The Cave Weddings - Demo

Artist: The Cave Weddings
Title: Demo
Year: 2009
Label: None
Tracks: 1.) Let's Drive, 2.) When The Lights Go Out, 3.) Heart So Cold, 4.) Tell Me, 5.) Bring Your Love (Demo)

Eventually I'll get to posting The Romance Novels, my favorite of Indiana popster Eric LaGrange's groups, but right now I feel like doing The Cave Weddings. The Cave Weddings were a short-lived trio Eric formed after The Romance Novels and in between phases of The Happy Thoughts while he spent a little time with his girlfriend and band member Erin at The University at Albany, SUNY. 

They initially cut this demo CD that came in a pretty cool screen-printed package. These five songs became the source material for the "Bring Your Love" b/w "Let's Drive" on Hozac Records with "Last Time" being released on a split cassingle with The Midwest Beat. The other two songs are not available on anything else. "Heart So Cold" is originally by The Thunderbolts from 1965. There are two other songs from a different session that came out on Bachelor Records. 

Sample: here

Jeffrey Novak One Man Band - Go Way Out

Artist: Jeffrey Novak One Man Band
Title: Go Way Out
Year: 2005
Label: Sonic Assault Records
Tracks: 1.) Burn Out!, 2.) Nothing Can Bring Me Down, 3.) Go Way Out, 4.) Mad Lover, 5.) Fire In The Hole Pt. 1, 6.) Fire In The Hole Pt. 2, 7.) Stabbed In The Back, 8.) Little Girl, 9.) Go Way Out (Boombox Version), 10.) Coming Back Again, 11.) Teenage Psycho

Another CDR. A lot of these songs would end up on vinyl. 

Sample: here

Jeffrey Novak One Man Band - Jungle Beat Stomp

Artist: Jeffrey Novak One Man Band
Title: Jungle Beat Stomp
Year: 2005
Label: Heart Of Chrome Records
Tracks: 1.) Junkyard Blues, 2.) Never Good Enough, 3.) Pine Box Rock, 4.) Jungle Beat Stomp, 5.) One Trick Pony, 6.) Sugar Shack, 7.) Doin' The Shake, 8.) I Don't Take Much, 9.) Teenie Weenie Bopper, 10.) Tugboat, 11.) The Crusher, 12.) She Rides A Rockin' Horse, 13.) Been A Fool Too Long, 14.) Alright, 15.) She's Got The Leather, 16.) Whistle Bait, 17.) Working Blues, 18.) Road Runner, 19.) Get In The Car

You already know I'm a Jeffrey Novak fan and his one man band is my favorite stuff. This is a reissue of his first recorded output, all cut in his bedroom as a disaffected teen in rural Tennessee. The first edition of this CDR was released by Jeff's own Sonic Assault Records but somehow this is credited as a Japanese version. 

The story goes he sent his demos to people all over the world looking for offers and he definitely found more interest overseas, as all his vinyl was put out by foreign labels. However, I just don't see why a Japanese label would want to reissue a handmade CDR, when Jeff was just making them himself at cost. But, Jeff has never been one to create a fake culture around his music like Jesse Lortz and the Boom Boom empire, so I guess there's no reason to think this is bogus. I bought this direct from Jeff in 2005. 

The original version only had the first 16 songs. This version added three extras. Most of these are Novak compositions, with the exceptions of The Novas class "The Crusher", The Collins Kids' "Whistle Bait", and Bo Diddley's "Road Runner". A few of these songs were re-released on Jeff's proper vinyl slabs. 

Sample: here

First Base - I've Got A Girl

Artist: First Base
Title: I've Got A Girl
Year: 2009
Label: Pizza Party Records
Tracks: 1.) I've Got A Girl, 2.) Nobody Makes My Girl Cry But Me

Like with The Yolks and Nobunny's cover of "Somewhere New", many people had their first exposure to First Base via a cover, with Personal & The Pizzas doing "Nobody Makes My Girl Cry But Me" on their "Brass Knuckles" 7" and Raw Pie LP. 

And you're excused if you had no idea who First Base was because for a while barely anyone knew who was behind it. First Base began as a bedroom recording project by a kid in Toronto named Fraser Wynne, who was such an outsider many people thought First Base was an offshoot of Eric LaGrange or someone else from the Indiana pop underground, home of Pizza Party Records. Fraser did this 7" and two more 7"s, as well as a cassette that preceded all of this, before eventually putting together a full band. The band would go on to record an LP for HoZac Records and play SXSW and the Chicago Blackout. 

