Caught In A Surprise

I'm known among friends as having somewhat of a thick skull when it comes to opinions about bands. Right Thomas? What's up Jochen? If I like a band and you don't that's due to your generic taste in music. If I don't like a band that you like it's because they are actually bad. It's not a matter of taste and I'll definitely let you know. Once I've passed judgement that's it and you can't convince me otherwise. And then there was this band:

Caught In A Crowd - still holding on LP - 2014 Powered Records PR-019

We booked a show at AK47 in Düsseldorf on May 24th 2014 that was supposed to feature sets from December Youth, Hangin' Tough and Man Lifting Banner. But we must have hit a bad note somewhere as first the headliner Man Lifting Banner cancelled and then our buddies from Hangin' Tough also had to get out of the show due to health issues. Luckily for us Caught In A Crowd had a show cancelled the very same day of our show and I am in touch with Robert Refuse who booked their tour. So bad luck on both sides turned into a win win situation. Nice. Also we were able to get locals Dull Eyes to fill in for Hangin' Tough. Perfect. A little bit of stress a week before the show but it all turned out fine.
December Youth and Dull Eyes were not really my thing and then Caught In A Crowd went on. I didn't expect much since I didn't like those demo recordings I had heard after which I didn't pay any attention to further releases of theirs. Boy was I wrong.
To my perception there is at least a bit of a hype around that band so I expected some youth crew kids to come out to the show and mosh it up but no. It seemed that no one specifically came to see that band so everybody was standing back. German style. No one in front of the stage. Everybody in the back or to the sides. But that didn't matter much to the band. They gave it their all and played a great set that was well received. I think their friendly and likeable presence on stage helped a lot.

Afterwards I had a chat with their singer Brian who is one of the nicest dudes I met during the almost 10 years that I book shows now. Actually the whole bunch of them including their driver Laura were a really nice bunch. I told Brian that I was pleasantly surprised by their set because I thought their demo was not to my liking and that I didn't pay any attention to his band after that. To which he answered that he's not surprised I didn't like the demo because they don't like it anymore either. Which looking at it now only proves my point that I know what's good and you don't. Ha. We continued chatting for a while and in the end he gave me a copy of their LP which is actually a compilation of the two 7"es they released so far. Not sure if I would have bought it but soo glad I have it now. Thanks Brian.

Caught In A Crowd are one of the best youth crew bands around these days. Check them out. I just proved that I'm right

Done!

About two weeks prior to the Cold Stare / Take Offense +2 show the same dudes had booked another show at the same venue. Right now the only bands I remember having played that day are AYS and Zero Mentality. I mainly went there to take my own distro out for a spin again and to see ZM one more time. Besides us there was one other guy selling a bunch of 2nd hand records but he didn't have anything I am looking for. Instead a friend of mine came by and gave me a split 7" of his recently defunct band. Thanks again!

Get It Done! / Overlord - split 7" - 2013 Reality Records

Get It Done! deliver two more tracks of their own Dag Nasty influenced version of oldschool hardcore which for reasons unknown to man no one seems to take an interest in. So little even that this release is not listed on Discogs where meanwhile you can find the most obscure hardcore records.

Overlord on the other hand didn't have any form of impact on me. I don't even remember what they sound like. Sorry guys.

The waiting game

April 4th Take Offense, Cold Stare, World Eater +1 in Duisburg. Until the very last minute I was contemplating wether I should go to that show or not. It is about an hour drive from where I live and no one wanted to tag along. Besides that I wasn't and still ain't too thrilled about Take Offense's latest full length, World Eater in general and not to mention a support band I had never heard of before. Cold Stare on the other hand is one of the best current hardcore bands and all the earlier Take Offense stuff slays as well.
As you might have guessed I did go and ended up seeing what felt like two different shows because the US people had just arrived in Amsterdam that very same day and were running 'a little' late which caused a break of about two hours between the first two bands that played and the second part of the night consisting of sets by Cold Stare and Take Offense.
During the break I checked out the distros but I only found one record. A good one though:

Done Dying - shelf life 7" - 2013 Reaper Records RR63

I was hoping to come across a copy of this release even before I knew what this band sounds like. All it took for me to take heed of Done Dying was knowing that Dan O'Mahony fronts the outfit and Mike Hartsfield plays guitar. Two people that played in loads of bands of which none is bad. They're not all great but still good enough to be worth having in your collection. Naturally I have to get at least a copy of each record they put out when it presents itself to me.

