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Public Acid: Deadly Struggle 12” (Beach Impediment Records) Public Acid returns with the much-anticipated follow-up to 2020’s Condemnation EP. Perhaps I don’t need to post a disclaimer, but I will anyway: two members of Public Acid have worked at Sorry State and I feel a close connection with the band and each of its members. So maybe I’m just gassing up my buddies, but ignore my praise for Public Acid at your peril, because I think they’re one of the best and most important bands in the current hardcore scene. The other night I was talking to a friend about how, when a band is on a hot streak, it’s important to recognize what’s happening so you can savor it. It’s a feeling I get once every few years, and often I’ll get into a band so heavily that they start to define that period of my life. Direct Control, Double Negative, and Government Warning were bands I felt that way about, and I feel that way about Public Acid right now. If you’ve seen them live in the past few years, you know they’ve matured into a total fucking wrecking ball. I’m not the only one who recognizes this. After the Sorry State 10th Anniversary Weekend last fall, several people independently commented to me that there was a palpable change in energy when they took the stage. Many people, myself among them, were expecting Public Acid to make a really great record sometime soon, which brings us to Deadly Struggle. You can listen to the record and decide for yourself, but for my money this thing is a fucking masterpiece. The fast songs are blinding, the slow parts are unholy, and it feels both timeless and appropriate to its moment in the way great art should. While Deadly Struggle is unmistakably hardcore punk, it doesn’t sound like anything else. Sure, there are reference points for certain things they do, and Public Acid is also part of a wave of bands like Tower 7 and Salvaje Punk making ugly fusions of raw international underground hardcore and metal, yet Public Acid stands alone. Like I said, I’ve been around the block a few times, and I think I know when a band is at the top of their game. Deadly Struggle is not a record you want to sleep on.

What’s up Sorry State readers? I hope everyone is having a nice week. This coming Friday, I’ll be departing for a road trip that spans from the mountains of North Carolina to the muddy banks of the Mississippi in Memphis while catching some Billy Strings shows along the way. It’ll all be capped off with a Sunday night performance at The Ryman in Nashville, which I’m still in disbelief that I actually have tickets for. Since I’ll be making the voyage to the Mother Church, I thought it would be fitting that this week I write about the Father of Country Music, Mr. Jimmie Rodgers. Jimmie is known for his yodeling, which understandably, might not be everyone’s cup of tea. I remember the first time I heard yodeling was when I was in elementary school in Nashville. We had a school assembly to watch this girl perform who was on America’s Got Talent or some similar TV show for yodeling. Obviously America did not select this yodeling little girl to be their new champion, but that didn’t stop Walnut Grove Elementary from booking her. I remember hearing it and thinking it sounded pretty funny, but also kinda intriguing? Fast forward 15+ years and I still feel the same way. It does sound kinda funny but also nice. It’s a very natural thing and pretty much anyone can yodel, but to convey some sort of emotion with it is where the talent steps in. Jimmie’s yodel is a very high, lonesome sound, almost like a coyote howl. The man had a short and tough life, so it’s no wonder these blues were flowing through him. He was working as a brakeman for the railroad when he was diagnosed with tuberculosis in 1924 and by 1927, had to stop working due to his declining health. Following medical advice that stated he should live somewhere high and dry to ease his symptoms, he moved his family to Asheville, North Carolina. This led to him focusing more on his recording career and his time working on the railroad was very influential to his sound and the subject matter of his music. He continued his musical career until his untimely death in 1933 at the age of 35. The amount of timeless music he recorded in this short time is staggering and continues to influence country, folk and bluegrass artists even today. His presence even remains in pop culture. The movie O Brother Where Art Thou features the main characters, The Soggy Bottom Boys, performing a version of his song In the Jailhouse Now. This record is a compilation of some of his more popular tunes, my favorites being My Rough and Rowdy Ways and Peach Picking Time in Georgia, both songs Doc Watson would commonly cover (and now Billy as well.) Who knows, maybe I’ll have a real full circle life moment and get to hear Billy do some yodeling down at the Ryman in Nashville. Either way, I’m looking forward to traveling through the great states of North Carolina and Tennessee and hearing the music the land had such a huge part in developing.