Sample: here

Lightning Beat-Man - Tonight

Artist: Lightning Beat-Man
Title: Tonight
Year: 1999
Label: Ken Rock
Tracks: 1.) Tonight, 2.) My Baby's Child, 3.) You Don't Know Who I Am, 4.) You Will Never Love Me, 5.) My Name Is Susi

More Beat-Man. 

Sample: here

Skipper - Cold Pizza 'N' Pop

Artist: Skipper
Title: Cold Pizza 'N' Pop
Year: 2009
Label: Chocolate Covered Records
Tracks: 1.) Hangin' On The Telephone, 2.) Just Miles Away, 3.) You're So Charming, 4.) 'Til She Comes Around

You already know I am a Brian Hermosillo fan. Not too long ago I thought I knew everything about his music I needed to but then discovered Skipper and now I think this is the best stuff he's ever done. There's not a lot of info about them out there, but from what I can tell they were based out of Minneapolis and only existed for a short run at the end of the 2000s. Brian sang and played guitar and the rest of the band was filled out by Briana on bass and crystal on drums. I can't find any info about Briana and Crystal playing in other bands but they did sing backup vocals on a Boys Club 7". When they played live, they wore shirts with anchors on them as part of a loose nautical theme. 

This is the second Skipper release. The first was a split with Thee Makeout Party on Recordstar Records. After "Cold Pizza 'N' Pop", they released a 10" on Bachelor Records. There was at time talk that Douchemaster Records would release a full album but I guess that never happened. I'd love to know if an unreleased recording exists. 

Sample: here

Scripts - Dim Stars

Artist: Scripts
Title: Dim Stars 
Year: 2004
Label: Jeth-Row Records
Tracks: 1.) Dim Stars, 2.) Let It Ride, 3.) Nobody Cares, 4.) Japanese Tourist 

Here's the full Scripts 7", recently acquired. 

Sample: here

The Spaceshits - I'm Dead

Artist: The Spaceshits
Title: I'm Dead
Year: 1996
Label: Rat City Records
Tracks: 1.) I'm Dead, 2.) Bunny Hop Rock, 3.) Gotta Get It Back, 4.) So Fucked 

More Spaceshits, this time their very first release. Sadly, I don't own this. "I'm Dead" and "Gotta Get It Back" would get re-recorded for the Winter Dance Party LP. "Bunny Hop Rock" and "So Fucked" are exclusive to this. 

Sample: here

Persuaders - Live and Shattered

Artist: Persuaders
Title: Live And Shattered
Year: 2006
Label: Shattered Records
Tracks: 1.) Sonic Surgery, 2.) Savage, 3.) Baby Baby C'Mon, 4.) Nervous Breakdown #5, 5.) Hot Stix, 6.) Low Life, 7.) Rock Bottom Blues, 8.) My Life My Way, 9.) Left For Dead, 10.) Heart Of Chrome, 11.) Dixie Buzzards, 12.) Pontchartrain Beach Nightmare, 13.) Ain't Your Daddy, 14.) My Darkside, 15.) Las Vegas (High Stakes), 16.) Truck Stop Galactica

King Louie Bankston's Persuaders records were largely released to little fanfare, as it was Louie's first real band to be up front in after years behind the skins with The Royal Pendletons. They released two 7"s in the latter half of the 1990s and a LP in 1999, toured Europe with Reatards that same year, and then that was that. Louie moved to Portland and played in 10-4 Backdoor and wrote with The Exploding Hearts. 

In the mid-2000s Louie's profile rose as he moved back to New Orleans and started fronting more bands like Kajun SS and Loose Diamonds and his friend and champion Jay Reatard became an underground star. By 2006 it became necessary for a Persuaders retrospective and Jay's Shattered Records released the Forced To Fuck CD which included all the 7"s, the LP, and a bunch of unreleased material. Shattered ran a special promotion for mailorder customers where the first 100 orders would receive a bonus CDR of the last Persuaders show from February of 1999. This is it. 

Sample: here

Nobunny - Live On WHPK 11-21-2008

Artist: Nobunny
Title: Live On WHPK
Year: 2008
Label: none
Tracks: 1.) Hippy Witch, 2.) Mask's On, 3.) I Don't Feel So Happy Now, 4.) The Gutter, 5.) Jack U Off, 6.) You Might Get Me, 7.) Your Mouth, 8.) Mess Me Up, 9.) I Am A Girlfriend, 10.) Chuck Berry Holiday

Since much of the Nobunny catalog is widely available and he actually tries to earn a living off of it, I'm going to have to dig a little deeper to find stuff to post on here. So here he is on the University of Chicago radio station one week after headlining the first Atlanta Messaround festival and one week before Thanksgiving and only a few months after the release of Love Visions. 

