Peter Gunn & Primitive Sound System at D.C.'s Tavern Thursday July 13th

Hello Y'all and Punky Chips of Oi! to ya,
Thursday July 13th Peter Gunn and Primitive Sound System collide at deck level once again in an explosion of Punk sounds. Last time out the incomparable Mr. Gunn grabbed the Queen by the balls and squeezed until she screamed UNCLE and The Primitive One grappled with Uncle Sam and bitch slapped him to tears. So, after a fierce match of "Once-Twice-Three Shoot" Mr Gunn chose Amerika as his toy chest giving the rest of the world to me to have my way with. As is only fair and gentlemen-like in these situations there are always favorites on both sides so exceptions will be granted. Last time Peter got Boston... not L.A. and I was able to spin The Saints -"Stranded" and selections from Radio Birdman. This time around I am asking only for the Minutemen, I recently saw "We Jam Econo" and shed a tear for D. Mr Gunn can grab a piece of the European Theater to do what he will. Please pogo by and try not to spill your drink.

- pat.

DON'T FORGET!
Saturday July 22nd The D.C.'s Tavern Record Swap and Bar-B-Que!
POSTER: Gigposters.com - Pat. James Longo


Thursday July 13th
9PM - Closing
D.C.'s Tavern
505 8th Street
Between Jefferson and Madison
Hoboken, NJ
PH: 201-792-5550
www.dcstavern.com
www.myspace.com/dcstavern
GOOGLE MAP: Hoboken!
!Hudson-Bergen Light Rail Schedule to 8th Street Stop!: All Aboard!

Some 45's:
The Clash - "White Riot" b/w "1977" (CBS cat. CBS 5058)
Sirens and a looping guitar / drum intro launches into the chants of "WHITE RIOT!" The observations made by The Clash still are relevant thirty years later. Either that is to their credit or to our failure as a society. Eh, whatever. Great first single if there ever was.

Slaughter and The Dogs - "Dame To Blame" b/w "Johnny T" (Decca cat. F 13743)
"Dame to Blame" is punchy and rude and unfortunately one of the few songs I even like by Slaughter and The Dogs. I have to say I am not one much for lyrics so I can usually care less what a band is saying as long as the music moves me. I do like the little Poppy shout out choruses of "It's called love... ewww ahhh." Nicely the chorus never takes away the edge of the song. One noteable oddity in a Punk song is the extended guitar solo but it cuts pretty sharply and is followed by those sweet little ahhhhhhs.

Little Bob Story - "All or Nothing" b/w "Hot N' Sweaty" (Mercury cat. 6007141)
Little Bob Story tread that fine line between Pub Rock and Punk in a similar way as Eddie and The Hot Rods do. The photo on the back of the 45 can pass for a Turbonegro outtake. This ones also got a great Poppy call out of "Make it with youoooo." the band is French and sing exclusively in English with little if no hint of an accent. I only know this one record but I can tell that I would probably have liked them live.

Sex Pistols - "Pretty Vacant" b/w "No Fun" (Virgin cat. VS 184)
Sex Pistols - "Holiday In The Sun" b/w "Satellite" (Virgin VS 191)
I don't think much needs to be said about The Sex Pistols that hasn't already been well documented. When I listen to the LP all the way through it doesn't really have the edge that is associated with Punk and their "shocking" own actions. Did you ever notice that there is nothing all that shocking about music? It's either good or bad and the only thing shocking is the crap that some people call music.

The Mekons - "Where Were You?" b/w "I'll Have To Dance Then (On My
Own)" (Fast Product cat. FAST 7)
Holy crap, come up for air you guys. The Mekons kick the crap out of this breakneck tune ("I'll Have to Dance..."). I can only assume they are singing about trying to dance at a Punk club, maybe trying to check out someone you like while you are there? Who knows I can't follow it, but I do love this so. "Where Were You?" is a little more reasonably paced. Everyone of these questions have gone through every anxiety ridden youth in anticipation of seeing someone you are attracted to. The song ends with no resolve and just kind of peters out, much like most first encounters. Stick with the flirty eye contact son and enjoy your beer. The run out groove has a bit of wisdom forever scored into it - "The Single Is A Product" / "This Product Is a Single"

Alternative TV (ATV) - "How Much Longer" b/w "You Bastard"
"You Bastard" is 1 minute and 19 seconds of pure bile spewed Punk. Right from the first second of this song I knew I was hooked. "You Bastard, you wasted time!, My precious wasted time!" Or so that is what I think they are saying. The drumming is sloppy where it should be and slamming when it needs to be. There is this great little guitar lick that pops out of the din that can only be described as happy but in a very odd Television, Tom Verlaine kind of way. Perfection.

