Staff Picks

What’s up Sorry Staters?

How was your summer? I think I feel my body and mind slowly adjusting to life flowing at a somewhat normal pace. Does that mean vacation time is over? It may be September, but the temperature gauge in my car said 102 degrees today. What the fuck, dude? So yeah, I guess we’re still out here having fun in the sweltering North Carolina sun. Speaking of which, did any of yall see the video of this Cretin Family gig thing for the Ramones’ 50th Anniversary? Kinda weird, huh?

I don’t have a staff pick exactly. I just got Ramones on the brain. I think I’m just gonna wax poetic about this weird makeshift Ramones performance. Okay, this “supergroup” of sorts, let’s talk about it: Tim Armstrong, Billie Joe Armstrong, Travis Barker (whoa), and CJ Ramone doing a bunch of Ramones songs. I guess I heard Billie Joe say something on stage in the video that this was kinda Tim’s idea to put this band together? First of all, obviously the original foursome have all passed, but where the hell was Marky? Maybe he doesn’t wanna play Ramones songs in his 70s. Or maybe he didn’t wanna be involved at all. If that’s the case, super funny. No songs were counted off like, “1-2-3-4!” Seems like when Travis counted off the first song on the hi-hat, CJ gave this look like “what are you doing dude?”

Honestly, the whole thing felt kinda awkward. Dude, Travis Barker is like a fuckin’ celebrity married to a Kardashian n shit. Whatever, I guess he played drums okay. CJ sang “Warthog,” which I guess was kinda cool they did a mid-period song that Dee Dee sang. Then also “The Crusher” from the last record, throwing CJ a bone it seemed like. That choice sooooorta made sense, only because it’s a song CJ actually sang on a Ramones record. They played “Do You Wanna Dance?” twice… Why? Yeah, it just felt weird man. The “special guests”… it was like Fred Armisen? All 4 of The Linda Lindas with no instruments sharing microphones? Strange. Then Billy Idol, which is cool, but it kinda felt like he didn’t really even acknowledge everyone on stage? Maybe he’s just an old man who’s a bit awkward. And then I guess to appease Billy they did a Generation X song? Felt super random and unnecessary, even though I love Gen X. Seems like maybe his inclusion kind of a coincided with his recent documentary maybe. I dunno that’s just a thought.

Really, in terms of how the songs were played stylistically, CJ was holding it the fuck down. His style of playing and sound on stage was so crucial to the songs even sounding halfway legit. So many people in the comments saying things like, “Respect. At least one person on stage is down-picking!” Haha. I’ve been thinking about Ramones stuff a lot after this anniversary, and also noticing new episodes of CJ’s podcast on my feed. If you haven’t seen it, CJ and this other dude are chronologically breaking down every single Ramones record in their discography. I’ve checked the podcast out a couple times. It’s pretty cool to see the records celebrated. But I will admit that sometimes as I’m watching, it feels like the energy, particularly when they have guests on the podcast, comes off a bit stilted.

Then thinking about another podcast, I watched the most recent episode of Patrick the Pack Rat’s “Record Rooms” the other night. Full disclosure, I am a Patreon subscriber. I’m pretty sure this episode with Jackie Blenkarn is not yet on YouTube at the time I’m writing this. But at one point Jackie brings up the Ramones and talks about how Leave Home is her favorite Ramones album. At certain points over the course of my life, I have also decidedly referred to Leave Home as my favorite Ramones record. But then Patrick makes a comment like, “There’s no wrong answer for a favorite… as long as it’s one of the first 3 records.” Which… no shade, but I’m not sure how I feel about that! I guess if you’re a purist, then this perspective makes sense. But even one record forward, man I just love Road To Ruin like so much. And dude, if your favorite record is the Phil Spector orchestra-laden End Of The Century, then hey man, you have my full respect. I’m sort of a Ramones apologist, I suppose. Basically meaning that I think every single record is good. Or more accurately, each record has AT LEAST one great song. For a while, I was on a serious Pleasant Dreams kick. “She’s A Sensation” dude? “7-11” going full on doo-wop style? I love it. I was fascinated with Animal Boy for a while. Honestly, probably mostly for “Bonzo Goes to Bitburg”. There are definitely some stinkers on that record. Funny that Animal Boy has the band dipping their toes into hardcore, but also has some of their poppiest, most 80s gated-reverb sounding pop songs. I don’t even know what point I’m trying to make anymore. Maybe I would’ve liked to have seen more of the Ramones catalog represented by the Cretin Family? But why would I expect such things. Maybe at the next gig they’ll pull out “Pet Semetary” and “Poison Heart,” but I’m not holding my breath.

