Let's get back to the rock

The Ramblers - Strange life (1980)
Tracklist:
1. Strange World
2. Out Of Time
3. Do Anything You Want to Do
4. I Want You Tonight
5. Modern Times
6. Keep On Laughing
7. All Those Days
8. You Won't Hear Me Cry
9. Running
10. One Mile To Go

Let's start off wit THE RAMBLERS, a german wave/power pop group that was founded in 1976 near the german city Hagen. The band released three minor successful albums during their lifespan, with "Strange life" being their last album. You won't find much information about this band on the net, so enjoy this rare piece of music.
Download here



The Lookalikes - Daydreamin' At Night (1981)
Tracklist:
1. Just What You Got
2. Losing Control
3. Always Searching
4. Radio
5. I'll Never Forget You
6. Daydreaming At Night
7. Die Laughing
8. Pretty Boys
9. Bullet In His Back
10. Find Out
11. Shout

Singer, guitarist and songwriter Sean O'Connor was one of the founding members of The Lookalikes, undoubtedly the most popular Irish band playing around Dublin and the rest of Ireland during the early eighties. Along with drummer Mike Mesbur, bass player Eamonn Doyle and keyboard player Peter Keenan, The Lookalikes had a massive loyal following and broke attendance records in every major music venue in Dublin. On the strength of some early demo recordings written by Sean, it wasn't long before a steady stream of A&R personnel were making their way from London to Dublin to get the Lookalikes' signature for their respective labels. In all, the band were offered a staggering total of thirteen recording contracts!

Eventually they signed to Riva Records, who also had Rod Stewart and John Cougar on their books, and the band were offered the opportunity to tour the UK with Thin Lizzy, which they did with great success. The band released three singles on the Riva label but - due to "differences of musical opinion" - eventually parted ways, and released the album "Daydreamin at Night" for Warner Brothers in Ireland - the final recording by the band. After another tour with Thin Lizzy throughout Europe, the band eventually broke up shortly after their return to Ireland.
Download here

Various Artists - Pop Revolution From The Underground (1969)
Tracklist:
1. Mike Bloomfield & Al Kooper - The 59th Street Bridge Song
2. Blood, Sweat & Tears - More And More
3. Spirit - I Got A Line On You
4. John Kay - Twisted
5. Don Ellis - Scratt And Fluggs
6. The Electric Flag - Soul Searchin'
7. The Chambers Brothers - You Got The Power To Turn Me On
8. Al Kooper - I Stand Alone
9. Moby Grape - Hoochie
10. John Simon - Painting For Freakout

A quite rare collection of 60's underground music with some famous names like Bloomfield and Kooper, John Kay (of STEPPENWOLF) and some long forgotten names like John Simon. Artwork included.
Download here

Snail - Snail (1978)
Tracklist:
1. The Joker
2. Catch Me
3. Music Is My Mistress
4. Childhood Dreams
5. Try And Wonder
6. Keep On Livin'
7. You Gotta Run
8. Carry me
9. Freedom In The Country

One of my favorite albums of the last months is SNAIL's self titled album from 1978. Bought this one some years ago, but never listened to it until I ripped it fron vinyl. I was impressed! What you'll find here is some fine soft rockin' music. Although mainstream, with a slight country edge at times, this album offers very fascinating songs that you won't get out of your mind! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
Download here



Prism - Beat Street (1983)
Tracklist:
1. Nightmare
2. Beat Street
3. Dirty Mind
4. Modern Times
5. Is He Better Than Me?
6. Blue Collar
7. Wired
8. State Of The Heart
9. I Don't Want You No More

