The Misfits - Beware (1980)

 

The Misfits - Beware (1980) 

Now this is more like it! Classic Danzig era Misfits. As you may know, Danzig recently regrouped with The Misfits for a festival show in America. This, to me, was slightly disheartening. While it's cool and all, especially with Dave Lombardo destroying the drums beat by beat, it's just not the same. Some bands are just a moment in time. While I can't fault the guys wanting some cash for music they never got in their initial life span, there is something to say about legacy.

Obviously, Jerry Only has never been one to care about legacy. He recruited a new Misfits line-up in the 90s, put out some good material, lied dormant for a while, and then refused to let the gravy train disappear. As a result, he has fronted the band since the early 2000's. No doubt they put on a good show, but the recorded material from this era fucking sucks. According to recent news, Danzig has called off any other activities with The Misfits, Doyle has gone back to his solo material, and Jerry is, as expected, keeping the ailing cash-cow alive. So, while we all wait to ignore the next Misfits material that'll undoubtedly come out within the next few years, we can satisfy ourselves by digging up the classic Danzig era material...such as BEWARE!

Beware is a compilation that was released in 1980. It features all of the Bullet EP, the main cuts from the Horror Business EP, and (the then unreleased) Last Caress. Understandably, Beware is a crucial record. There's just something about Danzig's reign, the songs are perfectly written and played, and there is a warm quality to the music...like putting on your old favourite jumper. Maybe that's just nostalgia on my part as The Misfits are one of the bands that got me into punk rock, and thus music in general.

Enjoy, you fiends!

The Misfits - Monster Mashed

 

The Misfits - Monster Mashed

It's Halloween once again. A holiday of mass consumerism which could only have come from America-land. While you're gorging on cheap horror movies, soda, and chocolate, you may as well do something good for you're health...such as listening to the heavenly, or hellish may be more appropriate, sounds of The Misfits.

Well, i say that with slight sarcasm relating to this particular release. Monster Mash was the first time Jerry Only took lead vocals. And while he works well here, the full-length records he has done are horrendous, and not in a good way.

Anyway, I've put the 1997 single version as well as the superior Project 1950 cut and tagged them as Monster Mashed. Enjoy, you fiends.

The Misfits - Horror Business EP (1979)

 

The Misfits - Horror Business EP (1979)

So here we are. Final Halloween post. I was hoping to be a bit more prolific, but what the hell.

Horror Business is simply one the the greatest songs ever written. Any other opinion is bullshit and you should feel bad for not agreeing with me.

On this legendary EP The Misfits rip through three tracks of pure punk rock glory. If Horror Business and Teenagers From Mars don't convince you that The Misfits were one of THE best bands to ever exist, then i have no idea whats wrong with you.

I suppose the only issue with this record is that the former tunes make the final cut Children In Heat seem insignificant. However, don't get me wrong. Children In Heat is a rad tune, it's just up against some hard competition!

The line-up on this masterpiece is the same as Night Of The Living Dead: Danzig, Only, Steele, and Image 

As we all know, The Misfits rotated guitarists frequently in their initial short life span, creating even more punk rock classics with every record they put out. And then Danzig left...we wont get into that here.

A fucking gem. Happy Halloween, you fiends!

Teenagers from mars and we don't care!

The Misfits - Night Of The Living Dead (1979)

 

The Misfits - Night Of The Living Dead (1979)

What would Halloween be without The Misfits. Undoubtably one of the greatest bands ever. Night of the Living Dead is one of the prime Misfits recordings from the classic, or one of the classic, line-ups. On this record Bobby Steele rocks the guitar, while mainstays Glenn Danzig and Jerry Only do their thang. On drums is Joey Image, of whom i have no knowledge of. Apparently he donned the sticks for less than a year in The Misfits and became active in recording in the 00s...as well as having a Youtube Podcast channel. It's true, look it up!

This particular record is pretty interesting in terms of the song choices. Obviosly we have the Romero homage Night of the Living Dead, as well a favourite of mine, Where Eagles Dare. The last cut, Rat Fink, is actually a cover by Allan Sherman who was dead well before the Misfits were on the scene.
 

A true fucking classic.

I ain't no goddamn son of a bitch, you better think about it baby!

GBH - Leather, Bristles, Studs and Acne (1981)

 

GBH - Leather, Bristles, Studs and Acne (1981)

Probably not the first band that comes to your mind in regards to Halloween or horror themed punk, but GBH had a fair share of Hammer Horror-esque lyrics in their earlier work. Especially here the dark humour shines through in tracks such as Lycanthropy, State Executioner, and my personal favourite,
Necrophilia.

For me, this and the debut LP, City Baby Attacked By Rats, show GBH at their best. Undoubtedly one of the forerunners of UK punk rock during the early eighties, GBH bring the bass heavy power of Motorhead and the senseless aggression of the Sex Pistols to create a unique style that has been much copied...but hardly ever surpassed!

