DOA: TORONTO, CANADA. 1980. SOUNDBOARD RECORDING.

Perhaps the greatest characteristic of DOA’s long career is that they’ve by no means discarded their virtuous yet pleasure-seeking temperament. These Terminal City punks were never resistant to confusing sincere rebellion with vulgarity (just check out the “Let’s Fuck” rewrite of the classic Chris Montez hit song) and never meandered with the trend of playing overt heavy metal throughout the 1980s. Their early catalog (“Triumph of the Ignoroids”, “Something Better Change”, “Hardcore 81”, & “War on 45”) is a sonic cascade of tightly wound and highly charged proto-hardcore. DOA is unanimously considered to one of the founding fathers of hardcore punk (beside Black Flag, Middle Class, Bad Brains, & Teen Idles) as the band’s second full-length album (“Hardcore 81”) is arguably the first ever document to declare the genre’s name.

Recorded right smack in the middle of this period and prior to all of the line up shifts, here’s a fantastic soundboard tape that was captured while DOA journeyed east to perform in Toronto sometime during 1980. This set was recorded with the band’s classic two-guitar lineup of Shithead, Rampage, Biscuits, and Gregg that was featured on “Hardcore 81”, which was recorded presumably right around when this gig was played. The recording quality is soundboard sourced but suffers faintly from some negligible compression issues and the fact that the guitar is a little low in the overall mix. The band plays a fervent set with tons of crowd baiting and rowdiness between songs. This is an essential unreleased recording from an extraordinary band captured at their prime. Enough said.

It’s unlikely that this is the complete recording of this set. If anyone has an upgrade or any additional information regarding the date of this recording, please get in touch with me via the email listed on this archive.

Track listing:

Take a Chance

Pinhead Theme

Royal Police

Woke Up Screaming

The Enemy

What’cha Doin

Let’s Spend the Night Together

I Don’t Give a Shit

DOWNLOAD:

http://www.mediafire.com/?4xucxrwxldgmr5o

CRASS: INTERVIEW, NY VAG, SWEDISH NATIONAL RADIO, 1980. FM BROADCAST.

Hailing from Epping, Essex, England, Crass were the leaders of UK punk’s radical left. Although they would never categorize themselves as a leftist group, many of their ideals fell distinctively into this paradigm. As were well-known first-wave UK punk groups sang about the incentives of anarchy, Crass were surely the first band to do something about it. They defined themselves as a more virtuous option to the bands that used the spectacle of anarchism to move product. Crass refused all of the obligatory causes that most other groups rejected before them: organized religion, warfare, sexism, and ignorance. The differentiation was that Crass raised their position to that of sublimated fine art. In an age that was chiefly defined as apathetic and politically dejected, Crass were the principal builders of a template for many to draw from.

This radio interview is a great insight into the socio-political and economic ideologies that set Crass apart from the remainder of pedestrian sloganeering anarcho-punk groups of their era. Various members of Crass speak about their approach pertaining to releasing records independently, activism, gig violence, and political values.

This recording came to me updated but it seems extremely likely that it’s from 1980, considering the song selection features some tracks from “Penis Envy” and they make reference to new 45’s being released by Captain Sensible, Dirt, etc. If anyone has the exact date this was broadcasted, I’d love to know it so I can have the most complete information regarding this recording possible. It also seems likely that an English speaker initially asked the questions and Swedish translations of the questions were edited in afterward. The quality is great.

This recording is the first of many Ny Vag radio broadcasts that I will be making available on this archive. Ny Vag was a radio show that was broadcasted on Swedish National Radio, appearing on channel P3. Ny Vag was hosted by Jonas Almqvist who also performed in Ladernunnan and the Leather Nun. This radio show was incredibly important to the Swedish punk subculture because it gave listeners a opportunity to hear local acts as well as US and UK hardcore punk bands.

I have approximately 20 different Ny Vag shows and would love to acquire more. If you have any and would like to trade, please drop me a line through the email posted on this site.

DOWNLOAD:

http://www.mediafire.com/?0mzynzuyuei

TRUE SOUNDS OF LIBERTY (TSOL): 1980 DEMO.

TSOL exploded out of Long Beach, California in 1978 to develop into one of Southern California’s leading hardcore outfits. Forming from the remains of Johnny Coathanger and the Abortions and Vicious Circle, the original lineup of TSOL were purveyors of political proto-hardcore that bristled with exhilaration. It’s extraordinary to consider how many name changes that Jack Grisham has had in his musical career; Jack Greggors, Alex Morgan, Jack Ladoga, Jim Woo and James DeLauge have all graced the sleeves of TSOL releases. With no less than 5 different stage names, you begin to wonder if he’s a fugitive evading the lawman.

