MODERN ART & SUN DIAL (GARY RAMON) MEGA SELECTION

Gary Ramon  (Modern Art/Sun Dial)

I discovered these guys by pure chance I was listening to a podcast thing with Laura Pleasants (Ex - Kylesa/The Discussion) and she selected 10 tracks that had influenced her current band. I got a few good bands from that podcast, Modern Art was one of them I liked it a lot but by the time I got to the end of the podcast I had forgotten the name of the band and had to listen to the first part a second time I am SO glad I did read on.....

Modern Art began in 1980 with Gary Ramon playing all instruments recruiting other musicians as he needed them, releasing only cassette albums between 1980 and 1990 on his own Colour Disc label ( he also released other artists you can check out the discography of the label HERE) However recently his first 2 albums were reissued on CD and that's how I manged to hear them.Having managed to release 19 albums and quite a few retrospective/compilation albums he has a pretty BIG discography and only 3 albums are available on CD.

It's hard to describe the music of Modern Art it's good quality but has a kinda  lo-fi/bedroom recorded feel to it, for example over the course of listening to this band I have heard songs that sound electronic in nature, some Kraftwerk sounding things, tracks that sound like Meat Puppets circa "II" , Mission of Burma along with a lot of psychedelic touches and even some stuff that reminds me of the very first Big Black EP "Lungs" and a little Krautrock! Modern Art seem to come up with music that for an obscurity peddler like me is an absolute goldmine. I had no idea about this band and I know no one else who does which is great because I get to share them with people! I quite like Gary Ramon's vocal style as well think of an alternative/slacker Lou Reed I guess or something along those lines! The one thing I can say is the music is all infinitely listenable for me hitting play on Modern Art is a bit of a risk because I know there's a good chance every time I reach to change it another song will come on and I will think OOOOH yeah I rem this one this it's great!

This is not a discography, it's a selection, it would be near impossible to do a discography as most of his releases being on cassette and anywhere between 30 & 40 years old now you have to rely on other music users being able to rip cassettes and in fact being bothered to do so I mean do YOU have any cassettes from 30 or 40 years ago? I know I don't! So what I have given you here is a selection of everything I could source using Bandcamp, Buying CD's along with vinyl and cassette rips sourced from peer to peer sites. I can assure you these are all of the best quality available as I actually had to delete a couple of things I downloaded because of poor quality this is the best of what I could get my hands on so here's a short guide to what you get...

OK firstly Gary Ramon in both his Modern Art & Sun Dial guises often records multiple versions of his songs and sometimes different albums with the same name so you may find some repeats here normally when it comes to compilation releases I delete anything that's taken from an album I already have but in this case I have left everything intact  because it is impossible with different songs having the same titles and multiple versions of the same song (yet always very slightly different from each other) it's damn near impossible, so be prepared for the odd repeat!

Underwater Kites - CD Remastered Reissue (1980/2017)

Oriental Towers - (Original Cassette Rip/Remastered CD Reissue) (1983/2017) - (In this file you will find the original 1983 cassette release along with the CD reissue because the track lists are different and the CD omits some songs)

Bonus Tracks  - (Bandcamp download only compilation of some songs recorded between 1982 & 1983 that have not been on some of the recent reissues)

Sonic Dimensions 1982 - 1985 (This is a triple vinyl compilation from 2013 but I think it must have come with a download card as I can't hear any hiss and crackle between tracks)

Age Of Lights - (1986 Cassette Rip)

Dimensions Of Noise - (1984 Cassette Rip)

Pastel Sunrise - (There are 2 versions of this, one is a single cassette the other is a box containing 3 x 4 track cassette EP's the track lists are slightly different but contain mostly the same tracks this is the single cassette version from 1985)

Living In The Distortion Parade - (1987 Cassette Rip)

Stereoland - (1987 Cassette Rip)

Souvenir - (1986 Cassette Rip of a split with Cleaners From Venus file contains the Modern Art side only)

You have to understand that this guy never seems to stand still his work is varied but consistently sounds like him for example the release Pastel Sunrise is almost entirely instrumental and acoustic other releases veer more to the psychedelic some to to the lo-fi style I described originally. My personal recommendation is to start with "Underwater Kites" his debut if you like that keep going there's plenty here to go through or download the "Sonic Dimensions" Comp for a really good taster of everything.I love coming across obscure little gems like this I have absolutely fallen in love with the work of Gary Ramon both as Modern Art & Sun Dial I really think you will too.

SUN DIAL

In 1990 Modern Art had gone from being Gary Ramon to pretty much a functioning band and began leaning more and more towards psychedelic rock it was at this point Modern Art became Sun Dial the lo fi electronics/lo fi style were completely stripped for a louder brasher guitar based sound. As this post is getting a bit long here's what discogs says...

"Sun Dial is the vehicle of guitarist and singer Gary Ramon, who started recording in the eighties as Modern Art. He changed the name to Sun Dial when forming his live band. As Ramon’s cohorts came and went, Sun Dial’s style changed, yet it remained rooted in late sixties psychedelia and often focused on the guitar work. Many of the band’s indie label releases came as collectable limited editions and were re-released over the years; they also recorded and released multiple version of several songs"

As with Modern Art it would seem Gary Ramon was never satisfied with a song so again within your links there will be different versions of songs but these were mainly on the expanded reissues I present here but I enjoyed them!

Sun Dial were an even bigger shock to me than Modern Art I absolutely love psychedelic music the more sixties leaning the better and Sun Dial fall into that category for sure! I can't understand (and this goes for Modern Art as well) why this guys work languishes in collector obscurity because it's completely outstanding! After getting over Modern Art I decided to see what the members were up to now and came across Sun Dial so I downloaded the 2 disc deluxe edition of their debut album "Other Way Out" I hit play and I was utterly gobsmacked the music just leapt out of the speakers at me! Let me tell you something personal here, I have often been told I display some behaviours of ADHD , obsessive,fidgety, short attention span etc so the chances of me listening to a whole album even a regular length one is rare so If I tell you that on FIRST listen I hit play on "Other Way Out" and sat through it's entire 2 hrs 20 minutes without wanting to skip a single track or change the music and that every track grabbed my attention then you should take that as one SERIOUS guarantee of quality! Add to that the fact that the expanded 2 disc editions of the albums are deleted and rare I spent close to £70 ($83/76 Euro) on them within a week of hearing them! YEAH they are that fucking GOOD!

Sun Dial veer from mellow indie/psychedelia something along the lines of the very best of Spiritualized to full on loud guitar freakouts that scream of the loudest and heaviest of Hendrix and The Stooges all with their own touches! Sun Dial are one of the most entertaining bands I have ever listened to each song builds on the last creating a dynamic that swells up and mellows out and swells up again has catchy tunes and vocal lines and sticks in your brain like pins! I have played these to a few people as I do when I discover something I am enthused about and I have had 100% the same reaction that I did to this band that is "HOW HAVE I NEVER HEARD OF THESE!!!????"

So there are only 3 albums here by Sun Dial, reason being that after the initial 3 albums and a brace of EP's between 1990 & 1993 Sun Dial singed to Beggars Banquet and from what I have read they then began to change their sound a great deal taking away a lot of the the psychedelia for strains of hard rock and metal to the point that in fact their debut album for Beggars Banquet " Libertine" was apparently so bad that 15 years later it was taken back to the studio remixed, remastered and given a complete overhaul to make it sound more like Sun Dial I bought both of these to dip my toe in and to be honest the redone version is MUCH better but nowhere near the quality of the recordings I present here. The original 1993 version is terrible. The other reason being that he was very prolific beyond the albums I present here he released a further 15 albums 2 of those being 13 CD box sets! So for now i will continue to digest the ones I have if I get more I will expand the post!

