Lime Spiders — Out of Control

• Artist: Lime Spiders
• Title: Out of Control
• Year: 1985
• Format: Vinyl 10 in.
• Rating (1-10): 10
• Owner: Tracy
• Acquired: 1985 – Unicorn Records in Portsmouth, VA
• Keeper: Yes

If you don’t like this record then Aussie garage rock is just not your thing. This Lime Spiders single, “Out of Control”, is as good as it gets. Their playing is also out of control, but super-tight at the same time. They’re always locked in to each other, but it ain’t like they’re recording to a click track. When the songs get to the exciting parts they step on the gas and play as fast as they want. Which is my kind of perfection. The flipside “Save My Soul” is just as good and maybe even more frenetic.

Laughing Hyenas — You Can’t Pray a Lie

• Artist: Laughing Hyenas
• Title: You Can’t Pray a Lie
• Year: 1989
• Format: Vinyl 12 in.
• Rating (1-10): 5
• Owner: Tracy
• Acquired: 1989 – Promo at our store RIP Records in Norfolk, VA

I guess I used to like pretty much everything off-center. Nowadays I don’t seem to have much patience for noise, unless it’s really special, and I don’t think this is. “You Can’t Pray a Lie” is the only Laughing Hyenas record I have and I didn’t buy it, but I did decide to keep it at some point. There are a couple songs that interest me, maybe I didn’t give it a fair listen because it was a busy day, but I don’t plan to keep this one now. When I think of the label that put this out, Touch and Go Records, I think “noise.” I do like a lot of their bands, but not all noise is created equal.

Good ol’ Trouser Press has a long article about the Laughing Hyenas.

The Olympic Sideburns — Self-titled

• Artist: The Olympic Sideburns
• Title: Self-titled
• Year: 1985
• Format: Vinyl 12 in.
• Rating (1-10): 8
• Owner: Tracy / Mary – both had copies
• Acquired: Not sure.
• Keeper: Yes

When you meet a woman who has the same Olympic Sideburns record as you, just marry her. That’s what I did. It’s not like you’re gonna get another chance. Though it’s the same record, we have different versions. Mary’s was released on Epitaph for the US, but made in the UK. My version is on New Rose, and it came with a “Limited Editon FREE 12′ EP.” That’s right, it’s a 12 foot EP. It’s huge! Look at the sticker on the pic below. This one also came with a cool songbook/comic book.

By looking at these guys you might be tempted to think this is just another 1980s band doing the ‘6os garage rock punk thing. Or maybe you’re not that hip. Anyhow, these guys are way deeper than that. I mean, they’re from Australia, so they can’t help but be weird, and cool. They were somewhat of an Aussie underground super-group, with rotating members who were all in other bands. I can’t explain the sound beyond saying that it’s energetic, slightly noisy, and rocked out in the weirdest way. I know they would’ve been great to see live.

The New Christs — Detritus

• Artist: The New Christs
• Title: Detritus
• Year: 1987
• Format: Vinyl 12 in.
• Rating (1-10): 5
• Owner: Tracy
• Acquired: 1987 ? – Probably bought it when I was working at Mother’s Records in Hampton, VA.
• Keeper: Maybe

Yesterday was one of the longer days of my life. The movers finally finished loading our stuff sometime after 5 PM and then we hit the road. We’re touring through the South visiting parents/grandparents for a few more days and plan to hit our new town, Asheville, NC, on Monday. With the cartop carrier loaded and our jumbo dog in the wagon wayback we feel like the Beverly Hillbillies!

This “Detritus” record by The New Christs is a four song EP. It’s very listenable Australian garage rock, but for some reason I just don’t get excited about it. That said, the first song, “Born Out of Time”, has been stuck in my head since I played it, again, a few days ago. Maybe it’s better than I think…

The Eastern Dark — Long Live The New Flesh!

• Artist: The Eastern Dark
• Title: Long Live The New Flesh!
• Year: 1986
• Format: Vinyl 12 in.
• Rating (1-10): 7
• Owner: Tracy
• Acquired: 1986 – Unicorn Records in Portsmouth, VA, I think.
• Keeper: Yes

This is a great garage/rock/punk/power-pop EP. The frontman James Darroch died earlier in the year it was released, 1986. I believe it was vehicular thing. Before Eastern Dark he played bass with Celibate Rifles. I’m not sure why exactly, but I have a lot of music from Australian garage rockers. Maybe I should move there.

Naz Nomad & The Nightmares — Give Daddy the Knife Cindy

• Artist: Naz Nomad & The Nightmares
• Title: Give Daddy the Knife Cindy
• Year: 1984
• Format: Vinyl 12 in.
• Rating (1-10): 5
• Owner: Tracy Sigler
• Acquired: 1984 – I have no idea where I got this. Mail order?
• Keeper: Yes

This is a phony band, with a phony soundtrack, to a phony movie. The truth is this band is acutally The Damned. The singer Dave Vanian’s voice is immediately recognizable. This record is mostly an eclectic collection of covers of hits from the 1960s. “Nobody But Me”, “Cold Turkey”, etc. My favorite track is an original (I think) at the end of side two, “Just Call Me Sky.” It’s supposed to sound like a “live” show. Unfortunately, it fades away just as it gets going…