK
Year: 1979
Label: Urinating Vicar
Format: 7″
Songs:
Cremation At Belsen.mp3
Stiff Thing.mp3
Nothing To Do.mp3
Fast Cars.mp3

“We’ve got our own individual style. Most punk bands are the same as the Ramones… its pathetic. ..“. None of my neighbourhood friends were into punk except Ramones. I hated Ramones because of that. Nowadays Ramones and I get along pretty well. The Users and I get along very well too. Two great 7inches this beeing their second and recorded in the mythich Spaceward Studio. Read about The Users story at the amazing Punk 77! Punk Rock in the UK.

Country: UK
Year: 1978
Label: Warped
Format: 7″
Songs:
Kicks In Style.mp3
Dead On Arrival.mp3

Fuck that old shit! Here’s some more temporary great, noisy and sloppy Hardcore that I got from the bass player Michael Troutman who was a fan of our old band. Prejudice as I am against new stuff(I’m always open to hear new stuff and there seems to be more and more great HC coming out: Career Suicide etc.) I was amused to hear something that I liked. To pay my dues to Michael you get to hear the one and only Violent Ramp. How can you resist lines like:”Fuck your little pussy ramp. Daddy built your pussy ramp.”. From Ann Arbor, Michigan. Here’s the site adress that is printed inside the cover: freedom-from.com. But nothing about VR there now.

Country: USA
Year: 2001
Label: -
Format: 7″
Songs:
Grind The Pigs.mp3
Pay To Skate.mp3
Rad Alarm.mp3
Danforth.mp3
Violent Ramp.mp3

Togheter with WBT this was the first local band I saw in 1979. Bought their 7inch the same year but was so dissapointed cause it didn’t sound as punk as their incredible live gigs. IQs singer Leif Larsson or Ensam Leif(Lonely Leif) as his nick name was where one hell of an entertainer. Quick, witty and smart.

When the TV Eye drummer and I started to play togheter in 1983 we moved into a place called “Gamla Busscentralen” where I found an old military bag that Ensam Leif used to have. IQ 55 used to practice there too. Can’t find the bag now but I wish I keept it. Ensam Leif later killed himself in the 80s running against a train. His lyrics where clever but somewhat depressing. Emo. From “Livet ar en bluff”: “Why should one live a life that is meaningless. When my dreams are so good.” a shitty translation that sounds better in swedish. The b-side is more close to how I remember them live.

Country: Sweden
Year: 1979
Label: Slam
Format: 7″
Songs:
Livet ar en bluff.mp3
Bara svarigheter.mp3

“Cancer” is the track that keeps roling in the background as I hack myself into NiteOwls computer ;). Ok, I hope he’ll go away so we all can concentrate on the fun stuff here namely the music!

I was shocked and amused at the same when I read in a fanzine that the singer Simpa of City Kent used to play with his dick hanging out. It felt like everything was possible if he could do such a thing. For a little kid that meant alot. This is their first and best 7inch. As you can hear Simpa sings in a southern swedish dialect called “Skounska”. Makes it sound more punk.

By the way there is a swedish university study going and that shows that about 41% of the first wave of punk rockers went on to higher educations. That is to be compared to the refering group: 20%. What strikes them is that there where so many people from a working class background that went on to university and it’s explained by the mixing of punks from various backgrounds. I wonder what happened to Simpa? Did he become a male stripper or did he become a teacher? Standing in front of the class with his dick hanging out?

Country: Sweden
Year: 1979
Label: Heartwork
Format: 7″
Songs:
Cancer.mp3
Psalm.mp3

As promised in the post of the first Peer Pressure 7inch here’s the killer version of “Eve Of Destruction” that kicks The Dickies version to death. This was supposed to be Peer Pressures second 7inch back in 1980 but it never happened until 2001 thanks to Ryan Richardsons incredible tedious track down of this band, who consited of just two persons. “Brock was into punk rock (Ramones, Devo, etc.) but Jay — as an experienced and talented musician — needed some convincing. “We talked about how tough it is to really think independently, how the aesthetic of the group always predominates, how it takes more courage than most people have to stand alone and be different. Gradually we come to give it a name: It is Peer Pressure that is the problem. You must resist it.”

Country: USA
Year: 1980
Label: Peer Pressure/Resistance
Format: 7″
Songs:
Eve Of Destruction.mp3
Excitemint.mp3
Cash In.mp3

I really wish I could remember where I got this from. It was when I entered the eBay madness that I realised I had a gem laying around that I hadn’t payed much attention to mainly cause it didn’t had a sleeve. It was re-issued some years ago. What Records was also responsible for releases by The Germs and The Dils. Three classic LA bands with three great tunes. Here’s what Johnny Stingray(who later went on to KAOS) had to say in an interview done in 2001: “- What’s your favourite Controllers song? - My fave controllers song will always be ‘Neutron Bomb’. It was my first song and when I listen to it today, I still love that stupid intro. And my guitar solo kicks!“.

Country: USA
Year: 1978
Label: What?
Format: 7″
Songs:
The Eyes - Don’t Talk To Me.mp3
The Controllers - (The Original)Neutron Bomb.mp3
The Skulls - Victims?.mp3

Take a look at the cover. Who would believe that these nice looking boys could crank out two great punk rock tracks. Yes I’m prejudice. And so are you just admit it. This is their debute 7inch and here’s some info:”The Reruns were a band from Hamtramck and they never let anybody forget that. Their overriding characteristic was a sense of humor that managed to permeate everything they ever did. An short interview in White Noise from 1979 managed to cover the all of the following topics: the closing of the Dodge Main plant in Hamtramck, a stabbing at a recent show, movie host Bill Kennedy and the goofy last names that the Reruns use to protect their real identity.“. Anyone heard their second record?

Country: USA
Year: 1978
Label: Spider
Format: 7″
Songs:
Since You Gotta Cheat.mp3
So So Alone.mp3

This time the always informative Detour Records website showed up with some info at a google search:”Rehearsing at the legendary ‘T.J. Davidson’s’ rehearsal rooms, on Little Peter Street, Manchester, along with the likes of the ‘Buzzcocks’, ‘Joy Division’ Et al, not to mention “Michael the Security Tramp“, and his scary German Wolf dog, the band crafted and finely honed their skills until they had mastered four chords instead of the customary three!” Two great tracks and two EXTREMLY boring, long and utterly worthless tracks. I have a copy for sale/trade in case you’re interested.

Country: UK
Year: 1979
Label: Grundinga
Format: 7″
Songs:
Steroid Kiddies
Dumb Dumb.mp3
Accidents.mp3
The Link