Mozcore

Yep - my first reaction when this 1996 compilation was recommended to me was a nonplused "are you fucking kidding?" Interestingly, after I looked at the bands on the roster I belched out another "are you fucking kidding?" Having never knowingly heard a Smiths or Morrissey song in my life I wasn't sure what to expect from a punk/hardcore homage to the Manchester woe-is-me rock kings. In short though, I dug it. Probably the absolute antithesis to the original vibe of the songs, each cover are if a fast rocker, some a little more poppy then I'd like (a bunch of songs really sound like the Bouncing Souls) but I can't help but crack a smile at the idea of each vocalist taking a bit of a piss out of Morrissey's whiny style. Christ, even Anal Cunt (circa the 40 More Reasons To Hate Us-era) make an appearance - and their song is damn straight! Dare To Defy's "Shoplifters Of The World Unite" is a fantastic opener - if I didn't know better I would think I was listening to some old Snapcase song. Sub Zero has their Sick Of It All groove going, even the Meatmen rock their anthem with tongue planted firmly in cheek. I think the only song I could skip is Lament's restrained closer, "Back To The Old House" which is a little too close to the irritating original. Smiths fans prepare to be disappointed, all others, enjoy.

Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before

Straight Outta Stockholm

Something a little different-sounding from my usual posts - and tough to actually describe. While their bandcamp handle is "dvaladoom" don't be fooled, this Swedish 5-piece plays a pleasantly unique smorgasbord of post punk, lo-fi and croony, arty indie rock (they evidently posit themselves after 80's Swede alt rockers Broder Daniel whom I've never heard so the reference is completely lost on me). I present their 2013 release Vanföreställningar (Delusions), a 4-song EP that skirts across a large chunk of the musical spectrum. Most of the songs have two separate parts, one somewhat gloomy and bluesy followed by a more traditional R 'n' R finale. Guess which part I like better. If I have one complaint it's having no idea what the vocalist is wailing in any of the songs (à la watching a foreign movie without subtitles) but I can't really point too much of a finger since most of the music I listen to is abject screaming and gurgles anyway. The band appears to still be active (and poised to drop a full-length LP) via the usual social media pages so check 'em out (fb/bc).

Harborside

The MTV star that never was...

Over the last couple days I spliced together a video for one of my favorite GG Allin songs. "Cornhole Lust" off of the ever-so-lovely Suicide Sessions. Check it out here.

Update 11/18/21: YouTube deleted my original video because I spliced in a few seconds of 80's porno clips, so I re-edited to include some classic gore segments and the video is probably more brutal now than it was originally. Yeah censorship!!

Dedicated to the late Brian Jones...

Yowzah! Another early 80's GG Allin single! Recorded at the almost-legendary Massachusetts-based Destiny Records with his brother and a couple of Jabbers (I only learned the other day that the "X"-ish symbol in the upper left corner are two knives "jabbing" each other - get it?? - thanks to Terminal Boredom yet again), GG turned up the glam and amped the party vibe for his second solo record. "1980's Rock 'N' Roll" is easily the more sophomoric of the two songs while "Cheri Love Affair" remains a guilty favorite of mine to this day. Both cuts are mixed differently from what would eventually end up on Always Was, Is, And Always Shall Be - the backup vocals are weirdly loud (as is the awful synthetic piano in "1980's") but it's all terribly charming in its quasi-serious amateurness and makes the LP versions sound like gold. 

Watch Me Girls

Gimmie a "J"!

Still somewhat of a rarity in the annals of GG Allin's legacy, his one-shot 1981 recording with quasi-notable NY poet/writer Emily XYZ is yet another glimpse at a potential musical career that probably wouldn't have ended in his shit-smeared mid-30's heroin overdose. Featuring Al Chapple of Jabbers infamy on bass and "Fogerty" on guitar - GG plays an ample, albeit simple, drum beat behind Emily's avant garde non-linear lyrics. "Galileo" is the appropriately lesser B-side of the two, a somewhat dull rambling progression of a song while the flip "Jesus Over New York" has a very cool, definitely addictive rally chant quality to it. Interestingly, The Stripsearch (the band's actual name) released another single a year later with a cool handmade cover created from duct tape, sandpaper and crayon. I actually had that record as well but parted with it many years ago for some quick cash (with no musician listing I purchased it assuming GG played on that one as well, years later found out that was not the case). If anyone has a rip of that I'd love to hear it as I seem to remember "Hey Kid" was a pretty cool track. GG remained pretty friendly with Emily until his death and I think she even made it up to his funeral; yet another testament that the guy wasn't a total douche to everyone and the whole "I Love Nothing" persona was nothing but contrived schtick for the sheeple masses.