Sooo yeah, hope that was a solid 15-minute waste of your time. I will say, we have been trying to stock more Ramones reissues at the store. Kinda crazy you can buy a reissue of Halfway To Sanity in the year 2026. It’s a beautiful thang. It used to be those late 80s records were like mythical finds, often only found in used bins with like cutouts and former radio station labels. If I don’t hear any feedback from all you readers about how you listened to Acid Eaters for the first time in a while, and that version of “Journey to the Center of the Mind” is actually pretty cool – then I’ll be pissed.

Just kidding. Thanks for reading.

‘Til next week,

-Jeff

This week I’m choosing We’re Only In It For The Money by The Mothers Of Invention as my staff pick. I’ll usually go a while without listening to this, but once I do, it’s on repeat for at least a week. Frank Zappa can sometimes be fairly polarizing to music fans and I can totally understand why. His music can go to levels of technical and goofy that can be off-putting, but there’s usually a strong message in the words, like in this album.

It feels cliche to say but, anytime I listen to this record, it feels almost ahead of its time. I can’t help but notice how relevant and poignant the critiques are of American society at the time, and that I can see some of that relevance today. The cynical but realistic premonitions of authoritarian rule, the relentless ridicule of hippies and squares alike delivered with a type of humor that doesn’t get old for me. On top of that, the track “Take Your Clothes Off When You Dance” seems to be a song promoting body positivity, which I can’t imagine a whole lot of that going on at the time.

Meanwhile, all of these thoughts are set to some catchy psychedelic pop tunes like a creepy Sgt. Peppers. Maybe that’s what they were going for, since the back cover of We’re Only In It For The Money is a spoof of the Beatles record. All of this for me makes for a solid record and I would recommend it to any music fan even if you hate Frank Zappa. Thanks for reading!

What’s up Sorry State readers? I hope everyone has had a nice week. I can’t believe it’s already September. This year is flying by. I probably say that at the start of every month, but it’s true. Last week Billy Strings released his new album So Much For Goodbyes. Dom and I gave it a spin when our copies arrived and we were both digging it. About a quarter of the songs have been performed already live at shows so I was familiar with those, but it was cool to hear the studio versions of all of them. The rest of the material are all new songs. I think this is probably the best studio album the band has put out at this point. It just sounds like a really put together project that isn’t trying to do anything too crazy. Some standout tracks to me are Lay Me Down, Bluewater Breakdown, and the final instrumental track Debra’s Waltz. With an album like this though, it’s always fun to see down the line which tracks really grow on you or kinda get stuck around in your head. I’m excited to see all of these songs evolve in a live format as well, cause sometimes it just takes hearing it live for one to really click and stay with you. That’s it for me this week, I hope everyone has a good September and cooler weather comes to everyone.

Hello and thanks for reading. Not sure if anyone cares, but I have some follow-up information regarding what I wrote about last week. But first, staying in the world of Swedish hardcore, let me mention a record that belongs in every collection: AGONI En Röst För Fred. Yeah, this came out a handful of years ago, but I am mentioning it cos we just marked our remaining copies down a bit. I don’t think I have listened to it much since it was released, but recently I came across a copy I had saved for a friend and decided to throw it on. Fuck, that second demo is so good. I remember it being such a big deal to me at the time cos I have been obsessed with their first demo ever since I heard it, which also appeared on Stockholm’s Mangel. I know the first press of this record sold out quite fast, and they repressed it on color vinyl. The second time around it didn’t seem to have nearly as much demand. This happens sometimes, the hype-train… People post about shit non-stop on social media before it’s released and then pounce like starving mad men on the release date. And then often when there is a repress no one seems to give a shit. Is it cos they are silly collectors who only want the first press? Or is it cos they are ADHD and follow current trends they see on social media? Or is it that I am just such a fucking hater? Haha. Maybe in this case it’s the ideal result where everyone has got the record who wanted it. So here I am to shine a light on this killer reissue. Yes, the artwork is not very good..and it’s pixelated at some places. Do I like that? No. But does that make me not want to buy it? No, because I know how damn good it is. If you slept on this cos of the art, I would say you fucked up, but in this case, now is your chance to keep a marked down copy. I know it’s in the description on the product page, but be sure you don’t miss this English translation of the liner notes.