Upon 1981's Small Change album, Prism fell apart. After the band brought in singer Henry Small to replace Ron Tabak, there were constant disagreements as to which route the group should take: a harder rock & roll one or one that was geared more toward radio pop. This led to a wholesale change within the lineup, and only Small was left when Beat Street was recorded in 1983. Even with Timothy B. Schmit helping out on vocals, Beat Street contains none of Prism's past arena rock charm or instrumental stamina. The tracks are watered-down attempts at playing pop/rock with lyrics that sound as if they've been written overnight. Without John Hall behind the keyboards or Tabak's singing, Prism just wasn't Prism anymore. Lackluster efforts like "Nightmare," "Wired," or "Dirty Mind" are muddled and stale; "Is He Better Than Me" tried to imitate the band's only Top 40 Billboard appearance of "Don't Let Him Know," but contains none of the hooks or the passion; and "Blue Collar" is a wannabe Bachman Turner Overdrive track. Beat Street was blatant evidence that Prism was on their last legs, and their breakup finally occurred after this album was released. Capitol released an Over 60 Minutes With Prism collection in 1988, but none of Beat Street's tracks made the cut. (Mike DeGagne, AMG)
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Steel Pulse - Your House 12" (1982)
Tracklist:
1. Your House (Long Version)
2. Blues Dance Raid
3. A Who Responsible Dub

Nice song from this british Roots'n'Reggae band, taken off their '82 "True Democracy" album.
Download here



Sherbs - The Skill (1980)
Tracklist:
1. I Have The Skill
2. Back To Zero
3. Cindy Is Waiting
4. Crazy In The Night
5. I'll Be Faster
6. Never Surrender
7. No Turning Back
8. Love You To Death
9. Into The Heat
10. I'm OK
11. Juliet And Me
12. Parallel Bars

Except for first-class radio ringer "I Have the Skill," this record requires a modicum of work. But those who lock themselves inside the crystalline production recapture the lost prog of near-icons Gamma and Saga. This Aussie aggregate was once Sherbet, a '70s sensation down under, here striving for a more mature market, though a quirky pop sense still prevails, paving the way for Men at Work. On "Back to Zero," everyone's favorite null set gets delineated three years before saving the Fixx. "Crazy in the Night" could pass for Marillion (but can't touch the Kim Carnes dandy of the same name). The quintet works up a furor-driving "Into the Heat," and the pure positivity and confidence radiating throughout this professional offering are welcome relief in a genre too often dominated by negativity. Surprisingly preserved on CD with tasty bonus bits, this smashing sorbet deserved to be rescued. (Doug Stone, AMG)
Download here

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No Panic on the Titanic

Howdy folks,
it's been awhile since my last post but I've been quite busy for the last weeks. So don't panic, I haven't given up. At least not yet. Nevertheless, I found some nice vintage releases that I thought would deserve to get a listen or two. No time to lose, no words to waste, here we go...

Udo Lindenberg - No Panic On The Titanic (1976)
Tracklist:
1. The Conductor
2. Votan Wahnwitz
3. Nothing But a Vacuum
4. Daniel's Time Machine
5. It Was All So New
6. Rudi Ratlos
7. Elli Pyrelli
8. O Rhesus Negative
9. Look at It My Way
10.Johnny Controlletti
11.Jack

The project to take the best songs from Udo Lindenberg's German masterpiece trilogy Alles Klar auf der Andrea Doria, Ball Pompös, and Votan Wahnwitz, translate them to English, and try to conquer the Anglo-Saxon market was conceived in 1975 after the release of Votan Wahnwitz, but the actual record No Panic, the fruit of these attempts, was only released in 1977 in the U.S. and the U.K. Apart from the fact that it was a flop in both countries (Lindenberg's strength was his German lyrical backbone), it also divided his huge fan community in Germany. Some regarded this record as embarrassing and tasteless; others thought it was as exceptional and authentic as Lindenberg's other work. Be that as it may, this record is a quirky attempt to get a foot into a market Lindenberg wasn't destined for, and after decades it pays off to listen to these English songs and compare them with their German counterparts. Unlike the releases No Panic was based on, however, it is not a must-have in an album collection of German rock. For people interested in translation, it is definitely informative to see how Udo Lindenberg's relentlessly funny word games were transposed to English, and the record drew the attention of a limited English-speaking audience to this German rock icon. (Frank Eisenhuth, AMG)
Download here