So Your Links

"Other Way Out" - (2 Disc Expanded & Remastered edition contains The album, the "Exploding In Your Mind" EP, some outtakes and B-sides plus a further bonus disc "Other Way In" which contains 7 tracks from the original session that didn't go on the album plus 7 alternate versions/takes of the album tracks)

"Return Journey (The Lost Second Album Sessions)" - (2 Disc Expanded Remastered Edition) (This one i don't quite get it says "Lost Second Album" however the original album contained here appears to have been released in 1993 this 2 disc version from 2010 contains the whole album the "Overspill" EP plus a further 14 alternate takes/Outtakes/bonus tracks)

"Reflector" -  (2 Disc Expanded Remastered Edition) (Firstly the incorrect spelling of "Reflecter" is theirs not mine! This expanded edition of their actual 2nd album contains the Full album plus the "Fazer" EP and a whopping 19 bonus tracks/unreleased/Live and alternate takes)


So there you go a selection of some of the best material released by Gary Ramon under his 2 main aliases! This is some of the best music i have discovered in the interim since last blogging and I can't tell you enough to check this GREAT underappreciated music out!


MODERN ART

UNDERWATER KITES - Mediafire

ORIENTAL TOWERS (ORIGINAL/REISSUE) - Mediafire

BONUS TRACKS - Mediafire

SONIC DIMENSIONS 1982 - 1985 (COMP) - Mediafire

AGE OF LIGHTS - Mediafire

DIMENSION OF NOISE - Mediafire

PASTEL SUNRISE - Mediafire

LIVING IN THE DISTORTION PARADE - Mediafire

STEREOLAND - Mediafire

SOUVENIR (SPLIT W/ CLEANERS FROM VENUS) - Mediafire


SUN DIAL

OTHER WAY OUT (DELUXE EDITION) - Mediafire

RETURN JOURNEY (THE LOST SECOND ALBUM SESSIONS) - Mediafire

REFLECTER (DELUXE EDITION) - Mediafire

BIG BOYS

So despite shitcanning most of the hardcore/punk/blahhhh from this blog for the "reboot" I still love my classic era USHC. I think the Americans in the 80's had an unusual take on punk it didn't have that same regimented look and feel of it's UK counterpart these were guys in sneakers and jeans, flannel and t-shirts there wasn't so much of a uniform feel to the music or look and it's something that appeals to me more than the leather Spikes and flamboyant hair of UK punk of the era (not that i don't love UK Punk I just prefer the US stuff). I was a chubby kid and the whole leather and spikes thing wasn't for me nor was the spiky hair but I could rock the shit out of a flannel shirt (Still do to this day!)

So one of the best bands around in the 80's were  Big Boys out of Texas.these guys were pretty unique in their sound whilst they could easily write a raging punk tune they took their cues from the Minutemen, funk and the angular sounds of early 80's UK bands like Wire and Gang of Four and blended it together into one fantastic sound! Whilst a lot of bands ran with the distorted guitar thrash Big Boys leaned towards a more clean, tense sound with highly tuned guitar and clean bass and one other thing DAMN Big Boys could play. Featuring Rey Washam who went on to play in Jesus Lizard and Rapeman, the immense talents of Tim Kerr & Chris Gates both of whom played both guitar and bass (though not at the same time) and fronted by the imposing and flamboyant front man Randy "Biscuit" Turner they were a force to be reckoned with and definitely were a huge influence on the funk metal scene that came along in the later 80's (Red Hot Chili Peppers once supported Big Boys and look at them now!)

There's a lot I could say about Big Boys I've been a fan for a long time but as I have been doing of late I am gonna give it over to the internet for the facts so here's a blurb from wikipedia....

"Based in Austin, Texas the band members were Randy "Biscuit" Turner on vocals, Tim Kerr on guitar and Chris Gates on bass. The key members of the band were childhood friends for a decade before the band was started.[1] Over the years the group played with five drummers in all; Steve Collier, Greg Murray, Fred Schultz, Rey Washam and Kevin Tubb who played only one show (the band's first) because Collier was sick.

The hardcore punk style, a development from the earlier punk sound, arose spontaneously in various cities, but in Austin it was represented by MDC, Big Boys, The Huns, The Skunks and The Dicks. The bands often played together; Big Boys and The Dicks jointly released a split single and an LP, Live At Raul's.

Big Boys shows were legendary, frequently involving food fights, with "Biscuit" frequently sporting a pink ballerina's tutu and pink cowboy boots.Invitations would be made to the audience to come up and sing along, which often occurred. At the end of early shows, the band was famous for yelling, "OK y'all, go start your own band."

Queried about his sexuality by Flipside magazine in 1982, "Biscuit" Turner replied:

"I don't know if I want to answer that or not because it doesn't make any difference if I'm gay or not, I'm a human being and my sexual preference doesn't play into my lifestyle. It comes from my heart and I want people to look at me and say I'm a human being — don't ask me about what 5% of my life is."

There you go there's plenty to read about on Big Boys and I know I've been a bit lazy with my copy and paste lately  but at least i saved you the embarrassment of having web searches for "Big Boys" in your browser history! The great thing about Big Boys is they were unafraid to try different things sure there's a lot of funk already but listen to tracks like "We Got Soul" or "Funk Off" both have a funky brass section and think to yourself how often have i heard a punk band use a brass section!

SO onto your links here I present you with the 3 officially released compilation albums which is their entire discography. First up is "The Skinny Elvis" This covers the early years and includes their "Frat Cars" EP,  Their side of the Split "Live At Rauls" LP (other side was by fellow Texans Dicks) and their debut album "Where's My Towel?/Industry Standard" LP Next up is The Fat Elvis and for me this is the pick of the bunch This contains their classic "Fun,Fun,Fun" 12" "Lullabies To Help The Brain Grow" LP and the bizarrely titled last album "No Matter How Long The Line Is At The Cafeteria There's Always A Seat" This has been the most played of the 3 compilations for me "Apolitical" from "Fun,Fun,Fun" being a particular favourite of mine. Lastly we have "Wreck Collection" a compilation of non album odds n sods, this was originally a 19 track compilation LP but on CD was expanded to a mighty 34 tracks! If you are looking for a good place to start with the crazy world of Big Boys then this is the one! It has some great moments on there such as the aforementioned "We Got Soul" and the brilliant "Red/Green"!

So here you go folks a very brief write up for a huge band. I had these uploaded to mediafire for you for close to 2 years and just never got round to it as how do you describe the Big Boys without wrongly giving people the impression they are just A.N.Other USHC band which they certainly are not! Now I don't have to describe them or did I? anyway you got a full discography here 88 tracks 3 links 320KBPS quality you can go make up your own mind I guarantee you will be either slamming round your room or shaking your booty to the funk or both at the same time!