Their later material isn't as potent when compared to the vitriolic power of Leather... and City Baby..., but GBH definitely deserve respect for their contribution to, not only punk, but music in general. And let's not forget to mention their defiant attitude to recording and touring throughout the eras, regardless of how popular (or unpopular) punk is at those specific times. 

Your hair is tied in a spiders web, you're dead!

LDS - On The Cross EP (1985)

LDS - On The Cross (1985) 

A punk record that starts with Toccata and Fugue in D Minor. Now what do we expect to follow?
LDS were a punk band that straddled the lines between 77 punk with creepy melodies and hardcore. These Utah miscreants put out this EP and an LP, Nightmare, in the space of two years (1985-1986). Like many, LDS never really developed a large following or cult status, and as such, have become long forgotten.

Maybe it's due to them being from the distant religious hub Utah, or maybe it's just that the songwriting wasn't the best, but LDS never caught on. Both of their records were given fairly negative reviews in Maximum Rock'n'Roll, essentially saying that they aren't anything special. To top it off, nothing much has sprung out of the band in terms of other projects. So LDS are a bit of a mystery band.

Although they were given a rough deal in their heyday, LDS were all very good at their instruments. The drummer in particular shines throughout this record. The vocals let them down slightly, they're not like Danzig, but they're also not nasty and virile like Fear Itself...they're just...standard hardcore yelling. With all this said, the guitars make up for it with some nice macabre melodies and relentless power-chords.

LDS aren't an essential band, but for connoisseurs of punk rock they are definitely worth looking up.

Breeders!

Fear Itself - Till Death Do Us Part (1987)

 

Fear Itself - Till Death Do Us Part 

Fear Itself are, yes, you guessed it...yet another horror themed punk band from the 80s. This time from the unlikely territory of South Carolina, USA. They put out a great demo in in 1986, featured on multiple comp tapes, and released this gem in 1987. Much like the other horror themed bands, Fear Itself were a bit too late to the punk rock picnic. However, their powerful, and sometimes frantic speeds akin to Septic Death, give them an edge over the crossover guck of the time. 

It's obvious that they were all pretty accomplished at their instruments. They swiftly change tempos with frantic grace, staying in time, and spicing up their guitar and drum parts. The guitars and drums are the definite highlights of this record. The drums absolutely blast like a mutha, while the guitars mix up between fastcore, heavy riffs, and slight metal damage! Respect has to be given to the vocal performance here as well. There's a nice snotty bite to the vocals, and some rad sneering, creepy lines to top it off!

This is some dead powerful stuff, and if that album art doesn't convince you to check this out, i don't know what will!

Pray For Death (link from the awesome Brave New World blog)

Tales of Terror LP (1984)

                                                                 Tales of Terror (1984)
One of the better known punk bands of the 80s to flirt with horror imagery was Sacramento's Tales of Terror. Much like 5051, Fear Itself, and the Skulldiggers, Tales stuck to playing punk fucking rock as opposed to crossover or Revolution Summer punk. Not so surprisingly, they were a big deal to the late 80s/early 90s Seattle punk scene. With Mark Arm and Kurt Cobian singing their praises, what more evidence could you want? Maybe the reason Tales resonated with Seattle was their fearless mixing of rockabilly, 70s rock, and macabre melodies into their punk rock frenzy. A sound the grunge bands exploited to much success.




If it wasn't for guitar maestro, Lyon Wong, being killed by a teenager, Tales could have made it big. Read more about that story as well as the history of the band HERE

In typical fashion, when the band split the members went on to other projects. None of which surpassed Tales of Terror in success or acclaim. Unfortunately the punk rock pension plan didn't work out for some of the members with Magner dying of a methadone overdose in 2004 and singer Rat's Ass suffering a series of debilitating strokes recently.

Where did you say you have an Elvis tattoo?

 Link from the great Dr. Drunk blog!

Skulldiggers - 1984 Promo/Demo

 

Skulldiggers - 1984 Promo/Demo 

Yet another horror influenced punk band of the 80s, the Skulldiggers were from Idaho, USA who were featured on the Hideous Headchop'n tape (1985) [Bodily Harm & Reality of a Nightmare] and the awesome War Between The States: North tape (1985) [Werewolf & Green Fleshed Zombies]

Apparently among their ranks were Paul and Onj from Septic Death, pretty nifty, huh?

Unfortunatly, they only released a single demo in 1984. The Skulldiggers have a unique sound. It's relentless punk rock, but it's not afraid to get weird, heavy, and chaotic. The obvious comparison is The Misfits, especially Earth A.D. on the heavier and thrashier moments. But the more abnormal cuts like Necromatia show a post-punk vibe with the effect-swishing guitars and tribal drums. Bodily Harm is probably the heaviest, and longest, track here.While Werewolf is a solid mix of weirdo-swishy guitars and punk rock thrashing.

Amongst the eclectic mix is a furious hardcore attack called Hungry, not dissimilar to The Misfits' Demonomania. Following in suit is Reality of a Nightmare which bridges the gap, going from fast-as-fuck hardcore to a slow, chilling dirge.