Unfortunately this is not the best band these dudes ever played band. Still better though than most other current bands everybody seems to be siked about. If I see a copy of the red vinyl pressing I'll buy that too.

Due to the lack of records available at the show that I take an interest in I indulged in nostalgia and grabbed a copy of this

I still have a few OG copies of this fanzine from back in the days when me and my 'friends' went to shows in Belgium all the time. Being able to pick up all of them in the form of a book and reading them again back home made the trip even more worthwhile. A true document of its time and place in the history of european hardcore and my own life. I'm just glad I was young when these originally hit the streets. Today I have to chuckle going through these pages again. Still I don't want to miss any of it and the whole thing is chockfull of memory triggers. Reliving the golden (and not so golden) days of my younger years all over again. Thank you for putting it all together in one place. And thank you for selling it at that show. It's sad that these days current releases are not readily available at shows anymore. For some reason it gets rare for distros to set up at gigs. Why is that? Where is the youth of today and what are they doing besides pretending to be professional promoters / label bosses / online journalists?

Blxwn xwxy

Hm, I mixed up the order in which I picked up records it seems. My RSD scores have been covered including those who were delayed. The 3 records I bought on April 12th the day of the Cold World show in Antwerp have been dealt with. Even one pick up from May has been handled and now I realize that I still didn't mention this one:

Vowels - chained 7" - 2013 Vendetta Records 75

I picked this record up after seeing them live at their show with Minutes and Bloodstains at the AZ in Köln on March 9th because they totally blew me away. Total unrelenting blistering fast hardcore assault. Usually that kind of description makes me cringe but that night their formula worked its magic on me.

When putting it on at home that feeling wasn't quite reproduced though much to my disappointment. A second listen weeks later found me liking it better again but it's still not where it was that night. I'll have to give it another spin soon and see how that feels. Might just be it is too fast for me but I'm still undecided with the scale tipping a little in favor of Vowels.

Last Shot remaining

There are not a lot of 90s emo bands that I still listen to. Let alone pick up releases by. Mostly I'm ok with whatever I have or I don't care at all. This is not the case here:

Shotmaker - believe in 7" - 1994 Manticore / Kung Fu Enterprises MK0294

Look at this. A true representative of the 90s. Total attention to detail. Oversized lyric insert. Additional note. Silkscreened inner sleeve and all of that housed in a silkscreened envelope. You don't see things like this being released these days anymore.

And the music holds true to what the packaging promises. It's not often but when I do come down with a case of the 90s emo this definitely is one of the go to bands.

I bought this from Geert who used to play drums in Dead Stop and had set up stall right next to other alumni of that period in hardcore history at the Cold World show I already mentioned in the previous post. This show felt like 2006 again when I saw Cold World for the first time. Good times!!

Rock 'n' Roll radio

Same day. Same city. Same store. Totally different record.

V/A - cruisin' 1957 LP - 1983 Increase Records INCM 2002

This is the 3rd record of what is a perfect compilation series that I own now. I think the first one I picked up was 1959. Then it was 1955 and now I scored right inbetween the two. All of those records feature sets by radio dh's from the mid 50s on through to the late 60s. Including all the original jingles and ads perfectly capturing the mood of the time. A truly historic record of the year each instalment represents.

Discogs lists two different pressings. The first one from 1970 and another one from 1986. My copy is from 1983 though and has a slightly different track list to either of those listed on Discogs. Seems that with every pressing they used a different day's recording. Interesting. I'll most definitely keep my radar tuned in on these.

