Killed By Death Records

Erich/Good Bad was asking me a little about what XTC stuff to seek out. That lead me to search for some videos by the masters at www.youtube.com. I found When You’re Near Me… from their third LP Drums And Wires performed at Festival Hall in Melbourne 1980. Goose bumps! GOOSE BUMPS!

When You’re Near Me I Have Difficulty

Sometimes the clash between hard rock and punk happens to work out. Here it does. I’m not sure Defex them self would agree on the hard rock influence though. A solid a-side topped with the KILLER(oh how I love that word) Machine Gun Love. Great guitar riffing without being too cheesy.

“While billing themselves as “New Wave” and “Power Pop”, the Defex were punk rockers at heart drawing influence from The Sex Pistols, The Dammed, Dead Boys, and The Ramones.”

Check out the Defex homepage: clicky clicky.

Country: USA
Year: 1979
Label: Wacker
Format: 7″
Songs:
Psycho Surfer.mp3
Machine Gun Love.mp3

Raise your hands if you know anything about the Mirrors. Over at Lipstick Killers Comphell site you can read that this 7″ is on a Japanese compilation named Crack! along with other bands I’ve never heard of.

If you’re like me and think that XTC and Devo are two of the greatest bands who’ve ever walked the earth then this is for you.

Country: Japan
Year: 1979
Label: Gozira
Format: 7″
Songs:
Out Of Order.mp3
Blockout.mp3

There’s loads of US stuff being posted here I know. But what can one do when there’s so many great records coming from there?

First release by The Enemy from Washington. Thugging punk rock with piano and tasty arrangement. I like both tracks a lot. But Suzanne Grants growling in Want Me about 1:20 into the song makes me shiver with pure lust which makes it the winner.

Country: USA
Year: 1978
Label: King Tut
Format: 7″
Songs:
I Need An Enemy.mp3
Want Me.mp3

I was frozen to the TV with my tape recorder held up to the speakers. 10 years old and this was one of the first live shows from a punk band aired on Swedish television autumn 1977. I loved their two first LPs to death. Ahead of their time along with the likes of Devo. And as with Devo, Ultravox first LP was produced by the master mind Brian Eno. Ha! Ha! ha! their second one released the same year is even better. Punked up progg rock maybe. Electric violin and keyboard.

Sure this isn’t an obscure band but maybe too many people associate Ultravox with their later New Romantic period that I can’t stand. Listen to Frozen Ones and realize that this is the kind of music you don’t hear anymore. Punk Rock was so diverse once. What happened?

Midge Ure was at this time in PVC 2 who released the amazing Put You In The Picture 7inch which after he joined the Rich Kids covered it on their Ghost Of Princess In Towers LP. After Rich Kids he went on to Ultravox.

This is a german sleeve variation. Was it released elsewhere?

Country: UK
Year: 1977
Label: Island
Format: 7″
Songs:
Frozen Ones.mp3
Man Who Dies Everyday.mp3

One of the best punk songs are done as a joke by a non punk band. How great and ironic is that? Church has ONE great moment and that’s when Willie Braun sings “…and most of you will get punished” the puffing sound on “punished” into the microphone is worth a few spins.

I think Church will appeal to Erich/Good Bad since it has that retarded hard rock feel to it that I know he loves.

Bummer Bitch don’t need any words to describe how great it is. Everything is perfect: sound, arrangement, lyrics and the awesome vocals. “The thing is….. is that it was a joke! We were making fun of the PUNK movement and it was taken seriously!”

And yes here’s the test press. Bummer Bitch suck my dick!!

Country: USA
Year: 1978
Label: Akhashic
Format: 7″
Songs:
Church.mp3
Bummer Bitch.mp3

This has been in the pipeline for a long time. At last I’ve found a nice forum to work with. Easy to manage and fast. Not yet finished but start posting!

CLICK HERE –>KBD Records Brand New Forum!

Trying out a new format from now on. Instead of just scanning the label I’ll do the whole record. Hopefully it will add an even better feel for the music and the 7inch format itself. Schematix out of California with their only release. Great organ driven punk with a quite typical SO Cal sound to it. Fantastic looking sleeve and intellectual lyrics to boot.

“They gigged frequently at smaller venues like Santa Cruz Art Center (where nearly 150 people showed up for their record-release party in 1981), at UCSC, and in San Francisco.” These where the days when you could get 150 people to a record release party. Think about it!

Released in January 1981 but stamped with 1980 on the sleeve.

Country: USA
Year: 1980
Label: Subliminal
Format: 7″
Songs:
Jagged Edge.mp3
Second Story.mp3
Nothing Special.mp3

Here’s one of those essential US HC 7inches. Distorted, fucked up, raw and recorded live in the studio. The end result is of course fantastic. These guys where already tired of Straight Edge and this was in 1982 kids. Their 12inch EP “What´s Going On” was a big disappointment. To polished and boring.

Country: USA
Year: 1982
Label: Zero Degree
Format: 7″
Songs:
Fascist.mp3
No Straight Edge.mp3
Speed Of The Presses.mp3
American Way.mp3
Jump Up.mp3
Suburbanite.mp3
Nuke Attack.mp3
Having Fun.mp3
No Name.mp3

What can be said about The Absentees that Ryan Richardson/Break My Face haven’t said in his excellent article: The Absentess? Not much actually. Which is a relief since typing text for blog posts is for pussys. Just listen to the goddamn thing and find out for yourself. If you think it sucks say so in the comment section if not then you’re most welcome to say that too. Raw, imbecile and classic. 106 copies. Punk Rock!

Mike Zed reports that: “Even the ones that were sold at Zed Records (including the ones that went to Jello and Tim Yo) he gave to the store for free just so we would carry it. He said he brought them and felt weird about it the first time, but the second time he came in we listened to it and liked it, and he has liked us ever since.”

Country: USA
Year: 1981
Label: U.G.
Format: 7″
Songs:
Tryin To Mess With Me.mp3
F.U.M.mp3