THE SKINNY ELVIS - Mediafire

THE FAT ELVIS - Mediafire

WRECK COLLECTION - Mediafire

WALKINGSEEDS

Walkingseeds are a band I was introduced to because I was lucky enough to have a mate who liked to confound you with great obscurities, he copied me some Walkingseeds bits and I was blown away by the sound of this unusual band. Here was a band from the UK who were making some grungy guitar noise that was easily the equal of all the US bands doing the same style that we worship so much! At the time I was still buying vinyl and their records were damn hard to come by! I would never have considered checking out a band called Walkingseeds sounds too much like country music I couldn't have been more wrong!

Hailing from Liverpool and existing from 1985 to 1994 they put out 3 LP's a load of EP's & Singles and did 4 John Peel Sessions yet for some reason they have never had any kind of reissue treatment you can lay your hands on their records and CD's some will cost you more than others but they are all from their original release no fancy new updated package for these guys! No one really seems to be that bothered about this great band so I decided a post was in order to rectify that.

First off as with most of my posts these days before we get to my waffle here is someone else's....

"Alternative heavy rock band from Liverpool, England. Their sound has been described as 'psychedelic grunge'.

Formed in 1986 from members of The Mel-O-Tones, Frank Martin (vocals), Bob Parker (guitar), and John Neesam (drums). With Neesam's departure they were soon joined by former The Marshmallow Overcoat guitarist Baz Sutton and drummer Tony Mogan.

The distinctive style includes Frank Martin's throaty and anguished vocals which are mostly barked or screamed, fuzzy overdriven guitar embarking on wailing psychedelic solos and heavy pounding drums. They may be explained in some ways as a British Butthole Surfers, although they do not sound too similar and the music lacks the absurdist elements of the Buttholes'.
It is rumoured that Seattle bands around the Sub Pop scene such as Nirvana were heavily influenced by Walkingseeds sound, however there is no conclusive proof of this.
In their later years they were joined by Don Fleming"

I have been a fan of this band for decades but it took me a long time to gather stuff by them and what I present here is not quite a discography as the "Earth Is Hell" Live LP is missing and I can't seem to source MP3's of their debut 12" "Know Too Much" well at least not one that doesn't have some kind of corruption and their 2 John Peel Sessions from 1989 & 1990 have eluded me thus far . However I have done my best to source the best quality versions as obviously I wanted these guys music in good quality for myself so here's a guide to your links....

"Skullfuck" their debut album comes with 2 bonus tracks not on the vinyl version. Of their 3 albums this is their by far the most distorted twisted and noisy I suggest standing back from the stereo a bit before hitting play on this one so you don't get bitten!

"Upwind Of Disater Downwind Of Atonement" Their 2nd album is a different beast altogether a little less violent on the distortion and madness and has some great memorable tunes

"Bad Orb..." their 3rd album carries on in the same vein as it predecessor and contains my favourite song "Broken Cup" if it's grungy repetitive riff and chorus doesn't earworm you I would get your hearing looked at! This is the US Shimmy Disc version that has 3 more tracks than the UK CD version.plus I added one more bonus track of their cover of Pink Floyd's "Astronomy Domine" from the B-side of their "Gates Of Freedom" 7"

all 3 of these are ripped from my own CD's at 320KBPS !

Dwarf Mini LP was a vinyl only release and contains 5 tracks somewhere between the sound of Skullfuck and the later 2 albums the Track "Can't Seem To Figure It Out" is another classic!

EP's This file contains all of their 12"s and EP's aside from "Know Too Much" which I explained before, so what you get is their side of the Split 7" on Clawfist with fellow psych maniac Bevis Frond and sees them covering one of Bevis Frond's tracks.."Marque Chapman" 12" , "Shaved Beatnik" 12" "Mirrorshades" CDEP (Contains the "Mirrorshades" 7" + 3 bonus tracks)  & "Rolling Machine" 7" 

Peel Sessions  And last but not least we come to the jewel in this post. I have managed to source a very good quality copy of both their Sessions from 1987 I was surprised at the quality of these they are not exactly pristine digital but then again they are a fairly noisy band especially back in 1987! But they are definitely better than you'd expect for a 33 year never officially released  recording.

So there you go a very comprehensive look at nearly everything this great band ever done I fear repeating myself here but I don't understand why no one has ever reissued these guys back catalogue it would seem that maybe the band don't really want to see it done or maybe mastertapes don't exist I know one of them went on to join the once huge Liverpool indie giants the La's but other than that I can't think of why this band languish in obscurity! Here's hoping I can now introduce a few more people to them with this post

ENJOY!


SKULLFUCK - Mediafire

UPWIND OF DISASTER, DOWNWIND OF ATONEMENT - Mediafire

BAD ORB WHIRLING BALL - Mediafire

DWARF MINI LP - Mediafire

EP'S - Mediafire

PEEL SESSIONS - Mediafire

PUNK ROCK DELUXE

I am an absolute sucker for a remastered or expanded reissue. I have bought albums I already own a second time (or in rare cases a third) because there is a new remaster, however over the last decade or so there has been a trend towards a new package there is nothing that sends me into a bigger frenzy reaching for the "Buy It Now" button than the words "Deluxe Edition"

It seems a bit of a strange concept that bands from the original era of Punk Rock should get this expanded "Deluxe Edition" treatment, for all of punk's pretensions of rebellion and anti-state views wellll 3 of the 4 albums I present here were originally, and these editions are, on major labels!
Deluxe Editions, when they first appeared seemed to be the domain of old fart bands that nobody with any decent taste would give a shit about! However as the idea expanded to more and more great albums  I for one have adopted it wholeheartedly and now own an absolute shitload of these bloody things. In a lot of cases it's a simple cash in where you get a disc of live recordings as your bonus, but sometimes and  particularly in the case of these 4 albums, it is a good idea, as sometimes they are albums in sore need of remastering plus, with the additional discs you often get all the non album b-sides, Peel sessions etc rounding up a whole era of a band and for me, it's a lot better buying all of this in one fell swoop than tracking down that one compilation with the great b-side on it!

So onto your links, I am not gonna go into a history of each band here because I am assuming you would know these bands but if not I added a link you to a biography for each band you can read up on them if you choose. All files ripped from my own CD's at 320KBPS.

The Damned - "Damned Damned Damned" (Deluxe Edition) 

Band Info - HERE

The Damned were one of the first and earliest exponents of "Punk" being credited with releasing the first "punk" record in the UK This their debut album here, expanded to a mighty 3 discs, for me, has less in common with The Pistols or The Clash and more of a sound of the earlier pre-punk bands like some of the harder end of the "Nuggets" compilations and the garage rock of MC5 and The Stooges as you can see by their cover of The Stooges "Not Right" closing the album. The 2 bonus discs contain all the non album singles and b-sides, a brace of demos , their first 2 John Peel Sessions and some live tracks, the third disc contains a full live set from London's infamous 100 Club from 1976 All remastered for this set.

Siopuxsie & The Banshees - "The Scream" (Deluxe Edition)

Band Info - HERE

Siouxsie & The Banshees were a band I have never had any interest in because firstly I'd always seen them as goth fodder (which in later years I think is fair) and also I always thought of them as wannabees. Formed out of the famous "Bromley Contingent" the first gang of punks around the Pistols in London and seemed to be more like coat tail chasers rather than innovators. That all changed when I finally had a listen to this, their debut album.Whilst not only being a memorable listen it creates a great urgency in it's sound whilst retaining an atmosphere and some more serious post punk sensibility, having more in common with some of the early female fronted American punk bands like X and Avengers to my ears. Here the Album is remastered with a bonus disc containing a load of demo's, both early Peel Sessions and a couple of non album A-sides.