It's just Nobunny, an acoustic guitar, and Rob "Hippy Justice" on percussion, working out many of the arrangements that would appear on 2009's Raw Romance, except we get a few fun covers in this set. The first is Personal & The Pizzas' "I Don't Feel So Happy Now", then we get Prince's "Jack U Off", and finally Fe Fi Fo Fums' immortal "You Might Get Me". None of these have ever been issued on proper releases. 

Sample: here

The Revelators - Live In Paris 2-5-97

Artist: The Revelators
Title: Live In Paris 2-5-97
Year: 1997
Label: none
Tracks: 1.) Part 1, 2.) Part 2

Along with The Dirtys, The Revelators were one of the last bands from the era when Crypt Records actively released records by contemporary groups, and they fit in well with all the label's heavyweights from the 1990s. They were from Columbia, Missouri, formed in order to open up at an Oblivians show, and had an uncommon ability to be influenced by rockabilly and country standards yet not sound like a bunch of costumed greasers at a hot rod convention. The Revelators were legit country boys. 

In their day, The Revelators released a 7" and LP for Crypt and a 7" for Sympathy For The Record Industry. They recorded a second album in 1988 but it wasn't released until 2009, again on Crypt.Guitarist John Schooley would go on to be the most prolific member after the band broke up. He moved to Austin, Texas, fronted The Hard Feelings for a while, and now has mostly focused on playing as a one man band. Singer Jeremiah would later sing for The Litigators and The Pink Socks, and appears to have last lived in Kansas City. Original drummer Mark left the band before the second LP was recorded (Bill Randt from New Bomb Turks played on that). I don't think he's played in any notable bands since then but he's still a rock fan. 

Sample: here

The Spaceshits - 60 Nights Of Boredom

Artist: The Spaceshits
Title: 60 Nights Of Boredom
Year: 1998
Label: Sultan Records
Tracks: 1.) 60 Nights Of Boredom, 2.) Teenage Crime Wave, 3.) Every Time We Get Married, 4.) Girl Stop Givin' Me Grief 

Full vinyl rip of this EP, most notable for the song "Teenage Crime Wave", which as previously stated, is not included on the A Harem Of Hits CD. 

Sample: here

The Spaceshits / The Deadly Snakes - Split

Artist: The Spaceshits / The Deadly Snakes
Title: Split
Year: 1998
Label: Sympathy For The Record Industry
Tracks: 1.) The Spaceshits "Can't Fool With Me", 2.) The Deadly Snakes "Proud Papa" 

More Spaceshits, this time a preview track from the Misbehavin'  LP. On the flip side is the first widely available song from The Deadly Snakes, who were the first of the late 1990s Canadian garage bands to be from Toronto and not Montreal. 

Sample: here

Teengenerate - Get Me Back

Artist: Teengenerate
Title: Get Me Back
Year: 1993
Label: Wallabies Records
Tracks: 1.) Get Me Back, 2.) Get Stuffed, 3.) One Way Ticket

I don't even know how to introduce this record. Teengenerate is simply my favorite band ever. This was their first release and the first release for Wallabies Records and it would launch a minor western obsession with Japanese punk rock. "Get Me Back" is one of their most defining songs and the B-side has two covers that would begin to put them up with The Cramps and the best cover bands of all time. 

Sample: here

Lightning Beat-Man - Beat Time

Artist: Lightning Beat-Man
Title: Beat Time
Year: 1996
Label: Wild Wild Records
Tracks: 1.) I Hate To Dance, 2.) It's Hip To Be Fucked Up

More Beat-Man, this time on a French label run by Cecilia from The No-Talents, Operation S, etc. I'm not terribly fond of "I Hate To Dance" but "It's Hip To Be Fucked Up" is amazing. 

Sample: here

Jumpin' Beans And Willie - Go Go Burger

Artist: Jumpin' Beans And Willie
Title: Go Go Burger
Year: 2000
Label: Ball Records
Tracks: 1.) Go Go Burger, 2.) Bus Driver

Jumpin' Beans And Willie may be the most mysterious group I ever post on here. All I can tell you is in the late 1990s Goner Records started carrying a series of 7"s from Jumpin' Beans And The Mustaches that were supposed to be incredibly crude and good. I never got any because they were pretty much all covers of well known sings and I diverted my limited funds to original tunes. Then came a few Jumpin' Beans and Willie 7"s and an LP with lots of originals so I bought this one and the LP. 