Super-excited

On April 12th, so even before the RSD, Cold World played a show in Antwerp, Belgium which me and some friends turned into a day trip of exploring that beautiful city and trying to score on the vinyl front.

This is the first good record I came across:

Supercrush - Lifted / Melt Into You (Drift Away) 7" - 2013 Bedside Records BSR-07

I listened to one of those tracks some time before it was released in October of 2013 and was a fan right away even though not a lot of bands who play this kind of music appeal to me. Maybe that's why I was hesitant to order a copy from the States right away.

Also it seemed like no one of the usual on- and offline stores I frequent carried that record. I even tried to trade a few copies for releases from my label but got no reply. Probably they are not into distroing other releases.

When we went to Antwerp I had already almost forgotten about Supercrush which made for an even more pleasant surprise when I found it sitting in a box on the counter of Fat Kat Records.
Never saw it before and didn't see it again since. I guess I got lucky. Thanks to whoever arranged for that to happen.

SICK!!!

Keeping with the german theme of the last two posts I moved this unexpectedly great record up the pile:

Krank - s/t 7" - 2014 Chu Chu Records

On May 3rd we booked another show at our favorite club the AK47 in Düsseldorf. On the bill that night were Sunlun, Pessimistic Lines and Krank. I already knew before the show that Krank were more up my alley than the other two but I didn't expect the 7" to be that good.

The vocals need a little getting used to but that's part of what kicks this record out of the pool of generic german punk bands. After their live set I wasn't yet won over somehow I still picked up the record because they left me with a good feeling and I wanted to give the band a chance. Glad I did. This platter kills. Really looking forward to their split 7" with Empowerment.

deutsche lieder

From a release by a classic german hardcore label we now move on to a a release by a classic german punk band:

Rotzkotz - lebensfroh + farbenfroh LP - 1981 No Fun Records NF 08/15

Those of you who actually follow my scribble may have some kind of a Deja-Vu right now since I already posted about this record before. I picked up a copy in Zürich at the end of last year for what I thought was a good price but unfortunately that one didn't have the booklet and was therefore not as well priced as I initially thought.

This copy of their 2nd LP I picked up at a flea market over the easter weekend. As you can see it does have the booklet but what you don't see is that I paid less than I did for the incomplete one. Nice!

starting from zero

Crucial Response Records is a force to reckon with since the late 80s. Continually putting out new stuff and yet staying true to the real hardcore-punk sound. Surviving all the ups and downs of the scene and shitloads of kids. Say what you will about the dude but this deserves respect.

V/A - starting from zero LP - 2014 Crucial Response Records CRR 084

This platter compiles 34 tracks by 24 different bands from all over the place. What an effort. I once put out a compilation with 16 bands from germany and I thought that was a lot to do. I can't imagine how much more hard it must have been to get this thing put together. No wonder it took the time it did. Not sure how long this was in the works but it felt like it was about 2 years.

Stand out tracks are supplied by Dogends, Crucial Section, Zero Progress, Echoes, Isolation, Night Prowler, Eye-Gouge, Sniffing Glue, Skaggs. The others are good too I guess. Just not my thing.

Great effort. Definitely worth checking out.

not as forgotten as advertised

This nice little bootleg came with the last one I posted about. Gotta love The Cramps

The Cramps - the band that time forgot 7" - 2014 unofficial release

The title track of this live bootleg from August 1979 at CBGBs is supposed to be an otherwise unreleased track but I found another bootleg from 2011 that already features this song among other rare and unreleased material. I don't have that one though so I ordered it anyway.