The Radiators From Space - "Television Screen" b/w "Love Detective" (Chiswick cat. S 10)
For the longest time only two things could make me pick up a record; I heard previously or the cover. I grabbed this because of the cover. Cheesy lettering and a shitty photo on the front and a layout on the back that could only be described as appalling. I'll take it, thank you very much. When I got home and listened to it I smiled from ear to ear. TV Screen slams, careens, and collides into itself as the vocalist tirelessly keeps up. The music opens with a bit of a take on revved up 50's rocker but quickly descends (ascends?) into Punk glory. Shouted vocals a two second guitar solo and a rhythm section that sound as if they are being played by smashing the bass on the drums.

The Radiators From Space - "Enemies" b/w "Psychotic Reaction" (Chiswick cat. NS 19)
Next to the original this is a perfect version of "Psychotic Reaction."

Nipple Ercetors - "King Of The Bop" b/w "Nervous Wreck" (Soho Records cat. SH 1/2)
Shane MacGowan. OK, there that's out of the way. This has that 50's ghost running through the music which includes deep background vocals and handclaps but weirdly this is nothing short of pure Punk. The drums and bass pogo the groove from start to finish pushing the handclaps and all the while letting the guitar jingle, jangle and cut above it all. MacGowan's vocals are, well MacGowan's vocals. I know that is a lot like a Webster's definition but it is true. Snotty with a smile, high pitched yet deep toned, strained and beautiful.

Stiff Little Fingers - "Suspect Device" b/w "Wasted Life" (Rough Trade cat. RT 006)
Rigid Digits indeed. If I could sing this is sorta what I would like to sound like. "Suspect Device" is straight forward and driving with a very condensed sound. Very little separation between the instruments gives this thing a sound like a boulder raging downhill. "Wasted Life" pulls no punches that it is striving for anthem status. Opening your song with the line "I COULD BE A HERO!" is a good place as any to start. Musically it continues the onslaught started by "Suspect Device" but has that great low slung Punk repetitive guitar riffing feel. Anthem, HELL YEAH!

Buzzcocks with Howard Devoto - Spiral Scratch ep - "Breakdown" and "Time's Up" b/w "Boredom" and "Friends of Mine" (a New Hormones product cat. ORG-1)
Easily one of my favorite bands. This is a perfect ep capturing the best of what the Buzzcocks were. Howard Devoto's vocals are so snotty and snarling that when I listen to this I think he is pissed at me about something. The guitar sound that opens "Breakdown" really does sound like a chainsaw starting and the drums are as frantic and skillful as always. It is really cool that they were so proud of their recording skill even at this point that they include studio notes: "Breakdown" 3rd take No dubs; "Time's Up" 1st take Guitar dub; "Boredom" 1st take Guitar dub; "Friends of Mine" 1st take Guitar dub. "Boredom" is of course the stand out track and quite an anthem for anyone who feels "the norm" is anything but appealing. I put this along side similar minded rants like Richard Hell and The Voidoids - "Blank Generation." The best Punk songs are about disconnection, uncertainty, and a deep malaise brought on by society in general.

X-ray Spex - "The Day The World Turned Day-Glo" b/w "Iama Poseur" (EMI Records cat. INT 553 (orange vinyl))
Ah, Punk Rock with whaling saxophone and the guttural screams of Ms. Poly Styrene. This is pure joy and perfection, 7" orange slab of heaven. Styrene's vocals make this so much more edgy than it would be with any other singer. "The x-rays were penetrating through the latex breeze; synthetic fibre see-tru leaves fell from the rayon trees." Holy crap! That is an incredible line.

The Adverts - Gary Gilmore's Eyes" b/w "Bored Teenagers" (Anchor cat. ANC 1043)
Huge tubs of tom toms beat out the primitive intro to this Horror Comic tale of psychotic serial killer Gary Gilmore's generously donated peepers. Imagine your horror of waking up from the operation that has saved you from a life of blindness to realize that you are seeing the world through a killer's eyes. Simply divine with a buzzing guitar drum roll breaks throughout that give the song an anxious feel. "GARY, DON'T NEED HIS EYES TO SEE; GARY AND HIS EYES HAVE PARTED COMPANY!"