Hi Sorry State friends! Hope everyone is doing well! I’m doing ok. I just had a very weird 24 hour type flu that I slept through most of and woke up feeling completely normal. Unfortunately, something is going around because almost everyone I see on a somewhat daily basis has been or is currently sick. Hope ya’ll are staying healthy! So in last week’s newsletter I was talking about a record I bought that I was super excited about, and it just came! So I’m gonna talk about it.

Unfortunately, I don’t have another giant bag of chips costume to throw on while holding this Minor Threat record like I did with my last Minor Threat score! But I finally landed a 1981 copy of the first Minor Threat EP! It’s the third pressing and I’ve had my eye on it forever. I’ve done daily Minor Threat checks on Discogs to see if anyone has listed a second or third pressing, even though a first pressing is currently listed at the reasonable price of over $4,000. Ha!

Anyway, I made an offer to a seller a couple months ago and he politely declined, but noted my offer was indeed fair. But wouldn’t you know, he just re-posted it at $100 less! It probably would’ve sold had Jeff not alerted me in time. I asked a couple questions, mulled it over for about 90 seconds, and sealed the deal. I had been nervously anticipating its arrival, hoping it arrived in the expected condition and had zero issues that would affect play. And it did not disappoint! So I played it about 10 more times full blast with glee.

It felt good to move this record from my want list to my collection. I always keep an eye on the other pressings, but I am very content. This record is my favorite hardcore record of all time. It has most of my favorite Minor Threat tracks on it. Nothing does it for me quite like the bridge in Screaming at a Wall. If I had to pick favorites, that’s my favorite on the record. Followed by Filler, Minor Threat, I Don’t Wanna Hear It, Small Man, Big Mouth. Honestly, every single song is about as good as the one before or after it.

I feel like I am kind of repeating the sentiments I expressed when I wrote about the In My Eyes EP, but both EPs make me so happy. There are a lot of old bands I love but don’t play that much because I don’t feel like being transported to the time in my life I first heard the music. But I never feel like that with Minor Threat. It always feels like the right time to put it on a Minor Threat record.

I actually found Minor Threat after Fugazi. And I actually found Fugazi through Kurt Cobain’s tennis shoes. He had purposely misspelled the name Fugazi on the toe of his Converse to make fun of another artist. And so it began. I became so intrigued by Ian MacKaye and everything Ian MacKaye-adjacent. I learned about the whole idea of DIY punk and punk for no profit. Crazy stories like how he rode his bike to some nice restaurant to meet with an Atlantic Executive and turned down a 10 million dollar deal presented to him. He set the DIY bar so fucking high, but it goes way beyond that.

I imagine that when you don’t indulge in any vices or money, you have a giant surplus of energy and passion to put into music. And subsequently, that music will be fire. I could go on and on and on, but suffice it to say I was well-primed to be blown away by Minor Threat, and I was. I still am.

I’m stoked and broke, my friends. And well worth it. Do yourself a favor if you don’t own any Minor Threat, and just grab the whole catalogue. You can probably get through it in an hour!

Thanks for reading! Until we met again.

-Angela

Hey there Sorry Staters! What’s happening? We appreciate you stopping by and taking a read of the newsletter. Always.

So, last week I tempted fate by mentioning football and right away my Reds go and have a terrible day at the office. Typical. I’m sure that raised a laugh from some of you out there reading. That’s okay, trust me I see the funny side too.

