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Hi and thanks for reading. This week I am going to write about RATTUS: Rajoitettu Ydinsota EP. This EP was originally released on Poko Rekords in 1982, and it’s back in print in Finland for the first time since! I think it’s significant that this record came out in 1982, but I find it even more impressive that this was already the fourth record for RATTUS. I feel like this is the EP that everyone associates with RATTUS, but maybe I am wrong. I know the record that probably gets the nerds going is their first 7" cos it is hyper rare, haha. Their first two records are not really hardcore, but ‘77 punk. This early RATTUS punk sound fits in well with the Poko Rekords catalog. When thinking about Finnish hardcore, the first labels I think of are Propaganda and P. Tuotanto. Rock-O-Rama also comes to mind, but they were just a German label who was licensing releases from Propaganda. I know a handful of other smaller labels that released hardcore bands; otherwise most of the records I can think of were self-released. The earliest Finnish labels I can think of are Poko Rekords and Johanna. Both labels began in the late 70s and released some pretty essential stuff when it comes to Finnish punk and hardcore. Well, mostly punk really, and not so much hardcore.
Poko released a fair amount of good bands, including one of my all-time favorite ‘77 bands, KOLLAA KESTÄÄ. They also released a lot of weird shit, like rock-a-billy and electronic bands. I was just thinking about it, and I think RATTUS is probably the most hardcore shit they ever released, haha. KOHU-63 would be another banger on Poko that comes to mind, but again this stuff doesn’t hit quite like Rajoitettu Ydinsota. Don’t get me wrong, I really like KOHU-63 a lot and I consider them hardcore. I am just saying the sound isn’t like full-blown DISCHARGE-type hardcore. It’s like LAMA (who was on Johanna); they are definitely hardcore, but they formed early on and played through the evolution of punk into hardcore. TERVEET KÄDET I think is another example, with their evolution into hardcore being obvious on their third 7”, Ääretön Joulu, which was also released in 1982 on Poko Rekords. Damn, I never realized TK’s Ääretön Joulu was released so close to Rajoitettu Ydinsota EP. If anyone is counting, RATTUS had recorded for that EP in December ‘81, while TK didn’t record until spring of ‘82. Alright anyway, RATTUS released their previous record in 1981 on Poko Rekords as well, Rattus On Rautaa. While the band was already under the influence of DISHCARGE when Rattus On Rautaa was recorded, the sound did not translate so well. I think this is an excellent record, but if they were going for DISCHARGE, they still needed to go a bit further. I guess they really made sure to get the point across by putting a huge atomic cloud on the cover of Rajoitettu Ydinsota, and entitling it “Limited Nuclear War.” RATTUS kept it up into the later ‘80s releasing records on a handful of different labels, including two more 12"s on Poko Rekords. I have never actually heard their 1988 7", but I really enjoy every single release RATTUS from the ‘80s.
So, Poko Rekords was started by this guy Epe Helenius 1977. However, Epe had already owned a record store in Tampere since 1972 called Epe’s Music Shop. This shop expanded to a chain of stores over the years, and he also started a label for distributing bands from overseas called Poko International. He manufactured and/or distributed classics like DEAD KENNEDYS, PARTISANS, EXPLOITED, and BLITZ. He even handled distribution for a few METALLICA LPs, crazy. It’s a bit unclear to me how things worked, but things got rough and Epe had several different companies behind Poko to keep it afloat through the 90s. Poko Rekords was originally founded under Unitor Oy, but Unitor Oy went bankrupt in 1993. At the end of the 80s, he went into business with a friend, but that friend was bought out in 1991 by a company called PolyGram (who later becomes Universal). He did not want to go into business with PolyGram, so he bought back the shares his friend once had. In the end, it resulted in the bankruptcy of Unitor Oy. Luckily, he had already started a new company called Shoeling Oy in 1992, so he used this company to buy the old master catalogue to Unitor Oy that he lost in the bankruptcy. Then he changed the name of Shoeling Oy to Poko Rekords Oy. Haha, after wrapping my head around that, it is pretty genius... Eventually in 2001, Epe sold Poko Rekords Oy to EMI. I’m not sure how it worked, but Poko Rekords still functioned as a label regardless of what happened with EMI until 2009. And then finally in 2013, Universal bought EMI. What a story.
Thanks to Universal, there were licensing fees out the ass on this EP. They claim 50% goes to RATTUS, but that is bullshit of course. This RATTUS reissue was originally intended to be a co-release with my label Mäkitie 8, but due to the complicated licensing agreements it was best to keep it as a solo release from Finnish Hardcore. Regardless, I feel honored to play a role in the distribution of this legendary Finnish record over here in USA. Naturally, I wanted to make our copies special somehow, so each one comes with a bonus offset printed sleeve and proper screen-printed sticker. Sami from Finnish Hardcore included a brief history of the band, as well as a bunch of unreleased photos Vote Vasko took during the recording session!
Unfortunately, when I got the shipment I discovered a large percentage of the records were warped . Since the EPs cost so much money after licensing and shipping, I felt like I had to test each copy. I would be bummed if I paid $12 and got a wobbly ass 7" record from a label. So, my partner and I set up two turntables in the living room and tested all 300 copies on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, haha. It sucks so many were warped. It also almost sucks more cos they are warped but still totally playable—it’s just not pretty to look at. As a result, we’ve got some of these wobbly limited versions for sale via Sorry State. If that type of thing is too much, we’ve got the guaranteed-flat black vinyl version in stock as well, haha. I know this EP has been pressed a few times before, but I think it rips and deserves a place in every single record collection. Alright that’s all, I should go now. Thanks for reading and thanks for your support!!