Great cover. Good recording quality. Plus two of my favorite Cramps songs. Human Fly and Domino. Yes I know the latter is actually a Roy Orbison track but I still love their version.

bootlegs Du Plenty

I think that the Screamers are the band that has the most releases made from the least amount of songs. Even without ever having released anything officially. There are so many demo this, live that bootlegs that I've lost track. And yet I had to pick up another, different, better pressing of their demo material:

The Screamers - Strength Through Intimidation

The 1978 Geza X Demos LP - 2014 unofficial release

Well, as you can see I did not just pick up one more pressing of these songs but two. Looks like I'm pretty much into this band.

underground notion

The last two posts covered the last of this years RSD releases that I picked up and both of those got to one of the stores of my choice a little late for the actual day. But I had them put away for me and the next time I was able to go I bailed them out along with this beaut:

The Velvet Underground - foggy notion / I can't stand it 7"
2011 Sundazed Music S 227

I like their 1st LP. The 2nd one I never listened to because so far I couldn't find a copy for a price that I consider decent.

At first I was a little hesitant about buying this but it turned out to be really worth it. These songs have a little more drive and less spaced-out-junky-hippy-parts.

Turns out this was an RSD release after all. It's nice to pick up a record like this 3 years late

Toxic Hero

Another RSD release that got in a little delayed.

Toxic Reasons - war hero 7" - 2014 Beer City Records BCR 173-7

Continuing with my backwards approach to this band here we have the RSD 2014 repress of their first 7".

Only I missed a step. I don't think I ever heard their debut full length. Must correct situation for sure.

Die Crusin'???

This RSD release got into stores here in germany with a bit of a delay and I also only heard about it on RSD. Luckily I'm connected so this copy was reserved for me to pick up whenever and sure enough I did

Die Kreuzen - cows and beer 12" - 2014 Beer City Records BCR 169

This is one of the really nice re-issues and the only 12" version. They did about 5 different color 7"es with a foldout sleeve that's totally different from the booklet cover this pressing comes in. Also the smaller version doesn't come with the Comic about how this record originally came into existence. Very well made. Done like this it actually makes sense to re-release a record.

I don't think I have to tell you about how this is classic, must have early 80s midwest hardcore. You know, right?
If not... change it! Believe me you won't be sorry.

total de-evolution

The one thing that I still love about Record Store Day is going to the stores I like and hanging out with friends. One of those didn't need a record anymore that I was missing out on so I took it off his hands:

Devo - total devo LP - 1988 Enigma Records 209315

This was the last regular full length release I needed for my collection. Now I have at least a pressing of each of them. First or special pressing don't concern me with this band.

Upon putting this in my discogs have list I realised that I am missing inserts to one or the other Devo LP. Now that I am concerned about. So now I have to go looking for these records again. Damn!

not the VIP you probably think of

actually not even VIP but The V.I.P.'s. They were a Power Pop band that released 6 eps between '78 and '81. This compilation compiles all of these:

The V.I.P.'s - beat crazy! The best of the V.I.P.'s LP - 1997 Waterson Records WAIN 41

Yesterday I listened to a few Power Pop 7"es that I had downloaded and most of these didn't really appeal to me. There is a very thin line dividing the good from the bad and it seems the good section is pretty small. My ears only like those bands that have this certain raw, kinda punk feeling to it. If they don't have that it's just boring Beat or standard Pop music. A few tracks really stood out though. Among those were each song that came on from this record.

It's chock full of hits. As you might guess from a Best of record but it's not really a best of. More of a discography as there is every song on here that I know they released.
The original 7"es are not that expensive but this is a good point to get to know the band and to be honest who puts on all the 7"es? This is way more convenient and in a much better way than any CD or mp3.

the Haze

Rockabilly is among those genres that I like but actually don't know too much about.

This posts record which I picked from the regular bins on RSD is by one of its more obscure artists. Well, obscure might not be the right term here because I think he's pretty well known. Strange, weird, raw and primal might be more fitting descriptions.

Hasil Adkins - chicken walk LP - Dee Jay Jamboree DJ-LP 2043 - 1984

This pressing of the LP is nothing special but the songs on here are a compilation of some of his recordings from the 1950s of which some, I think, have not been officially released before. So it's great to have.