Anyway, this week there were some interesting new arrivals awaiting me when I came to work after my weekend off. I’m not sure whether my colleagues will touch on any of them, but the one that I would like to talk about is a compilation of the singles released by the independent punk label Groucho Marxist Record Co:Operative from Paisley, Scotland in the late 70s/early 80s. The label only put out four singles, but packed a lot of quality and variety across those eight sides of vinyl. When I was back in Glasgow last year visiting my cousin, we drove past Paisley as it is so close and just the other day, I was looking at a photo of the Walrus Fountain in Paisley that my cousin took. Couple that with a recent listen to The Vaselines and I was perfectly primed for some good Scottish pop and punk sounds. This compilation did not disappoint.

GMRC was run by a printer named Tommy Kayes, who was a member of a Clyde side anarchist group. Local politics, police suspicion and ties to Rock Against Racism were the main influences and driving forces behind the label and the bands that they recorded. Across the four singles, eight different bands/artists are represented, the first two singles being various artists EPs.

Musically, the sound is D.I.Y. punk and typical of the try anything approach that similar labels and bands were adopting across the land. XS Discharge come across like a mix of The Clash and Buzzcocks with a dash of Public Image Limited for good measure. Defiant Pose sound like The Undertones and could easily have been on Good Vibrations. Mod Cons kick the collection off with a humorous but true song about the state of 70s council housing. It’s a catchy number and you could see it being a hit if the lyrics were about girls or something other than damp flats.

Other than the shorter run, GMRC share a similar aesthetic as labels like Good Vibrations and a host of other independent labels that were circumventing the mainstream and doing it for themselves. As I began writing this piece in the store, Jeff and I were listening to a couple of Crass comps which collected all the demo tape submissions that they received from around the country. They’re called Bullshit Detector and are worthy of adding to your collection if you don’t already have them. There are quite a few gems across the two volumes we played, but we thought the second set was the better. If we had to pick. I love all these regional compilations that document the scenes outside of London and the other major cities. So much creativity and talent on display and, when outside of the mainstream, often weird. Weird is good of course and so is being able to say whatever you want without fear of being censored. Songs about real-life issues, politics etc. is what you get, and that’s exactly what infuses every tune that GMRC released in their brief two-year lifespan. A quote from Tommy taken from a fanzine interview perfectly sums up the label’s philosophy: “No way do we cater for happy consumers, who clock in the following morning, content because they had a fun night. We are anti-specialists: you don’t need big promoters to organize gigs, IPC to publish fanzines, professionals to take photos, record companies to make records, lawyers to tell you what’s right from wrong.”

Every track is a winner here and based on prices for the original singles that’s just not the opinion of a few shut-in collectors. They are not completely out of reach though, especially if you live in the UK and can find a local dealer, but perhaps this comp will increase interest and more people will be on the hunt now. Or not, you never can tell. I admit ignorance to the label and the songs, but I am sure more seasoned punks out there are long aware of these great records. Clearly, the good folks at Sealed Records were and many thanks to them for the great job that they have done on this release. The record sounds good first and foremost, so good job there, but the packaging is the hero here. You get a whopping 40-page 11x11 booklet included which is full of press clippings, photos, essays, track information and zine interviews. Very cool and informative. Get this one in your cart pronto. We have a few copies in stock currently, but you don’t want to sleep on this one.

Okay, that’s it from me. Thanks for taking the time to read the newsletter. I’m sure my colleagues came through with their writings. I’m not blowing smoke when I say that I look forward to reading what they are into each week, as they always educate and entertain me.

Peace and love - Dom

What’s up Sorry Staters?

What the fuck is happening? I feel like I was just writing for the newsletter yesterday. The course of my week just seemed to whizz by like one of those accelerated montage sequences in a movie, where I’m stuck in one spot but the color of the leaves is changing in front of my face. I’m at the store again with Dom and I’ve got an overwhelming sense of déjà vu. I feel like I need to commit more time to smelling the roses. But how can one do such a thing when life is so busy? By the time all you newsletter subscribers are reading this, it’ll be the week of Public Acid’s record release party. Strictly a listening party (*wink*wink), so bring your headphones. The following Saturday, we’ll be heading up to DC to play a sick gig with Destruct and Abism from New York, whom I’m very stoked to see live.

