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Hello and thanks for reading. Not sure if anyone noticed or cares, but I had a typo last week when describing the guys in the photo I shared. The guy on the left is Frank who was the drummer of RÖVSVETT and 16 BLÅSARE UTAN HJÄRNA. On the RIGHT is Fredde, who played guitar 16 BUH and PALIMPSEST. I accidentally said Fredde was on the left as well. The photo from this week is NYX NEGATIV, obviously. I pulled it from the Encyclopedia of Swedish Punk – a book I reference multiple times a week, haha. (Thank you for showing it to me, Marko.)
So, I was thinking more about Jawbreaker and I realized they made no mention of the vocalist before Nillen. I have read in the Encyclopedia of Swedish Punk that Bonni, who played guitar in ASTA KASK, was the very first vocalist of ANTI CIMEX. I wish I was at the NYC showing where they did the Q&A with Charlie after, haha. The book also mentions Bonni was in PRODUKT ASSAR. I think maybe this stuff is more obscure? But it rips. They kinda have more of a “punk” than hardcore sound with the way the music is catchier and the way they play their mid-tempo parts, but the guitar is distorted as hell and the band can get wild with the gang vocals.
They did appear on legendary Really Fast Vol. 1. Bonni was not on their Naked Ass in Paradise tape, but he did play on that compilation. That tape is cool, but there are a number of those songs on different comps and I prefer those versions. The band does sound way more locked-in and faster on this tape, though. I like the vocal style genuinely, but when compared to the other material it comes off kinda lazy or something. They were on those Varning För Punk CD reissue box sets as well, so maybe they’re not as obscure as I think. But still, in the end they never had their own record. I had first discovered them with a bunch of other bands when I Thrash, Therefore I Am was reissued. Their tracks were pulled from their tape, but I don’t think recordings released by BCT were ever like exclusive, right? PRODUKT ASSAR can also be found on Kloak Skrål 1. That’s probably my favorite shit by them. It is kinda crazy to hear the slower version of “Regeringen,” but again I prefer their sound here compared to their tape. All the songs on that tape are special to the release, as they were all recorded at Kloakens Alternativa Antistudio for the comp.
Ah yes, Kloakens Alternativa Antistudio… I have raved about this studio and the person responsible for it many times here. I apologize for repeating myself. Micke Blomqvist was this person, guitarist and vocalist of ASTA KASK. At his studio he recorded so many bands, including many essential Swedish hardcore bands like: ANTI CIMEX, AVSKUM, ASOCIAL, SVART PARAD, CRUDE SS, NYX NEGATIVE, RÖVSVETT, EATER and THE BRISTLES. See why I care so much about him? Haha. In the Encyclopedia when talking about ASTA KASK, the author writes a good bit about Micke.
“Their massive impact on the punk scene began with the success of Kloakens Alternativa Studio (KAOS); with the help of his father (a carpenter), Micke rebuilt their rehearsal room into a primitive recording studio for any punk band to use. Practically EVERY hardcore band would end up doing at least one trip to Töreboda in the following years to come. It’s a huge understatement to say that this has meant a great deal for the punk scene in the early/mid 80s! Just check the credits on your records and tapes, boys and girls!”
Sorry, I don’t really know where I am going, but back to PRODUKT ASSAR. I saw we have this reissue in stock that came out a few years back. I am a petty hater, and I don’t really buy stuff released on this label. But I try not to be petty, and there are always exceptions to everything, haha. The copies are sealed but I could already see there were tracks I had never heard. Naturally, I had to make the purchase. I learned from this reissue all their material was recorded at Kloakens Alternativa Antistudio. I also learned their tape was recorded after the stuff that appeared on comps. Like I mentioned, there are songs I had never heard, so it seems they have released the entirety of their first recording session, where the band selected only certain songs for compilations. On the B side, it’s their Naked Ass in Paradise tape. Man, does it sound better than ever here. There are also more songs here than found on their original demo. One song was recorded previously and the other doesn’t seem to appear anywhere else. With those, and the few songs I hadn’t heard from the other session, I am very impressed. The sound is solid. It’s certainly the best I have heard these songs. The tracks from the tape have a lot more clarity. Of course, there is still a lo-fi element to them, so the sound is not super full. There are some photos of the band on the insert and some lyrics on the back side. I do wish there was some type of history or bio of the band. Also, if there was a breakdown of the tracks and where they originally appeared that would be ideal. But all things considered, with the sound quality and tracklist, this is a great reissue I have been sleeping on. Oh fuck… I was just looking at the back cover and realized why I did not even check it out originally. This is a co-op release and one of the labels is Uproar from Sweden. The label owner is a known outspoken right-wing conservative. Great, I’m an idiot but I am not about to try and find something else to write about now. Alright I guess, that’s it for today, haha. Cheers and thanks for reading.