Beezewax - A Dozen Summits LP - Purple Vinyl

 
SellOut! / Boss Tuneage (2025, Reissue)

A Dozen Summits is a pretty pivotal record as it was when Beezewax appeared on the radar of PopKid Records HQ.  I'm not sure where the band heard of PopKid, but they sent this (at the time) CD only release and demos of some of the songs that would go on to become South of Boredom to Alan back in 1997 or 1998.  He loved them and the rest is history.  Somewhere in there we procured a copy of the CD for me as well and it's been in my frequent rotation ever since.  This is a record that has long been on my short list for my most wanted records to get a vinyl release and the fine folks at SellOut and Boss Tuneage made that a reality last year.

A Dozen Summits is only second to South of Boredom in the Beezewax catalog for me.  It's a perfect guitar pop record with perhaps a bit more fuzz a roughness than the rest of their catalog.  But it's in those fuzzy, imperfect moments where I find the perfection in these songs.  There's so many great songs on here and there's moments, like where they go from the heavier Posies-esque "Take the Wheel" to the blown out bass intro of "Miss Playin Basketball," that wow me every time I listen.

As with many things in life, it ruins my brain to realize that this album is 29 years old.  At the same time, this record is kind of a remarkable snapshot of youthful enthusiasm, energy and optimism that's probably difficult to replicate when you is double digits and starts with a 4 or a 5.  This is an album that takes me back to a hectic, stressful and challenging time in my life, but one that certainly had its good moments and a ton of great music.  So happy to finally be able to spin this on my record player after all these years.

Beezewax - A Dozen Summits:

https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_nvzAF9zW_F2bPR5feGmqPZpg5oi9IkiV0

Reverse - Behind These Walls LP - Mustardy Brown Vinyl

Boss Tuneage (2023)

Normally, I don't post any reviews the week of Thanksgiving as I typically take off from work that week and try to relax a bit.  But, since I have missed so many posts over the last few weeks, I'm going to try to power through and get some up this week as well.  It's especially important to try to do this for me as I've gotten in a sudden deluge of new records and want to make sure I've gotten to everything so that I can put together my end of the year list.

That brings us to Reverse and their new album Behind These Walls.  If you want to talk about an album that is guaranteed a top spot on my year end list, this would be one of the first albums I'd be talking about.  Reverse was originally active in the 90s UK punk scene and they put out a string of four 7"s that completely blew my mind at the time.  They disbanded without having put out a full length and most times, that would probably be that.

Fate intervened and the band started to release their 7" tracks and other unreleased goodies on SP records from Japan in the form of two CDs.  Then a new 7" followed and that all led to the band putting out their first proper full length a few years ago, Empty Spaces.  What a record that was.  Somehow, I think Behind These Walls is even better.  If anything the songs feel even closer to the magic the band captured on those early 7"s and I haver been listening to this record non-stop since it arrived.

I feel like I may have said something like this about Reverse before, but Behind These Walls sounds ripped straight out of the 90s.  Not that it's a 90s bands with new tunes that sort of sound like the music of yore.  If you told me that the band actually recorded these songs in 1995 and they were just releasing it now, I would one hundred percent believe you.   And this is not some backhanded compliment insinuating that the songs sound old, they sound fresh and vibrant and exciting in a way that so few bands are able to put together these days.  The album has that glorious feeling that so many of my most favorite albums of the 90s had.  It's a palpable energy that is so difficult for me to describe, but it's there and I feel it in my bones when the record is spinning.

Anyone that is into the mid 90s UK punk scene really needs to give Reverse a listen.  They can stand shoulder to shoulder with groups like Broccoli and Hooton 3 Car, that next batch of bands that were following in the footsteps of Snuff, Leatherface, Senseless Things and Mega City Four.  It's so great that a record like this can exist in 2023 and I hope that the boys in Reverse keep this going for many, many more years.