X-Ray Spex - "Germ Free Adolescents" (Deluxe Edition)

Band Info - HERE

Now we start to get to more traditional 70's era punk X-Ray Spex were a great and original band fronted by the inimitable Pol Styrene, but they definitely had that more "evolved out of pub rock" sound that was pretty much the punk template in the mid 70's save for having a saxophone player in the band which I suppose in one way separated them from their peers and was a pretty radical idea for a punk band.! This time the album has been seriously expanded for this edition the first disc contains the album plus both their Peel sessions plus non album singles and b-sides whilst the second disc contains their entire pre-signing demos (14 Tracks) plus a couple of rough mixes and a couple of Backing tracks.

The Slits - "Cut" (Deluxe Edition)

Band Info - HERE

Whilst predating what would later be called "post punk" by a good 2 or 3 years I would say The Slits kinda fall into that category by the time of "Cut" their early demos and recordings which had way more youthful traditional punk ferocity than this album were long behind them, they had developed from "first all girl punk band" into something else entirely, they had matured! The Slits influences had also changed as well as being heavily influenced by Dub and more experimental sounds something that is clearly apparent when you hear some of the sparsity and space used in the sound of this album but also working with famous reggae producer Dennis Bovell on the album added that spacey feel of dub in a lot of the music despite it's obvious intensity! Not that there aren't great uptempo punk songs here take the blistering "Shoplifting" for one example and Ariana's vocals are just unhinged!
Here the album has been remastered and expanded containing the album plus the single B-sides on here (though not unfortunately the "Animal Space"  or "Man Next Door" singles released independently and unavailable anywhere except on an extremely rare Japanese unofficial CD release of their Y records Bootleg retrospective ) The second disc contains no less than 20 Demos, Rough mixes, Alternate versions & Dubs, Altogether this is a definitive look at The Slits music. Also note this collection is completely deleted due to an ongoing dispute over the rights to their material it is unlikely to ever be reissued in this format again.

So here you have it 4 fancy expanded Deluxe Editions of 4 important 70's punk rock albums whilst aside from The Slitsa none of these are particularly rare they are all no longer in print and becoming harder to find, plus as these document an entire era of these bands respective histories I thought I'd post them here for the curious and the hardcore fans.



THE DAMNED - DAMNED DAMNED DAMNED (DELUXE) - Mediafire

SIOUXSIE & THE BANSHEES - THE SCREAM (DELUXE) - Mediafire

X-RAY SPEX - GERM FREE ADOLESCENTS (DELUXE) - Mediafire

THE SLITS - CUT (DELUXE) - Mediafire

SPINE WRENCH

Spine Wrench were a new discovery for me I read about them somewhere on social media but I must have completely overlooked them at the time. In the late 80's and Early 90's there seemed to be a massive shift in the underground "extreme" scene where many bands were moving their sound in a more Industrial/guitar noise direction, bands were splitting up or members jumping ship to form bands of this style for example Mick Harris left Napalm Death and formed Scorn, Phil Vane left Extreme Noise Terror and formed Optimum Wound Profile who also featured  Martin Peck of Deviated Instinct. I personally believe a lot of this was down to the shock waves sent through the scene by the emergence of Godflesh in 1988 they were probably one of the most influential bands around at that time also Swans early material and incendiary live performances were also causing a massive stir due to them frequenting the UK on tour a LOT in that era. There were also some bands that came out of nowhere such as Pitch Shifter and Sonic Violence who were also playing this heavier Industrial style so it appeared to be kind of a "trend".

Deviated Instinct had started off as almost like a crusty/anarcho punk Hawkwind type band in 1985 and evolved through a brace of hugely popular demos and albums that by the time of their 1990 2nd album "Guttural Breath" founding member and vocalist Leggo had left they had also moved into a more industrial influenced sound and on their final "Nailed" EP even covered "Listen To The Sirens" by Gary Numan's Tubeway Army! So Deviated Instinct broke up and Rob "Mid" Middleton (also an artist in his own right providing artwork you would most definitely know if you have ever been involved in the "extreme" scene he did covers for bands such as Extreme Noise Terror, Optimum Wound Profile and MANY covers for later era Napalm Death to name but a few)  formed his own band, building on the sound of the last Deviated Instinct recordings with new band Spine Wrench. They had started off with a drummer but after their debut (A Split CD with Sin another Industrial type band from NY featuring members of highly respected anarcho/crust band Nausea kinda making my point that this shift from punk/metal styles to Industrial was something not necessarily restricted to the UK ) the drummer left and they decided to go forward with a drum machine. This is where their sound really started to evolve for me They play a style of Industrial type music which is more riff based rather than all tortured guitar noise, though there is plenty of that as well but if you are a fan of the bands I mentioned above then this is something you will definitely want to check out.

Spine Wrench were a fairly short lived band releasing only 3 x 7" singles an EP a Split 7" and a split CD over 3 years amounting to a total of 14 tracks and  about 80 minutes of music also they seemed to operate under the radar as I have said previously I didn't hear of them till a couple of years ago and I was around at the time in the early 90's and was a fan of this new Industrial sound.

There's not a lot more I can tell this post I guess is for those who know the time and bands I am talking about and to preserve a discography from a curious obscurity of the time that is unavailable elsewhere,one of my kinda "For posterity" posts it took me a long time to source their material and in some cases I had the a side of a record but couldn't find the B-side track! Eventually I managed to get them all and that's what you get here. I had actually had this uploaded for so long that I had found the last bits I was missing and had to re-upload the whole file! I have said i am no longer going to be posting "extreme" music but I feel this falls more into the same category as some of the other bands I have been posting just maybe a little bit noisier/heavier

So here's what you get in the file...

Spine Wrench Side of Split CD W/ Sin

Heeldrag 7"

Soulscape CDEP

Spite Junkie 7"

Tapping The Vein 7"

Spine wrench Side of split 7" W/ Def Master

I have to say right off the bat I have taken these from the best sources I can but of 14 tracks only 7 are taken from CD the rest are from vinyl rips of varying quality/bitrates however as I have often stated I wouldn't share things if they are unlistenable quality and this certainly isn't unlistenable.
A long lost completely out of print and unavailable elsewhere discography by a lost band of the era Enjoy.



SPINE WRENCH - Mediafire

YOUR EDITORS TOP 10 ALBUMS FROM 2019 (AND A COUPLE I FORGOT AT THE TIME)

OK so last December 2019 I compiled my top 10 list for the year I bragged in the first paragraph there wasn't enough stuff of top quality however that was because I had forgotten some things had been released that year and thought they had been released the preceding year! (See Pt2.)

NOW... Normally it is not my policy to share links to pay downloads however in many of the cases here I am either friends on facebook or in real life with some of these bands or I would risk being shut down by the copyright police so here I have given you links to where you can listen to or buy a download or buy an actual physical album by these bands we're all locked down and stuck in what else are you gonna spend your money on we can't even go to a gig or out for a drink right now SO BUY A DOWNLOAD YA CHEAP BASTIDS! HA HA HA!

(NOTE - Every album on this list i either bought the CD or paid for the download also this was copied and pasted from facebook because I couldn't be arsed retyping it all so any references to facebook pages welll just go find them)

PT. 1

Firstly I have to say this wasn't easy.,not because of the usual TOO MUCH MAN! but actually the opposite, I started with 35 albums and I cannot believe how quick I got down to 20 then 8 then finally 10 ha ha!