Just don't expect your average 1950s rockabilly his style admitedly is an acquired taste but once you're there it's great.

here's some info on the artist from discogs:
[April 29, 1937 - April 26, 2005] He was born and lived in Boone County, West Virginia and was a self taught one man band. The reason for this was because when he first heard Hank Williams on the radio he didn't know there was a band behind Hank. He thought that Hank Williams played all the instruments. He claimed a repertoire of over 9000 songs including over 7000 original compositions. Recurring themes in Adkins' work include love, heartbreak, hunchin', police, death, decapitation, commodity meat, aliens, and chicken. His life was so unusual that you couldn't begin to start writing about it here. His music has a shared appreciation by the likes of The Cramps and John Zorn.

This should give you a good idea about this character and the music he makes.

Normal Vision

With the RSD shelf not holding anymore good stuff I moved on to the used section and found this one:

20/20 - giving it all / under the freeway - Line Records / Bomp Records 1978

This is the german pressing of their first 7" and the A Side is a total hit. The other song? Well that's what B Sides are for. It's an ok track but nothing special.

I know this track from a Bomp Records compilation but didn't check out anything else by that band yet. They were around until the late 90s and released quite a few records but somehow I never come across any of them. Maybe since it's power pop they get filed under categories I do not usually check when out hunting.
Not sure if their other releases are really worth going through tons of records I do not care about. Maybe one day I'll come across another one. I'd definitely check that out.

Up last

This is the least exciting RSD release for 2014 and the last one of those I picked up on the day. Don't get me wrong. I'm really into early Up Front but this album is not loved by that many people so why make a repress of it? It's not that hard or expensive to get an original copy.

Up Front - spirit LP - Smorgasbord aka Revelation Records RSD 2014

And yet stupid old me picked up a copy. But I kept it sealed. No reason to open it. Since I was going for a complete set of that record I thought maybe, just maybe I was wrong and people actually buy all the copies and create somewhat of a demand for this pressing which I would then (not because of the demand but anyway) regret not having bought. Of course that didn't happen. Discogs currently has 17 copies for sale. Seems like my initial thought was right. No one gives a damn about this great record.

And to top things off Revelation even announced another pressing on opaque red vinyl out of about 300 copies as opposed to the clear red RSD pressing out of about 700. But I guess it was actually just one pressing on two colors. REV even still has some of those opaque red available. That's how much people care these days.

Oh and just to not forget about it. There even was a reissue of their 'what fire does' 7" (which even I didn't buy) whose OG copies are bin fodder already.
Someone please stop that train!!

getting the fear

Poison Idea truly are a great band with shitloads of great collectible releases. For me though just having any pressing of their releases does just fine.
Following that line of reasoning I was really looking forward to purchasing this Reissue Store Day release

Poison Idea - getting the fear 7" - TKO ROUND 201 - RSD 2014

While the original was a 12" TKO went with the 7" format for this re-release. Yet it knocked me on my ass when I saw that price tag. WTF is wrong with people? Seems like RSD actually has become Cashing In Day for a few labels/distributors while record store owners have to take the rap for those outrageous prices.

You might rightfully ask why I bought it anyway. Well, despite the price tag I think that TKO did a very good job on this one keeping everything as close to the original as possible. Also I probably would have never picked up an OG copy because it demands quite a bit more than this one. Meaning if I wanted to own a pressing of this PI release this was my best shot at it.

It's good to see though that not everybody is as stupid as I am. Discogs is flooded with copies of this pressing. Right now I could order one from the US and get it (including postage) for the same price I paid when I picked it up in a store over here. haha. The joys of Record Store Day.

Toxic Town

Now this RSD release I was completely unaware of.

Toxic Reasons - ghost town 7" - Beer City Records BCR174-7 - RSD 2014 blue vinyl

I got introduced to Toxic Reasons in the mid 90s but somehow back then it didn't stick. Maybe I heard some later stuff. I don't remember.
About 10 years later I picked up their split 7" with Zero Boys. Obviously because of the Zero Boys side. But I had to admit that the Toxic Reasons track on there wasn't quite as bad as what I had heard prior to that. Still it didn't sit well enough with me to seek out more.
But most likely because of that split it was a no brainer to pick up this RSD release.