Reverse - Behind These Walls:
https://bosstuneagerecords.bandcamp.com/album/behind-these-walls

Reverse - Empty Spaces LP - Blue Vinyl

Boss Tuneage (2020)

Even just a few years ago, if you had told me that in 2020 one of the best albums of the year would have been put out by Reverse, I don't think I could have possibly believed you.  It's not that I would have any doubt that they would be capable of writing one of the best records, I would have just been in shock that it actually happened.

Back in the 90s, Reverse released three 7"s and a split 7" with Exit Condition.  These songs along with the one from the Best Punk Rock In England comp were some of my very favorite of the era.  To this day I will put the song "Stagnant" up against anything that came out of that mid 90s UK scene.  It's one of the best of the best.  We never even got a full length Reverse album back then and the band was (at least to me being in America) somewhat mysterious. They cranked of four perfect singles and then vanished.

Now, luckily there has been action from the Reverse camp in the intervening years.  I took possession of one of their demo tapes that had songs that weren't on the singles (more on that later) and their singles were compiled on to the Glance Sideways CD along with some extra tracks by SP records in Japan.  A few years later came Chasing Ghosts, with more unreleased Reverse songs.  I may be mistaken here, but my impression was always that those were older songs and wasn't a proper new full length.  That said, it was incredible and I was happy to have more music by such a great band.  They also put out a new 7" last year.  I don't have that yet as it is sitting in a pile of records put aside for me by a friend in Japan that I haven't been able to get from him yet.  Pandemic and other issues being a key driver of that...

But now, somehow, miraculously, Reverse has a full length album of new songs in the year 2020.  This has been a shitty fucked up year, but Reverse putting out a new album takes just a a fraction of the sting away.  It sounds like it could have been released the week after their last 7" in the 90s.  A perfect blend of melody and punk rock.  This is such a quintessentially sounding UK punk record and I cannot get enough of it.  That scene with Snuff, Leatherface, Broccoli, Hooton 3 Car, Mega City Four, Chopper, Skimmer, Crocodile God, Donfisher and more was my favorite time and place in all of recorded music and this record is every bit as good as anything that came out back then.

The thing about Reverse that gets my more than anything is their complete and total mastery of the chorus.  This has always been the case.  You're listening to one of their songs and the verse is good to great and then they get to the chorus and the song blows your fucking mind.  That happens over and over and over on this record.  From opener "Empty Spaces" to "Opinions" to "Fire Flies" I am never not amazed when that chorus comes blasting in.

Another cool thing is to hear a newly recorded version of a song called "Missuser." Remember that demo tape I mentioned?  This was one of the songs on it that didn't also end up on the Glance Sideways comp.  It was really cool to hear it again in the context of a full album and it fits in perfectly.

Here I go writing way more than I expected to once again, but if you can't tell, when I get really excited about a record I tend to go on and on and on.  Well, I love this record.  It is one of the best two or three albums I have heard all year and the fact that it exists just makes the world a better place in my opinion.  Thank you Reverse, please make more records.

Reverse - Empty Spaces (Only the first two songs are streaming on Bandcamp):
https://bosstuneagerecords.bandcamp.com/album/empty-spaces

Diaz Brothers - Diaz Brothers LP

Boss Tuneage (2020)

In addition to his highly renown work with Leatherface, Dickie Hammond had is fingers in quite a few other incredible bands.  From HDQ to Doctor Bison, Stokoe to (Fatty) Jones, pretty much everything he touched turned to gold.  The hole that remains from losing Dickie is somewhat immeasurable, but when an album like this comes along it makes things feel a little less empty.

Diaz Brothers are something of a continuation of HDQ, but when Neil Cox joined up it was insisted that it be a new band, not HDQ without Dickie.  Over the course of this album's phenomenal ten tracks, the presence of Hammond looms large, but the album is stellar in its own right and is easily one of the best records I've listened to in 2020.

More than anything, I feel a kinship with the one album that The Jones released many moons ago.  For a long time, I've felt that it is an overlooked part of the UK melodic punk canon, but was always one of my very favorites.  Like Gravity Blues, this album's foundation is built on furious guitar riffs, interesting chord progressions and Golly's incredibly powerful vocals.  This is a band firing loudly on all cylinders, but with a keen grasp on songwriting that lets them weave melodies through, without ever sacrificing the oomph.