The problem was a lot of stuff I have been  impressed by this year...actually came out in 2018 which woulda been an easier list than this!
For my money there hasn't been enough stuff of top 10 standard for me this year.
I'm gonna put these in descending order with a bandcamp link if there is one if not I've provided alternatives!

10 - Crypt Trip - "Haze County" (HEAVY PSYCH SOUNDS)

Blistering garage tinged 70's rock influenced Rock 'N'Roll with some psychy touches that just put a huge smile on my face and nod approvingly (I strongly recommend you check any and all of the Ctypt Trip and Heavy Psych Records stuff)

https://heavypsychsoundsrecords.bandcamp.com/album/crypt-trip-haze-county

09 - Sanction This  -  "Sanction This" (Anthrax/Self released)

I needed something punk to restore my faith and these guys were the antidote they channel the spirits of anarcho gods like Flux & Rudimentary Peni but add a a level of variety,Bitterness, anger and aggressiveness that gives it serious bite without straying too far into fast/noisy territory all the time! They also write great songs you can actually discern and remember!

https://anthraxuk.bandcamp.com/album/sanction-this

08 - Pinkish Black - The Great Unification (Relapse)

Where do you even start with this band? They combine a wealth of elements from doom, psychedelia, experimental noise etc etc However it's not messy and not at all hard to listen to! The vocals on this current album were a bit Josh Homme-esque but I got over it!

https://pinkishblack.bandcamp.com/

07 - Hot Lunch - "Seconds" (Tee Pee Records )

Hot Lunch's first album never left my playlist for about a year after i discovered it however I had to wait 5 years for another helping! Being so familiar with the debut it had a lot to live up to and at first it didn't but it was a grower! Amazing playing, fantastic riffing, great vocals this band are the full package of psychedelic, heavy, rock 'N' Roll!

https://hotlunch-sanfrancisco.bandcamp.com/album/seconds


06 - Cain - Cain (Rise Above Records)
A Reissue but for me I was unaware of this being released in 1992 so it's NEW to me plus it's been remastered and re-ordered and repackaged Featuring Members of Doom, Police Bastard, Filthkick and a future member of Rainbow Grave This slice of Industrial tinged heavy doom was an amazing shock to me and how i missed it in 1992 I don't know!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXf6Tzzvw7k&t=52s

05 - Workshed - Workshed (Rise Above Records)

I was surprised as anyone that something this heavy or metal would make my top 10! Ex members of Cathedral? I was expecting traditional doom metal however this is a beast of an album from the opening chords to the dying strains it blends a heavy Celtic Frost/Slaughter (Can) influence with the best of crunching old school death metal to stunning doom parts that blend together seamlessly to make an album that is memorable and dare i say "catchy"!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2nhFedHLWY

4 -  Henge - "Nothing Head" (God Unknown Records)
This was news to me as I had got onto Henge way back in 2013 they even played Liverpool at Mello Mello once! and thought with the rise of a completely shitty band with the same name they prob gave up or changed the name. They had not! This is a blinder of an album bravely opening with a 7 min instrumental this album has elements of Psych and doom but also an ever present edge of corrosive guitar noise. couple that with some really anguished vocals that just ooze anger,despair and loss and there you have it! Why these guys have as little as 644 likes on here is shocking!

https://godunknownrecords.bandcamp.com/album/nothing-head-lp

3 - Swans - "Leaving Meaning" (Young God Records or Mute in the UK)
Yeah This was a controversial one for me I did not like the teaser songs they released one bit and i didn't even pre-order the album I downloaded it when it came out scanned it dismissed it etc! it just wasn't what i wanted from them. Helen then put up a post saying she had listened and how amazing it was (she eventually bought it! ) and then after asking her about it she urged me to listen again! I waited till we were both available and gave it another shot! Lo and behold i get it! It is a long album and really I have only got my head round the first disc! However the quality of what i heard guaranteed it a place here! here's a link to soundcloud where you can stream the whole album I suggest you do it's not an album you can judge on 1 song

https://swans.bandcamp.com/album/leaving-meaning

2 - Rainbow Grave - "Not You" (God Unknown Records)
This was my assured choice for the number 1 slot! Featuring ex members of Napalm Death, Scorn, Cain, Doom and many more I was very excited when I heard about this band! Billed as Psychedelic punk i was not prepared for this at all! Shades of early Scorn stuff (obv with Nic Bullen in the band on bass & vocals) Head of David, Flipper at their most twisted a hefty dose of SLAB! and stuff that reminded me of Side 2 of Black Flag's "My War" and that was on first listen to the "Sex Threat" single! This is a great album it's not happy music nor is it easy to listen to this is aggressive, hate filled dirge with basslines that crumble speakers and vocals that just drip despair and anguish! This was a mindblowing find for me as I had a strong affinity with the bands i mention above and there simply isn't enough music of this calibre and sound available! PLEASE listen to both the "Sex Threat" & Split 7" W/ Orthodox because they are every bit as good as the album all 3 links are here

https://godunknownrecords.bandcamp.com/album/no-you-lp

https://godunknownrecords.bandcamp.com/album/sex-threat

https://godunknownrecords.bandcamp.com/album/rainbow-grave-orthodox-split-god034

1 - Battery Hens - "Ascension" (Self released/Bandcamp)

Well there it is no surprises here i have been banging on about them on social media for weeks! This band came out of nowhere by chance discovery because Tezz from Discharge shared a post of a attery Henbs album teaser song Called "Discharge" I then went absolutely nuts when i listened to them! having a brace of EP's and singles out since 2014 I was a bit late! However they had lost inspiration and had some personal troubles and the band are on indefinite hiatus...but with an album as yet unreleased! So they dropped it last month and I was floored here is a band playing a blend of post punk/post rock & guitar noise making complex songs seem effortless and with a grasp of dynamics that is mind blowing! Guitars SKRIING and soar The Bass rumbles the floor but remains clear and vital backed by some fucked up keyboard textures great English accented vocals and some AMAZING and tight drumming this is a band that really have their shit together and the production and sound of the album is spot on! I have not been so profoundly and immediately impacted by an album this way for years! So it sneaked in and knocked Rainbow Grave from it's previously guaranteed #1 slot! If what I have said before and now if that doesn't convince you that this band languishing in obscurity is an absolute crime against music then I am gonna shut up about BATTER BLOODY HENS!

https://batteryhens.bandcamp.com/album/ascension-lp

PT. 2

SO I AM AN IDIOT WITH NO CONCEPT OF TIME.......

OK so that was the final straw I have just seen something this morning that made me question my concept of time. I did my top 10 albums of 2019 and straight away I started finding things that I thought were released in 2018 that were actually released this year and then a couple of things came out after I compiled the list that after a listen would have made my top 10 or I would have expanded it to include them!
SO here is an addendum to my top 10! I am not ordering these that was the hardest part of doing the first one so here goes better late than never!