Vinyl Repellant

Sans-zig

While Jerry Only continues to drag the Misfits trademark through the dirt, ex-guitarist Doyle quietly released his surprisingly solid debut LP in mid 2013. For those who crave the sound of the American Psycho-era 'fits, look no farther. Seriously tired of Only's current (and sadly lethargic) version of the Misfits, Doyle's eponymous band is a breath of fresh horror punk air. Recruiting ex-Misfit drummer Dr. CHUD (who is pretty awesome in his own right) and Danzig-esque vocalist Alex Story, Doyle focuses on the blistering fast downstroked power chord progressions that made him famous. Some of the tunes fall a bit short but at least they are not all based on a fucking movie (Misfits' "The Black Hole"? Puke). The bluesy "Love Like Murder" echoes shades of Soundgarden's "Outshined" while my guiltiest pleasure on the record has got to be the oddly Pantera-ish "Cemeterysexxx". Don't be fooled, Doyle's vastly superior version of "Land Of The Dead" is in title only, the songs are totally different; but if I were Jerry I'd be nice to his younger brother this Thanksgiving. Maybe he'll get an audition.

Learn To Bleed

Herbal Mutilation

Keepin' it on the early 90's "alternative" tip comes Alice Donut's watershed Mule. Man, I can't tell you how many times this album stared me in the face as I repeatedly perused the "Alternative/Punk" section at my local Alwilk Records and yet I simply could not buy it. Just too much of a risk to spend my hard-earned $12 bucks on! Seriously, no one I knew had any fucking idea what the band sounded like... ironic since I lived only 25 minutes outside of Manhattan but that's another story. Decades later I finally grabbed a bunch of their music and discovered what a hesitant fool I was. Way ahead of their time, sounding like an even freakier Victims Family, Mule showcases Donut at their production-wise best. Lick-heavy proto-grunge with acoustic riffs interspersed throughout, this record eschews the "alternative" label and emerges as a pretty solid (albeit weird) party album. Nonlinear enough for the Ween/Lips fans and MTV enough for the Beck/Nirvana crew. Enjoy.

Crawlpappy

I'm Glad Sid's Dead (part II)

Here's the 12-track Peorian demo that never made it past overdubbed Mormon propaganda tapes way back in 1985. Showcasing the power chord chops of Harry Homo, Bud Wiser and Rubberneck; lead singer Bloody F. Mess caterwauls through a feedback-laden 15 minutes with admirable psychosis. It's better than anything he's released since, which isn't saying a whole lot but I really dig the trash punk vibe Bloody oozes, a whole lot more than the pseudo-country shtick he champions now. You gotta love "Skinheads Suck" - especially when Bloody ends it with a truthfully guttural "I hate this record". Of course this demo was completely overshadowed by the phenomenon that became GG Allin (he evidently "produced" this masterpiece in a lame name-drop to sell a few more copies) and the friendship that engulfed the two punksters launched a notoriety all itself. Still, if it weren't for Bloody booking the gigs and egging the ol' scumfucker on for the "Hated In The Nation '85" tour who knows if GG would have ever started shitting on stage with any regularity (ha!) or made it to Dallas for the infamous Twilight Room gig. Regrettably, Hate got lost in the fecal shuffle and Bloody wouldn't surface with another steady band until the Skabs in 1990. Enjoy.