Alright, so back to last week. I was nerding out about ANTI CIMEX and the Jawbreaker documentary. The thing I was most curious about was a member of ANTI CIMEX, Bonni, who was not mentioned in the documentary. I’m not gunna repeat myself about last week so you can go back and read it if you care or don’t remember, but Bonni was in ASTA KASK as well. I had read that he was an early member of ANTI CIMEX – like pre-Nillen on vocals. In the last week I had a chance to talk to Charlie, drummer of CIMEX, and he has answered a few questions of mine. Very cool. The information I had read was not quite right. Bonni was not a member of ANTI CIMEX before Nillen. He joined after Anarkist Attack. He played guitar with them for about six months. Him and Jocke were both playing guitar at the same time. They played two gigs with him, both in Västerås. Charlie said he’d hoped that Bonni would eventually take over vocals in CIMEX, but he ended up choosing to devote all his time to ASTA KASK in the end. It was around this time there were some significant line-up changes that would lead to the legendary Raped Ass line-up. Jonsson picked up the microphone after Nillen left, and they had met Conrad around that time, who would replace Jonsson on bass.

So, the Encyclopedia of Swedish Punk is like my bible. But, just like the bible there can be “misinformation,” haha. I cannot remember where I learned this, but I remembered that ANTI CIMEX had not even played a gig before Anarkist Attack was released. However, in the Encyclopedia they say, “The first EP was released before they had made any gigs at all.” According to Charlie this is not true. He told me they had not played any gigs before their first 7” came out and their first gig was Skövde December 13, 1981. Interesting though, cos the recording date for Anarkist Attack was December 5, 1981 and there is no way that record came out in less than a week – right? Haha, something ain’t adding up. I didn’t wanna keep punishing Charlie though. Maybe in the future I will inquire. He told me that SKITSLICKERS also played that gig, and this was the earliest line-up where a woman (whose name I don’t know) was on vocals. I had read about this before but never learned more about it, or my brain is just fried and I can’t remember. Maybe they covered it in Negative Insight and I’ve forgotten. I will have to find that zine one of these days in my mess of shit.

Oh yeah before I go… the image above, haha, I think Nillen originally shared this flyer with Shit-Fi? I was moving fast so don’t quote me on that, but that is where I got the image. The relation here is that BOHMAN BRINNER was a pre-CIMEX band with Jonsson, Jocke, and Nillen. And the song Heroindöd from Anarkist Attack was originally written by BOHMAN BRINNER. Alright, that’s it for today. I’m sorry if that was a waste of time for you. Cheers and thanks for reading.

Hi there everyone. Thanks for joining us again this week. Just when we thought we might be over the high heat of the summer down here in the South, September decided to announce its arrival with triple digit temps and remind us that the world is still melting. They say it will ease off by the weekend. Let’s hope so.

I’m more than grateful to have a cool place to work in, and I of course mean that in both senses of the word. Our A/C is keeping the store cool but the records that come through, although heaters, are keeping things ice cool. That’s all down to the great bands and artists that are making new music currently or have done so in the past and down to you our customers who bring us cool used records to sell or trade. We encourage any of you considering downsizing or pruning your collection to reach out to us. Daniel enjoys a good road trip, so distance isn’t too much of an issue. Food for thought.

As I write this today in the store, I am in the middle of processing a recent collection we picked up and I’ve have been giving a couple of them a spin. There’s lots of great music to pick from; the previous owner had good and varied taste. For my “pick” this week I’ll choose one of the highlights (for me) of the collection.

The Coral: Magic And Medicine. 2003

I have made my love for the city of Liverpool and its people and culture very well known in the pages of the Sorry State newsletter. I’m not from there, but have been a fan of the football, the music, the style and the humor from the region all my life. When it comes to music from Merseyside we are obviously spoiled for choice. So many of my favorite bands come from there. The Beatles, Echo & The Bunnymen, Teardrop Explodes, Wah!, The La’s, Shack… the list is long. The Coral come from Hoylake, on the Wirral, and continue the tradition.