I have no idea who Jumpin' Beans is. I have no idea who Willie is but he was also in The Mustaches. I have no idea if they ever played any concerts. I do know all their releases are on Ball Records. I do know Ball Records has a Maine address. I do know Ball Records released at least 10 records and at least 8 of them have Jumpin' Beans on them. I can surmise that Jumpin' Beans ran Ball Records but I don't know for sure. That's all I can tell you. 

Enjoy. 

Major update: I have since found out Jumpin' Beans' real name is Aaron Haines. Willie is Will Berdan II. Aaron has a solo LP credited to A.M. Haines that is apparently some free jazz noise thing. Him and Willie are still playing together, now with a band called Celebrity Handshake that would be at home on this blog and previously with another group called Family Pet. Aaron is still releasing records, now under the Eastern Prawn label. 

Sample: here

The Tennessee Tearjerkers - Unreleased Third Album

Artist: The Tennessee Tearjerkers
Title: Unreleased Third Album
Year: 2005
Label: none
Tracks: 1.) Dirty Nails, 2.) Charms, 3.) Short Term Plan, 4.) I Want You, 5.) Make You Mine, 7.) Original Mixed-Up Kid, 8.) Don't Touch, 9.) 100 Proof Man, 10.) Hell, 11.) Chills & Fever

Right after Mr. Airplane Man ceased to be active, Margaret Garrett moved to Memphis and did a stint in Jack Oblivian's Tennessee Tearjerkers, where she would become the only member other than Jack to ever write songs and handle lead vocals. They released two 7"s and then I think Margaret moved back to Boston and Jack moved on with the John Paul Keith era of the Tearjerkers and I thought that was that. 

Then one day I found this unreleased third album hosted online and saw there were a few more songs from this period. This is the way I found it. I have no idea what song #6 is but I don't have it. I also have no idea if there's a song #12 or beyond. Anyways, "Chills & Fever" and "I Want You" came out on a single from Brown Sound Records. "Dirty Nails", "100 Proof Man", and "Original Mixed-Up Kid" was released on a 7" by Bancroft Records. "Dirty Nails" and "Chills And Fever" were also released on the Flipside Kid LP. As far as I know none of these other songs were ever released. 

If anyone has a real copy of this and would like to help me out with the sixth song and potentially others, please get in touch. 

Sample: here

The Busy Signals - Live on WLUW 9/26/2006

Artist: The Busy Signals
Title: Live on WLUW 9/26/2006
Year: 2006
Label: none
Tracks: 1.) Tell Me, 2.) Got It All Wrong, 3.) Plastic Girl, 4.) Patterns, 5.) Matter Of Time, 6.) Such A Shame, 7.) Just 4 Show, 8.) So Pointless, 9.) Don't Ring Me Up, 10.) Interview

Loyola University radio performance and interview. "Don't Ring Me Up" is of course a Protex cover. 

Sample: here

The Busy Signals - Demo

Artist: The Busy Signals
Title: Demo
Year: 2005
Label: none
Tracks: 1.) Can't Feel A Thing, 2.) Love And Dust, 3.) Do What You Want, 4.) Just Wanna Go Out, 5.) All The Time

Sometime in 2004 original Carbonas bass player Jeremy moved from Atlanta to Chicago, started dating signer Analucia, met back up with fellow Atlanta expatriate Frank who was already playing drums with The Tyrades, and then recruited Kevin from the Krunchies and termbro Eric Lastname to fill out the band. 

This was their first demo, recorded in Atlanta by Dave Rahn. Douchemaster Records would release a 7" with "Love And Dust", "Just Wanna Go Out", and "Do What You Want". After that Shit Sandwich Records would release "Can't Feel A Thing" and "All The Time". In 2007 Dirtnap Records released an LP of new recordings, they did a tour of Japan, and the band would break up soon after. Jeremy is the only member still more than a little active, living in New York now and fronting the band Games. 

Update: Guitar player Eric re-surfaced with the post-punk band Ballroom in 2015. 

Top photo by canderson. 

Sample: here

M.O.T.O. - World Of Fuzz

Artist: M.O.T.O. 
Title: World Of Fuzz
Year: 2004
Label: Therapeutic Records
Tracks: 1.) Spanning The Globe, 2.) Catamaran, 3.) World Of Fuzz, 4.) River Of Death

More MOTO. This is from after Paul was "discovered" but it's still just more of him and a drum machine. "Catamaran" is a staple of the live show. 

