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HEADCLEANERS are one of my favorite Swedish bands. This opinion probably changes on a daily basis between TOTALITÄR, MISSBRUKARNA, NO SECURITY, ANTI-CIMEX, or maybe even AVSKUM. HEADCLEANERS stick out to me as one of the greatest cos their sound is unique compared to the heavy, straight-forward DISCHARGE or UK82 influence on most Swedish bands. While they play with an obvious nod to DISCHARGE, they incorporate other elements like the wonky yet very catchy guitar lead (or flute… haha). I’ve always loved the look of all their record covers and inserts as well, so that really adds to my liking of the band. So naturally when we have a HEADCLEANERS compilation 12” in stock, I am going to write about it! While this isn’t an official release, I am happy to have these songs all together in one place with some good quality sound. The A side of the record opens up with their tracks from Really Fast Vol. 1, although it says they are from Vol. 2 on the insert, haha. Since there is not a proper track listing and I am high, it’s easy to get lost when listening. So please forgive me if I fuck up. After the Really Fast tracks comes (most of) their tracks from Varning!! För Punk compilation. However, the tracks on that CD compilation are just tracks from their 1981 split with PICNIC BOYS and Really Fast Vol. 1. Following those comes their 1981 Disinfection EP. The B side finishes off with their tracks from Beating The Meat, which came out in 1984. But those songs are not exclusive to the compilation. I am pretty sure they are just the missing songs from the Varning tracks that already appeared, basically making the A side complete with their earliest recordings. I will say though, the recordings they used did come from Beating The Meat, cos HEADCLEANERS added those silly intros/outros to their tracks when they appeared on that comp later. The B side opens up with their track from the Welcome to 1984 compilation. However, that is the same recording from the Disinfection EP that has already appeared on the A side, haha. Following that is their Infection Grows EP, which came out in 1983. Then comes their 1984 tracks from the Vårt Fria Land split to finish off the record. Aside from some obscure song(s) that appeared only on a cassette in the ‘80s, I don’t think there is anything missing from this compilation. That makes this a complete HEADCLEANERS collection, which has never been done on vinyl before. I read in an interview from like ten years ago with Mats, the mastermind of HEADCLEANERS, where he said that one day there will be a discography release of some sorts. I am not sure if or when that day will come, but until then, I’d grab one of these slabs to hold you down. Alright that’s it for today, cheers and thanks for reading!!