Generation X - "Ready Steady Go" b/w "No No No" (Chrysalis cat. CHS 2207)
Maybe I always give Generation X more credit than they deserve but a song like "No No No" just plain devastates. It sounds like it was recorded while it was being written but all the while seems full of purpose and conviction. The little drum break still gives me chills and its feedback built ending into country strum in the fade makes it pretty damn cool if you ask me. I only wish they dropped the posturing and recorded more in the same vein.

The Saints - "I'm Stranded" b/w "No Time" (Power Exchange cat. PX 242)
I can listen to this daily. I really never get tired of it. The Saints sound is a very rehearsed one. That is not to say that they are not edgy, raw or real it just means they gave a shit about how they sounded. This is one of the great nihilistic, self pitying anthems up there with Pere Ubu's "Final Solution" (another song I can listen to every day, as well as "Sonic Reducer" by The Dead Boys... I think I may need help... "My Generation" by the Who... "(I can't get No) Satisfaction" by the Stones... nope, I'm OK). The band has a rounded sound that matches the pleading vocals perfectly. "YOU GOTTA LEAVE ME ALONE!" But then he follows it all up with a very glad "ALRIGHT!" You know what? I think we will be alright.

Motorhead - "Motorhead" b/w "City Kids" (Chiswick cat. NS 13)
Holy Crap! Do you remember the first time you heard Motorhead? What the hell do you make of these guys? Former Prog / Metal band Hawkwind births the moniker as well as the theme as a B-side which grows into a world all its own. Thank you Hippy, Metal, Prog guys. Somewhere in here there should probably be a discussion of AC/DC so I'll just bring along the "Jailbreak" 7" as well but I digress. Motorhed (the song and band) are definitely equal parts Punk and Metal and no one seems to be able to hit that combination as perfectly as they effortless do. The self titled first LP is a "Must Have!" for any record collection. If you have nothing but classical records you should still have a copy of MOTORHEAD! Lemmy's voice is always described as raspy and many other singers are tagged that way but Lemmy's voice really is Goddamn raspy. It sounds like he chewed up glass and gargled with metal filings. The band is so damn heavy that when I first heard them I pictured the floor toms being the size of 55 Gallon drums and the kick a circular swimming pool turned on its side.

Some LP's...
Eater - "The Album" (The Label cat. TLR LP 001)
Radio Birdman - "Radio Appear" (Sire cat. SRK 6050)
Rezillos - "Can't Stand The..." (Sire cat.SRK 6057)
I really do not think there is a more Punk song ever written than "Somebody's Gonna Get Their Head Kicked In Tonight" and this could be my favorite version. This whole LP just cruises through one great song after another and includes this inspired choice of a cover.

Sham 69 - "Tell Us The Truth" (Sire cat. SRK 6060)

Wire - "Pink Flag" (Harvest / EMI Records cat. SHSP 4076)

The Slits - "Cut" (Antilles cat. AN 7077)

Warsaw Pakt - "Needletime" (Island Records cat. ILPS 9515)
I bought this for a dollar or something many many years ago at Pier Platters in Hoboken, NJ. At the time I was really into cover versions and this one leads off with The Who's - "It's Not True." Needle Time was recorded, mixed, and released in just 24 hours and it sounds like it. Raw and real with most tracks sounding like single takes including lead singer Jimmy Coull yelling out the titles as if it were a live performance which in essence it was. The insert shows that to record the 12 songs on Needle Time it took just three hours which is pretty impressive. Overall the LP gets a little samey but that may be from the very live recording quality which doesn't allow much detail through.

The most Honourable Mention you could ever mention...
The Jam - "In The City" (Polydor cat. PD-6110)
The Jam - "This Is The Modern World" (Polydor cat. PD-6129)

Into the New Wave...
Klark Kent - "Theme For Kinetic Ritual" (Kryptone Records cat. KMS 7390)
If you are old enough to remember the I.R.S.'s Cutting Edge show than you know I will be playing this as my intro as well.
XTC - "Are You Receiving Me." b/w "Instant Tunes" (Virgin cat. VS 231)
Gang of Four - "Damaged Goods" b/w "Anthrax" and "Armalite Rifle" (Fast Product cat. Fast 5)
Pop Group - "She Is Beyond Good and Evil" b/w "3'38" (Radarscope Records ADA 29)
Joe Jackson - "The Harder They Come" b/w "Out Of Style" and "Tilt"
Elvis Costello And The Attractions - "(I Don't Want To Go To) Chelsea" b/w "You Belong To Me" (Cladhurst Ltd trading as Radar Records cat. ADA 3)
Spys - "The Young Ones" (Virgin Records cat. NB3)

OK, I am too tired to go on but I think you can tell what the night will be like. See ya there!