Also, I wasn’t sure when would be a good time to mention this, but Scarecrow is finally repressing our first 7”, Revenge. It’s been a long time comin’; our first EP has been outta print for a long time. Me n Usman got a whole bunch o’ covers to stamp haha. Scarecrow is playing with Physique in Richmond on February 23rd, and I’m hoping we’ll have a few copies for sale at that gig. I dunno, we’ll see.

Alright, let’s talk about this Violin record. For whatever reason, this seems to be a title on Iron Lung that isn’t garnering as much attention as the other last several titles released on the prolific hardcore punk label. Currently, even though we’ve had the record in stock for a few weeks, there’s no listing for this new EP on Discogs yet. Personally, I can understand why it maybe isn’t as attention-grabbing as other records on Iron Lung. Based on the band name and visual presentation alone, Violin might have been something I would normally glance over. I mean, just the name “Violin” led me to assume the band sounded like pretentious, artsy fartsy post-punk or something. Not that there’s anything wrong with that! I was dead wrong. Now, if any of my friends were to be like “what the fuck is up with this Violin band?” I would say, “Just buy it, dude. It RIPS.”

Let me stress this clearly, I was indeed surprised to discover that Violin is actually a hardcore band. Dropping the needle on this 7” totally caught me off guard. But before I get too entrenched in depths of rambling, let me talk about their first record before I dig into this new record: Violin’s previous LP was released on La Vida Es Un Mus back in 2022. Again, I can’t remember… maybe I gave it a quick listen? But I basically totally overlooked the record at the time. As far as I know, Violin is a project by just 2 dudes. On their initial release, I might describe Violin as what I often affectionately refer to as “weirdo hardcore,” or as Daniel describes in his write-up, “slightly left of center.” There are some quirky elements on the LP, while managing to still sound relatively heavy, which made me file them in a similar sonic category as a band like their UK peers Perspex Flesh.

On this new 7”, however, it feels like the boys in Violin made a conscious decision to strip down the sound, trim the fat, and bust out 4 songs of bare-bones, lean, mean, furious hardcore punk. I gotta say, I immediately prefer this 7” to their debut LP. I think taking a more direct approach to songwriting makes the band feel more explosive and powerful, and honestly, more memorable for that matter. For me, as much as I’m sure the visual aesthetic and presentation is an important element of the band’s “vision” or whatever, I think the artwork almost sells the record short. Violin’s propulsive take on hardcore is somehow air-tight in execution while also primitive and cavemanish. Harkening back to the tougher, meaner side of 80s US hardcore, there’s something about Violin that reminds me of Out Cold. In particular, the singer’s gruff, yet throaty, high-pitched voice reminds me a lot Kevin from the early Out Cold records. Only 4 songs, and every single one of them is fast. Not insanely fast, mind you… Iron Lung’s description deems Violin’s signature pace of 1-2-1-2 drumming as “violence tempo.” Which at first I was like, what the fuck does that mean? Then again, if I were to imagine this record as the soundtrack urging a pack of seething, rabid, frothing at the mouth degenerates to start raging, I understand exactly what it means.

Maybe due to the fact that this project is destined to be a raw, well-executed hardcore solo project sleeper hit not unlike Deaf Mutations, there was a part of me that wondered if Jonah from Career Suicide might be involved somehow. Come to find out that I fuckin’ called it, Jonah does in fact play drums in Violin. Daniel always talks about the concept of smart people making dumb music, and I think Violin falls into that category.

Violins? More like Vio-LENCE, am I right? If you haven’t even given this record a chance, I highly recommend you give it a listen. I’ll cut myself off there. As always, thanks for reading.