They formed in the late 90s and released their first records in 2000 on the Deltasonic label, a record company that was essentially started to release music by the group. Their first few years were busy. Several acclaimed EPs, singles and a debut that hit the top ten in Britain and got them nominated for a Mercury Prize. They toured the UK and hit the festivals and secured an appearance on Late Night With Conan O’Brien in 2003 here in the US. When they came to New York, they visited the store I was working at and signed a copy of one of their singles that we had literally just got in that day and got us on the guest list for a show later that night.

If you were looking for a band that embraced 60s beat, psych and garage and mixed it with the spirit of Lee Mavers, filtered through Brit Pop and Indie with a good dose of cosmic scouse, then this is the band for you. All those elements come together on Magic And Medicine. It’s an album I played a lot when it was released and have gone back to over the years, but hearing it today was the first time in a while. This pressing we have at the store is a reissue which Music On Vinyl pressed, and it sounds great. Nice packaging with some extra photos. The original came out as a two-disc pressing, but this is just a single disc and probably helps the listening process when you can play six songs back-to-back without a break. One of the reasons why the idea of audiophile albums pressed at 45 RPM on multiple discs, one song per side, does not appeal to me. That’s way too much getting up and down for me unless I am having a dedicated singles listening session.

Listening back to the album this morning reminded me of how much I loved the record and the band. The feeling of nostalgia for a previous era was there in the music originally, but now that record is almost twenty-five years old itself and brings back memories from those early 00s days too. For me certainly. The album contained at least three singles if I remember rightly. The song, Don’t Think You’re The First, was one and remains one of my faves by the group. Such a good song. Twelve good ones in all and a fine record.

The Coral’s story continues to the present day. They have released over a dozen albums to date, with the latest just this year. There have been some line-up changes and solo projects along the way. I’ve been enjoying the albums by former founding member Bill Ryder-Jones for instance. I haven’t kept up with all of those releases I will admit. It’s been tough to find many of their records on vinyl here in the States without paying import prices. I don’t tend to stream much music, but perhaps I should look for those missing albums on CD one day. Probably easier and much cheaper. That’s a topic and discussion for another time and place. Are CDs coming back? Did they ever go away? Talk amongst yourselves.

Alright, I must get back to work. Thanks for reading and thanks for your support. See you all next time.

Cheers - Dom

Continuing down the Eastern European punk rabbit hole I’ve been exploring for the past however long, let’s head to Hungary for my staff pick this week:

Nagy Feró És A Bikini: Hova Lett... LP (Start, 1983)

This LP sat on my want list for a couple years, long enough that I couldn’t remember much about it when I finally laid hands on it. I couldn’t even make sense of the artist’s name… what is the relationship between Nagy Feró and Bikini? Is this a split record? A collaboration? Something else entirely?

After giving it some thought, I remembered the route via which this record landed on my want list. Some years ago, Jonah Falco (of Fucked Up, Career Suicide, and a zillion snappily-written record descriptions for labels like Beach Impediment and La Vida Es Un Mus) was on the old What Are You Listening To?podcast / show. As one of his picks, he held up this sleeveless 7” from a Hungarian punk band called Bikini. I don’t think Jonah knew much about the record, but he said it was cool, and the combination of Jonah’s recommendation and my interest in eastern bloc punk prompted me to look up the single and listen to it. Of course the single got added to my want list (no luck yet… one hasn’t sold on Discogs since October 2024), but I guess I also liked what I heard enough to follow the links and explore the rest of Bikini’s discography, which is extensive. I added this LP, Hova Lett…, to my want list and saw plenty of copies on Discogs for less than $10, but always from European sellers. I hoped to find a copy on my travels in Europe, but I never did. Fast forward to a few weeks ago and a copy popped up for $12 from a US seller. The buy button was smashed with a quickness.