This is a definite highlight in 80s horror punk. Dig in!

I'm a werewolf on the prowl, all i wanna do is kill

Seditionaries - Wherewolf (1982)

 

Seditionaries - Wherewolf (1982) 

Much like 5150, not much is known about this horror fueled punk band. According to Discogs Shapes is a cover of the Yardbirds Shape of Things, not that i'd have any clue about that. From what i can tell the Seditionaries were from California, USA  and only released this sole record in 1982. They play a fairly typical Cali-punk style, some gang chants, melodic vocals, speedy riffs....you know the drill. I suppose the doo-wop-esque muted arpeggios during the bridge of Wherewolf are a unique touch.

Put out on Rabid records, which i assume is an independent made by the band, this is some cool horror punk. Not earthshattering, granted. But still a very cool document of macabre punk.

Too Much Horror Business!

https://mega.nz/#!hcx2ASwC!9uFncrTa0lkA8KbMWoJacu0bHosPTEEkIItwuRF3qkQ

5150 - Forever Night & Lil' Miss (80s Horror Punk)

 

5150 - Forever Night & Lil' Miss

5150 are a pretty obscure band from 1980s Las Vegas. According to Kill From The Heart they released their records Forever Night and Li'l Miss in 1986 and 1987 respectively. Both of which are on a label called Intoxicated Force Records.

The best way to describe them is like a hardcore Misfits...but not like The Misfits playing hardcore. Does that even make sense? It's not like Earth A.D., where the Misfits sacrificed a lot of their melody for sheer power and speed. 5150 merge the melody with the mach-speed punk rock assault. Reading this back, it sounds like I'm dissing Earth A.D. in a favour of 5150. This isn't really the case as Earth A.D. is a straight classic even if it isn't like the classic Misfits material. As for 5150, they're a really interesting band and it's a shame their not more well known.

However, if 5150 were active during the mid eighties, i can see how they were overlooked. In a time
where crossover and Rites Of Spring punk were becoming the in-things, the primal punk rock thrashings of 5150 were a bit too late for the party.

Which is a total shame as this is some quality horror punk. Definitely up there with The Misfits and Mourning Noise. 

Too Much Horror Business!

https://mega.nz/#!AQA3zYhJ!IwyEMVnRLX55fbe2VU_V9EwzHsDcu9xoqlILOujKPGA

It's beginning to look a lot like Halloween

 

It's that time of year again. Supermarkets stock cheap plastic jack-o-lanterns, spooky decorations, and costumes, shitty horror films flood the market, the wind starts developing a chilly bite, and twatlords plan out their Halloween parties.

In essence, Halloween is fucking bollocks. Just another materialistic holocaust of people well-earned cash.
But the fact that Halloween flirts with the dark side conflict me. I want to like it, and i do like it in a weird way. So while i don't really do much for the holiday i always feel obliged to acknowledge it. This is usually done by listening to horror themed music and watching dodgy horror/sci-fi movies....not too far from my day-to-day life really!

Much like last year, up until Halloween I'll be posting various horror themed music and films. So bust out your Misfits records, get your Friday the 13th movies off the shelf, and slob out with junk food. It's about to get messy...

The Misfits - Evilive 7' 1982

The legendary live recording by one of the greatest bands of all time, The Misfits!
Here we have seven tracks of classic, horror themed, punk rock. This is a sloppy, fast, and most importantly, rad recording. Released in 1982, we have a good mix between fan favorites 'Astro Zombies', 'Horror Business', '20 Eyes', and some lesser known stuff like, my personal favorite, 'We Are 138', 'Night Of The Living Dead', and 'All Hell Breaks Loose'. If that isn't awesome enough, Henry Rollins does his 'thing' in the epic closer 'We Are 138'!

Link:
http://www47.zippyshare.com/v/92239401/file.html

+++You Don't Go In The Bathroom With Me+++

+++We Are 138+++

The Misfits - Noise The Show, WNYU 10/23/81

A pretty rad oddity here, The Misfits on Noise The Show, WNYU 10-23-1981
This is a promotional unveiling of their, then, new song 'Halloween', a couple cuts from the 'Horror Business' days 'Who Killed Marilyn' and the original 'Where Eagles Dare'.

While the host has a slightly grating voice, at least we have some banter, promotional shizz, and some mentions of other bands who's track were played (but cut out of this recording).

Direct Download Link:
http://www.mediafire.com/?l5bzgm0tmb2

Your Skull Is My Bowl Blog:
http://yourskullismybowl.blogspot.co.uk/2009/11/noise-show-misfits-11-23-1981.html

The Misfits - Uncle Floyd Show 10/31/80

This is an interesting recording from a radio show broadcasted on Halloween day 1980.
What we have is lo-fi live recordings of 'Halloween' and 'Vampira' with an interview splatted inbetween. The interview is a bit nothing, just talking about about a show and their upcoming record.
So, while you wont be missing out on much, this is a cool little oddity in the minefield of Misfits bootlegs.

Link:
http://www78.zippyshare.com/v/83139735/file.html