These four demo tracks are outstanding. The sound quality is outstanding. These tracks are in the vein of the first 12” on Posh Boy; the tracks being simultaneously forceful and melodious with a genuine political edge. This demo recording was previously bootlegged onto vinyl in 1994 as the “1980 Demo” 7”. Supposedly 500 copies were pressed but one can never be sure of such information.

Track list:

1. 80 Times

2. Superficial Love

3. You Don't Have To Die

4. Silent Majority

DOWNLOAD:

http://www.mediafire.com/?zcyydyyyjnm

THE PLASMATICS: BOOKIE'S CLUB 870, DETROIT, MI. 9.20.80. AUDIENCE RECORDING.

To an outsider, the Plasmatics could in all probability be best elucidated as Kiss but with tits. For a brief period, their outlandish behavior earned them some minor mainstream media coverage. To someone more familiar with the group, they represented a magnificent cacophony. Perhaps the greatest thing about the original incarnation of the Plasmatics was the fact that they were masters of artless and uncontrived gimmickry. The band’s image was conceived by ex-porn entrepreneur Rod Swenson and visualized by a squad of total rock n’ roll reprobates. The band is perhaps best defined by their mouthpiece, Wendy O. Williams, who gruffly talks, bellows, barks, and heavy-breathes through some of the finest proto-hardcore our great land has ever heard. Swenson composed all the lyrics of the Plasmatics. This gutter prose involved psychotronic aesthetics consisting of copulation, aggression, and various other superfluous grotesqueries.

Their debut album, “New Hope for the Wretched” is a band captured at their no frills best. There is nothing delicate about this record, which is strangely produced by Jimmy Miller. He is best known for producing the archetypal late 60’s output for the Rolling Stones. Despite the unconcealed spectacle (they were sawing guitars in half and destroying automobiles on stage), there were some bona fide tunes on their first full-length. The tracks hammer on with proto-hardcore locomotion and have stood the test of time.

This audience tape was recorded at the legendary Bookie's Club 970 in Detroit. This was Detroit's first ever punk venue. Homegrown talent such as the Romantics, Sonic Rendezvous Band, Destroy All Monsters, and Wayne Kramer were constantly performing at Bookie's. Virtually every punk touring act from America and the UK would play at Bookie's, thus it made sense that the Plasmatics would rip through this set included here in the fall of '80. The recording quality is pretty good for an audience tape. Download this show and see for yourself!

Track list:

1. Tight Black Pants (incomplete, cuts in)

2. Hitman

3. Monkey Suit

4. Squirm

5. Won't You

6. Test Tube Babies

7. Fast Food Service

8. Sex Junkie

9. Concrete Shoes

10. Living Dead

11. Want You Baby

12. Plasma Jam

13. Want You Baby (Reprise)

14. Sometimes I

15. Headbanger

16. Nothing (slight cut in middle)

17. Corruption

18. Butcher Baby

DOWNLOAD:

http://www.mediafire.com/?zjwmfkm0wqy

FEEDERZ: LIVING ROOM DEMO 1979/80.

To me, the finest punk groups with the greatest sense of cultural vitality possess the skill to move past the simple confines of the genre. The Feederz are one of the finest examples of such bands. Before even playing a gig, the band distributed literature that was interpreted as being a terrorist communiqué. Their first gig was highlighted by singer Frank Discussion firing blanks from anAR-15 assault riffle into the audience. In 1982, Discussion composed an anti-school manifesto entitled “Bored With School” that posed as an announcement from the Arizona Department of Education. These pamphlets were somehow not checked for content and distributed in large quantities. Facing inevitable prosecution, Discussion fled Arizona and took refuge in San Francisco were the second lineup of the Feederz was formed.

Some testimony to their recorded output is clearly necessary. “Ever Feel Like Killing Your Boss?” is simply one of the best hardcore records ever released. The tracks are truly diverse and show that the band was musically competent and ideologically clever. The lyrical themes reside beyond the confines of political correctness while also being truly seditious. In situationalist fashion, the sleeve of the album is enshrined in sandpaper so that it could damage and thus devalue your other albums.