‘Til next week (will probably be here before I know it),

-Jeff

Fy Fan: S/T 7” (Feral Ward Records, 2007)
Fy Fan: Åh Nej 7” (Adult Crash Records, 2009)
Fy Fan: Ingen Framtid... ...För Alltid 7” (No Way Records, 2011)

For no particular reason I can remember, Sweden’s Fy Fan has been on my playlist a lot lately. Fy Fan was from Malmö, Sweden, just across the bridge from Copenhagen, Denmark, and they put out these three 7”s between 2007 and 2011. The list of labels on these—Feral Ward, Adult Crash, and No Way—is pretty phenomenal. Those were easily three of my favorite labels at the time (Adult Crash still is LOL), and all of them cosigning Fy Fan indicates how good the band is. Their “members of” list is also gnarly, touching Herätys and Stress SS, among many others.

This almost certainly flew over my head when these records came out, but listening to them in 2024, I feel pretty certain the Headcleaners were a huge influence on Fy Fan. (They also cover Nisses Notter on their first EP.) I hear Headcleaners in Fy Fan’s scratchy guitar sounds, their willingness to switch between uglier, full-bore hardcore and (slightly) more tuneful parts, and their singer’s raspy yet (again, slightly) tuneful snarl. My favorite bands on Kick N Punch Records in the early 2000s shared some of those characteristics too, and even though Fy Fan was a few years later, it feels like that scene left its imprint on the band. It wouldn’t surprise me if they got some production tips from those bands, as all of Fy Fan’s records have great, vintage-sounding recordings. Åh Nej almost sounds like a recording from Inner Ear’s golden era.

Since I’ve been listening to Fy Fan again, I looked up what the band’s name means in English. It’s a Swedish phrase that doesn’t have a direct English translation. The approximation I liked best was “fucking hell,” since how phrase nonsensically throws together two profane words approximates (from what I understand) the grammatical collision that happens with the Swedish term “fy fan.” I don’t understand it fully (maybe I’ll ask my friends in Vidro next time I see them), but it’s worth a deep dive if you’re interested in language or Swedish culture beyond just punk.

So yeah, three EPs, all of them rippers. If you’re over the age of 35, you probably remember Fy Fan from the first time around. Dig out your copies if you still have ‘em… I think you’ll find they’ve aged nicely. And if you’re younger than that, my quick survey of the Discogs marketplace informs me these records, accounting for inflation, still qualify as dollar bin ragers.

Pura Manía: Extraños Casos De La Vida Real 7” (Roachleg Records) Here at Sorry State, we were huge fans of Pura Manía’s first three records: the two 7”s they released in 2014 and their 2017 album, Cerebros Punk. When I heard Pura Manía was returning with a new record, I was excited, but also a little nervous. The world has changed in the ten years since Pura Manía’s first records came out, and more bands are mashing up post-punk and anthemic street punk / oi!… Home Front, for instance, has become one of the biggest bands in the underground with a sound based on a similar set of influences. After listening to Extraños Casos De La Vida Real, though, I realize I shouldn’t have worried. While a few people may have caught up to where Pura Manía was in 2014, they’re still several steps ahead of everyone else. And besides, it was never about the sound, it was about the songs, and god damn fucking hell does Pura Manía have songs. At the center of all four songs on Extraños Casos De La Vida Real is a powerful central vocal melody, always anthemic and sing-along-able… these melodies are the reasons Pura Manía’s music is so often compared to classic oi! and Spanish punk, but unlike the bare-bones arrangements favored by oi! bands, Pura Manía builds these songs out into tracks that are like punk symphonies. Besides the central vocal hooks, each song also has several memorable lead guitar and bass lines, and you can tell they put a ton of thought into how all these parts work in concert… take, for instance, the way the lead guitar gracefully steps to the side as the tension-building pre-chorus leads into the chorus payoff in “El Viaje Al Interior Del Cuerpo,” setting up the pins perfectly so the vocalist can knock them down. These are masterpieces of punk songwriting, and I love that this time around Pura Manía is less shy about it, employing clearer, sharper production than their earlier releases and doing clever-ass shit like the musical callback to one of their older songs on the grandiose, later-Damned-esque instrumental intro. Extraños Casos De La Vida Real is just a great fucking record, a phenomenal piece of craftsmanship that seems determined not just to imitate, but to equal (and perhaps even best) the life-changing records that influenced it. This is the reason we are punks, folks, because our scene can produce bands and records like this.

