God Bullies — Fear and Pain

• Artist: God Bullies
• Title: Fear and Pain
• Year: 1988
• Format: Vinyl 7 in.
• Rating (1-10): 5
• Owner: Tracy
• Acquired: 1988 – Bought at our store RIP Records in Norfolk, VA
• Keeper: No

God Bullies music is not for everybody. I know I got “Fear and Pain” when my brother and I had a record store, and I think I may have bought from our guy at Sub-Pop, which I realize seems unlikely since this is on another label, Amphetamine Reptile Records, and the band is from Michigan. Maybe I got it somewhere else… Anyhow, the cover art reminds me of engravings or wood cuts that I saw in a book I read about Vlad the Impaler. Fun. The song “Fear and Pain” is another number I would describe as more metal than metal. Whereas the other side, “Kick it to Sleep”, has a more familiar indy dirge feel. Kinda interesting, but I don’t need to hear it again. This one is number 304 of 600.

There’s more about the band at Trouser Press.

The Fall — Slang King

• Artist: The Fall
• Title: Slang King
• Year: 1984
• Format: Vinyl 7 in.
• Rating (1-10): 6
• Owner: Mary
• Acquired: She’s outta town…
• Keeper: Yes

OK, this was the “FREE 7 inch single” that I couldn’t find when I wrote about about the “Call For Escape Route” EP it was packaged with. (Sorry grammarians.) This single, “Slang King” by The Fall, is decent but I don’t care if I ever hear it again. The flipside has another version of “No Bulbs.” I think a rating of “6” is generous. Maybe I’m being hard on it because I’m feeling kinda sick. I had way too much to eat at Jerusalem Garden tonight with Ixa, Kellie and Grayson. Oof.

Egg Hunt — Me and You

• Artist: Egghunt
• Title: Me and You
• Year: 1986
• Format: Vinyl 7 in.
• Rating (1-10): 9
• Owner: Tracy
• Acquired: 1986 – Bought it when I worked at Mother’s Records in Hampton, VA
• Keeper: Yes

I’ve always loved this record. Egghunt was a too short-lived project by Ian MacKaye and Jeff Nelson, both from Minor Threat. “Me and You” has an excellent groove and a really big sound. The vocals/spoken words are intentionally on the verge of being completely inaudible. The flipside, “We All Fall Down” is very different but just as good. It’s rocked out in a melodic hardcore way. This really is an excellent record. Too bad there weren’t more.

Etched in the run off margins:

Side 1 – TOMAS IS INCENSED
Side 2 – LE CTEL TOMBE

You can get the full scoop on Egghunt at Wikipedia.

Depeche Mode — Shake the Disease

• Artist: Depeche Mode
• Title: Shake the Disease
• Year: 1985
• Format: Vinyl 7 in.
• Rating (1-10): 6
• Owner: Mary
• Acquired: 1985 – “I was in art school at the time, you couldn’t be in art school and not buy Depeche Mode back then.”
• Keeper: Maybe

Ah man, I was just about to trash this single and then I listened to it again. I’ve always been sorta neutral on Depeche Mode, but I did buy one album early on. “Shake the Disease” has a cool minor key melody that to me screams for a heavy metal makeover. I know, I say that about every other decent pop song. This time I really mean it. The flipside “Flexible” has a curiously upbeat thing going on that doesn’t sound like Depeche Mode to me. Both songs are good. Lemme see those horn Depeche Metalheads!

The Cars — Since You’re Gone

• Artist: The Cars
• Title: Since You’re Gone
• Year: 1981
• Format: Vinyl 7 in.
• Rating (1-10): 6
• Owner: Mary
• Acquired: ?

I really liked The Cars when I was a teenager. I even bought a couple albums, but they’ve never been a big part of my life. That said, I always enjoy their music whenever I hear it. “Since You’re Gone” was a radio hit, maybe it still is on the “classic rock” stations or XM. I dig it and the flipside “Think It Over” is a more upbeat rocker with a very 1980s sound, a sound created by them as much as anyone. This single was from their fourth album Shake It Up and came out in 1981.

Even if The Cars never existed Ric Ocasek will always be my hero for his work on the early Bad Brains records.

Bananarama — The Wild Life

• Artist: Bananarama
• Title: The Wild Life
• Year: 1984
• Format: Vinyl 7 in.
• Rating (1-10): 5
• Owner: Mary
• Acquired: “Used… later at Plan 9.”
• Keeper: Maybe

The pop just keeps comin’. I think I spelled their name right, so many letter ‘A’s to keep track of. I don’t remember either of these Bananarama ditties, “The Wild Life” and “The State I’m In” on the back. I think I like the latter the most. It has a 1960s-Supremes vibe to it. Both of them are sort of middlin’ as far as Bananananananarama tunes go. Sorry, lost count there for a sec. Anyhow, Mary thinks she wants to keep this record.