The “Living Room” demo was recorded in late 1979 and early 1980 and feature the first lineup of the group. These tracks were recorded in bass player Clear Bob's living room. All four songs from the "Jesus" EP are included on this demo as well as many tracks from the yet to be recorded debut LP. "Peter Gunn Theme" was compiled on the all California "Killed By Death" Volume 12 and “Stop Your Killing Me” has been compiled on “Killed By Death” Volume 14.

Track list:

1. Subscription (cut)

2. Just Like Your Mom (Vox Pop)

3. Mommy’s Gone

4. Dead Bodies

5. Avon Lady

6. RU 19

7. Jesus

8. Smile

9. Peter Gunn Theme

10. Terrorist

11. Stop You’re Killing Me

12. Destruction Unit

13. Vulvateen

DOWNLOAD:

http://www.mediafire.com/?zjiycdwtnth

TEENAGE HEAD: HEATWAVE FESTIVAL, MOSPORT PARK, BOWMANVILLE, ONTARIO, CANADA. 8.23.80. FM BROADCAST.

You wind up setting the standards pretty high when you name your band after one of the Flamin’ Groovies best songs. When considering the early output of Teenage Head, they rarely fell short of these great expectations.

Arguably the most popular Canadian punk rock band at the time, Teenage Head played early on a bill of new wave heavyweights. Holly and the Italians, Rockpile, Graham Parker, the B52’s, Talking Heads, Pretenders, and Elvis Costello and the Attractions also performed. The Clash were originally supposed to headline the festival but either cancelled at the last minute or were detained at Customs. The promoters of the Heatwave Festival lost a considerable amount of money because they expected 100,000 people to purchase tickets but only half that number attended.

This Teenage Head set was broadcast on FM radio. This set features songs from their debut classic self-titled album and “Wild One” from the “Frantic City” album. One reviewer described the Teenage Head set as: “two scraggly guys playing guitar and bass, and a crop-haired singer in long-tailed livery coat and eyeliner. ... good ol' head-banging ramalama punk rock. A large and vocal following cheered them on, and they played with confidence, as if they belong up front of all those people." Teenage Head's live album featured a picture of them performing at the Heatwave Festival.

Soundboard recordings also exist for the Talking Heads, Pretenders, and Costello sets and are in circulation.

Track list:

1. Top Down
2. Wild One
3. Picture My Face
4. Some Kinda Fun
5. Alimony
6. Everybody's Growin' Old
7. Let's Shake
8. Lucy Potato
9. Brand New Cadillac
10. You're Tearing Me Apart
11. Somethin' Else
12. Kissin' The Carpet
13. Disgusteen
14. C'mon Everybody

DOWNLOAD:

http://www.mediafire.com/?b2nyzgvgoz4

STATE OF ALERT: WASHINGTON DC 12.18.80. AUDIENCE RECORDING.

When asked about the live performance history of State of Alert, Henry Rollins once claimed that the group's performances "were eleven to fourteen minutes in duration because the songs were all like forty seconds... and the rest of the time we were going, 'Are you ready? Are you ready?' Those gigs were poorly played songs in between 'Are you readys?" Henry did have a point since these guys never showed much instrumental or song writing prowess, but they certainly can be regarded as one of the purveyors of American hardcore by serving as a launching pad for later bands like Negative Approach and Agnostic Front.

It seems Rollins was also correct about this recording because the total length is just over 12 minutes and the playing certainly isn't virtuosic. Regardless, this is an enjoyable audience recording of a historic group that documents their teenage vitriol. The sound quality is decent considering the time and place this performance was recorded.

Track 9 seems to consist of an unreleased song not found on the "No Policy" 7", "Flex Your Head" compilation LP, or even the 1980 SOA demo cassette. Any information regarding this track would be appreciated.

Setlist:
1) Gonna Have To Fight
2) Riot
3) I Hate the Kids
4) Gang Fight
5) Public Defender
6) Draw Blank
7) Disease
8) Warzone
9) Unreleased song (???)
10) Stepping Stone

DOWNLOAD:

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=QVV5FIHA

STATE OF ALERT: 1980 REHEARSAL. HOME RECORDING.

From Wendel Blow’s cluttered garage floor to your ultramodern computer hard drive, here is a long lost recording of a State of Alert rehearsal recorded sometime in 1980. Considering the quality of the greater majority of rehearsal tapes I have heard from this era, the quality of this recording is surprisingly excellent.