Ha ha ha ha ha ha

Feces And Blood

Quietly released among a glut of posthumous GG Allin releases, it's surprising how Violent Beatings stayed under the radar considering it's got the most legitimately unreleased material since the ol' scumfuc OD'd twenty years ago. And for once it's not repackaged C&W acoustic nonsense, it's a bunch of recordings featuring guitarist Mark Sheehan (of Troubled Troubador and Illegitimate Kids (in)famy). Up first is a completely remastered version of GG's Murder Junkies 7" - the music is culled straight from the 1991 session master and is significantly rawer than what you heard on the You Give Love A Bad Name re-release. While not my favorite GG recording, I really dig "Bacteria Of The Soul" - a cool-ass rambling dirge which makes it all worthwhile. Additionally, the CD features some fantastic demo stuff recorded in the late 80's. Hitting rock bottom, GG took up Sheehan's offer to record in Lowell, MA during the hot summer of '88; the sessions were later partially released as Suicide Sessions. If you enjoyed the bleak rawness of Sessions then you will absolutely love this. While it's not everything they recorded, most of the faves are there... "Drug Whore", "Cornhole Lust", etc, etc. Absolutely fucking crazy. For completists out there (if my hazy memory serves me right), Ax/ction Records did packaged the entire Suicide Sessions demo as a DIY cassette-only release deceptively titled Scumfucs Live '84. If anyone has a copy out there please get in touch!

Kiss Me In The Gutter

Allin Autobiography

How else to start off the year right then with some essential literature penned by punk rock's preeminent Public Animal #1? Introducing the closest thing to a memoir about the infamous scumfuc, GG's autobiographical "America's Favorite Son." Written much like a schizophrenic diary (Allin has the annoying habit of casually traversing from the first to third person) it is somewhat difficult to read at times - the single-spaced typewritten pages are murder on the eyes (as is GG's antipathy for punctuation). Regardless, it is still a fascinating book, a must-have for any serious fan. Spanning from early childhood to his 1989 arrest in Ann Arbor, the stories are both hilarious and sobering. GG names names and doesn't censor the details for anyone's benefit, even his own. The Jabbers stuff is fantastic - the stories of the band struggling to stay together once GG decided to do his own thing are a real treat. My only complaint with "America's Favorite Son" is the lack of detail once GG began to devolve in the late 80's. Of course this is easily explained by the increase in his boozing and blackouts during that time but I wish more than a couple pages were dedicated to the recording of Freaks, Faggots Drunks & Junkies (heck, Suicide Sessions is mentioned only in passing). GG must've eventually sold his typewriter as the last 30 or so pages are handwritten (and I was complaining about the typewriter?) - I am happy to report that someone with a lot of patience has actually transcribed the entire book into a much more legible PDF format. And what a cover photo to boot. I included in the download file a few bonus PDFs. One is of a 1991 xeroxed press book distributed by Allin while he was floating around the country skirting parole. I got it via G-O-D from the excellent Media Christ blog who actually got his signed copy from Allin himself. A lot of the material we've seen before but it's still a cool compilation to peruse through. For completists out there, I also included a PDF of Evan Cohen's "I Was A Murder Junkie" to cover the last 5 months of GG's all-to-short life. So kick your feet up by the fire, grab yourself a steaming mug of Jim Beam and drift off into literary bliss.

Manchester Memoirs

Green Ball Crew

One of the cooler experiences I've had in my rather dull life is knowing the guys in the Bouncing Souls - all the while my dumb ass had absolutely no idea they were in the the aforementioned seminal funky punk band. Until it was too late that is and they had hit 287 South to the bright township lights of New Brunswick. Most of the guys were two grades ahead of me and I knew of them fleetingly until I snagged a job at a local pizza shop where Brian (bass) put in work making extra cash on the side. Pete (guitarist) was one year ahead of me in school and we shared some classes - he was always a nice ass guy - I only wish I had had the slightest inkling that he played guitar. Once the above EP hit Cheap Thrills Records I had my "no shit.... really?" moment - and I never saw any of the guys again. I kept up with the band through a few of my coworkers who stayed in touch and was really into a few of their earlier CDs. I actually used to have a copy of their '89 demo as well... long gone though or I would have uploaded that. While I haven't been back to NJ or bought a new Souls album in years I am happy to hear the boys are still doing their thing. Enjoy.