The "O" Band - Look To The Left 12" (1977)
Tracklist:
1. Look To The Left, Look To The Right
2. A Smile Is Diamond
3. Fine White Wine

Here's the O-Band's last output, their '77 release "Look To The Left..". The O Band was rising out of the ashes of the "Parlour Band",releasing four albums during their heyday. The title track is a cover version from SPIRIT (well at least it is credited to be written by a certain Randy California) . The backside songs are ust as good as the first, with "A Smile Is Diamond" being the O Band's greatest success, making its way on the famous "Munich City Nights" Sampler series. Too bad the band called it quits shortly after the release of their fouth LP, "The Knife". Great songs, highly recommended!
Download here


Bob Seger - Smokin' O.P.s (1972)
Tracklist:

1. Bo Diddley

2. Love The One You're With

3. If I Were A Carpenter

4. Hummin' Bird

5. Let It Rock

6. Turn On Your Love Light

7. James, Jesse

8. Someday

9. Heavy Music

Bob Seger closed out his Capitol contract with Brand New Morning, a singer/songwriter album quite unlike anything he had yet released. Following its release he moved to the Detroit-based label Palladium and returned to hard-driving rock & roll with Smokin' O.P.'s, the polar opposite of Brand New Morning. According to legend, the title stands for "smoking other people's songs," which makes sense since this is a cover album that even covers Bob Seger & the Last Heard. In other words, it's nothing like the intimate, reflective, risky Brand New Morning, but that doesn't matter since it rocks so well and since it reveals that Seger isn't just a first-class bandleader and rock songwriter, but that he's a terrific interpreter of other writers' songs. Even well-worn tunes like "Bo Diddley" and "If I Were a Carpenter" get made fresh by internalizing the hooks, turning them into something fresh and original. That's also true of songs by such contemporaries as Stephen Stills ("Love the One You're With") and Leon Russell ("Humming Bird"), and he also breathes fire into blues and rock stalwarts like "Let It Rock," "Turn on Your Love Light," and "Jesse James." Smokin' O.P.'s closes out with two originals, one new (the fine, but not especially noteworthy "Someday") and one old (the perennial "Heavy Music"). Neither change the essential character of the album, which is just a really fun, hard-rocking record that bought Seger some time while reasserting the fact that he could really rock. He could -- and he could rock really well -- which is why Smokin' O.P.'s remains a lot of fun, even if it's a relatively minor work in Seger's canon. (Stephen Thomas Erlewine, AMG)
Download here

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I have some other albums to post, but my time is running short, so I'll be posting these later this week (or next) so stay tuned. If you like what you find here, leave a message.
Have fun,

evil

Last post for 2007

I hope you all had a wonderful christmas time and I wish all of you a happy new year 2008. Here's just a short post before the year's over:


Die Ärzte - 1st EP (1983)

Tracklist:
1. Teenager Liebe
2. Aneliese Schmidt
3. Grace Kelly
4. Teddybär

Download here



Flatsch - Vier-Sei mal'n bissi lieb (1984)

Tracklist:
1.Computerbruder
2.Sei Mal'n Bissi Lieb
3.In Der Hölle
4.Komische Gefühle
5.Monika
6.Schade
7.Ich Wär' So Gern Mal Michael Jackson
8.Der Erste Versuch
9.Heuliboy
10.Eberhard
11.Der Anruf
12.Guck Mal Da
13.Tag Der Offenen Tür

Download here



Azymuth - Light As A Feather (1979)

Tracklist:
1. Partido Alto
2. Avenida Das Mangueiras
3. Light As A Feather
4. Fly Over The Horizon (Vôo Sobre O Horizonte)
5. Amazonia
6. Carnival
7. Young Embrace (Um Abraço Da Mocidade)
8. Dona Olimpia
9. This Exists (Existe Isto)

Download here

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Old, new, borrowed & blue

Paragraph 51 - Non Compos Mentis (1996)

