LOOK WHAT I COULD FIND vol 84
"Countdown 1" - 16 punk, garage and indie tunes that really count

 

In The Trashcan Records       GEM084
"So many top 50s, top 30s and charts galore, but these guitar gems never got enough votes from you..."

1. plan 3 - dog & the acid bunnies

What was plan1 and plan2? Recorded in 1984 and issued in 1988 by Stanton Park Records from Massachusetts. Weird psychedelic garage from this foursome on this (sole?) release.

9. 3 piece - the snipers

Anarcho-punk outfit (not to be confused by the French band; see vol 46) with only one release, this one on Crass Records in 1981.

2. 48 thrills - thee stash

The Clash' "48 hours" turned into "48 thrills" by Thee Headcoats or Thee Stash. Damaged Goods released this 45 after the success of the first Stash 45 a year earlier (see vol 46).

10. news at ten - the vapors

British powerpop outfit from Guildford that has been around for about 5 years. Their manager was John Weller, Paul's father.  A 1980 release on United Artists.

3. 69 - the cynics

Instrumental garage track from 1990 on Get Hip Recordings, The Cynics' own label. Originally a song by The Arondies from 1965. Get Hip reissued their original version in 1996.

11. top twenty - the undertones

Highly underrated B-side of Undertones' fave "Here comes the summer" from 1979. They must have been listening to T-Rex' "Solid gold easy action" when they recorded this one.  It reappeared on the 1983 sampler "All wrapped up".

4. 9/10ths of your love - the milkduds

You'd swear this was written by Mickey Hampshire or Billy Childish, nope: it's the only song on this 6-track EP not written by that Milkshakes duo. Written by The Milkduds' own Billy Boyish and Micky Hamster. See also vol 76.

12. 6000 crazy - spizzoil

Kenneth Spiers aka Spizz formed this band in 1977 together with Pete Petrol, who formed Repetition after The Spizzles in 1981. See also vol 80. This was their first output from 1978 on Rough Trade.

5. 20000 rezillos under the sea - rezillos

Yes, it's not an original, but it's up to you to find out the title of this classical tune from the Italian composer Rossini. A year later this Scottish art-rock punk outfit transformed into Revillos. A 1978 Sire Records release.

13. eight orange kisses from kazan - the the

A non-album B-side outtake from the "Soul mining" sessions from 1982, it's the flipside of the first hit single from that highly successful debut album of Matt Johnson's The The. This recording is so weird - as are the lyrics - that I was surprised that it was the same guy who gave us "This is the day" and "Uncertain smile", the A-side of this song.

6. 47 chromosomes - soggy

The biggest hairdo ever in a punk outfit by this bodybuilding hardrocker Beb aka Patrick Bertrand from Reims, France. From their sole 45 on Gig, released in 1981. See vol 87 for the flipside.

14. area 51 - the charlatans

A 1997 B-side on Beggars Banquet by these indie pop princes. Enjoy the instrumental grooves and understand my surprise when I found out it was only the B-side. This could have been a James Taylor Quartet song.

7. 78 rpm - stiff little fingers

Single-only B-side of their best known punk anthem "Alternative Ulster" from 1978, first issued by Rigid Digit and then on Rough Trade. See vol 3 for more info.

15. trois nuits par semaine - indochine

Electro-pop wave from Paris by twin brothers Sirkis, Dominique Nicolas and Dimitri Bodianski with many chart toppers in the mid-80s in France, such as "3ieme sexe". This is the flipside, from 1985.

8. countdown - the lurkers

Flipside to "Just thirteen", a 1978 recording which was issued, like all their 1970s singles, on Beggars Banquet. In the 80s they moved to Clay Records (see Discharge entries).

16. name of numbers - man or astroman

Mission into chaos is the title of this 1994 EP on One Louder Records, a UK label based in Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Pristinely played sci-fi spy surf instrumental by these masters of the guitar instrumentals of the early 60s revisited.