Tag Archives: Music

Sunday Afternoon Vinyl – CIV – Set Your Goals

Posted on by

CIV - Set Your Goals

CIV

Set Your Goals

Discogs: https://www.discogs.com/release/35922274-CIV-Set-Your-Goals

Year Of Release: 1995

Review

Regular readers will not be at all surprised to hear that I had no idea who Anthony Civorelli (Civ) was nor any idea that he was the frontman for Gorilla Biscuits long before he put together CIV. But that’s obviously something important that you should know. It’s the kind of ignorance I’ve been noted for my whole life.

Clocking in at 31:13, this is a super enjoyable hardcore album from start to finish, with a bunch of up-tempo tracks and terrifically positive lyrics. I was fortunate enough to see CIV play (supported, and somewhat overwhelmed by Fireballs and Regurgitator) in Byron Bay (I still have the shirt from that gig) and I always had high hopes that this band would be around for some time to come. But then they released Thirteen Day Getaway and it wasn’t to be.

CIV t-shirt 1996

Standout tracks on this one are Set Your Goals, So Far, So Good… So What, Can’t Wait One Minute More (RIP Lou), Choices Made, Soundtrack For Violence, and All Twisted. It’s hardcore and punk rawk from start to finish. You don’t need to be a Gorilla Biscuits fan to appreciate this album (although why aren’t you?). You don’t need to be straight edge. You just need a bit of a positive mental attitude and you’ll enjoy it.

It’s also worth checking out Civ’s book “A Roadie’s Tale” – a very entertaining read.

Rating: 8.5/10

Sunday Afternoon Vinyl – Rollins Band – Come In And Burn

Posted on by

Rollins Band – Come In And Burn

Rollins Band

Come In And Burn

Discogs: https://www.discogs.com/release/5270010-Rollins-Band-Come-In-And-Burn

Year Of Release: 1997

Review

I’ve been a staunch fan of whatever Henry Rollins produces since I first heard Low Self Opinion on Rage. But I seem to be an outlier when it comes to my thoughts on Come In And Burn, with several reviewers not taking well to it, and I get the impression that Rollins wasn’t over the moon with the album either. But I love it.

I bought this album on CD as soon as it came out, and happily went along to see Rollins Band perform at The Roxy in August 1997 in support of the album as well. I remember that the CD I purchased was an “enhanced” CD with some kind of multimedia component, and my PC was incapable of playing the most basic videos, including the content on this CD. I wasn’t able to see what they were for some years to come, and questioned whether this whole PC multimedia thing would ever really be ready for the mainstream. It’s funny when I think about the quality of video we can now stream in our web browsers.

This album isn’t perhaps as sonically “clean” as previous Rollins Band efforts, but I think it’s as strong as I’ve ever heard them (although sadly this incarnation of the band only put out two albums). Lyrically, it’s been described as “transcriptions from a therapy session“. I frequently think we’re asking of Rollins something that we don’t necessarily ask of other performers, but that’s in part something that he may have welcomed at times too.

The music video for Starve gets special mention, as I found it an entertaining representation of a song from inception, through to recording, and finally to live performance. And the puppet in The End Of Something is something else too. Standout tracks for me are all of them, but particularly the aforementioned singles from the album, along with Shame, During A City, Neon, and Saying Goodbye Again.

“I left town and heard that you did too / The difference is I can come back, I can come back!!”

Rating: 10/10

Sunday Afternoon Vinyl – Dead Kennedys – Frankenchrist

Posted on by

Dead Kennedys - Frankenchrist. 2xLP

Dead Kennedys

Frankenchrist

Discogs: https://www.discogs.com/release/9875228-Dead-Kennedys-Frankenchrist

Year Of Release: 1985

Review

Dead Kennedys was, and remains, one of my favourite bands. And Frankenchrist was my favourite album from them for most of my teens and twenties. It wasn’t until I got a working copy of Plastic Surgery Disasters that it slipped down to second on the list. Not that that really matters. Much was made of the inclusion of the Landscape #XX print by H. R. Giger. Interestingly, my CD copy includes a different insert.