I had totally forgotten what the record sounded like, but I’ve been spinning it a bunch since it arrived. I’d call Hova Lett… a very energetic art-punk album bolstered by excellent playing and top-notch production. One of the few English-language reviews I found had this to say about the record: “Side A ends in the middle of a drum solo, this way a 3 minute song is cut into 2 parts. Yes, that's intentional. It says a lot about the album.” I’d respond by saying yes, I agree, but it doesn’t say everything about the record. There is a little bit of obtuseness / obnoxiousness, but most of the record is new wave-ish, sometimes leaning towards ska (think early XTC) and at others more riffy and rocking a la Tubeway Army. There are a few moments that are quite unexpected, like the strange medieval melody in “Ótyi-tyótyi - Ping-pong,” which sounds like something Hobbits would play on a pan flute as they’re marching through the shire. But there are also parts that are straight up ripping, like the second track, “Maradj Már.” This track is the only one that’s hardcore fast all the way through, but there are a handful of other moments on the album where they speed up to this ripping tempo. With the great production and the singer’s similar voice, these songs remind me of Mushi-era Stalin. If you’re reading this Jonah, check out “Maradj Már…” it’s even better than the two songs on the single.

As I prepared to write my staff pick I did some research that helped me understand a little more about how Hova Lett… fits into its context. First of all, the artist name: Nagy Feró is the leader of the band, so it’s an Iggy & the Stooges / Jesse & the Rippers-type situation where the band’s frontperson is so charismatic they get top billing. (Incidentally, you may also see his name written as Feró Nagy… in Hungarian (as in a lot of Asian languages) it’s conventional to put a person’s surname first and their given name second, so sometimes they flip it around to follow our name order convention.) Nagy Feró appears to be one of the prime movers of the Hungarian punk scene, having formed the band Beatrice, who released a cassette called 78 in 1979. I only found one song from that tape on YouTube, but it’s cool, with a chunky riff and quite aggressive vocals. Feró left Beatrice in 1982 and formed Bikini, releasing Hova Lett… in 1983 and then leaving Bikini (who continued on without him), eventually reforming Beatrice as his main project, which appears to still be active. I poked around the Beatrice and post-Faró Bikini material that is available online, and while I found a handful of cool moments, it seems like Hova Lett… is the moment where they really leaned into the energy and aggression and made something that might properly be called punk rock.

Judging by his Wikipedia page, Nagy Feró seems to be an antagonistic, polarizing frontperson in the Johnny Rotten mold. In the 70s, he referred to himself as "A Nemzet csótánya" (which translates to “roach of the nation”). That sounds pretty cool, but it also sounds like (as with so many other punk contrarians) he has also been associated with right-wing politics. In the 90s, he was a member of a Hungarian political party called the “Hungarian Justice and Life Party,” which sounds pretty bad. While Faró left the party in the 90s and claimed political independence, after a series of dissolutions and mergers the Hungarian Justice and Life Party was subsumed into something called the “Our Homeland Movement,” which appears to be one of the evil far-right, nativist political groups that have sprung up (and often seized a great deal of power) all over the world in the past several years. Bummer.

That’s all I have about this one. See you next week!

What’s up Sorry State readers? Yesterday was a very sad day for many people as we said goodbye to Dolly Parton. I learned of her passing while working the front counter at the store and had to hold back some tears as the news seemed to hit me like a freight train. I honestly didn’t even throw on any of her music at the time cause I felt like it’d make me too sad. Even if you never really listened to her, or even like country music, I feel like everyone loved Dolly. How could you not? She had such a sweet voice and energy about her and just seemed like a genuinely good person. Plus Dollywood fuckin rocks and is the first place I remember riding an old school wooden rollercoaster. Any story I’ve ever read about her seemed to back up that she was the same person behind the scenes as she was on stage. Probably about eight or so years ago I had a friend who played bass and was asked to play in a backing band for Dolly at some charity event or something along those lines. He told me afterwards that Dolly came up to each member of the band individually and thanked them, told them what a great job they had done and took a picture with them and that she was just so nice and sweet. I feel like there’s a million stories like that one. It seems silly to be so sad over someone I’ve never even met, but it clearly says a lot about her that so many people feel that way.

During peak Covid era while being bored as hell, I got super into VHS and tapes n shit. I bought some cords and connectors so I could plug my laptop into my CRT TV and I could burn whatever I wanted onto VHS tapes. I would try to just find cool videos or movies I liked to put on them. One day I stumbled upon this 1983 HBO special Dolly In London and instantly fell in love with it. If you’re looking to celebrate Dolly, I think this special is a great way to do it. Not only do you get to see what an amazing performer she was on the stage, it also does a great job highlighting her incredible personality and how funny and full of life she was. Truly one of a kind, there will never be another Dolly. I’ll include one more video here to close this out, Doc Watson and Dolly rehearsing The Last Thing On My Mind backstage at MerleFest in 2001. Who’s cuttin onions in here? Thanks for everything Dolly, we love ya!