It's their 2nd 7" from 1981 and it's a lot better than anything I had ever heard by that band.
The title track is too long and a snooze fest for the most part but when they speed it up it's pretty ok. So I probably won't be listening to Side A again anytime soon.
Side B is a whole different story though. Great fast early US Midwest HC with strong UK 77 influences which gives a sort of an Oi feel. Now that's the shit I do like.

Red Field

Everything that needed to be said about RSD got out of my system in my last post. So let's just continue with what I picked up anyway.

Here's to my most anticipated RSD release of 2014. Although that's just because I had to complete the trifecta that started with the 2012 RSD release of Sense Field's killed for less LP and was then continued with the reissue of their s/t single collection LP for RSD 2013.

Sense Field - building LP - REV 46 - 2014 RSD red vinyl

I love Sense Field. They hold a very special place in my heart. Not sure why but somehow their music touches me in ways i cannot describe. Seeing them live with Lifetime and Four Walls Falling back in the 90s was one of the best shows I ever saw. 

This one though marks the last Sense Field repress I'll ever buy. Unless REV manages to get the rights to the later albums which as of yet have only been released on CD. Now that would be some RSD release to look forward to.

Too much Integrity

Record Store Day becomes more and more of a drag. Each year I care less about all those reissues and the feeling of saturation is getting stronger not just annually but with each new REV color repress. Maybe RSD 2015 will see me neglecting all those 'special' pressings and stick with the used bins which probably helps record stores a great deal more.

This year though there still were a few things on my list. Unfortunately my top want didn't surface. Seems like I wasn't supposed to get that The Fix - vengeance / jan's rooms 2x7". I tried! When it was sold through Touch & Go I wanted to order a few copies for our distro and saw that Cargo was supposed to distribute them in europe. I got in touch with them. Waited for a while. Didn't get an answer. Went back to the Touch & Go store to order a copy for myself. Gone. Damn! Well, maybe it gets to one of the stores I usually shop at. No luck. Even the Cargo Records store only put out two for sale which a buddy of mine and his friend picked up. Now I could easily buy one since there are currently 8 copies listed for sale on discogs but I really don't feel like paying that much for a reissue that doesn't even have half a year under it's belt. That's stupid. Fucking flipsters.

Anyway. The record that wasn't really high up on my list for that day but turned out to be the best RSD pressing I bought that day is this:

Integrity - den of iniquity 2xLP - Organized Crime Records – OCR0531

Even though it's just a compilation of old demo and split releases it was worth picking it up for the A side alone. I had never heard those demo recordings in this quality before.

These songs are among the hardest and best that came out at the time. And the difference in recording of the songs that made it onto the first 7" (which is not represented on here) is significant. I didn't think it was possible but they sound even better on 'Den Of Iniquity' than on 'In Contrast Of Sin'.

The rest of those songs I could have done without though. Some are good but others are that Integ2000 kinda crap. In the end a single LP with just the demo recordings would have done it for me and would not have weighed that heavily on my purse either. For some reason we here in europe have to pay more than twice than what this record is being sold for in the US. At least according to discogs.
Oh and I love the page of the gatefold with the live pic. The poster is a nice touch too but will definitely never find its way onto any of my walls. I don't need to be reminded all the time of what this band turned into. I hear they are good again but at this point I truely don't give a damn.

Harry Business

Concerning those sketchy political views I mentioned in my last post. What's the deal with Cock Sparrer's 'England Belongs To Me' for example or Angelic Upstarts' 'England'? A german band with a similar song (title) would sure have to answer a lot of questions.

I even heard english kids weren't too concerned with political agendas back then which supposedly led to white power skins playing with redskins in the same band or hanging out together. But you know what. Let's not get into that and just enjoy the musical artifacts this period in the history of humankind blessed us with.

 

The Business - harry may 7" - Ugly Pop Records UP044

This is another official reissue and was released together with the Cockney Rejects 7" I covered in my last post. Of course it's available from us too. And just like that last one it will just be the only pressing in my collection for a yet undetermined amount of time.