What’s up Sorry State readers, I hope everyone has had a better past week than I have. Between getting covid last week, being in the midst of moving out of my apartment, and dealing with money hungry property managers, it’s been a stressful time. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel though, so I just gotta keep on keepin on. Some people may listen to angry/aggressive stuff when they’re stressed out. It’s therapeutic. There’s definitely a time and a place for that for me, but more often than not I find myself listening to happier music in these times, and what’s a better way to escape than listening to a compilation of various female French singers of the 60s? I picked this up this past December at Goner Records when I was visiting my family in Memphis. This one caught my eye while I was flipping through records and picked it up on a whim and it exceeded all expectations. Something about listening to songs in a language you don’t understand gives you more room to think/daydream while listening to them. Dominic has also taught me the power of compilations being the perfect way to discover new artists to fall in love with, and this one has definitely opened up some new doors for me. The packaging is great on this, featuring a gatefold cover that opens up to pictures and bios of all the artists featured throughout the album, which is always interesting to read about. The record itself is a nice 180 gram “blonde” vinyl. Colored vinyl has never been a big deal for me, but I appreciate a nice unique color. Listening to this record makes me feel like I’ve been transported to a 1960s atomic cocktail lounge in France and I’m wearing some real funky shit. My favorite tracks on here are:

France Gall—Laisser Tomber Les Filles

Anna Karina—Roller Girl

Annie Philippe—C’Est La Mode

I’ve really enjoyed diving into the rest of the discographies of these artists and Dom also pointed out to me when I brought this into the store to listen to that the label that released this compilation, Ace International, has a bunch of other really amazing compilation albums of similar things, so I’ve been checking out a lot of those as well. Definitely check these out cause there’s something there for everyone. I’m just ready to be moved into my new place and get my record player set back up and have a return to normalcy. Onwards and Upwards.

Hey hey Sorry State fam! How are you? I’m doing ok! Ever buy something extremely expensive off your Discogs want list at like 12 or 1 in the morning? And then wake up and you don’t remember that for at least 2 or 3 hours? That happened to me today. A mixture of excitement and panic washed over me as I was chugging an iced caramel latte. But I think I made the right choice. I made an offer to the same seller on the same record a couple months ago at least, and was denied. Fast forward to last night, and Jeff notified me (thanks again dude!) it was on IG (same seller). But for a price that ended up being the same as my original offer. So after we ironed out some kinks, that baby was all mine. I don’t want to jinx it, so I will share the mystery piece with ya’ll soon. So let’s talk about a record that didn’t take me on an emotional rollercoaster.

The new album by Australian band Bad Dreems (stylized as Bad//Dreems) called Hoo Ha! is my pick this week. The cover intrigues me every time I pull one to pack for an order, so this time I went a step further and checked out the lyric insert. A lot of words. Couldn’t be a hardcore record. Anyway, I tossed it on and right away I liked it.

The album belongs somewhere under the broad umbrella of alternative rock. Does anyone say alternative rock anymore? I know the band doesn’t like the pub rock description they’ve been given in the past, but sorry, pub rock does come to mind by the second song. Politically-based, with art rock and punk influences, it’s snotty, has a sense of humor, and something I don’t normally listen to.