I've said many times that my favorite ever time in music was the early to mid 90s UK scene.  So many of my favorite bands came from there and so many more were influenced by that time.  This Diaz Brothers record is every bit as good as the very best from that time period.  Considering what a shit year 2020 has been, it's really nice to have a record this good to help get through the bad times.

Diaz Brothers - Diaz Brothers:
https://bosstuneagerecords.bandcamp.com/album/diaz-brothers

Beezewax - South Of Boredom LP

Boss Tuneage / Sellout! (2019, Reissue)

I have somewhat mixed feelings about this Beezewax record finally coming out on vinyl twenty years after its initial release.  I'm thrilled that it's available and I'm happy that labels that I love like Boss Tuneage and Sellout! are the ones who released it.  But, there is a part of me that's a little sad that this isn't on PopKid.  The original CD came out on PopKid records back in 1999, but we just never figured out a good way to do a vinyl version.  It's super cool to have this record in my collection.  I'm just a bit jealous that it's not in my collection as a PopKid records release.

Still, that's a just a weirdo thing for me to work through.  Everyone else should rejoice that one of my favorite records of all time is finally available on vinyl.  I remember when @alanrappa first played me the band's debut album A Dozen Summits.  They had sent it to PopKid HQ along with some other tunes.  I remember liking it right away, but Alan was the one who really loved it and knew they were the perfect fit for PopKid.  Alan & I both did radio shows at my old college station back in the 90s.  It was there where Beezewax finally sunk in and I understood it like Alan did.  He would play the song "In The Stands" on his show before we had the CDs actually pressed.  Or as I referred to it as "THE HIT."  That's the song that really made me fall for the band.

It's still my favorite song on the album, but South Of Boredom is a virtually perfect record front to back.  All of the songs are now "THE HIT" in my mind and it's been something I've been playing constantly for the past twenty years.  For the uninitiated, Beezewax play melodic guitar pop, not too dissimilar from the very, very best of The Posies.  But they also have their own way of structuring songs that in my minds, make them even better than The Posies.  I would put the first three Beezewax albums up against just about any three album run.  They're all so perfect.  I hope that those ones are next on the Sellout/Boss Tuneage agenda.  Vinyl versions of A Dozen Summits and Oh Tahoe would look pretty great on my record shelf next to South of Boredom.

Conflict of interest time.  I have a few copies of this record available on the PopKid website.  Seriously, just a few - single digits.  If you want to pick up a copy, grab it quick:

http://popkid.limitedrun.com/products/656755-beezewax-south-of-boredom-lp

For those in the UK, Boss Tuneage is the place to go.  For Norway, Sellout! is your source.  And in Japan, Waterslide has some in their distro as well.  No matter where you get it from, you'll be a better person with this record in your collection.

Beezewax - South Of Boredom:
https://popkid.bandcamp.com/album/beezewax-south-of-boredom

Rad Owl - Madison Beast LP - Red Vinyl

Boss Tuneage / Waterslide (2018)

In what is rapidly becoming a recurring theme, this is another 2018 album that I wasn't able to get until after the new year had passed.  As a result, I'm beginning to feel like my end of the year list is becoming woefully inaccurate as the weeks go by.  I'll once again blame it on moving into my first house and some tightness in the wallet for the second half of the year.  No matter what the reason, the fact is that Rad Owl should have made an appearance on that list as Madison Beast is a pretty great album.

While the artwork on the album cover may lead you to think this is either some sort of foreign metal band or a lost 70s prog rock album, Madison Beast actually pays homage to the 90s sounds of bands like Big Drill Car and other Cruz or C/Z records acts.  There's a distinct 90s feel to the album with the perfect mix of chugging guitar riffs and secondary guitar leads.  These guys have chops for sure, but they use them for good and not for evil, overdrawn guitar wanking.

