Sex Pistols: 90 Days at EMI

Sex Pistols: 90 Days at EMI by Brian Southall

A few weeks ago, I ordered the 35th Anniversary Box Set of the Sex Pistols Never Mind the Bollocks from Amazon.  Unfortunately, they did not get it in for the release date so I cancelled my order.  Fortunately, I was able to order it from Amazon UK.  While placing my order, I also found this book and ordered it.

At about 150 pages, the book is still a really quick read.  It is the story of the days of the first label of the Sex Pistols as written by the former head of the press department at EMI Records during this timeframe of Fall 1976.

The book starts out with stories of the live shows of the Sex Pistols and the name they are making for themselves in the music underground.  Lots of labels are trying to sign them.  They finally sign a 2 year deal for 40,000 pounds to record 2 albums.

After releasing their first single on November 26, 1976, "Anarchy in the UK"/"I Wanna Be Me",  they are ready to set out on the Anarchy tour with The Damned, The Clash,  and Johnny Thunder and the Heartbreakers.  This was the Chris Thomas recorded version of the song.

Prior to the start of the tour they make an appearance on the Today Show on December 1, 1976 almost again their wishes and that of the host Bill Grundy.  At the end of the show while hitting on Siouxsie Sue (who went on to front Siouxsie and the Banshees), Grundy coaxes Johnny Rotten and Steve Jones to say "fuck" on live TV.  Remember this was 1976 and a family oriented TV program.  It would have been like John Boy on the Waltons saying "fuck".

The Anarchy tour implodes as venues refuse to let the band play.  Radio stations refuse to play the single.  Stores refuse to sell it.  Pressing plants refuse to make it.  Mounting pressures from EMI's board of directors concerned with their loss of business to their military and medical equipment core businesses, the band is sacked from the label on January 6, 1977.

There are a few final pages of the book that discuss what happened to the Sex Pistols and the players at EMI originally responsible for signing them that are interesting.  Overall, I am glad I made this purchase, and learn somethings about the band that I was previously unaware of.

Perfect Youth

Perfect Youth - The Birth of Canadian Punk by Sam Sutherland

This book takes its name from the first LP by Canada's Pointed Sticks.  I love some of their tracks, and thru listening to DOA and other Canadian punk bands have grown an interest in the Canadian punk scene.  When I read a few months ago that this book was coming out, I had to get my hands on it to see what it was going to be about.  Till now, I was not aware of any book that covered the punk scenes across Canada similar to that of American Hardcore, Burning Britain, etc (some of the books at the top of the blog page).

The book is broken down into individual chapters that discuss the beginning eras of local scenes in Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, Montreal, Winnipeg, Edmonton, the Eastern provinces, Hamilton, Victoria, Saskatchewan, and Ottawa.  There are also a few chapters dedicated primarily to an individual band: The Diodes, Pointed Sticks, DOA, Forgotten Rebels, The Mods, Subhumans, and Teenage Head.

Each chapter is a collection of facts about band releases, venues that supported the scene and/or were opened by members within the scene, and some interview quotes from members of the bands, their managers, and other prominent people with knowledge of what happened back in the day.

There are interesting stories about the band personalities.  I had never heard of the Viletones and was unaware of their singer having a punk persona that was a cross between Darby Crash and GG Allin.  Several of the leaders of the scene have gone on to wealthy careers in politics, as lawyers, as recording agents, etc.  In fact, one of the guys mentioned is the COO of Live Nation.

The scenes all had their challenges and unique personalities.  Some were strongly supported by the gay community.  Others had to create their own places to play that opposed the local musician unions.

Some, like DOA, toured endlessly back and forth across the country creating paths for others to follow.  While doing so, they also spurred local bands to start up and get up on stage.  I was also surprised to read about some of the bands playing quite frequently in NYC.

The book has open my eyes to a lot of bands that I had never heard of, and I will be in search of their music.  I wish they would have had discographies listed of the bands that they mention in each chapter.

If you have any interest in the first wave of Canadian punk across many regions and provinces, I would highly recommend this book.  It was a quick read for a 350+ page book.

Halloween Punk Compilation

Here is a compilation that I put together of Halloween themed punk, ska, psychobilly, etc. tunes for you to enjoy for the holiday at the end of the month.  Get in touch with me if you want a copy.