But like it or not, there are songs on this album that remind me so much of the Idles album, Ultra Mono. Especially the second song on the record, Mansfield 6.0. Holy Idles. But so very catchy. The first side of the record is like Idles and Stiff Richards had a snotty kid who Midnight Oil babysits sometimes. It’s their song No Island that’s giving Midnight Oil for me. Not just in their delivery, but the heavier lyrics.

The closing track on the first side, Southern Heat, is one of my favorites. Black Monday and See You Tomorrow (the latter reminds me of Amyl and the Sniffers and Public Image Limited) are also standout tracks for me. All super catchy, fast tempo songs. There are a lot of tempo shifts and style changes on this record.

Speaking of style changes, the song Collapse is a departure from their other tracks. The melody in the first half of the song drove me crazy because it reminded me so strongly of an 80s pop or new wave song I couldn’t pinpoint. So I’ve just settled on the Police song, Don’t Stand So Close to Me (if the Police wrote it in the late 60s). And then it drifts off to something else. Bear with me here. This album takes you everywhere, but I will say the first side is a bit more streamlined and the second side is more experimental and arty. They’re able to pull off different styles pretty well. Parts of their songs have reminded me of at least six different bands.

I’m not crazy about their ballad (Godless). Mostly because I like to keep the energy going and if something is doing the trick, I don’t want to switch gears. And no one ever says “yeah that was cool, but you know what’s missing? More slow songs.” But the song also surprised me by how much it sounded like Jesus Don’t Want me for a Sunbeam (minus the vocals), so it has redeeming qualities.

When I looked up this band, I found a music review of one of their earlier records that said the band can go from sounding like AC/DC to Nirvana, making the point that the band seemed to have widened their musical influences, which were originally Joy Division and all the big art rock bands (e.g. Wipers, Television, Wire). So I felt more validated in my difficulty with describing what the record is like, haha.

Overall, I like many of the songs on this record and I’m glad I gave it a spin. I didn’t know what to expect, but it has depth and some really catchy songs. Give it a try! Thank you for reading and until we meet again..

-Angela

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!!

What’s up everyone? How was your week? Hopefully good. Another rollercoaster one for me which saw me crying into my cornflakes in despair over my life one minute and then crying with joy the next as the Reds notched up another impressive victory. Wild mood swings for sure, which demand vastly different soundtracks.

Here in the store, I have been enjoying listening to some of the hip-hop albums and 12”s we recently bought. There are still lots more good titles to snag if that’s your bag and you are local. Besides the hip-hop 12”s, check out some of the disco singles we have too. I love a 12” single personally. They seem to be somewhat under appreciated by the wider record buying public, but I always found them great value for money and an indispensable DJ tool. You typically get at least two versions of the main tune, maybe a non-LP B-side and the best part, an instrumental version. Particularly for hip-hop, I often find myself loving the beat but not liking the rap. Language and use of certain words being the prime reason. Often with 12”s you’ll also get a clean or radio mix included, especially if it’s a promo. With prices on albums ever climbing, a closer look at whether there is a 12” single might be an option and a way to get some of the music you are looking for. I used to suggest to people on a budget to look for a cassette version of records that were getting expensive, but even that doesn’t seem to be much of a help these days. Prices on in demand albums are high for tapes too. We scored a small collection of cool things recently and there were some good tapes in amongst them, including a Beastie Boys Paul’s Boutique which we played in the store yesterday. Sounded great too.

We had a bunch of cool things come in the last week or two. Some have already sold out, so I don’t want to talk about them here but if we restock this Cumbia compilation called Sonido Tumi Vol. II ever again, then join me on grabbing a copy. We got in just a few and Jeff and I were digging listening to it in the store. We had the first volume a while back and as of now, just like that first volume, the track listing on the second is a mystery. I believe someone at Mississippi Records is behind compiling these comps. I understand the mystery and under the counter nature of things, but it would be kind of cool knowing who the artists were and what the song titles are.