Dead Kennedys - Frankenchrist CD insert

This is an accomplished album, and not necessarily something that you would have expected musically from the Dead Kennedys. It’s not your father’s hardcore album, as the old timers might say, and the songs are a little longer, a little more melodic, and ultimately much scarier from a lyrical perspective than some of the hardcore albums released around that time. I remember thinking that This Could Be Anywhere (This Could Be Everywhere) sounded like an absolute nightmare, but as I got older, I realised it was the reality for some Americans.

I remember thinking when I was a little older that it was funny how Jello would talk a bit about the same issues over and over as the years went on. Not that he was super repetitive, but sometimes there were things that I’d heard before. And then I realised that he had to repeat things, because people weren’t learning from past mistakes. And nothing seemed to be changing. And now here we are. Dead Kennedys, for someone growing up in regional Queensland in the eighties, was an eye-opening experience, and considered quite dangerous too! And I continue to be thankful that I discovered them, almost despite where and when I grew up.

Standout tracks are the aforementioned This Could Be Anywhere (This Could Be Everywhere), Hellnation, A Growing Boy Needs His Lunch, Macho-Rama (Invasion Of The Beef Patrol), and Stars And Stripes Of Corruption. At My Job irritated me then, and irritates me now, probably because it was a little too real.

Rating: 9/10

Sunday Afternoon Vinyl – Dub War – Pain

Posted on by

Dub War – Pain

Dub War

Pain

Discogs: https://www.discogs.com/release/401144-Dub-War-Pain

Year Of Release: 1994

Review

I remember seeing an ad for a concert by Dub War in one of the free music newspapers in September or October 1995. I hadn’t heard of them previously, but a young lady in my Elizabethan Lit (look, we’ve all got a past) class expressed an interest in going, so we made it a date. I remember being nervous beforehand, so much so that I forgot to take my passport to use as identification, and we pretended to the doorman at The Roxy that I was a French exchange student and didn’t understand the need for proof of age at licensed venues. In any case, it was an excellent gig, and I remember the support acts were Pangaea and Emporium – two very entertaining Brisbane-based outfits. The gig poster used the photo from the Strike It single. I wish I could find a copy of it, but here’s one I found on an eBay listing.

Ironically, I didn’t buy a copy of this album until maybe ten years later, when I’d started to earn enough of the folding stuff that buying CDs was something I could afford to do. It’s a great album from start to finish, one of those performances that has you wondering why these guys weren’t bigger too. I know I say that about several rap / rock and dub / rock bands, and then I guess people were a bit more ready for something like it in the new millennium.

Standout tracks on this one are Strike It, Why, Nar Say A Ting, and Spiritual Warfare. But I’ll happily bop along to anything Dub War is playing. If you haven’t heard of them, they’re definitely worth checking out.

Rating: 8/10

Sunday Afternoon Vinyl – Pearl Jam – Ten

Posted on by

Pearl Jam - Ten

Pearl Jam

Ten

Discogs: https://www.discogs.com/release/11116451-Pearl-Jam-Ten

Year Of Release: 1991

Review

Some of you might be surprised to learn that I enjoy the music of Pearl Jam, but it shouldn’t be that surprising. Grunge was a nice escape from country and western when I was growing up in a small town in the early nineties, and Pearl Jam and Nirvana were tremendously popular, with their music videos enjoying relatively frequent airplay. So popular in fact that for some reason I found the need to sell my Nirvana CDs in the late nineties to somehow rid myself of the popular grunge thing (I probably just needed beer money). So while I enjoy Pearl Jam, I don’t have many of the band’s studio albums, and I seem to prefer to pick up the various concert bootlegs on vinyl and CD. I don’t get it either, but I’m working on filling in the gaps as best I can.