Tracklist:
1. Asshole
2. Whole Lotta Love
3. S.T.T.
4. Pain
5. The Fool
6. Child Abuse
7. What Is
8. Jam The House
9. Stuck In The Mud
10 I'm Not Your Clown
11. Giant For A Day
12. Ain't Dying For You

I've already introduced LANCELOT you you. Here's the last output of these guys from 1996. After renaming the band twice (from LANCELOT to JUICY LUCY to PARAGRAPH 51) they radically changed their style. This album sounds quite similar to CLAWFINGER or other early 90's crossover bands, but also combines these influences with old style hardrock sounds. Songs like "Asshole", "Pain" or "Ain't Dying For You" are really outstanding, but they should have omitted to put LED ZEP's "Whole Lotta Love" on the album.
All in all very highly recommended!
Download here



Sniff'n The Tears - No Damage Done (1992)

Tracklist:
1. Life Is a Cold Stone
2. The Key
3. Swoon
4. Only Love to Tempt Me
5. Prime Time
6. Parisian Girl
7. Some People
8. I Need You Now
9. I Want You
10. No Damage Done
11. Home
12. Little Ditty

After posting the old SNIFF albums I was very curious what the band sounded like on their latter albums. There's no great change to the old sound, but no really big "hit" on the album. Nevertheless a quite decent one. Enjoy!
Download here



Birth Control - Knock Knock Who's There (1973)

Tracklist:
1. No Drugs
2. Recollection
3. Deep Inside
4. Foolish Action
5. Sundown
6. Change Of Mind
7. Light My Fire

This is actually a re-release of BC's first album with different name and artwork.
Download here



Bernd Noske - Come Out At Night (1999)

Tracklist:
1. Come Out At Night
2. Fortunes Told
3. The Bull's Escape
4. Music In The Night
5. One Year And A Day
6. My Place
7. The Heat Of Summer
8. Joanna
9. I Put A Spell On You
10. Alamo (Bonustrack)

Bernd Noske is one of the core members of BIRTH CONTROL, here's his only solo album, recorded around 1978/79. It comes close to the BC albums from that time.
Download here


Nina Hagen - Smack Jack 7" (1982)

Tracklist:
1. Smack Jack
2. Cosma Shiva

Nina Hagen is the german Queen of Punk, for those who don't know the name. After releasing two albums with the NINA HAGEN BAND (later to become SPLIFF without her), she relocated to the US and released her first english language LP. Here's the single.
Download here



Point Blank - The Hard Way (1980)

Tracklist:
1. Turning Back
2. The Hard Way
3. On The Run
4. Highway Star (Live)
5. Rock n' Roll Soldier
6. Guessing Game
7. Wrong To Cry (Live)
8. Thank You Mama (Live)

AOR edged Southern Boogie merchants POINT BLANK were discovered in 1976 by Bill Ham, noted for his work with ZZ TOP. The 1980 album "The Hard Way" sounds quite similar to the ZZ TOP sound and included three live tracks, amongst them a cover of DEEP PURPLE's "Highway Star".
Download here


Rob Grill - Uprooted (1979)

Tracklist:
1. Feel The Heat
2. God Help The Man
3. Have Mercy
4. Rockin' On The Road Again
5. Strangers
6. Rock Sugar
7. When Will It Be
8. Open Up Your Heart
9. Where Were You When I Needed You

One and only solo album by ex-GRASS ROOTS member Rob Grill. The most remarkable fact about this album is the gueast appearance by FLEETWOOD MAC members Mick Fleetwood, Lindsay Buckingham and John McVie (who is also credited for being the producer of this song).