Argyle

Old skruel

Aw c'mon it's not as bad as everyone says it is... I find it funny that half the websites offering this album up for sale or review has a CYA disclaimer warning consumers that it's a low quality recording. Are you kidding? This is GG-fucking-Allin we're talking about here, not Muse. Which of his recordings weren't low quality? While this particular compilation may be a few notches down from Murder Junkies or Carnival Of Excess, there is nothing on The Bloody Years that isn't as lo-fi as anything on Eat My Fuc or Suicide Sessions (i.e. recorded on a cassette deck). I've ranted previously about Bloody F. Mess getting the raw end of the punk rock baseball bat over the years - I actually find it cool to hear the old recordings made by an über fan of his actual idol. Absolute labors of love. People have bitched that Bloody capitalized on GG's death with the release of this material and so what? I'm sure he managed to make that extra car payment on his '88 Honda Civic with the proceeds earned from this one. Bloody was GG's pal, touring buddy and inglorious promoter through a time where GG was hardly known outside of the shitty NH suburbs. Hell, some say that it was Bloody who convinced GG to actually start shitting on stage - at his first Peoria, IL gig in 1985. GG's infamous 1986 show at "Pete's Basement" (literally, a basement in some teenager's house) is absolutely primo early Geeg and is presented here in its amazing 16-minute entirety (I'm assuming that it's "Pete" who whines through the gig that the mic GG is smashing into his face is his). I think GG was backed up by a cassette deck if I'm not mistaken - the version of "Eat My Diahreah" is one of my favorite GG tracks ever. Some of the other material is hit or miss, GG's tracks with the 1989 version of Bloody & The Skabs are OK but it's the live stuff that really kills. Wrapping it all up are some phone messages and conversations between Mssrs. Mess and Allin - I actually converted the mono files to stereo making them much easier to listen to. Funny chats between two friends - Bloody can at times be a bit overly adoring but hey, I forgive him, I woulda been too. Enjoy the history lesson.

Sew The Mouths Of Others

Ever Rat

Solid cassette-only release from the sadly defunct Ever Rat Records based out of the Seattle, WA area. A cool snapshot of 1989-era GG Allin (unintentionally humorous botched song titles aside), the side A recording with the Disappointments is the real treat on the album - GG drunkenly slurring his way through a 6-minute rendition of "Jesus And Mothers Cunt" absolutely kills. Side B showcases the one and only gig by GG and his "Expose Yourself To Kids" back-up band the AIDS Brigade (featuring future Murder Junkie Merle Allin/Pearl Murder). Years later this show would actually make it onto DVD (it's the one where the band is playing in drag) but this version actually sounds a little better then the shitty VHS sourced for the DVD. Knowing now that the band was in drag explains why GG intentionally changed the song lyrics ("Cock On The Loose" becomes "Cunt On The Loose," etc. etc.) which always escaped me back in the day. The "I Hate My Audience Interview" isn't quite that - it's a recording lifted from GG's infamous appearance on Chicago's WLUP radio morning show. The sound guy dropped some choice snippets of GG over a loop of AC/DC's "T.N.T." to create an outro jingle for the show. You can hear the full version (and whole interview) somewhere on here.

Outlaw Scumbag

Somewhere In Jersey

Walk Among Us-era Misfits doing what they did best in the shithole suburb of Passaic, NJ. They had just shitcanned Bobby Steele and were now the lean and mean quartet of Danzig, Only, Doyle and Googy. Before the drugs and creative ownership issues tore the band apart, the devilocked punkers put on a great Christmas show for a drunken redneck crowd at the now-defunct Hitsville on Main. I first heard this show on the significantly shittier-sounding Evil Is As Evil Does 7" bootleg-of-a-bootleg - getting a taste of the whole gig is a real treat. Bobby Steele and the Undead fucking suck...

If You Don't Know This Song...

Kiss Me In The Gutter

One of the rawer, more mean-spirited releases in GG's extensive catalog was the 1993 No Room 7". Recorded with Mark Sheehan (possibly lifted from the Suicide Sessions rehearsals?) and utterly fucking brutal to listen to, this one is doing little to alleviate this morning's hangover. Try not to snicker at the Jim Crow-esque harmonica at the close of the title track though - clever touch Mr. Allin. Enjoy.

