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

MEAT PUPPETS: MADISON SQUARE GARDEN, PHOENIX, AZ 11/28/81. SOUNDBOARD RECORDING.

Before the Meat Puppets began releasing records showcasing their sun damaged style of country punk, they were experts at constructing wild-eyed, art damaged hardcore. Their debut EP "In a Car" ranks as one of my favorite hardcore records of all time because of its courageous and reckless spirit. The five tracks on their debut 7" EP speed along at a face-melting velocity but seem to move in multi-modal directions depending on the track that you're listening to. The lyrics are often totally incomprehensible and when they were printed they were even more baffling. When considering all of this, it makes total sense that your average hardcore lunkhead wanted to spit all over them when they opened for label mates Black Flag.

This soundboard recording documents the Meat Puppets tearing through a total of 33 songs from their first 7", first LP, and features a whole smattering of oddball covers ranging from the Grateful Dead to Black Flag. It is pretty amazing to think that a hardcore band could even muster the patience to perform a set that is an hour in length. This recording clocks in at just under one hour and the band uses the cover song piss takes to regain their energy to shred on the faster paced songs. Like their records from this time period, the overall performance on this recording is sloppy but highly engaging.

Setlist:

1) Saturday Morning

2) Our Friends

3) Playing Dead

4) Electromud

5) Unjust

6) Reward

7) Milo, Sorghum & Maize

8) H Elenore

9) Blue-Green God

10) Melons Rising

11) Dolphin Field

12) In A Car

13) Tumbling Tumbleweeds (Bob Nolan)

14) Love Offering

15) Litter Box

16) Meat Puppets

17) Teenagers

18) Hearts

19) Foreign Lawns

20) The Gold Mine

21) Walking Boss

22) No Values (Black Flag)

23) Big House

24) Magic Carpet Ride (Steppenwolf)

25) Reach Out (Iíll Be There) (Four Tops)

26) Rabbit Fighter (T-Rex)

27) Down on the Corner (CCR)

28) Standing on the Verge of Getting It On (Funkadelic)

29) I Know You Rider (Grateful Dead)

30) I Am A Child

31) Purple Haze (Jimi Hendrix)

32) Out in the Gardener

33) 1970 (Stooges)

DOWNLOAD:

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=4UMVX2QM

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

BLACK RANDY & PAUL RAT TELEPHONE CONVERSATION, 1979. HOME RECORDING.

This is the second Black Randy telephone call featured on MORE THAN A WITNESS and is a total riot.

Before Black Randy and the Metrosquad performed in San Francisco for their first ever gig there, they contacted Paul Rat (aka Paul Bachavich) who promoted punk shows in the city at Temple Beautiful. Knowing the importance of aligning himself with other bands that would further his own infamy, Randy demands that the Metrosqaud share the bill with the Mentors and Wall Of Voodoo. He claims that this package bill is akin to going to a porno store and purchasing a three pack of magazines: “one is little girls on the front, the one in the back is dogs, but the one you can get in the middle, you’re never sure. It could be people crapping on each other or it could be a nudist book.” This is one phenomenal metaphor for booking a punk rock show.

It gets better. The cringe that Randy lets out after hearing that Paul Rat wants to book Tuxedomoon on the show is hilarious. Randy goes on to refer to the Go-Go’s as “halloween punk shit” and compares sharing the bill with them to the “brothers in the jungle wearing alligator shoes.” Joe Nanini from Wall Of Voodoo can be heard in the background and is clearly encouraging Randy’s behavior. The comedic value of this phone call is off the charts and should be downloaded immediately.

This tape belongs to Dangerhouse founder/Black Randy and the Metrosqaud member David Brown. Special thanks to Ryan Richrardson of Break My Face for this recording.

DOWNLOAD:

http://www.mediafire.com/?x3wmrznjm2g

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

NOISE THE SHOW WYNU RADIO TAPE #2 (BROADCASTED ON 4.21.82).

Today’s post consists of the second installment of “Noise the Show” from my tape collection. As previously noted, when I received the original stash of these old episodes they featured no information regarding broadcast dates. Your guess is as good as mine regarding the exact dates. Regardless, based on the overt chronology of when these records were released, one can deduce that this specific broadcast didn’t happen before late ’82 or perhaps very early ’83. Because of the lack of any date information, I will refer to this cassette as tape two because it’s the second one that I received.

This episode features tracks by Blitzkrieg, Bad Religion, Lama, Discharge, Uk Subs, Puncture, Adrenaline OD, Attila the Stockbroker, Misguided, Circle Jerks, the Notsensibles, and the Lurkers.

Maybe you’ll foam at the mouth in excitement when DJ Tim Sommer mentions the free tickets to the Scream/Heart Attack show at the Peppermint Lounge just like I did…

DOWNLOAD:

http://www.mediafire.com/?zwnj1mnum3w