Download here


The J. Geils Band - Live-Blow Your Face Out (1976)

Tracklist:
1. Southside Shuffle
2. Back To Get Ya
3. Shoot Your Shot
4. Musta Got Lost
5. Where Did Our Love Go
6. Truck Drivin' Man
7. Love-Itis
8. Intro
9. Houseparty
10. So Sharp
11. Detroit Breakdown
12. Chimes
13. Sno-Cone
14. Wait
15. Raise Your Hand
16. Start All Over
17. Give It To Me

This is one of the best double live albums of the 70' along with PETER FRAMPTON's "Comes Alive", MOUNTAIN's "Twin Peaks", TED NUGENT's "Double Live Gonzo" and DEEP PURPLE's "Made In Japan", because it really captures the energy and genius of that band's live appearance. Sides 1 and 2 are great, but sides 3 and 4 get even better. A true gem of one of the most underrated bands in the history of american rock music - HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
Download Part 1
Download Part 2

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This'll be my last post 'till christmas, so happy christmas to you all!

Hot-Pot

City Boy - Heads Are Rolling (1980)

Tracklist:
1. Mr. Shoes
2. Heads Are Rolling
3. Need A Little Loving
4. Change In The weather
5. Domino
6. Speechless
7. Bloody Sunday
8. The Sound Of The Bell
9. You're Leaving Me
10. Heaven For The Holidays
11. Life On The Balcony

City Boy was a moderately successful English rock band in the late 1970s, characterised by complex vocal arrangements and heavy guitars. Here's their 6th album from 1980, not as good as its predecessor "The Day The Earth Caught Fire", but also worth a listen. Enjoy!
Download here



Herman Rarebell - Nip In The Bud (1981)

Tracklist:
1. Messing Around
2. Two Timer
3. Havin' a Good Time
4. Rock Your Balls
5. Triangle
6. Slob
7. Junk Junk
8. Do It
9. Pancake
10. I'll Say Goodbye

Herman Rarebell is best known for being the longtime drummer of german mega-group SCORPIONS. His first solo album "Nip In The Bud" has a really nice cover, but the songs are rather dull. I have to admit, I bought this one on a flea market cause I was curious. Didn't expect much.
For those of you who care...
Download here


Supermax - Fly With Me (1979)

Tracklist:
1. African Blood
2. Fly With Me
3. It Ain't Easy
4. Ain't Gonna Feel
5. Reggae Fever
6. It's A Long Way To Reach Heaven

For those who liked the STREETMARK album I posted some weeks ago, here's SUPERMAX' 1979 album. The band played their very unique style mixing Kraut-prog with Disco. The band was more or less a project of one man, composer and lead singer Kurt Hauenstein. They had their biggest hit, "Lovemachine" in 1977. Like STRAIGHT SHOOTER's "My Time- Your Time" and BIRTH CONTROL's "Gammy Ray", it's still considered as classic rock disco hit in germany. Nevertheless, the songs on this album are just as good, "African Blood" and "It Ain't Easy" are killer tracks. Highly recommended.
Download here


Stan Allan Band & Herzschlag Split LP Live At The Audimax (1981)

Tracklist:
1. Stan Allan Band - Damnation
2. Stan Allan Band - Frantic
3. Stan Allan Band - City
4. Stan Allan Band - Devil In You
5. Herzschlag - Das macht mich an
6. Herzschlag - Toilettenmann
7. Herzschlag - Kartenhaus
8. Herzschlag - Hinter Gittern
9. Herzschlag - Ich will zu dir

This record is one hell of a rarity. I remember the reasons why I bought this - first: The first song is credited to be composed by Young-Young-Scott. In fact it's a cover of ACDC's "Rock'n'Roll Damnation". Second: The record was packed in a so-called selfmade-cover (plain white with a sheet inside consisting of pictures and infos to cut out and glue it ouside). Third: it was cheap. I didn't like the music then and the record was shelved and almost forgotten - until I rediscovered it about 2 years ago and ripped it on my computer. The SAB songs are decent but not outstanding, but I like the HERZSCHLAG songs much more. The songs sound a bit like early Nina Hagen/Spliff stuff.
Besides the fact that I own this record, I know absolutely nothing about these two bands. Anyone to provide me with information ? Will be highly appreciated.
Download here