From looking at the record queue it appears the parade of pop records won’t stop until we get to “E.” Stay tuned.

Asheville Living — Dupont State Forest Waterfalls

This weekend the Sigler households joined forces and went a-hiking out at Dupont Forest. It’s less than an hour away and there are a bunch of waterfalls. The trip took us on increasingly rural looking roads with few cars in sight until we arrived at a parking lot jam-packed with tourists and a lot of out of state license plates. But there’s enough forest and waterfalls for everyone. Everyone that’s up for some serious uphill hiking that is. And we were. I decided I wanted to get close to one fall to feel its most awesome powah. I went barefoot and let me tell you it was cold man, cold!

There’s more about Dupont Forest at this unofficial site.

a-ha — The Sun Always Shines on T.V.

• Artist: a-ha
• Title: The Sun Always Shines on T.V.
• Year: 1985
• Format: Vinyl 7 in.
• Rating (1-10): 5
• Owner: Mary
• Acquired: No information available
• Keeper: No

“It’s not bad, it’s just not super.” That’s from the owner herself, and I think it sums it up. I’m no a-ha historian, but I don’t think “The Sun Always Shines on T.V.” was even a hit. The flipside is “Driftwood.” Either one ring any bells?

Various Artists — Alive and Kicking

Various Artists -- Alive and Kicking

• Artist: Various Artists
• Title: Alive and Kicking
• Year: 1985
• Format: Vinyl 7 in.
• Rating (1-10): 7
• Owner: Mary
• Acquired: 1985 – “Probably at a show…”
• Keeper: Yes

OK, that was a pathetically long lay off. Work gets in the way. We’re back with some more DC hardcore. Alive and Kicking is a six song, six artist 7 inch in cool milky clear vinyl. The bands are United Mutation, Gray Matter, Beefeater, Mission Impossible, Cereal Killer, and Marginal Man. I like pretty much all of it. Some of it is straight-up hardcore and some songs, like Beefeater’s “Wars in Space” with someone playing “out” on sax, are more art-edge punk.

And, no, this wasn’t put out by Dischord. It was released by WGNS Recordings and Metrozine. Mary thinks she got it at a show, but says she knew so many of the people in the bands that she may have bought it from one of the guys.

Various Artists — Flex Your Head

• Artist: Various Artists
• Title: Flex Your Head
• Year: 1982
• Format: Vinyl 12 in.
• Rating (1-10): 8
• Owner: Mary Earle
• Acquired: 1982 – Some record store in Rockville, MD

This is going to be a mega post, keep scrolling. This is supposed to be about the label Dischord‘s no. 7 release called Flex Your Head. And it is. But I have a couple related stories and graphics to share.

Is this music special? That depends. If you weren’t really interested, or old enough, when it was new, probably not. If you were there and into the scene then yes, absolutely. There was something exciting about punk and hardcore, the shows at any place people could gather, no matter how unlikely, and the whole by-the-kids-for-the-kids vibe that I haven’t seen again in the last twenty years. I know, that sounds like an old geezer talking. But has there been another truly grassroots music scene like that? Tell me.

My wife, Mary Earle, was on the scene at the D.C. shows way back when. She’s seen most of the bands on this compilation more times than she can remember. She’s still the most punk rock woman I’ve ever met. And I mean that in the best way. She does it her way and doesn’t care what people think. And I mean that in the best way too. She’s not cocky, just independent and above putting on airs, and the most naturally honest person I know. Punk rock.

Mary took this picture of Sab Grey, the singer of Iron Cross. They are on side two of Flex Your Head. Keep scrolling…

This is a flyer Mary saved. It’s from around the same time. Most of the bands listed are also on this record, except for Scream and Gang Green. I never saw Scream in D.C. but I did get to see them in London, believe it or not. Anyhow, click this flyer to get a bigger image, print it out and pretend you were there.

Anecdote time… Mary and some friends were hanging out one evening when John Stabb, singer of Goverment Issue, coined the term “Beef Edge” in a surrealistic, or maybe just sarcastic response to Straight Edge. Continuing the surreal sarcastic theme they collectively came up with a Beef Edge logo: The Black Flag bars logo with a cow’s head on one end and a tail on the other. Mary even made it into a t-shirt that her friend Mike Ryan wore. I like the logo concept so much I’m tempted to get some more shirts made now.

Back to the record… Eleven bands and 33 songs on a single LP. If you don’t like a song, at least you know it will be over soon. My favorite bands are Minor Threat and State of Alert. Everyone knows about Minor Threat. SOA had Henry Garfield on vocals, later known as Henry Rollins. The album included a photocopied set of pages for each band. I’ve included a handful of them below the album jacket pics. Check out Henry and Ian Mackaye in the bottom corner of The Teen Idles page.

These were good times. Kids, it’s time to start another the do-it-yourself music scene.

Etched in the run out margins:
Side 1 — From nothin’ to nowhere
Side 2 — Don’t let it go to your head