Killed By Death Records

Crimes Of Passion is the best songs Black Market Baby ever recorded in my opinion. And it’s a cover!! Well not exactly a cover but it was done when Boyd and Paul Cleary was in a band called The Snitch in 1979. Americas Youth is an original though and it’s ok but nothing more.

This is the infamous second 7inch that never happened and only some test pressings survived. From Collector Scum you can take a look at a test pressing. And from 30 Under DC you can read a story about it.

Black Market Babys where one of those bands that could cranck out some real killer tunes and the next time around they failed completly. This is a release from 2000 but I miss the insert. Anybody?

County: USA
Year: 1980
Label: 007
Format: 7″
Songs:
Crimes Of Passion.mp3
Americas Youth.mp3

I love this record. Integrating Circuits is manic and hectic punk ala two of my top favourite bands: XTC and Devo. And flip this baby and you’ll find an awesome mellow Costelloesque tune in the My Aim Is Tru era sort of vein. Simply fantastic. From Texas, United States Of Sibyllakorv.

Country: USA
Year: 1980
Label: Classified
Format: 7″
Songs:
Integrating Circuits.mp3
Don’t Worry.mp3

No this isn’t the first withdrawn copy that had the Neon Hearts Steve Harrington on sax. This is the second press but great as well. Aren’t the Suburban Studs somewhat underrated?

“In their time they released 2 singles and even an album within a year, a feat not reached by many a punk band of the time. Originally featuring the sax antics of Steve Heart the instrument was felt to be inappropriate to their sound and he left to join the Neon Hearts.”

Country: UK
Year: 1977
Label: Pogo
Format: 7″
Songs:
No Faith.mp3
Questions.mp3

Three classic 7inches. And more known now then they where back in 70’s I suppose. What a shame.

After their singer Paul Rencher left the band they changed their name to The Photos and got signed to a major. Here’s Satan’s Rats debute and it sounds like it could’ve been recorded at Spaceward Studios.

From punk77.co.uk: “We were successful at gigging but our records sank like stones. The first one, unsuitable titled “In my Love for You” was commercial suicide. Released in the same month as “Pretty Vacant”, how it could be otherwise.”

Country: UK
Year: 1977
Label: DJM
Format: 7″
Songs:
In My Love For You.mp3
Facade.mp3

First release from UKs The Zeros. Haven’t heard their other two following this. The last beeing a split with Action Replay. Considering how great this is I’m very curious.

This was the time that when a band had a song title that included the word “radio” in some form you knew it’s going to be great. Stompy punk rock with a nod to Mod.

Country: UK
Year: 1977
Label: Small Wonder
Format: 7″
Songs:
Hungry.mp3
Radio Fun.mp3

It’s US HC day today kids in case you haven’t realised that? I saw the trailer for the American Hardcore movie today and got just as inspired as I used to get when I was younger. I can still feel it.

The book that the movie is based around is ok though I often feel I knew more and was more involved in the US HC scene then Steve Blush was though I lived in Sweden.

Anyway here’s Code Of Honor with their debute 7inch released by the long going Subterranean Records. Just as great as their split with Sick Pleasure. And dude there’s a skateboarder on the sleeve! Rad man!

Country: USA
Year: 1982
Label: Subterranean
Format: 7″
Songs:
What Are We Gonna Do?.mp3
What Price Would You Pay?.mp3

Classic release from another underrated and awesome original US HC band. Their Chocke On This LP and this their first 7inch blows shit like Youth Of Today out of the water.

Rhythm Pigs don’t sound like a clone. They sound like themself and that was what I liked so much about the early HC. Togheter with Capitol Of Punishment I saw Rhythm Pigs live in Copenhagen in 1987. 50 people in there and they rocked the house. From the raging HC in Baal to the hook laden Radio Silence you can’t go wrong with this.

Country: USA
Year: 1984
Label: Unclean
Format: 7″
Songs:
I Can Fly.mp3
Get It Now.mp3
Baal.mp3
Military Fairy.mp3
Radio Silence.mp3
The Guest.mp3

This was the firts american punk rock 7inch I bought. Just a couple of weeks before I got hold of Dead Kennedys-California Uber Alles in 1980. Hm, maybe it wasn’t the first. Now when I think about it might’ve been The Deadbeats-Kill The Hippes in 1979. Nevermind! This is Pagans fourth 7inch. Dead End America is one of their best cuts ever! Topped with a great cover of Little Black Egg on the flip.

“A lot of guys’ll tell you they started playing because they were inspired by Hendrix or heard a Velvet Underground record but my motives were much more prosaic. My girlfriend, later my wife, Mary, kept breaking up with me so she could date guys in bands. I reasoned that the quickest way to win her heart would be to start my own band, which is ironic because later she would hate the fact I was in bands.”

Country: USA
Year: 1979
Label: Drome
Format: 7″
Songs:
Dead End America.mp3
Little Black Egg.mp3

Here’s one of the most underrated HC records ever. Up there with classics like Zero Boys - Vicious Circle, FU’s -Kill For Christ/My America, Jerry’s Kids - Is This My World, Scream - Still Screaming yeah you get the picture. This is some of the finest and most “typical” US HC you’ll ever hear. The guitar sound is THE sound of US HC. The cover has to be one of the ugliest ever made maybe that’s why it’s been forgotten. And yes it’s released in 1984. One year after the big HC boom. Their later stuff is awful though!

Bill Colins the guitarist is now a folk music artist. Check out the liner notes and the lyrics here. Listen to Gung Ho now and realise what you’ve missed. From Berkeley, California.

Country: USA
Year: 1984
Label: Boner
Format: 12″
Songs:
Death Squad.mp3
Gung Ho.mp3
Torture.mp3
Whats This.mp3
Hurt Me.mp3
Greed.mp3
Money.mp3
Murder In The Streets.mp3
Dead Soldier.mp3
Nobody Rules.mp3
Too Old.mp3
Savage Penguins.mp3
Rollercoaster.mp3

London is a punk/powerpop masterpiece while the flip Women In Love leans more to punk. Both tracks are of course awesome. Women In Love even reminds me a bit of The Stranglers(which happens to be one of my favourite bands).

“The band soon got signed by Pinnacle and their first release ‘London’ sold well. However after a management split the Band recorded the ‘Communique’ EP which is now one of the most sought after 7″ new wave releases.“.

Read an interview and listen to some rare sound clips here. NAT Records in Japan is reissuing their two 7inches this summer.

Country: UK
Year: 1978
Label: Pinnacle
Format: 7″
Songs:
London.mp3
Women In Love.mp3