Track Listing:
01 Dead Kennedys - Halloween
02 Misfits - 20 Eyes
03 Misfits - All Hell Breaks Loose
04 Misfits - American Psycho
05 Lars Frederiksen & the Bastards - Army of Zombies
06 Misfits - Astro Zombies
07 Brains - Zombie Nation
08 Lillingtons - Zombies
09 Mighty Mighty Bosstones - Devil's Night Out
10 Misfits - Devil's Whorehouse
11 45 Grave - Fucked by the Devil
12 Four Letter Word - Coffin Nails
13 Damned - Dead Beat Dance
14 Misfits - Vampira
15 Devil's Brigade - Vampire Girl
16 Misfits - Land of the Dead
17 Misfits - Night of the Living Dead
18 Damned - Nasty
19 Misfits - Dig Up Her Bones
20 Misfits - Monster Mash
21 45 Grave - Evil
22 Misfits - I Turned into a Martian
23 Misfits - Mommy, Can I Go Out and Kill Tonight
24 Horror Pops - Ghouls
25 Misfits - Skulls
26 Misfits - Walk Among Us
27 Damned - Psychomania
28 Misfits - Pumpkin Head
29 Effigies - Haunted Town
30 Agent Orange - This House is Haunted
31 Freeze - Halloween Night
32 Misfits - Halloween

2012 Riot Fest

2012 Riot Fest, a set on Flickr.

For the 7th year in a row, I purchased an every day pass to attend Riot Fest. This pass is supposed to provide access to all events including after shows. IMO, in a complete bullshit move, they sold tickets to the after shows this year. Then, they granted these ticket holders access to the after show events with priority over every day pass holders. More on this later.

I arrived at the Inn of Chicago at about 3pm. This may be the least attractive hotel room that I have got by bidding on Priceline. I will be skipping the 2.5 star hotels from now on if someone else is sharing the room with me. After a brief nap, I decided to hit Reckless Records on Madison in the Loop. It was about a one mile walk which was fine as I like looking at the buildings in downtown Chicago from different angles and at different times of the day. I managed to walk away empty handed from there. The punk selection was very limited.

I stopped at the Elephant and Castle for a pint of Harp and some nachos and then took a taxi to the Congress Theater. I picked up my 3 day pass wristband and headed in. I arrived in time to miss Dead Sara as planned. I was able to grab a beer and up on stage came Pegboy. They played an energetic 30 minute set to a surprisingly already large crowd. Larry spent most of the time hanging on the barrier or on his knee on stage out of breath. The guy gives it more than his body can handle. I was dissapointed in the sound for them. Bass and drums too loud and guitar and vocals too low. I enjoyed the show but have seen them sound better. They skipped any song that Larry plays guitar on because they had a short set. They only played about 8-9 songs. Here is what I remember them playing.

Dangermare

Slipped Through My Fingers
Strong Reaction
Revolver (Mission of Burma cover)
Hardlight

I had a few more beers and a slice of Congress pizza in an effort to avoid Neon Trees. They were not my cup of tea. I can't believe they did a cover of "Mommy's Little Monster".

I was pretty excited to see The Offspring for the first time. The venue was pretty full by the time they hit the stage. They had a 3 guitar attack for most of their set. I enjoyed them, but had the same complaint about the sound as I did for the Pegboy set. I left at 10pm to head to the Subterranean for the Naked Raygun show. The Offspring were scheduled to play until 10:15pm. Here are some songs I remember them playing.

Come Out And Play

Days Go By
All I Want
Bad Habit
No Brakes

When I arrived at the Sub, the line was around the corner. I didn't think this was a good sign. Long story short, I was next in line to get into the venue when they quit letting more people in unless you purchased a ticket or were on the guest list as they had more than 400 people upstairs already. All I will say is this may be the last Riot Fest I attend due to the shenanigans of selling tickets for after shows after promoting admission to after shows to entice people to buy 3 day passes early to provide cash flow to fund the festival. Ever get the feeling you've been cheated!

2012 Riot Fest Compilation

Next weekend, Riot Fest makes its return to Chicago.  I think this is the 8th year in a row that I will be attending.  In honor of the event, I made a compilation CD with some tracks from some of the bands that are playing that I will most likely be watching.  Leave a comment to contact me if you want a copy.

01 Offspring - All I Want
02 Descendents - Blast Off
03 Teenage Bottlerocket - Bottlerocket
04 Dropkick Murphys - Citizen CIA
05 Dan Vapid and the Cheats - Die Trying
06 Teenage Bottlerocket - Freak Out!
07 Dickies - Gigantor
08 Off With Their Heads - Hard to Admit
09 Less Than Jake - How's My Driving, Doug Hastings?
10 Naked Raygun - I Don't Know
11 Less Than Jake - Jen Doesn't Like Me Anymore
12 A Wilhelm Scream - Killing It
13 Descendents - Marriage
14 Descendents - Mass Nerder
15 Naked Raygun - New Dreams
16 Offspring - One Fine Day
17 Hot Water Music - Our Own Way
18 Elvis Costello - Radio Radio
19 Iggy & the Stooges - Search and Destroy
20 NOFX - Seeing Double at the Triple Rock
21 Offspring - Session
22 Rise Against - State of the Union
23 Rise Against - The Art of Losing
24 Pegboy - Through My Fingers
25 Pegboy - Time Again
26 Dropkick Murphys - Time To Go
27 Adicts - Too Young
28 Off With Their Heads - Trying to Breathe
29 Rise Against - Voice of Dissent
30 Casualties - We Are All We Have
31 NOFX - We Got Two Jealous Agains
32 Alkaline Trio - We've Had Enough
33 Teenage Bottlerocket - Welcome to the Nuthouse

2012 2000 Tons of TNT Festival Compilation

Next weekend, I am headed to Hartford, CT to attend the 2000 Tons of TNT festival.  I am meeting up with Earthdog and his brother Pakky for the event.  Hopefully, I meet up with my old college roommate SteveO too.

