LAST CRUSADE and ALTERNATE ACTION vinyl releases

THE LAST CRUSADE - SELF TITLED ALBUM

LONGSHOT/REBELLION

This Canadian-English Oi!  group managed to squeeze out this LP before their unfortunate demise. Calling it a day due to singer Karl’s job in the UK ceasing, and also having to return to Canada for visa reasons, this is a more than worthy statement and documentation on their shortish existence. Its been out a while

This is melodic  “twangy” Oi! with a nod to The Templars.  The catchy  “One of us” sets the tone (and with a start that is reminiscent of “Love will tear us apart”).  I loved their 7” (which was actually a demo) and “Morally Bankrupt” which appears again here gets a new life with the beefier production. There’s a salute to fellow ( also defunct) Oi! Canadians with a cover of “Who the fuck are you?”  “Deadbeat”, also from their 7” is ramped up here.

This is great catchy singalong Oi!   The artwork is great, nice innersleeve with lyrics. Cover is totally 80’s, love it! On high rotation. It's been out a while (released late last year).

ALTERNATE ACTION –THE THIN LINE; THE COMPLETE DISCOGRAPHY

LONGSHOT/REBELLION/BORDS DE SEINE

I first stumbled upon this a while back when it cued itself up on youtube after I’d played something else, and it immediately caught my ear. I’d heard about AA through them having a split with MARCHING ORDERS ages back, and through singer Greg Huff being in BISHOPS GREEN. Anyway, I was taken with this straight away when I first heard it, and kept playing it on youtube, swearing I’d break   the vinyl only code and look for a copy (was originally only released on CD in 2008). I kept spending more $$ on records, and would often play it still on youtube. So when I found out it was being released again on vinyl, well, fuck me, wasn’t  I a happy little camper? Even better, managed to get it here in Australia thru Resist before it was sold out. Happy Fricken days eh?

Still can’t get enough of this shit. This is top shelf catchy, melodic singalong Oi!/Streetpunk. Whatever, it’s just punk rock eh?  The jewels in this treasure chest are the two openers “Dead End Street”, “Keep Running”, “Plastic Society”, “Nowhere to go” on side 1, and “Thin Line”, and “Wasted Lies” on Side 2, but hey, it’s all good. Greg Huff’s trademark yowl and underdog/working class lyrics combined with snappy melodic guitars and choruses  make this a winner. (Inspiration from the likes of Sparrer and the Test Tubes are evident).

This is well worthy of a re-release on vinyl. I’ve waited a while to get this, and worth the wait. Top shelf release, as per usual from Longshot/Rebellion. If I could fault this in any way, I would have liked to of seen a bit more info on the songs etc as this release is culled from various releases and unreleased stuff, and perhaps lyric son the innersleeve. This works well a standalone release album though (as a “proper album”, and not a comp). For me, probably (re)release of the year.

chrismccousin@gmail.com
    

R.I.P. LEMMY

R.I.P. Lemmy

I’ve always liked Motorhead.  For most of my life (well approximately 2/3’s of it anyway, and the last 30 odd years) I’ve listened to Motorhead.  

I first heard and saw them playing “Iron Fist” one night on the “Rock Arena”  music program in 1982. I loved it, thought it was the best thing my 14 year old ears had heard. I went and found it (on cassette tape!) in the local music shop the next day. I liked stuff like Iron Maiden’s “Number of the Beast”, but this was better, harder,  and faster! I still like Iron Fist – it’s got a real punk edge to it, and it’s their last with “Fast Eddie”. I traded that cassette, but I “upgraded” to a vinyl copy a few years later. I got into the “Another perfect Day” album after Iron Fist, and I still like that one as well.

Motorhead are the band I’ve continuously liked for most of my life. Sure there’s been periods where I haven’t listened to them much, or at all, like when I wanted to mainly listen to punk or hardcore, or something else. But they have always been there.  There’s been other stuff that I got into in my later teens and early twenties that while I still own it, doesn’t resonate with me so much anymore. But  Motorhead  of course does, and  will continue to do so.

Since the late 90’s, something clicked back, and they have been a staple on the stereo. My Motorhead collection is far from complete, and I still look for certain albums. Some (horror of horrors, haha) I got on CD because I couldn’t find ‘em on vinyl.

My biggest regret for a while was that I didn’t see Motorhead when they first came to Australia in the 90’s. I can’t even remember the reason. When I read Lemmy’s autobiography and he said that he wouldn’t tour Australia again, I despaired. But wonder of wonders, they came out with fuckin’ Motley Crue in 2005. So I paid for the Crue JUST to see Moorhead’s support set. Which was amazing. I couldn’t understand why Motorhead were supporting Motley Crue. (I was going to leave before the Crue’s set, but was talked into staying. It was one of the crappiest gigs I’ve ever seen). But then Motorhead came back again with a headline tour in 2007 with the excellent  “Kiss of Death” album.