No Room

The $5 Slut

Named after the hilariously so-bad-its-great nazisploitation flick The Beast In Heat (trash cinema completists may recall the alternative moniker SS Hell Camp during its fleeting 42nd Ave. grindhouse run - as if the original title wasn't lurid enough) this backwoods Australian four-piece sounds like the retarded offspring of GG Allin and Sockeye. In a good way. Showcasing a singer (the venerable King Duey) that sounds like a mix between Johnny Rotten, Choke and Trey Parker and power-chord punk tracks reminiscent of the Scumfucs, The Real Fonzie is a real hoot. My favorite is the oddly titled "Pig! & I'll Fuck Her" - worth the download alone. While the actual band is long since gone, they just released a long-lost recording session with a shamefully hot upskirt album cover - pick it up here. Enjoy.

La Bestia In Calore

Noise Punk

Snotty punk from Leicester, UK. Fast, abrasive and annoying, the anthemic "Poundland" has definitely got one of the punkier choruses that I've heard in a while. The other songs basically sound exactly the same but for some reason the opening to "Fuckin' Bankers" has got me hooked. Keep up to date with the boys here. Enjoy.

Don't Make Me Laugh

I Got Somethin' To Say...

Ahh bootlegs, what would music afficionados do without them. For a band that had a fairly limited studio output and nowhere near the number of recorded gigs bands played during the tape-swapping boom years later, the Misfits have amassed an impressive catalog of unofficial releases (at least 131 and counting according to Discogs), all of the expected varying quality, rareness, and listenability that comes with the sorry one-shot bootleg. You gotta love this 1992 release from Spain's Decca label (in no way related to the official classic Decca label of the 50's that supported such acts as Bing Crosby and Patsy Cline), through the broken English and mangled/missing song titles (as well as the strange cut-and-paste band photo on the back) we get a "studio mix" of "Last Caress" (still the Misfits most then-famous song thanks to Metallica) and a couple of token live tracks. Interestingly, the record sleeve claims the live material was "recorded alive D.C. Space 31/2/1983" (sic); fortunately an astute historian has tracked down the real source: an '83 gig from the Michigan Union Ballroom in Ann Arbor, MI. For what it's worth, it all sounds fine, "Last Caress" is exactly like one of the many versions you've already heard and the other stuff is typical late Misfits live recordings - sounding like they were recorded on a shitty Walkman. In other words, enjoy.

100 Anos De Gravaçao Sonora

GG Worship

Out of the scumfuckin' swamps of Tampa, FL (ironically where GG would record his posthumously-released Carnival Of Excess album) comes the Allin-inspired Jesus Christ And The Gang Bang Whores. Dissatisfied with the routine as a token tribute band to the deceased scumfuc, they evidently began writing their own material - much in the scatological flavor of their fallen punk rock god. From what I've read the band puts their money behind the music, the lead singer (who even looks like a grimy 80's-esque GG) plays naked, fights break out, various bodily fluids make an appearance and... you get the picture. So how does it all sound? Well, definitely scummy, but unfortunately not all that original. "Gutter Slut" has echoes of a downtuned "Teacher's Pet"; "Baby Pussy" sounds like a weird mesh between "Teenage Twats" and "Anal Cunt"; "Even Though Your Dead" is nearly note-for-note "Expose Yourself To Kids"; and the finale "Extreme Randomness" has shades of the drug-laced "Jesus In Mother's Cunt/My Bloody Mutilation" rants from Allin's late-90's gigs. Oddly, the diarrhea-drinkin' ode "Leave The Seat Up For Me" kinda sounds like some drunken Kurt Cobain outtake but that's an argument for another time. Still, the e.p. is a fun listen, especially after a downing a six-pack of skunked Meister Bräu - just pretend it's a forgotten album by our favorite New Hampshire rock 'n' roller. R.I.P. GG.

Crucify

Louie Louie

Great live rehearsal/practice/jam session by obscure, long-defunct Danish punkers Redzack. Recorded in 1996, the boys tear through solid covers of Black Flag, GG Allin, The Sods and the Kingsmen as well as toss off a couple originals. Vocalist/guitarist/everyman Lasze went on to form the amazingly good Cherrybombs DK (on GG's Black & Blue label, 'natch) who are equally worth checking out. Top notch old-school punk homages by guys who were as influenced by these bands as you were. Enjoy.

Wasted