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.

Hey there everyone. We obviously come to you this week with heavy hearts as we join good people the world over mourning the passing of our beloved Dolly Parton. This one really hurts. Waking up in a world without Dolly is brutal. However, so bright was her light whilst on this earth that we’ll be feeling her power and grace for decades to come. What a legend, what a beautiful person, what an entertainer. Thank you, Dolly, for all the wonderful songs, the films, the laughs and for the kindness that you put out into the world. A true example of using one’s celebrity and wealth for good over selfish enrichment. A lesson that our current crop of wealthy wasters could do with learning. I’ll leave those more eloquent than I to say more on how great Dolly is, but suffice to say, Dolly, we will always love you.

I played a couple of Dolly records last night and this morning watched some of my favorite TV clips with her. I love her in the Irish pub and her London concert and any chat show appearances she made. Always so funny and charming and warm and kind, with that beautiful accent and adorable laugh. So wholesome. She could also stand head to toe with any man or woman and kick their asses if needed. I recently just watched her again in the great films 9 To 5 and Best Little Whorehouse In Texas, where she is incredible. Dolly Parton has been someone I have loved and admired all my life. An experience shared by millions but all personal to us. She’ll never leave us. Dolly forever.

When I got to the store today, I arrived early to do some work before we opened and needed a record to jam to and to get me going but also one that would be somehow comforting under the circumstances. I needed something very familiar that would hit that spot deep inside. You know what I mean? I flicked through the boxes of new used arrivals awaiting to be put on the floor and pulled out a copy of What Is Beat? The best of The Beat. Perfect. I love The Beat. Who doesn’t? They were brilliant. Along with The Specials and Selecter, they were easily my favorites from that period. This best of pulls from their three albums, which as you all know are all great, especially the first, I Just Can’t Stop It. Banger after banger. What’s cool about this best of is that it comes with a bonus disc containing extended mixes of singles and album tracks that originally appeared on 12-inch singles and the like. I’m not sure whether any of the mixes were unreleased and exclusive to this compilation but regardless, it’s a nifty way to get them all in one place. I love how good they sound here. The mastering of the record is really good. When I was out spinning records as a DJ, this was always a good one to have in the bag. Twist And Crawl is such a great song that never fails to make me feel good. There’s also the tune March Of The Swivel Heads where they sound like a mix of Yello and Cymande. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off fans will recognize that one. There’s lots more. Great versions of Drowning and I Confess, plus another of my personal favorites, Psychedelic Rockers.

I blasted this bad boy from beginning to end and it did just what I needed it to do. Took me to a happy place and time and filled my soul with good emotions and sentiment and fired me up for the day. Music is fucking ace, isn’t it? The best medicine for what ails you. I hope you were able to blast one of your favorite records today.

Cheers friends - Dom

What’s up Sorry Staters?

Wow, Screaming Mad George, Dolly and Tim Curry? I guess Screaming Mad George died earlier this year, but it wasn’t announced to the public. But still. I was joking earlier this is like that South Park episode where celebrities always die in groups of 3. Yall know the episode I’m talking about? Whatever. Sad news. Meanwhile, I’m still reeling from celebrating my birth haha. Over the weekend, I did not get to see Death Side at Skull Fest, but I had a very nice birthday celebration with the homies in Richmond. Also, thanks to everyone who messaged me :)

For my staff pick this week, I wanted to give some attention to these Third World Chaos reissues on Merciless Records. This same label also reissued those Dead Ends records a couple years back, and I really enjoyed spending some time getting familiar with those. I hate to say it, but I’m not the most knowledgeable about Filipino or Pinoy punk. But this band, who released one single as Chaos, and then later an LP under the name Third World Chaos, seem to be another classic band from the early-to-mid-80s punk scene in the Philippines. Merciless has reissued both of these records in their original format.