It is possible that this recording was considered as a demo recording prior to the band releasing their well circulated and vinyl bootlegged 1980 demo. This hypothesis doesn’t seem crazy considering this rehearsal tape features a recording of an ad for a Black Market Baby/ Minor Threat/ State of Alert show at the 9:30 Club. If you have any additional information on this recording, I would greatly appreciate it if you could share your insights with me.

Track List:

1) Draw Blank

2)Public Defender

3) Stepping Stone

DOWNLOAD:

http://www.mediafire.com/?njjktomjzdm

THE EAT: HOLLYWOOD, FL 4.12.80 AUDIENCE RECORDING

The Eat formed in 1978 and were one of only a handful of punk groups in Southern Florida. Existing in an era and region that only allowed for performances by compliant cover bands, the Eat gigged defiantly in opposition to the cultural status quo. The band released two fantastic singles: “Communist Radio” in 1979 and “God Punishes the Eat” in 1980. Tracks from these records have been compiled on two different “Killed By Death” compilations and have commanded collector’s prices for years. In 1982 the band also released the lesser know but still great “Scattered Wahoo Action” cassette on Jeterboy.

This rare live set demonstrates what it was like to witness the Eat right when their classic “God Punishes” EP was released. I obtained my recording from the master tape so this is the cleanest copy available of this show. The band simply tears it apart. The Eat seem like the type of punk band that were into technical rock and roll before they discovered punk rock. One clue to this hypothesis is the inclusion of “LA Woman” by the Doors. Any other teenage punk worth their weight in airplane glue would have never chosen such a square cover song to perform live. Other cover songs include Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs, the Seeds, and the Clash. Overall, the playing on this recording is proficient and unyielding. The tape is slightly damaged during “Kneecapin”. This show is a must for any “Killed By Death” enthusiast.

DOWNLOAD:

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=50U56SMK

DEAD BOYS: JAY'S LONGHORN, MINNEAPOLIS, MN 3.19.80 (FIRST SET) SOUNDBOARD RECORDING

We are still talking about the Dead Boys in 2009 for legitimate reasons. As transplants, in New York they outpunked everyone on the Bowery circuit with all the obligatory violence, nihilism, masochism, and vulgarity found in the UK at the time, but to more of an extreme.

This show captures these cretins just after they returned from Florida after losing their minds recording their follow up effort with Felix Pappalardi. The whole scheme seemed weird from the launch, as Pappalardi was an esteemed figure in the dinosaur rock movement they were trying to dismantle: he had previously been in Mountain and produced Cream. The result was an album that had slightly less superior songs due to the typical second album drought and weak production. The record’s best track is probably “Ain’t It Fun” because Peter Laughner was partially responsible for it.

The sound and performance on this cassette is excellent throughout. It features a strong soundboard recording boasting a mix that is clean enough to satisfy auralists and aggressive enough to still deliver some vitriol. “Caught With the Meat In Your Mouth” is sardonically dedicated to Mama Cass Elliot and “Tell Me” is introduced as being “written by a bunch of junkies”. It’s this type of attitude that makes this show great and the Dead Boys outstanding when considering the overall canon of punk bands emerging from the late 1970s scene. Download this one and you won’t be sorry.

DOWNLOAD:

http://www.mediafire.com/?nzyqvkmj2ct

THE DICKIES: KROQ-FM, LOS ANGELES, CA 11.27.80 RADIO INTERVIEW

The Dickies hailed from the San Fernando Valley and served as the most superior example of hyperactive 1970s Southern Californian punk rock. Raised on Mad Magazine, they never took themselves serious enough to avoid a sense of self-parody. They were often referred to as the “West Coast Ramones” for obvious reasons. These loveable punks were enjoyably unserious and were quite self-aware of their own idiocy, unlike their New York counterparts who always seemed to be playing that same role much straighter. The first three years of the Dickies meant manically catchy pop-punks gems, one after another.

This cassette features a Thanksgiving Day interview with vocalist Leonard Graves and guitarist Stan Lee conducted by KROQ disc jockey Darrell Wayne. Wayne comes off as a bit square but Graves and Lee oblige his questions with humor and wit. Songs from the first two classic Dickies are showcased too. This cassette includes the entire broadcast (including all the original commercials featuring a cool Blondie "Autoamerican" ad) in superb quality. Overall, an interesting and enjoyable document.

This recording was obtained from the excellent "From the Garage" blog. This blog has numerous KROQ-FM radio shows from the mid to late 1970s. This blog can be visited at:http://fromthegarage.blogspot.com/

DOWNLOAD:

http://www.mediafire.com/?5zlnnzzyjym