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British Rock'n'Roll Part II

Hello again, here's a fresh post for those who can't wait till the weekend. Now here's your early christmas present ;)



Dedringer - Hot Lady 7" (1982)

Tracklist:

1. Hot Lady
2. Hot Licks And Rock'n'Roll

Dedringer were a great, mostly boogie influenced NWOBHM band, this is their "Hot Lady" 7-inch from 1982, two mighty tracks. Too bad they only released two LP's and a couple of singles. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
Download here


Shakin' Stevens - I'll Be Satisfied 7" (1982)

Tracklist:

1. I'll Be Satisfied
2. Don't Be Late (Miss Kate)

He sold millions of records in the early 80's, now almost forgotten - Shakin' Stevens. Bought this one when I was a kid, but I still love this song!
Download here


Matchbox - Midnite Dynamos (1980)

Tracklist:

1. Midnight Dynamos
2. Shocked 'n Shattered
3. Checkin' Out
4. C'mon Let's Go
5. Marie Marie
6. Southern Boys
7. Back-Row Romeo
8. Sixteen Chicks
9. Sweet Lolita
10. When You Ask About Love
11. Jelly Roll
12. Back Here in Boston
13. Stranger in Nevada

A real Rockabilly legend - the mighty MATCHBOX. Here's their 1980 output "Midnite Dynamos", the title track was quite a hit back in the day. Listen and enjoy!
Download here


Vardis - 100 M.P.H. (1980)

Tracklist:

1. Out Of The Way
2. Move Along
3. The Lions Share
4. Situation Negative
5. Destiny
6. The Loser
7. Living Out Of Touch
8. Let's Go
9. 100 M.P.H.
10. Dirty Money
11. If I Were King

First Longplayer of Vardis, a NWOBHM trio fronted by guitarwiz Steve Zodiac. The music is mostly influenced by 70's STATUS QUO, great boogie tunes, and the songs played and recorded live.
Download here


Quireboys - Tramps And Thieves EP (1992)

Tracklist:

1. Tramps And Thieves
2. Ain't Love Blind
3. Wild Wild Wild
4. Pleasure And Pain

I already introduced the London Quireboys to ya, shitty singer, but man what great sleaze guitarwork! The title track is a real rocker.
Download here

One short remark to y'all:
as many of you have noticed, I've been posting the files password-protected to prevent the links to be stolen by other blogs/forums. I've already told you the password in some of the old comments, so please don't bug me asking "what's the password", it's so easy to find out by yourself...
And please don't be so lazy posting comments, a simple "thanks" won't hurt anybody...

Back to Germany

Another week over, time for another post. Well, from the comments I received it seems that most of you pay most attention to the german bands I posted. So let's get back to Germany then...

Lancelot - Far Away 7" (1983)

Tracklist:

1. Far Away
2. Miss You

I already posted a bunch of stuff from these guys during the last weeks. Now here's their '83 single "Far Away". Not their best release (a bit too cheesy in my opinion), but that's what happens if you take a promising band with brilliant musicians and put them on contract with a major record label...

Download here




Walter Elf - Heut' oder nie (1987)

Tracklist:

1. Heut' oder nie
2. Zahnarzt
3. Der blaue Klaus
4. Provinz
5. Peter ist ein Arschloch
6. Warten auf Willi (und das Bier)
7. Diese Stadt
8. Hansi Müller's Schniedelwutz
9. Einer ist zuviel
10. Partyzeit
11. Huba Huba

Now here's some old school Punk music from Kaiserslautern's very own WALTER ELF. With the music being quite similar to early TOTEN HOSEN, the lyrics of this band were mostly about football, alcohol, party and the love/hate relation to their hometown. Don't miss this one. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Download here



Walter Elf - Dedication EP (1990)

Tracklist:

1. Rock'n'Roll love letter
2. Action
3. Crazy Horses
4. I'm The Leader Of The Gang
5. Beach Baby

A nice EP with brilliant cover versions, listen and enjoy. NUFF SAID!

Download here