Crazy to me, the Chaos 7” single was released on a major label! Released on RCA Victor in 1983, I’m not sure how many of these are out in the wild, but it seems to have become quite the collectors’ item. The 2 songs on the single “Quitter” and “We Are The One” also both appear on the Third World Chaos LP, but the single is quite noticeably a different recording session. For 1983, Chaos’s songwriting is clearly informed by first wave punk rather than hardcore. Maybe it took a while for some of those UK punk records to make their way to the Philippines. The songs are pretty cool, up-tempo, high-energy punk. Quite tuneful, but also have a gritty, hard edge to them. Kinda snotty lyrics, which kinda remind of The Zeros maybe a little bit? Like the B-side track goes something like: “We are the ones who wanna rock’n’roll!”

To my ears, it sounds like the band plays the songs on the single a little bit faster. But even though it was released independently by the band, I actually think the LP has better sounding production. Sonically, it’s a pretty killer recording. Even for 1984, unlike Dead Ends, Third World Chaos are still mining ’77 era punk on their full-length. Almost to the point where I can point out a specific song by different punk bands that maybe were used as inspiration for the Third World Chaos song. One song kinda sounds like “Submission” by the Sex Pistols. Then, another song clearly sounds like Stiff Little Fingers. And what’s funny, is all the lyrics are sang in English. Like for example, the song “You Won’t Anymore” is seriously ripping “Not Anymore” by the Dead Boys so hard, but… with a much less coherent lyrical thread? And I’m not sure if part of it is the language barrier or if the lyrics were written with the intent to come across as having urgency and “punk attitude,” but I did find myself rolling my eyes a couple times. They’re a bit juvenile and maybe lack depth. But hey, that’s okay!

I mean, listen, the first few songs on the LP are bangers, like the opening track “Sophisticated Brat.” This song should be a KBD-style classic. Killer chorus, it goes: “So stick sophistication up your ass!” It’s fucking great. The 2nd track talking about shit like: “Rebel Rocker on the way! On their way to put you down!” The insert uses this chorus as a tag line, but the poster reads, “Rebel Rockers on the LOOSE” instead, which would honestly be much cooler. But whatever. There’s a song called “Insult The Useless People?” Yeah dude. It’s funny. And admittedly quite enjoyable. Some songs on the LP kinda lose my attention a little bit, but overall I think the songs have cool riffs, and some great hooks. Most importantly, I think this a cool document of obscure punk from a place in the world you might not expect or hear about often. Maybe now the records will reach more people than they did originally in the mid-80s, and I think that’s totally rad.

Sorry State still has a good amount of copies of both the LP and the 7” single. The LP comes with a lot of cool bonus packaging, like a poster and some reproduction flyers. Very cool. So, if my little write-up caught your attention, I think you should check out Third World Chaos.

Welp, that’s all I’ve got. As always, thanks for reading.

‘Til next week,

-Jeff

As I mentioned last week, I went up to Pittsburgh for a long weekend for this year’s Skull Fest. This year I rolled solo and got a small but nice place to stay with no roommates, which resulted in a very different experience than my previous Skull Fest, where not partying 24 hours per day felt like an uphill struggle. I took it very easy, going for long morning coffees where I sat and read outside for hours (the weather was amazing!), taking my sweet time getting to the gigs, and not putting pressure on myself to watch every band. I missed a lot of bands I would have liked to have seen, but even with my slower pace, the weekend was exhausting. I guess the solo drive, 8 hours each way, had something to do with that.

You may have heard the big story of the weekend: two members of Death Side were refused entry to the US. While it would have been totally understandable for them to cancel, they made things work by playing with one guitarist and enlisting Joe BB (from Fairytale, Salvaje Punk, No Fucker, and tons of other bands) on drums with something like two days notice. Everyone who was in the loop kept this very quiet… I had no idea about the situation until someone told me just before Death Side played. Despite the setbacks, I still thought Death Side was incredible. The lack of a second guitarist meant there was a hole in the sound (particularly on the leads, which Chelsea often harmonized on the recordings), but the band’s tightness, energy, and charisma, and the strength of the material (the set list was incredible, hitting most of their discography’s highlights) were so far beyond 99% of the bands I’ve ever seen that I was still blown away. As for the drums… wow. Death Side’s songs are burned into my brain and I’m sure I’d hear it immediately if anything was off, but Joe played everything note-perfect and with all the power and energy he brings to his own bands. Joe BB: undisputed hero of Skull Fest 16.