Mammoth Weed Wizard Bastard: "Yn Ol I Annwn" (New Heavy Sounds)
I have been following this band since their debut release everything they have done has gone from strength to strength culminating in this, their apparent penultimate album! This band take the heaviest of riffs and tones and twist them into shapes like i have never heard before top that with their phenomenal 4AD (Think Cocteau Twins, Dead Can Dance) vocals and some gorgeous subtle electronics and you have sound that is all encompassing and completely engaging! Without a doubt the most interesting and unique band to come out of the UK heavy/doom scene.

https://mammothweedwizardbastard.bandcamp.com/

Cities of Mars - "The Horologist" (Ripple Music)

Another band I have been following since their inception and funnily an album that is titled for the study of timepieces should be the one that makes me question my concept of time! CoM have been one of the doom bands that always stood out for me and this album (their 2nd) was for me a stunning progression Taking elements of Psych/Stoner and Doom but blending their heaviness with a well crafted dynamic touch and an almost "pop" (I use that word in a VERY loose sense) sensibility to craft songs that have memorable hooks as well as utterly crushing riffs and the vocals are aggressive and melodic as serves the songs best this adds a further great dimension to an already accomplished sound, their underlying concept is also fascinating (I won't spoil check it out for yourself) Don't let my use of the word "pop" there make you balk these guys are heavy as fuck! and this album left me with my jaw on the floor!

https://citiesofmars.bandcamp.com/album/the-horologist-2

Carter Tutti Void : "Triumvirate" (Conspiracy International)

This collaboration has no bandcamp link and is self released so I can't link you up on this one but I was put onto this band by Helen who got onto their debut in 2012 and when she played it I loved it, Chris Carter and Cosey Fanni Tutti should need no introduction as founding members of Throbbing Gristle and having a plethora of projects under their belts over 40 plus years. Nikki Colk the 3rd member of this collaboration is someone I don't know. CRV make what I would describe loosely as Techno, tho this is not the kind of techno simply aimed at the dancefloor released on 12" that is disposable in a week, NO this is something new taking their cues from the darker side and adding subtleties and layers that reveal themselves only after repeated listening and of course there is also an ever present industrial edge to this pounding grinding thump. This album is a cracking listening I would recommend checking out in the dark on headphones.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHu7ctruCvY

Fitted - "First Fits" (ORG Music)
This one sneaked under my radar it was out in November but when I saw the people involved i nearly choked on my coffee Featuring Graham Lewis of Wire and Mike Watt of Minutemen, Firehose, Stooges etc I was sold, I had worried it wouldn't live up to it's parts but it did, this is a kinda post punk/guitar noise sorta sound made with a mastery that only 2 guys like these steeped in this kind of music for decades could make. Not a million miles away from the kinda stuff Wire have been doing for the last 10 years or more but the addition of Watt gives this an edge that just pushes it past that and makes for a phenomenal listen! If it's any indication of how good this is I bought it the same day I heard it! yeah THAT good.

https://orgmusiclabel.bandcamp.com/album/first-fits

Deadly Avenger - "Your God Is Too Small" (Burning Witches Records)

This wasn't an artist I would have any interest it was only on the recommendation of my good friend Chris Davies who put this in his top 10 for 2019! I was aware of DA as I had got onto his Deep Red album back in the 90's trip hop days and never thought of him as a contender but boy has he come a long way... This album marries electro and dancefloor beats to a John Carpenter type synth template and makes absolutely stunning music that not only grabs your attention but makes your mind soar! I am gutted I sold this artist short on his previous work because this album and the 3 preceding it are great!

https://burningwitchesrecords.bandcamp.com/…/your-god-is-to…

Torche - "Admission" (Relapse Records)

I have a long history with Torche I have known their guitarist/vocalist Steve a long time but for some reason this was another release that slipped under my radar this year until they came on tour through Liverpool! I'm not a metalhead and i am not a fan of much modern metal however Torche have been doing this for a decade and a half and have mastered their sound. This album is a gripping listen crafting songs with multiple parts and riffs that are as once complex as they are compelling and memorable and not to mention HEAVY, Steve has a stunning clean vocal style that reminds me of so many vocalists but yet it's uniquely his, riffs ascend and descend with stunning effect and these songs soar and ricochet round the room with a beauty that just floors me like no other "metal" I have ever heard and this album is just incredibly accomplished and has a sound like nothing else i have ever heard from this scene

NOTE - As of March 2020 Torche have suffered huge revenue loss due to tour cancellation due to corona virus  buying something from their Bandcamp will really help them.

https://torche.bandcamp.com/album/admission

There you have it dumbass Dave's "oh shit I can't remember anything beyond 5 mins ago attention span of a goldfish" addendum to the best of 2019 I can't stress enough that each of the 6 albums here should have been considered for my original list and it would have been more than 10 if I'd remembered these had come out this year, each of these was as important to me as the original 10 were and all of them are worth your time to check out I just as i said seem to have lost my concept of time!

ENJOY!

Honorable mentions need to go to one  EP vthat if it had been full albums woulda made it in this list

Hellripper "Black Arts and Alchemy" EP (Reaper Metal Productions)
I'm not surprised about this blistering EP of old school riffage straight out of the early 80's Venom, Hellhammer, Bathory, Sodom song book (But faster and tighter) being on here, these guys destroy! The previous stuff had been great but this EP just takes it up a HUGE notch in sound and quality! Retro thrash bands take note... You just got SCHOOLED by a one man band) Now signed to Peaceville new album incoming next year I'll be waiting!!!

https://hellripper.bandcamp.com/


That's all folks Dave's 2019 Picks Hope you find something new to check out and support some of these smaller artists who definitely need it!

MELVINS SINGLES OVERLOAD MEGA POST

So No music blog,especially one done by me would be complete without a Melvins post! Here's my story of how i came to love Melvins.... I have been a fan of Melvins since I got their debut album "Gluey Porch Treatments"  in 1987. at that time I was 16 and I was very strictly into hardcore, I bought the Melvins album based on great previous releases on the label it was originally released on Alchemy Records (who had released records by Poison Idea, The Grim, Sacrilege B.C., and Neurosis 1st album) that coupled with the fact it had 18 tracks on it which for the time was quite a lot so i was sold! I rushed home thinking I'd unearthed a new fast hardcore gem! How wrong can you be?.... The sides of the album were entitled "This Side" and "That Side" on the Alchemy vinyl version so I ended up playing side 2 first by mistake but what a glorious mistake! Opening instrumental "Glow God" kicked in and it was so slow and sludgy and fuck off heavy (And I mean HEAVY even by today's standards) I just went whhhooooooooaaahhh I had never heard anything that heavy at the time, bear in mind this was before all the grindcore and death metal downtuning of guitars etc, but I was still expecting them to burst into hardcore at any moment, then next track"Big As A Mountain" kicked in yeah maybe a little more uptempo but this was not hardcore in any shape or form, the next track was a real slow crawler called "Heavyness Of The Load" and the title which pretty much sums up the Melvins sound!!! that super thick heavy guitar and bass Dale Crovers' unique, brilliant and  insanely good drumming and Buzzos' unusual voice I didn't know what to make of it but I did know that I was fucking mezmerised!!! I have been utterly hooked ever since! and continued to play "Gluey.."side 2 first then side 1 right up until i got it on CD!
So as Melvins are one of my all time favourite bands (I own countless CD's and my Melvins file on my hard drive is 3.67 GB not bragging in any way I'm just trying to illustrate that if you get into the Melvins which you well should, that you will be hooked) I decided to do something a bit special for this post!