Sample: here

M.O.T.O. - 4 Pac

Artist: M.O.T.O. 
Title: 4 Pac
Year: 1996
Label: MOC Records
Tracks: 1.) Meet Me By The Flagpole, 2.) The Things We Said And The Things We Did, 3.) Doing The Things We Want To Do, 4.) Making Love For The Rest Of My Life

People seem to be in two camps when it comes to MOTO and Paul Caporino. Either you think he's a genius or it's all pop punk dreck, with not much in between. I happen to think he's a genius. This is probably my favorite MOTO record. It's from the "dark ages" before his post-2000 Renaissance when he was just banging out hit after hit with just him and a drum machine. Thankfully we have the Single File compilation to preserve most of these recordings but this record was criminally not included. 

I have no idea what MOC Records is. I can only find record of four MOC releases and three of them involve MOTO. I'm inclined to say this was self-released, but the back of the sleeve lists separate addressed for the label and band, so that doesn't make a ton of sense if it was actually self-released. 

Sample: here

The Makers - Here Comes Trouble

Artist: The Makers
Title: Here Comes Trouble
Year: 1993
Label: Estrus Records
Tracks: 1.) I Can't Stand It, 2.) The Mantis, 3.) Nobody Gonna Break My Soul

It's probably hard to convince people born in the 1980s that The Makers used to be good, but oh they were so so so so so good. These days you can't at all be taken seriously if you play garage rock rock and wear fancy clothes, but 20 years ago The Makers did it and got away with it. These guys were't garage turkeys. They were the real deal. I never lived anywhere near where they played back then, but their live shows were legendary for violence, chaos, and debauchery. 

This is their very first release from 1993. Everything they did between this and the end of 1995 is amazing, and they did a lot. "Nobody Gonna Break My Soul" is one of my favorite songs they did. I like to live in a world where The Makers didn't exist after 1995. 

Sample: here

Lightning Beat-Man - Fuck You

Artist: Lightning Beat-Man
Title: Fuck You
Year: 2000
Label: Sounds Of Subterrania
Tracks: 1.) Fuck You, 2.) Exit 9, 3.) It's You, 4.) A Peppermint, 5.) Let Me Fuck Your Butt, 6.) LBM Is In Ya Mouth, 7.) My Heart's Like A Broken Bone, 8.) I Know What's Going On 

More Beat-Man. This was kind of like a retirement record. At this point he had recently ceased the Lightning Beat-Man moniker and moved to Reverend Beat-Man full time. This German release compiles some random home recordings and radio performances from 1986 - 1997. Not all are great but there's some fun stuff on here, especially the funk/rap "LBM Is In Ya Mouth". 

Sample: here

Various Artists - Mondo Beat-Man

Artist: Various
Title: Mondo Beat-Man
Year: 1999
Label: Rockin' Bones
Tracks: 1.) Lightning Beat-Man "Jump Jump A Boogie", 2.) The Skeleton Surfers "Out Of Limits", 3.) The Never Heard Of 'Ems "Wrestling R'N'R", 4.) The Monsters "I Wanna Be Dead", 5.) The In-Sekt "Green Fuzz", 6.) The Coronets "Comanche" 

While it seems Beat-Man Zeller is largely a non factor with young music fans these days, it should be noted back in the 1990s he was one of the more interesting musicians operating in the trash rock universe. Based out of Switzerland, he was extremely prolific signing and playing guitar, moving between surf, garage, and punk rock, with some on the traditional side and some more modern and messed up. This is a comp of various Beat-Man bands released by yet another Italian label, Rockin' Bones. 

First up is his Hasil Adkins-inspired one man band rockabilly moniker, Lightning Beat-Man. He would record a lot of records like this. Next is the traditional surf of The Skeleton Surfers, doing a cover of The Marketts classic. As far as I know this is the only Skeleton Surfers recording. Rounding out side one is the juvenile garage punk of The Never Heard Of 'Ems, a group Beat-Man would also record a lot with. 

Side two opens with the more hard rock sounds of The Monsters, Beat-Man's most prolific outfit. After that we have the garage creep of The In-Sekt covering the notorious Randy Alvey tune, made most famous by The Cramps. Lastly, we have some more surf with The Coronets' version of Link Wray's "Commanche". I can only find record of one other Coronets release, a Swiss 45 from 1994. 