I’ve been digging the 45 from London’s Violin that is out on Iron Lung. Good sounding HC. We have an album from them on La Vida Es Un Mus and I believe the “group” is essentially a one-man band with a drummer. Good tunes and well recorded and still currently in stock if you fancy checking it out.

It’s no secret that I am a big Jimi Hendrix fan and never need an excuse to listen to his music. We recently bought a collection that had a lot of Jimi and have sold a good amount of them already. In amongst the sealed copies of Electric Ladyland girls cover albums were quite a few of those quasi-legit live records and studio outtakes. After his death, until his family finally got control of his estate, it was the wild west as far as Hendrix records were concerned. So many different versions of the same thing with different covers and varying quality. During his lifetime, Jimi recorded constantly. Whether it was in the studio or at home or live on stage, there was tape running. Before he became famous in his own right, he played as sideman for several top R&B and soul artists, including the Isley Brothers.

One artist that he played with was Curtis Knight, and it was with him that several studio recordings, known as the PPX sessions, were recorded by producer Ed Chalpin in late 1965 and early 1966. It was the legal repercussions of signing a deal with Chalpin before moving to England that resulted in The Band Of Gypsys album being recorded and given to Capital Records as settlement for that earlier contract. Jimi and the group with Curtis Knight, called The Lovelights and later to switched to The Squires, were also captured on tape playing live in Hackensack, New Jersey at a club called George’s Club 20 at the end of December 1965 and in January 1966. Just a few months before Chas Chandler saw him and whisked Jimi off to London, England and stardom. These live recordings have appeared in many forms over the years with different covers and track listings and more recently were given a redux by Hendrix’s main recording engineer Eddie Kramer for Experience Hendrix’s sub-label Dagger Records. It’s cool getting the performances properly packaged with correct liner note details etc. Kramer cleaned up the sound a little and removed audience noise, some of which were dubbed after the fact, and the studio postproduction that Chalpin did at the time.

In among the albums we bought in the collection was a German version of the George’s Club 20 tapes and to my ears it sounds great despite all its technical limitations and “crappy” sound. The show itself is killer and may or may not have been recorded on Boxing Day (December 26th) 1965, depending on which source of information you take. The set is Blues and R&B numbers. Great versions of Driving South by Albert Collins, I’m A Man by Bo Diddley, and Killin’ Floor by Howlin’ Wolf. Jimi is already the star of the show and throws in a lot of his party tricks, playing with his teeth, behind his head and delivering blistering solos. The second side finishes up with covers of Ray Charles’s What’d I Say and Bright Lights, Big City by Jimmy Reed. Like most bands playing club gigs like this at the time, their sets would be mostly covers of current hits and classics. Curtis Knight sings most of the tunes, but Jimi (or Jimmy as he was still known as then) can be heard joking and providing backup vocals. It’s easy to see why Chas Chandler and everyone else for that matter were so blown away by Jimi. His playing, looks and personality were unmistakable and so unique.

When the remastered version of the George’s Club 20 tapes was released a few years back, I wrongly assumed that I had all these recordings already and didn’t need them. Even some reviewers seemed less than enthusiastic and talked about the sound quality etc. Sure, the quality isn’t studio level and there are better sounding live recordings out there, but as a document of his pre-fame era, this stuff still kicks ass. If you are a fan, you should check them out. Here’s a link to hear Driving South. Then if you liked what you heard and you see one of these records titled Early Hendrix or Live In New Jersey in your record store, you’ll know what you are getting. I’ll be on the lookout for the Dagger Records version now as I want the songs left off my single disc version and to hear them without the overdubs. Plus, the superior packaging with photos and liner notes.

As we celebrate African American History month this February, there’s plenty of great music to get inspired by and to enjoy, but for a taste of a typical Friday or Saturday night, mid 1960s, in a club there’s probably not a better example than these recordings.

Thanks for reading. Cheers and see you next time.

-Dom

R.I.P. Wayne Kramer