When Alive was released I remember I bought the CD single (remember CD singles? Almost as weird as cassingles). For some reason I didn’t buy a copy of Ten for many years after that. I don’t know why. I really enjoyed Alive, and I figured I’d probably enjoy the rest of the album too, but for some reason I could never commit. I do remember one of my classmates at the time commenting on the titles of the album all being one word only and maybe that was something we should think was weird. That’s right, super insightful stuff from fifteen year olds there.

This is a great album from start to finish, and has become my favourite album to listen to on repeat when I’m on a long-haul flight across the Pacific. I don’t know how that tradition started, but I imagine it had something to do with the limited range of albums available on the in-flight entertainment during the strange ten years or so where I was travelling to the US four to six times a year. Nowadays I need to listen to it on my phone as the airline I use has removed it from the music catalogue.

Standout tracks are the aforementioned Alive, Once, Black, and Release. But as I said this is very much a no skips album.

Rating: 9/10

Sunday Afternoon Vinyl – Transplants – Take Cover

Posted on by

Transplants - Take Cover

Transplants

Take Cover

Discogs: https://www.discogs.com/release/11157876-Transplants-Take-Cover

Year Of Release: 2017

Review

Come on Dan, I thought you weren’t reviewing singles and EPs? Well, firstly, I never set out to exclude EPs. And there aren’t really any rules with this weblog anyway. But I’ll keep it brief, like the EP. In any case, I really enjoyed the two albums put out by Transplants, and so this EP of cover songs was a bit of a non brainer. I’ve got a real soft spot for well done covers, and this EP delivers. But of course, the first track isn’t a cover, just to keep you on your toes. Could you go past a version of Seeing Red by Minor Threat being done by Tim Timebomb and Skinhead Rob? No, of course you couldn’t. Nor could you not listen to a version of Baggy Trousers that Madness could have only dreamed of doing. You want to ride the bike off a cliff? How about Nothing But A Heartache by The Flirtations? Sure, it’s rough, but it’s real. Live Fast Die Young by The Violators is a brilliant version, and you can’t go wrong with Gratitude by Beastie Boys. The EP is ably rounded out by another Transplants track, Won’t Be Coming Back.

I told you I’d keep it relatively short. If you like Transplants, and you like covers, this is the perfect album for you. I just wish there was more of it.

Rating: 8/10

Sunday Afternoon Vinyl – Urban Dance Squad – Persona Non Grata

Posted on by

Urban Dance Squad - Persona Non Grata

Urban Dance Squad

Persona Non Grata

Discogs: https://www.discogs.com/release/9211916-Urban-Dance-Squad-Persona-Non-Grata

Year Of Release: 1994

Review

Persona Non Grata is my favourite album from Dutch group Urban Dance Squad. A few years prior to its release I’d heard (and enjoyed) Mental Floss For The Globe. This album, however, seemed a lot heavier on the guitar which fit in well with my fascination with many of the rap / rock bands that were doing the rounds at the time.

Urban Dance Squad was also the first real gig I went to see, having the opportunity to see them play at Le Théâtre Barbey in Bordeaux in November, 1994. They were amazing live – full of energy and so loud (maybe they seemed so loud because I wasn’t bright enough to use ear protection in those days).

Urban Dance Squad concert ticket - 1994.11.02

They put out six albums (I’m not counting the Singles Collection released after they split up) in their time together and I recommend you go check them out. There’s a massive variety of musical styles being incorporated into the songs, and it’s fascinating to compare what they were doing in Europe at the same time as bands were doing something similar in the U.S.

Standout tracks on this one are Demagogue, Good Grief!, (Some) Chitchat, and Hangout. I used to really enjoy Downer, but nowadays I can’t come at it. Anyway, check out Urban Dance Squad if you haven’t.