I've put together a compilation CD of tracks from some of the bands that are playing the festival.  Contact me if you want the link to download a copy.  22 of the 27 songs were played at the festival.  You can check out my review at my other blog - http://bar-b-lew.blogspot.com/2012/09/2000-tons-of-tnt-labor-day-weekend-2012.html.

Here is the track listing of the compilation CD.

01 Forced Reality - 15 Pints (And I'm Still Standing)
02 Meatmen - Blowjobs Ain't Cheatin'
03 Infa Riot - Emergency
04 Meatmen - Fast Food Fist Fuck
05 Anti-Nowhere League - Fucked Up & Wasted
06 Menace - GLC
07 Anti-Nowhere Leauge - Good As It Gets
08 Evil Conduct - Home Sweet Home
09 Anti-Nowhere Leauge - I Hate...People
10 Infa Riot - In for a Riot
11 Meatmen - I've Got a Problem
12 Infa Riot - Kids of the 80s
13 Menace - Last Years Youth
14 Negative Approach - Negative Approach
15 Anti-Nowhere League - Never Drink Alone
16 Forced Reality - Never Forget
17 Stars & Stripes - STFU
18 Menace - Screwed Up
19 Meatmen - Shut Up and Suck
20 Anti-Nowhere League - So What
21 Infa Riot - Still Out of Order
22 Yellow Stitches - Tale of a Fat Fucking Retard
23 NOi!se - This Is Who We Are
24 Negative Approach - Tied Down
25 Bruisers - Till the End
26 Meatmen - Toolin' for Anus
27 Warriors - Warriors (Come Out and Play)

2012 Rebellion Festival Compilation

This weekend is the Rebellion Festival in Blackpool, England.  One day I am going to make the trip across the pond to attend this festival.  Maybe next year.  Here is a 2CD compilation that I put together of some of the bands playing this weekend.

CD1
01 Geoffrey Oi!cott - 17 Pints of Ale
02 Only Ones - Another Girl Another Planet
03 Dun2def - Anti Social
04 Peter & the Test Tube Babies - Banned from the Pubs
05 Xtract - Boys in Blue
06 Zooparty - Bring the Bored
07 Abrasive Wheels - Burn 'Em Down
08 Crashed Out - Devil on My Back
09 Penetration - Don't Dictate
10 Runnin' Riot - Drunk & Disorderly
11 Left Alone - Drunk Again
12 Voodoo Glow Skulls - Drunk Tank
13 Section 5 - Every Saturday
14 Social Distortion - Far Behind
15 Vice Squad - Fistful of Dollars
16 Menace - G.L.C.
17 One Way System - Give Us a Future
18 Agnostic Front - Gotta Go
19 Business - Guinness Boys
20 7 Seconds - Here's Your Warning
21 Booze & Glory - Hooligan
22 Protex - I Can Only Dream
23 Boys - I Don't Care
24 999 - I'm Alive
25 Chelsea - I'm on Fire
26 Sick on the Bus - It Won't Suck Itself
27 Vibrators - Judy Says
28 Stiff Little Fingers - Kicking Up a Racket


CD2
01 Last Resort - King of the Jungle
02 Argy Bargy - Lights Over London
03 Outcasts - Mania
04 Anti-Pasti - No Government
05 Demob - No Room for You
06 Buzzcocks - Oh, Shit!
07 Case - Oh!
08 Sensa Yuma - On You
09 Ruts - Out of Order
10 Fits - Peace & Quiet
11 Neville Staple - Pressure Drop
12 Public Image Ltd. - Public Image
13 Control - Punk Rock Ruined My Life
14 Rat City Riot - Rat City Riot
15 Subhumans - Religious Wars
16 Goldblade - Riot Riot
17 Agitators - Salute to All
18 UK Subs - Self Destruct
19 Gimp Fist - Skinhead Not a Bonehead
20 Varukers - Soldier Boy
21 Lurkers - Suzie Is a Floozie
22 Off With Their Heads - Trying to Breathe
23 Zero Boys - Vicious Circle
24 Splodgenessabounds - We're Pathetique
25 Pipes and Pints - When the Pipers Play
26 Slaughter and the Dogs - Where Have All the Boot Boys Gone?
27 Spizz Energi - Where's Captain Kirk?
28 Rancid - White Knuckle Ride