I am not even gonna attempt any kind of blurb on Melvins sound,but try this... the 1st 6 Black Sabbath albums crashing head on into Black Flag circa 84-86 add a healthy dose of noise rock ala' Jesus Lizard and you're about there! I'm also not gonna attempt any breaking down of their VAAAAST and complex back catalogue either with at least 33 albums and 70 singles and numerous collaborations to their credit over their almost 30 year career (fuck i just realised this year makes 30 years of Melvins and that I bought "Gluey Porch Treatments" 26 years ago!!! WOW!) It would be impossible to do you a discography and pointless to try and pick favourites so what can I give you that would be interesting to you, the discerning music blogger??...

...Well a few years ago when the internet became widely available and file sharing became a bit easier I decided it was long overdue to do a bit of research into what Melvins stuff i didn't have as they are absolute vinyl maniacs and have had a slew of crazily packaged and insanely limited releases over the years, this is when i discovered they had a load of singles that I'd never heard of or owned and due to their slavish devotion to limited vinyl and Melvins being one of the most collectable bands ever i was never going to be able to own any of those reords but as I've said i'm all about the music not the collecting records so over the years of my file sharing i have compiled a fair bit of Melvins rarities and obscurities!

As I've said before about other vinyl only releases, much as i respect the Melvins i do think that releasing ultra limited vinyls and not making them available for download (Tho this is not always the case they did offer their recent "Endless Residency" 8 LP/4CD boxset available to download for $10) It kinda leaves a lot of GREAT Melvins material out of print and unavailable to all but the richest collector scum!!! For example their latest in the  "Sugar Daddy Live" Series of Split 12's with Fucked Up was released a mere 6 weeks ago and is already selling for £26/$40 online for 1 Melvins and 1 Fucked Up Track! Ridiculous! And because none of the music in the first 2 links here has been compiled on CD or otherwise available and is completely out of print I do feel I'm not "hurting" Melvins in anyway by putting this up.

So as the post title says this is a Melvins Singles Overload!  I have spent a lot of time slaving over my computer to put this together over the years and I've compiled it here so you don't have to! However if you expected it broken down into separate links so you could have the individual singles you want....UNLUCKY! I have neither the time nor the inclination to upload around 30 short files when i can give you this bonanza!

Firstly  I have put together a 4 part collection of some of the rarest and hardest to find stuff, I've done the files in chronological order I've included pretty much everything there is. Now when i say "Everything" it is just simply impossible to collect "Everything" unless you have had the time to keep up to date with Melvins on a daily basis since 1986  but according to what research i have done on the excellent Melvins endorsed wikipedia Discography (go look here Melvins Discography ) and other resources online this is near as damnit a Melvins singles discography as you're likely to get! Covering 1987 to early 2012, I have been unable to locate some of the more recent releases like the aforementioned "Sugar daddy live series" 12"'s and a few other bits they have done of late.Also some releases are intentionally missed due to the fact they are just Melvins fucking with you ("Shit Sandwich" 7" for example is 2 sides of silence apparently a tribute to John Cage's "4,33" and their side of the split 7" with Plainfield is just cut ups of in between song banter of an unnamed classic rock band)

Below is a list of whats in the file links titled PT's 1, 2, 3 & 4 at the bottom of the post you decide if it's good enough for you!! :-)

PT 1 Contains...
1983 EP (4 tracks recorded in 1983 not on "Mangled Demos")
Live 8" Flexi (Slap-a-ham records)
Split 7" W/ Steel Pole Bathtub
With Yo Heart Not Yo Hands 7"
Split 7" W/ Nirvana
Night Goat 7"
Flipper Covers 5"
Lizzy 7"
Porn 2 7" (Split 7" W/ Guv'ner)
Split 7" W/ Cosmic Psychos

PT 2 Contains...
Hostile Ambient Takeover 7" collection
(The Hostile... Album over 7 x 7" singles each with a non album B-side mostly covers)

Tanx 7" (John Peel Session EP unofficial)

PT 3 Contains...

Untitled 7" Given free with comic "Barbaraal" #2

Message Saved/Thank You 7"

Pigskin/Starve Already 7"

Split 7" W/ Patton Oswalt from Chunklet magazine

Smash the State EP

Split Tour EP W/ Halo of Flies

Star Spangled Banner 7"

Split 12" W/ Isis

Horray For Me Fuk You! 12"
"God Of Thunder" from "Hard To Believe" a Kiss trbute comp.

And the Sawed Off 7" a Melvins side project feat feat King Buzzo & Dale Crover

PT 4 Contains...
Sludge Glamorous 12"

Black Betty 7" (Split with JSBX)

Amphetamine Reptile Cage Match split 7" W/ Unsane
The Bulls & The Bees EP

Apart from "Tanx" EP these are all official Melvins releases.I do not own any of these myself these are all taken from the internet and almost all are vinyl rips they are of varying bitrates from 128kbps to 320kbps but I guarantee that none of it is unlistenable quality otherwise they would have been ommited from the post,except for side 2 of the Flipper 5" which seems to waver in speed but i used to own it and as i recall this is cos it's a 5" single and some record players can't cope with it sorry nowt i can do! they are all in separate folders within the files,correctly tagged and dated and include cover art. These were easily available to find online but due to rapidshare and mediafire killing off a MAMMOTH amount of links recently you'd be unlikely to find them now which is another reason I'm doing this post all links presented in this post are my links and will remain alive for as long as this blog does.

So that's your first 2 links covered but of course this being OCDave I couldn't leave it at that, as you may be aware Melvins are absolute KISS fanatatics and apeing KISS in 1992 they did a set of Solo EP's with both artwork and lettering aping the Kiss members solo albums from 1978 for example....

So being the nice guy i am I have also uploaded all 3 Melvins solo EP's for you as well and considering that at the time Melvins line up was Dale Crover, King Buzzo and Joe Preston (aka Thrones) these are some mighty fucked up recordings!!!

But it does not end there.... in 1997 Melvins also did a series of 12 x 7" singles for Amphetamine Reptile 1 a month for a year, all with variations on the same theme for their covers(see CD cover above) these vary from live tracks and covers to noise experiments & re-workings of older tracks to just plain weird but hey that's Melvins! However Amphetamine Reptile kindly collected all these 12 singles on a double CD so as i did call this post MELVINS SINGLES OVERLOAD!! I have uploaded the CD for you because thats 12 x 7" singles and a years worth of single releases that would be missing from this post if I didn't!

So there you go a Melvins singles overload as promised The Solo EP's and the AmRep Singles 1-12 are out of print but easily available to find on CD used (tho very expensive) but I felt as this was a singles post that they were an essential part of it.

The 4 part link listed first those are some rare singles for example the split 7" with Nirvana sells for £120! as I've said already prices of Melvins singles and EP's are beyond ridiculous and why should it only be available to those with a large disposable income ? I would like to thank the more generous of collectors who were good enough to rip and upload the original files that i have compiled in this post unfortunately most of the blogs and links are long gone so i can't name the people but if you uploaded it then a major thanks from me you made a Melvins fan very happy!

PT 1 - Mediafire

PT 2 - Mediafire

PT 3 - Mediafire

PT 4 - Mediafire

SOLO EP'S - Mediafire

AMREP SINGLES 1-12 (Disc 1) - Mediafire

AMREP SINGLES 1-12 (Disc 2) - Mediafire

So That's it folks go OVERLOAD on Melvins!