Beat-Man is still pretty active, primarily recording as Reverend Beat-Man, but his records and live show seem to be confined to Europe now. He also runs the eccentric Voodoo Rhythm Records, which released the first King Khan & His Shrines LP. 

Sample: here

Luxury Rides - She Just Don't Care

Artist: Luxury Rides
Title: She Just Don't Care
Year: 2005
Label: Solid Sex Lovie Doll
Tracks: 1.) She Just Don't Care, 2.) Workers

It's taken a little while, but we've just made it to our first entry from the esteemed and elusive Solid Sex Lovie Doll label out of Italy, and this is one of its most overlooked releases. Luxury Rides were a short-lived project band between some reputable rockers from the Great Lakes region - Screamin' Joe and Nick from The Dirtys, Wild Mid Wes from Clone Defects, and Choyce from Les Sexareenos. Both Joe and Choyce are listed as providing vocals and each of these songs sounds like it has a different singer, but I couldn't tell you who is who. I definitely prefer the A-side. As with all SSLD releases, there's at least one other cover design out there. 

Luxury Rides would release one more record, a 4-songer on Goodbye Boozy in 2007. One day I'll post that, too. 

Sample: here

Die Rötzz / Scripts - Split

Artist: Die Rötzz / Scripts
Title: split
Year: 2007
Label: Jeth-Row Records
Tracks: 1.) Die Rötzz "Brass Knuckles", 2.) Scripts "Erase Yer Face", 3.) Scripts "Chopper City Casualty", 4.) Die Rötzz "Uptown Ruler" 

You may not know Chad Booth by name but you definitely know his music. He's currently fronting Gary Wrong Group and previously lead or played in Wizzard Sleeve, Kajun SS, Mangina, and other shorter-lived groups while moving back and forth between greater southern Alabama and New Orleans, many of which were self-released on his Jeth-Row imprint. 

Scripts, sometimes spelled Scrip+s, were among his least acknowledged bands but probably my favorite. They played as a three piece out of the crescent city with Chad on guitar and lead vocals, his wife Stephanie, who also spent some time with Wizzard Sleevee, on bass and backup vox, and drummer Adam Waller, who also played with Black Rose Band and lots others. This is the second Scripts release. There was a full 7" released in 2004, also on Jeth-Row, which I unfortunately do not own. 

"Erase Yer Face" simply slays me every time. "Chopper City Casualty" is ok but the whole record is worth it just for "Erase". Die Rötzz are also from New Orleans, have been around longer, released more records, and seem more highly regarded, but I never got too into them. 

Artwork is by Mike Sniper. 

Sample: here

The Real Losers - Gimmie Action!

Artist: The Real Losers
Title: Gimmie Action! 
Year: 2005
Label: High School Reject Records
Tracks: 1.) Gimmie Action!, 2.) Dum Dum Baby, 3.) Rejected at the High School Dance

For the bulk of the 1990's, the European mainland was very friendly to American and international trash rock bands, feeding and lodging them at places like Vera in the Netherlands and sending over bands like The Pleasure Fuckers and The No-Talents to play stateside. However, the United Kingdom was largely non-participatory. It was expensive to go there, not easy to get to the next gig, the fans weren't that into it, and unless you were in with Billy Childish, there was no one good to play with. 

Things began to change in the 2000's with London's Black Time and Leeds' The Real Losers. The Real Losers started recording in 2001 and gradually built a following until everyone caught on with 2004's Time To Lose LP on Wrench Records. This lead to an invitation to play the 2004 Horizontal Action Chicago Blackout and a tour with Wisconsin's The Catholic Boys. 

This tour brought the band to California where they spent some time with Peepin' John McDonald of The Flakes and all of them co-wrote two of the best songs The Real Losers would ever record, "My Rocket Radio" from 2005's Music For Funsters LP on Alien Snatch Records and "Dum Dum Baby" from this one. The B-side is a cover of Greg Prevost's pre-Chesterfield Kings punk band, Mean Red Spiders, originally recorded between 1978-1979. High School Reject Records had a gimmick where every band they released did a version of that song on each B-side. 

The Real Losers called it quits shortly after this. Bass player and singer C. Shake is married to drummer Hot Dog and I think they have a family now. Guitarist The Hand would go on to produce for young Leeds lads The Hipshakes. 

Sample: here

The Havenot's - I Hate Music Star!!