Death Side was the reason I went to Skull Fest this year and they delivered, but there were plenty of other highlights. I particularly enjoyed sets by Savage Pleasure, KOS, Lifeless Dark (it’s been too long since I’ve witnessed Ryan Abbott beat the hell out of a drum kit), the Hell, Alienator, the Nervous, and Consensus Madness. The older bands were pretty hit and miss. I love the State, but their young drummer didn’t seem like a good fit for the band. Mau Maus played a good set with a lot of energy, but the guitarist had this very processed, Fat Wreck-y guitar tone that kind of pulled me out of it. Final Conflict was alright, but they started their set sounding kind of sluggish, and I felt like they’d lost a step since I last saw them at the final Chaos in Tejas 13 years ago. I was, however, excited to buy a shirt with a full-color print of the Ashes to Ashes artwork at their merch table.

The other older band that played was UK crust legends Deviated Instinct. Ultimate Disaster had played with them on their UK tour a while back and they told me Deviated Instinct was good, but only had one original member and didn’t really play their old material (I did not fact check any of that, so don’t take it as gospel!). That’s fine by me, because I’m a Deviated Instinct n00b. I never owned any of their records until fairly recently, and when I’d checked out their early discography in the past, I never found my way in. Maybe that’s just because I was listening to low-quality YouTube rips. I often need the physical version to pull me into a band or a record, so perhaps it’s unsurprising that when I finally got a piece of Deviated Instinct vinyl to call my own, I fell head over heels.

Deviated Instinct: Guttural Breath LP (Peaceville, 1990)

This copy of Guttural Breath came in with a collection a few months back. Like I said, I’d only checked out Deviated Instinct’s earlier material, so Guttural Breath’s full-color cover, which takes conventional crust imagery (skulls, Celtic knots, barbed wire) and makes something new and distinctive out of it, was intriguing. It’s the kind of record you look at and think, “what on earth does that sound like?” because it just doesn’t look like anything else. I remember I took home and put it on the turntable, and as I listened I kept turning up the volume higher and higher. My wife walked in the house at some point and found me sitting in front of the stereo blasting this straight into my face at show-level volume. It was just so heavy and powerful… I loved the sound of the record so much I just wanted to bathe in it. I love how heavy the tones are, but what really strikes me is the ensemble playing on Guttural Breath. Deviated Instinct has these unique churning rhythms and odd, Celtic Frost-like tempo changes, and they executed them in a way that feels natural and organic rather than mechanical. I always think of Animosity / Technocracy-era COC when I listen to Guttural Breath, and I think that’s the reason… it’s a great band playing with near-telepathic communication.

While I fell in love with Guttural Breath, it hasn’t been part of my life long enough to know it inside out, and I couldn’t even tell you whether or not Deviated Instinct played any songs from it this weekend. However, despite the lineup changes, they still had that heavy and grooving sound, and live they scratched the same itch that listening to Guttural Breath does. If you have the opportunity, they’re well worth seeing.

Thanks so much to all the organizers, workers, and other folks who make Skull Fest happen, as well as all the bands that played, the folks who attended, and everyone else who made it a great weekend. And thanks also to everyone who said hi… sorry if I was awkward or weird. I’m doing my best out there!

How is it going fellow Sorry Staters? I feel like this week is going to be all over the place only because it seems to be where my brain is. I have started going down the deep rabbit hole of Magic The Gathering and am currently building a commander deck to play. I think I am having more fun building decks than playing now. Some of the art on these cards is just amazing! I know some of you folks that read the newsletter play, so write in and give me some deck suggestions! But now on to the music. I have been all over the place when listing to music this week. I have been listening to a lot of newer releases recently and here are some that seem to be clicking with me and just made me feel some sort of emotion. First off, the new Ceremony record, Tell Me Your Dream is not a normal hardcore record. Ceremony takes a big shift like they have been doing for the past couple of records into this sort of art rock and indie space. Though it may not be everyone’s cup of tea, the record has grown on me and is worth checking out. Another record that has caught the attention of my ears is the new Ohsees record, Cara Maluco. Just like all the other Ohsees records, this one is just fun and abrasive. Dwyer is a teaches a master class once again in how weirdo garage punk should be. It’s out there, fun, and has a TON of reverb in the vocals. This is another record I would recommend that you check out! As always we are cranking out a bunch of used CDs of all genres and some really great cheap 7”s as well! Grab em up and pick up something new! Thanks again for reading and all the support!