UPDATE (JUN 2019)

So been meaning to update this for a while but just never got round to it... So as I've previously stated Melvins are nothing if not prolific since I originally did this post covering till 2012 Melvins have released no less than 32 singles and 7 albums!!! Now whilst Melvins ARE prolific it would seem they are using a lot of their album material for various limited split and regular releases so I have not included these here and also some are so hard to find I simply have not been able to source them but that didn't amount to more than a couple. So filtering out the chaff & previously released stuff I have got it down to the essentials so here is one further part to your Melvins Singles post and here is what you get....

PT.5 Contains...

Chaos As Usual (Split EP W/ Le Butcherettes)
Everybody Loves Sausages (Supplemental)
Hot Fish EP (Collaboration with Flipper)
Rebel Girl (Feat. Terri Gender Bender)
Sabbath EP
Steven Macdonald EP

So I guess some of these need a little explanation
Everybody loves Sausages (Siupplemental) This rounds up ALL the B-sides and extras from the various limited "A Tribute to... 7"'s and includes 9 tracks of covers by various artists from Venom to Throbbing Gristle that did NOT appear on the album.
Rebel Girl was a 1-sided 7" in collaboration with Terri Gender Bender I've no idea who that is but the 7" was very limited.
Sabbath EP is a 10" of  Melvins with Al Cisneros of Sleep guesting on bass & vocals covering 2 Classic Black Sabbath tunes! 
Steven Mcdonald is a very limited 12" supplemental to the Melvins Solo EP's from 1992 Featuring current (at time of Writing) Melvins bassist Steve Mcdonald who is more well known for being a founding member of Hardcore pioneers and later psychedelic rockers Red Kross.
Hot Fish is a the latest 10" from this year (2019) and features 2 songs of Melvins and Flipper together in the studio and a further 2 Flipper covers by Melvins
Split with Le Butcherettes - nothing interesting just 2 new Melvins tracks from a split 10"

There you go folks a bit of a catch up to what those "Limited to 5 copies silk screened one sided lathe cut made from dinosaur eggs blink and you miss it " Peddling bastards the Melvins have been up to in the last 7 years or at least in part! I've said it before I'll say it again if this isn't enough for you go away and do your own damn research/blog for the rest of you lovely appreciative souls who say nice things here's some new Melvins... ENJOY!

PT5 - Mediafire

BIG BLACK - REMASTERS

Do Big Black really need any introduction or explanation? I don't think this post would be of interest to anyone who might come across it randomly and fancy checking out this band with no prior knowledge?!

Big Black, at the time were a band making some harsh noisy stuff, they always get pegged with the industrial tag but I feel that's unfair, maybe it was their use of "Roland" the drum machine that put them in that category in a lot of peoples mind? I certainly don't think they are Industrial in any way! I think they are definitely the progenitors of what would later be called Noise Rock and popularised by labels like Amphetamine Reptile.

Right so whats the point of this post you might be thinking? Well, I recently discovered that, although they have not been reissued on CD between 2013 & 2018 Big Blacks primary releases were all remastered by Touch and Go and reissued on vinyl with a download version also available, so myself being a sucker for a remaster and always thinking that those recordings REALLY needed an update for the modern stereo I managed to get my hands on them all! Now this is NOT a discography as for some reason it would appear "Lungs" EP and the "PigPile"Live album were not deemed worth remastering for reissue plus there's things like the Peel session and "Sound Of Impact" Live album etc. So what you get below is both studio albums and 3 of their EP's all remastered and trust me the difference is noticeable! The Guitars sound sharp the bass thunders and that drum machine POUNDS! So for those of you like me that may not own a record player or simply don't want to re-buy albums you have lived with for decades then here you go the absolute cream of Big Black remastered.

ENJOY!

ATOMIZER - Mediafire

SONGS ABOUT FUCKING - Mediafire

RACER X EP - Mediafire

BULLDOZER EP - Mediafire

HEARTBEAT 7" - Mediafire

HEADACHE 12" - Mediafire

WIRE (A WORK IN PROGRESS)

For my money Wire are by far and away the best band from the 1976/77 explosion of punk, a bold statement I know and I am sure many punks will be shouting at their computer screens right now, While I struggle to listen to the almost pub rock sounding strains of "Never Mind The Bollocks" and generally struggle with a lot of bands and albums from that era,  I've always found Wire to be the best of them always forward thinking and original their debut album "Pink Flag"  which, for the time, contains a whopping 21 Tracks they really did take the shorter,faster,louder thing seriously! Wire were different from their pers because they tempered the rage and vitriol of their punk peers with a deep sense of melody , great structure and crafting brilliantly catchy "pop" songs within a punk framework, they did more with songs clocking in at under 2 minutes than anyone else i can think of, Oh.. and Wire could actually play!!!

Wire were a band for never standing still as soon as a an album came out they were already touring primitive versions of the next album eschewing almost any older material and they were a very progressive band. Though Wire are still going today and have remained a band pretty much for the last 40+ years and their current output is great it's their era on Harvest/EMI which will always be the best era for me the trilogy of albums they did from 1977 - 1979 "Pink Flag" "Chairs Missing" & "154" respectively were astounding (as were the attendant Non-Album singles that came out around that time as well) and testament to their genius their music has not dated and remains influential to this day.

Wire are a band obviously aware of how important their back catalogue is they run their own label Pink Flag which has reissued many live albums and various other things from their long career and their first 3 albums have been reissued a couple of times and remastered already which brings me to the point of this post.

In 2018 with little fanfare or at least I didn't hear anything about it Wire did some massively expanded, deluxe, hardbook cover reissues of the first 3 albums.whilst this is exactly the kind of treatment any fan would be crying out for but with a price tag around £25 - £30 a set which is not too bad for what is on them and the great packaging but to buy all 3 one would need around £75 which is a lot by anyone's standards.

So having been reissued multiple times what's so good about these sets? Well Firstly Pink Flag has been expanded to 2 discs and both Chairs Missing & 154 have been expanded to a massive 3 discs containing not only the Singles from the albums but also ALL the demo recordings from the era. Pink Flag contains the first 3 studio demos from May & August 1977 plus some alternate mixes of the album tracks, however both Chairs Missing and !54 have seen a massive expansion 154 Contains the album plus a second disc of the singles from the era and a 3rd disc of the 4th, 5th and 6th demo sessions a whopping 26 tracks, 154 has seen a similar treatment with a 2nd disc of singles,including the 4 track 7" that came free with the original vinyl pressings of the album and a 3rd disc containing their  6th demo which is 16 tracks.

Whilst normally these sort of demo expansions would normally not be that exciting a prospect for me Wire are a band who have consistently morphed their songs from the demo stage to when they eventually become an album track for example have a listen to the demo version of "The Other Window" from 154 it sounds more like an outtake from Chairs Missing than the final album version. so in this case the demos are totally worth having.

So here you go all 3 2018 multi disc expanded and remastered versions of the first 3 Wire albums I have decided this is going to be a work In progress I am going to expand this post further but as i already had these albums uploaded I thought I'd go ahead and start the post now and update it over the coming months with more music. For me this is the absolute CREAM of Wire's output and all 3 of these albums are definitely given heavy rotation here even before they were expanded  and if you are new to Wire i cannot recommend a better place to start than with these 3 astoundingly great albums!

PINK FLAG DELUXE - Mediafire

CHAIRS MISSING DELUXE - Mediafire

154 DELUXE - Mediafire