Artist: The Havenot's
Title: I Hate Music Star!!
Year: 1999 (?)
Label: Daiki Sound
Tracks: 1.) Kids All Right, 2.) Don't Believe, 3.) Get Happy, 4.) I Hate Music Star

You probably have The Havenot's self-titled album on Repent Records from 1998 and you may have the "Kids All Right" 7" on Screaming Apple Records from 1999, but you probably don't have this Japanese CDEP which adds three other songs not found on the latter 45. 

The Havenot's were one of the last post-Teengenerate Japanese bands to keep playing straight up punk rock and not catch the power pop bug, though drummer Yoda was at one time in The Raydios. They're also one of the only Japanese punk bands to not be based out of Tokyo. The Havenot's hail from nearly Yokohama, but still play out in Tokyo a lot. They're still around, too. They released their second album in 2012 called Rock 'N' Roll Weekend, which appears to be a mix of new and old songs. 

Sample: here

Black Lips - Hippys b/w Born To Be A Man

Artist: Black Lips
Title: Hippys b/w Born To Be A Man
Year: 2005
Label: Varmint Records
Tracks: 1.) Hippys, 2.) Born To Be A Man

In my opinion this is the best Black Lips record there is. It takes the insane energy from Black Lips!, the more sophisticated song writing from We Did Not the Forest Spirit Made the Flowers Grow, the tighter musicianship from Let It Bloom, and added a wider spectrum of musical influences, and here you have Black Lips at their most sing along and twangy. These songs were recorded in Germany by King Khan on their lengthy European tour after the release of Let It Bloom. 

Sadly, if I think this is the best Black Lips record, it means I think everything since hasn't been as good. Fortunately a lot of other people like their newer stuff so they're doing fine. If you're like me, you're holding out hope for the long rumored Last of the White Niggers to come out on In The Red Records, capturing what I assume would be these songs, "Make It" from the split with the Dirtbombs, and a bunch of unreleased songs recorded from this era. 

Sample: here

The Spaceshits - More Abuse

Artist: The Spaceshits
Title: More Abuse
Year: 1997
Label: Primitive Records
Tracks: 1.) More Abuse, 2.) Going Away Baby, 3.) Chainsaw

What more needs to be said about The Spaceshits? Since first hitting the scene in 1996, these guys have been dominating the trash rock universe for close to twenty years now. This is one of the companion singles to their first album, Winter Dance Party, released on a local Montreal label. "More Abuse" is on the LP, the two B-side tracks aren't. "Going Away Baby" is by Grains of Sand from 1966 and "Chainsaw" is the Ramones classic. 

Sample: here

Various Artists - A Harem Of Hits

Artist: Various
Title: A Harem Of Hits
Label: Sultan Records 
Year: 1999
Tracks: The Daylight Lovers 1.) I Got News, 2.) Thunderbabe, 3.) Cookin' In The Kitchen ; Scat Rag Boosters 4.) Shoot For The Stars, 5.) Worried Mind, 6.) Something For You, 7.) Right In Your Hand; The Spaceshits 8.) 60 Nights Of Boredom, 9.) Everytime We Get Married, 10.) Girl Stop Givin' Me Grief; The Deadly Snakes 11.) Born To Burn, 12.) Sue; The Irritations 13.) Motorcycle Gang, 14.) Girl Skin Coat, 15.) What I Want; Scat Rag Boosters 16.) Take Me; The Deadly Snakes 17.) Cotton; The Daylight Lovers 18.) Theme From "Daylight Lovin'"; The Deadly Snakes 19.) Saturday Night; The Irritations 20.) Cavewoman; The Spaceshits 21.) Thinkin' About You; The Irritations 22.) 50$ Day

This is a digital catchall from BBQ/Mark Sultan's label of a few 7"s he actually released and a few more that never came out. As far as I can tell the only two that were ever officially issued were the Irritations and Spaceshits. Everything else was apparently never released. Unfortunately this CD isn't as complete as it could be. The Spaceshits' vinyl version of "60 Nights of Boredom" has four songs, one of which, "Teenage Crime Wave", is not included on here. The Irritations 7" has a song not on here, too, "Indian Giver". Oh, yeah, The Spaceshits' "Thinkin' About You" is originally by The Checkmates International from 1966. 

Sample: here

The Retardos - Come On Back

Artist: The Retardos
Title: Come On Back
Year: 1997
Label: Super*Teem!
Tracks: 1.) Come On Back, 2.) Shame

Their second and final release, with two more covers. "Come On Back" is originally by The Wild Ones from 1966. "Shame" is originally by the girl group Barbara And Brenda from 1963. 

