Keith Morris still got the guts and Jack Black is the hero of “Lethal Justice”. Punks don’t get old mate!
Category: Records as in Vinyl
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my loveliest vinyl, part 34
The Jabbers – Is, Was, And Allways Shall Be (Blitz Records, 1983) Now this is another funny one: Everybody has this down as GG Allins first LP but in fact it is The Jabbers, to which GG Allin (in real: Kevin Michael Jesus Allin) was the front man. But, self-proclaimed star that he was, he changed the front cover for a “star shot” of him humble self and made it “GG Allin”…neat! Little did i know when i got the record in 1983 thanks to Uli @ Konneckschen that i was to be involved directly with GG Allin in later years (the Artless/GG Allin split LP was co-released by Mike Just’s Starving Missile Records and the little vinyl lable i did run in these days). As much as GG Allin later did not only ruin his health go “full speed” on drugs this is full speed punk rock in the best sense.
Whilst his later output focused on his show (and his singular sense of words), this actualy is a tight band with all sorts of good songwriting beneath!
The verdict:
1977 – indeed, this is Punk Rock with both a P and an R!
published by a cool lable – I guess nope, a swedish re-issue on Blitz Records – a local distributor with at least a questionable portfolio – back then and today!
found in a cool shop – Konnekschen!
catching sound – solid string work, good tempo and ruthless singer – works for me but some better production and a smaller ego would have worked better, eh?
The lyrics – true GG to-be can be seen through, direct, insulting – love it!.My favorite one (due to the great background vocals repeating “Automatic”):
Everything you do is the same SAME, SAME! Over and over it's like a game GAME, GAME! Think you're Miss High Society WOWEE! Fuckin' all the rockstars that you meet FUCK ME! It makes no sense the things you do or say girl(automatic) Cause everything you say comes back to me (automatic) Don't go play with me emotionally (automatic) Or I will make you bleed internally (automatic) Think you are mister know it all KNOW ALL! Standards high but you value small SMALL, SMALL Class-A assholes telling you what to do WHAT TO DO! If you're from Boston you gotta be cool FUCK YOU! It makes no sense the things you do or say girl(automatic) Cause everything you say comes back to me (automatic) Don't go play with me emotionally (automatic) Or I will make you bleed internally (automatic) It makes no sense the things you do or say girl(automatic) Cause everything you say comes back to me (automatic) Don't go play with me emotionally (automatic) Or I will make you bleed internally (automatic) (c) 1980 GG Allin/John Fortin
Listen up:
And here they are in a “live in the Studio” setting, with GG Allin being an Iggy Pop clone:
And more from this session:
“Then, screaming “Fuck you, you pussies!” the band went into the most useless convulsions I’d ever seen. GG was a horror show. His face went blank, his mouth hung agape. He began crawling around on the floor like some parasitic reptile just out of its lightless cavern. If he got near the crowd they pushed him, spit on him, dragged him around like a piece of meat. And through it all he seemed oblivious. Behind him, the band fired off high tension noise — fast, distorted, dangerous. GG screamed a few inaudible lines, broke the mike, and let the band finish up the number while he dove onto tables, only to get savagely dragged down again.” — The Times (Durham, NH) circa 1982
“The album was kinda half-assed, we just wanted to get something on vinyl, just to have something out that we could work off of.” —GG Allin in Conflict Fanzine #43, Jan/Feb 1987
… he made even Homer posing as GG Allin:
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my loveliest vinyl, part 33
Newtown Neurotics – Beggars can be choosers (Razor Records RAZ 6. 1983) That is a fun one – in 1983 i started to turn US H/C and was fascinated with the load of stuff finding it’s way from over there, but still stayed loyal to almost anything on Razor Records: Adicts, Cock Sparrer, Splodge etc) – and especially to the Newtown Neurotics, even when they became the bad produced pop band Neurotics (as they still had quality songwriting). But they punk rock masterpiece is this one – perfect, tongue-in-check political version of the mighty Ramones.
Frontman Steve Drewitt went all the way from long haired hippie to the skinheaded punk as seen on the record cover in no time and they produced some of the background sound for Anti-War, Anti-Thatcher and Anti-Government in the UK in the early 80es. Smart!
The verdict:
1977 – sure thing, perfect Ramonescore!
published by a cool label – Indeed. Razor Records UK!
found in a cool shop – Konnekschen, like anything from that area!
catching sound – Yes, 3-pcs masterpiece – you do not need any army for great sound?
The lyrics – always political but also with a smile in the corner of the eye.Their best known tune is either the earlier “Kick out the Tories”, “When the oil runs out” or their re-work of The Members “Living with Unemployment” but this is my fav tune:
Does anyone know where the march is? We've been searching for hours We couldn't get the generator started We were on the back of a lorry But with no power we had no sound While we were tackling the problem The march moved off and disappeared into town Oh where did it go, god knows It could have been worse I suppose Just look at us We're standing here in our rebel clothes Singing rebel songs with a rebel pose We were waiting for the traffic to clear Stuck outside of Tesco's Does anyone know where the march is? We bellowed at the passers-by They thought we were a bunch of crazies, no reply We saw a kid clutching a leaflet Oh this is where the march must have been She told us we were all stupid, It was causing the traffic jam that we were in Oh where did it go, god knows It could have been worse I suppose Just look at us We're standing here in our rebel clothes Singing rebel songs with a rebel pose We were waiting for the traffic to clear Stuck outside of Tesco's A band with a message Going no-where So we played to the shoppers In the end we didn't care, we didn't care They said "what's this, what's this, oh how subversive (C) DREWETT 1983 - Universal Publishing
Now listen up:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjMF460Iy6IAnd see them live in Leeds in 1983:
And indeed the Neurotics played Hamburg once (20.10.1985 @ Onkel Pö) and i took some pics back then:
(The) Neurotics – Steve Drewett (Live Onkel Pö, Hamburg, 20.10.1985) (c) Holy War Archive Update: I did restore some of the pics to full beauty – go here!