I’ve been playing loads of Motorhead for the past year. I think I kinda knew something. I dunno. And then started to hear stuff about his ill health, and cancelling shows.And I recently got a vinyl copy of “Bomber” – ‘cos I only had a burn of it, and wanted to complete my early Motorhead vinyl collection.  And just got a new Motorhead T-shirt ‘cos the old one is full of holes.

So thanks Lemmy for all the great punk 'n roll you gave us.

Love the new album, “Black Magic”.

I’ll still be listening to Motorhead when I’m 70.................

TOP PUNK and Oi! VINYL for 2015

My favourite pick of the vinyl I got in 2015, in no particular order;

BISHOPS GREEN  -A Chance to change One of my favourites and possibly the best  punk/oi! release of 2015. Bishops Green follow up their self titled EP and the “Pressure” LP with their trademark  melodic  oi! infused punk with a bit of a nod to some of the UK 82 stuff. Great black and white artwork and splatter vinyl. Combined with Greg Huff’s heartfelt vocals and lyrics make this a complete winner.

RAZORCUT – Rise Again. Another favourite, again great artwork from Rebellion, great Aussie Oi! drawing influences from the past with a modern feel. Contains a bona fide modern Oi! classic in “Raise your glass” that rivals anything from the 80’s glory days of Oi! 

POISON IDEA – Confuse and Conquer. They’re back with a vengeance. Completely eclipsing their last effort “Latest will and testament”, this is classic Poison Idea in 2015.

MOTORHEAD –Bad Magic. One of their strongest perhaps since “Kiss of Death”. Not so into their cover of “Sympathy for the Devil” though. Nice Gatefold cover, and interesting track listing on the back with the CD track list (comes with  CD) –which is the same as the vinyl, just without two sides . RIP LEMMY.

AGNOSTIC FRONT – The American Dream Died AF are well and truly back again with this one. AF’s last release “My Life my Way” was  heads down, business as usual, but it had an upbeat feel to it. With this one their anger has bubbled back up to the surface with a vengeance.

REDUCERS SF – “Essentials”  4 LP Box Set  Reducers drew  inspiration directly from the likes of the original UK  Oi! - Cock Sparrer, Chelsea, The Adicts, and The Business, filtering and digesting them to produce their own sound which has a distinct US slant. The result over the 4 LP collection is a unique brand of good time, singalong, melodic oi!/streetpunk. Package wise this is an absolute winner. The box slipcase that contains the LP’s  is well done with a great cover. The albums themselves have all the artwork and inner sleeves with good quality cardboard and stuff with nice quality printing. Each album has a different colour heavy vinyl.

COSMIC PSYCHOS –Cum the Raw Prawn Your friendly  Aussie neighbourhood punk-yobbo psychos are back with an arse tearing ball ripper. This record is heap of fun. Piss is taken, as I imagine a fair amount of piss was drunk during its making. This is Oz yob punk rock lunacism at its best. Package wise you can’t complain; beer coloured vinyl with an insert pic of the Cosmic Yobbos. Nice, chunky sound but without   any glossy polish, suiting the Pyschos  perfectly.

CRUX/CRASH  -Split EP Been looking out for the Crux EP in some form for a while. Here it’s paired in  its orginal split EP Form backed with The Crash, the greatest UK82 band I’ve never heard.  Original copies go for a bit on ebay. Both are solid melodic oi! in the case of Crux, and Melodic UK82 in the case of The Crash. Great artwork and packaging, glad I was able to snap this one up.

SOCIAL DISTORTION – Mommys Little Monster - Ltd Edition Reissue. This was one I’d also been looking out for a while, only had a CD of this one, and a little expensive for first edition pressings. SD’s first, and their “punkest” LP.

STRANGELHOLD Self Titled  10” EP  Female fronted razor-throated buzzsaw oi!/punk. Taking their cues and inspiration from 70’s and 80’s oi! and punk,  they have a sound all their own, fusing those elements with both melody and grit.

7”S

CROWN COURT -  Ruck and Roll 3 song EP, back to basics no bullshit Oi! from London. 

LAST CRUSADE – Self Titled EP. Reissue of their sold out debut 7”, originally their demo. Great singalong Oi! from this London-Canadian band now unfortunately defunct

THE SQUATS – “Noise Overdose” Reissue.  This band would later go on to  morph into “The Magnificent”. Great snotty punk originally from The Netherlands, 1982. I saw an article where a bloke from the Netherlands town of Nijmegen (There is a song on the EP “Chaos in Nijmegen”) searched for a copy of this EP for 15 years. And then it was reissued.

Honourable Mentions; Hard Evidence  - “Last One Standing” EP, Vanilla Muffins -  “The Triumph of Sugar Oi!” Reissue, Lions Law -  “A day will come”, The Vile – S/T 7” EP, Cro-Mags – “Age of Quarrel” reissue on the Boss City Sounds label.