Rating: 8/10

Sunday Afternoon Vinyl – The Cramps – Bad Music For Bad People

Posted on by

The Cramps - Bad Music For Bad People

The Cramps

Bad Music For Bad People

Discogs: https://www.discogs.com/release/12794668-The-Cramps-Bad-Music-For-Bad-People

Year Of Release: 1984

Review

I was given a taped copy of this compilation in 1995/96 by the little sister of one of my flatmates. It was the first time I’d had a chance to listen to The Cramps, although not the first time I’d heard of them, thanks mainly to exposure via t-shirt ads in Thrasher Magazine. I hadn’t had much exposure to “psychobilly”, but when I heard this album I knew I wanted to hear more.

It’s a compilation that was apparently somewhat controversial at the time, given that The Cramps had finished up with I.R.S. and it seemed like the label was milking the sacred cow for all it could. Regardless, I thought it was a great compilation, and it certainly sparked a fascination and enjoyment of The Cramps and their music that persists to this day.

Standout tracks on this one are New Kind of Kick, Garbageman, She Said, and Human Fly. But they’re really all great. Additionally, if you’re into random stuff, there’s a terrific version of Garbageman done by William Shatner that’s out in the wild too and definitely worth checking out.

Rating: 9/10

Sunday Afternoon Vinyl – Prefuse 73 Featuring Ghostface And El-P – HideYaFace

Posted on by

Prefuse 73 Featuring Ghostface And El-P - HideYaFace

Prefuse 73 Featuring Ghostface And El-P

HideYaFace

Discogs: https://www.discogs.com/release/402412-Prefuse-73-Featuring-Ghostface-And-El-P-HideYaFace

Year Of Release: 2005

Review

Dan, I thought you weren’t going to be doing reviews of 12″ singles? I’m not really, but I had to mention this one. And I’ll keep it really short. An absolute banger of a track that I stumbled upon randomly at a record fair a few years ago. It’s a fantastic Boom-Bap track featuring Ghostface Killah and El-P. I bought the album that it’s off, and wasn’t super excited by it, but I did really enjoy the Extinguished: Outtakes album from Prefuse 73. He’s done a bunch of stuff that’s worth checking out.

Rating: 8/10

Sunday Afternoon Vinyl – Dead Kennedys – Plastic Surgery Disasters

Posted on by

Dead Kennedys - Plastic Surgery Disasters

Dead Kennedys

Plastic Surgery Disasters

Discogs: https://www.discogs.com/release/1575148-Dead-Kennedys-Plastic-Surgery-Disasters

Year Of Release: 1982

Review

Dead Kennedys is one of my favourite punk bands of all time, and this is probably my favourite album from them. Which is unusual, as I owned copies of both Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables and the excellent compilation Give Me Convenience Or Give Me Death before I owned this one, but this one is still my favourite. It might be a question of time passing and having some more opportunities to listen to the album. Dan, what are you on about? Let me explain. I first owned Plastic Surgery Disasters on cassette, and not long after I bought it, my cassette player chewed up some of the tape. Fortunately, I was able to unscrew the shell and cut out the chewed up tape and re-tape it. Whilst I was able to save the cassette, it did mean that Trust Your Mechanic always sounded messed up, as did Bleed For Me (on Side B). I’ve since purchased a copy on CD and a vinyl pressing and am thus able to listen to the album more frequently. The joys of fragile cassettes!

Dead Kennedys - Plastic Surgery Disasters cassette

In any case, this is a brilliant hardcore punk album, and one that I think stands up well over forty years later. And I’m not the only one to think that – there’s a great (and gushing) review over here. Dead Kennedys is, and always has been, an absolutely fascinating band. And whilst I’m sad that Jello and the rest of the band could never work out the issues they had, I’m beyond stoked that they managed to put out what they did in the brief period they were making records together.

Standout tracks on this one are the aforementioned Trust Your Mechanic, Terminal Preppie, Halloween, and Riot. Special mention goes to Moon Over Marin, still one of my favourite DKs tracks, and one that I play at least once a week. I haven’t posted a photo of the cover – but you can see it here if you really want to.

Rating: 9.5/10