Sample: here

The Retardos - Don't Want The Retardos

Artist: The Retardos
Title: Don't Want The Retardos
Year: 1997
Label: Super*Teem!
Tracks: 1.) I Can Only Dream, 2.) Girl Like You, 3.) Quit This Town

If The Mummies introduced a new generation of musicians to 50s and 60s rock and Teengenerate introduced kids to obscure 70s punk, I like to think The Retardos played at least a small role in introducing future tastemakers to power pop. The Retardos were a short-lived Bay Area group most notably featuring Brian Hermasillo before he started The Fevers and semi-notably featuring Kathy Walker, of Donny Denim and The Pinkz fame. 

Like the aforementioned bandaged ones and Fink and Fifi, The Retardos took an overlooked niche of rock music and gave it the budget treatment to breathe a little freshness into it. Unlike The Mummies and Teengenerate, this record doesn't have any original songs. It starts off with a Protex cover, moves onto The Explosives, and finishes up with the Eddie and The Hot Rods classic. Released by Darin Raffaelli's Super*Teem! label, my copy doesn't have a back cover but other ones do. I don't know if that represents different pressings or was an error. The Retardos would do one more 7" before moving onto other things. There's another, newer band called The Retardos and you probably don't want anything to do with them. 

Sample: here

Cheap Time - Demos

Artist: Cheap Time

Title: Demos

Year: 2006

Label: none

Tracks: 1.) Spoiled Brat, 2.) Killing Time, 3.) Take It Back, 4.) Out of Sight, 5.) Max Frost, 6.)  Jet Set, 7.) Push Your Luck

After the dissolution of the Rat Traps and losing interest in playing as a one man band, Jeffrey Novak discovered The Quick, Sparks, and Milk 'N' Cookies and immediately formed Cheap Time as a response with his then girlfriend Jemina Pearl of Be Your Own Pet and their drummer. Their first recordings were this 7-song demo CDR, of which only some of these songs would get official releases. Sweet Rot Records issued a 3-song 7" in early 2007 which included "Spoiled Brat", "Jet Set", and "Killing Time". "Push Your Luck" and "Max Frost" would get re-recorded for their first album, released by In The Red Records in 2008 with an all new backing band. The band is still very active, has had even more lineup changes, and is generally a lot better than in these early days, but for the completists out there, here is where it all began. Enjoy. 

Sample: here

The Sultanas - You're The One

Artist: The Sultanas

Title: You're The One

Year: 2005

Label: Boom Boom of Renton

Tracks: 1.) You're The One, 2.) Move On Now 

Prior to becoming an indie folk heartthrob with The Dutchess and The Duke and Case Studies, Jesse Lortz had a brief run as a Phil Spector, Kim Fowley, Billy Childish, Darin Raffaelli-esque impresario and manufactured his own "girl group" to be the face for a few of his songs. The Sultanas featured Jesse on guitar, Donnie from Nice Smile/The Dutchess and The Duke on drums, Ian from Coconut Coolouts on bass, and three female singers, one of which was Kimberly Morrison from The Fall-Outs, Thee Flying Dutchmen, The Intelligence, The Dutchess and The Duke, and others. 

Like his then prior output with Thee Flying Dutchmen and Fe Fi Fo Fums, Jesse squeezes the Sultanas' songs pretty tightly into an established genre, this time being the anonymous 60s girl groups, as documented by the Girls In The Garage series. I have no idea if the band ever played any live concerts, but would lean toward saying they did not. This is a fun document to the days when Jesse ran the Boom Boom empire as if it was all one big inside joke and he was the smartest guy in the scene. 

Sample: here

LiveFastDie - Buzz Buzz Buzzard

Artist: LiveFastDie
Title: Buzz Buzz Buzzard
Year: 2008
Label: Goodbye Boozy Records 
Tracks: 1.) Buzz Buzz Buzzard, 2.) (He's Got) Pecker Breath

LiveFastDie is one of the smartest stupid bands ever. Coming out of almost nowhere in 2005, New Hampshire transplant Camero Werewolf emerged from a New York City basement with a pile of self-recordings showcasing geniusly inane lyrics, hooks galore, and some of the most crisp-sounding trashy punk you'll ever hear. Camero had a run of four years where he played out a lot with a revolving door of companion musicians and released a bunch of great records. This is the last record they did during the initial run. I can't say they're my favorite LFD tunes, but it was not easy to find this Italian import so I figured people might be looking for it. Camero is mostly retired now but did release a comeback 7" on Total Punk Records in 2012 and can occasionally be coerced into playing a reunion show for the right cause. 

Sample: here