There are folks in this band that were in Samiam, The Stereo and PopKid alumni Marble (as long as I live, I will never tire of listening to their cover of "Holiday Road").  Rad Owl feels like a conglomeration of those past experiences.  It's good enough to hang with any of those 90s bands, but is still forward thinking enough to keep me thoroughly engaged in 2019.

Rad Owl - Madison Beast:
https://radowl.bandcamp.com/album/madison-beast

Spoilers - Roundabouts LP - Cornetto Vinyl (/150)

Brassneck / Boss Tuneage / Little Rocket / SBAM / Waterslide (2018)

I took way too long to buy this record.  I knew it was going to be good based on prior EPs I had by Spoilers, but the full length came out at a time where I was a bit strapped for cash due to moving into my first home.  The extra shipping was something that I felt I needed to push back for a bit.  Once I was able to add a few more records to the package, I finally had Brassneck send this album over and after listening to it over the past few weeks, I'm even more annoyed that I waited so long.  This absolutely should have been in my top albums of the year list, probably quite high too,

To me, Spoilers sound like if Snuff was fronted by Mark from Crocodile God.  The vocals are melodic and of a higher pitch, but that is combined with an organ drenched punk rock sound that would have been right at home on Demmamussabebonk.  Much like later era Snuff, I tend to prefer the mid tempo songs on Roundabouts the most like "The Same Again," "Skimming Stones" and "Collision Course."  The latter of which has a vocal melody that reminds me of the Cat Stevens song "Father and Son."  Though let's be serious, I don't really know the Cat Stevens version of the song very well, I'm much more familiar with the cover by Horace Goes Skiing.

I don't love the really fast songs as much.  The ones with that galloping NOFX style drum beat sort of just blow by in a haze.  But, I feel the same way about most Snuff songs like that as well, and they are one of my favorite bands of all time.  Roundabouts is a killer record and Spoilers are very quickly becoming one of my current favorite UK bands.  To top it all off, they're about to play some shows opening up for Guns N Wankers.  I mentioned this on Twitter once, but I'll repeat it here, if anyone wants to give me a plane ticket to the UK for those shows, I'll be your best friend.

Spoilers - Roundabouts:
https://brassneckrecords.bandcamp.com/album/roundabouts

Bedford Falls - Send More Bees LP - Greenish Blue Vinyl

Brassneck / Dead Broke / Boss Tuneage (2018)

Send More Bees is Bedford Falls' third album, but for whatever reason it's the first one of theirs that I've heard.  No matter how much I'd like to think I stay on top of things, at least within the genre of music I tend to like the most, bands like this still slip through the cracks.  I'm not entirely sure how I've missed Bedford Falls until now, but I'm happy to be correcting that problem at last.

Bedford Falls are playing a slow burning slice of the fuzzed out bliss of bands like Superchunk, but with a lower key take on the proceedings.  The bulk of the songs take mid tempo pace to allow the vocals melodies and lyrical imagery to really take hold.  Taking a more measured approach does give everything a bit more room to breathe and some of the songs flourish in this atmosphere.  

If there's a criticism, it's that the first batch of songs tend to somewhat blend together a bit, but it also makes the songs were Bedford Falls step on the gas, like "Reason To Believe" and "Defeat Artist" stand out more.  These songs take on a dynamic, Starmarket-like feel and the energy builds and the vocals have a focused urgency to them.  I do tend to prefer the faster ones at the end of the day and wish there were a few more over the course of the album.  Still, when Bedford Falls are on, they are really on and it's an album absolutely worth checking out.

Bedford Falls - Send More Bees:

https://deadbrokerekerds.bandcamp.com/album/send-more-bees-2

Higley - Higley CD

Waterslide / Boss Tuneage (2017)

Even though this CD is from Japan, the band isn't.  Higley is comprised of a bunch of punk rock all-stars from bands like G-Whiz, River City High, Fun Size, Pollen and that Bill Stevenson fellow from All and Descendants.  If you want an 'ex members of' band, these guys take the cake.

Considering the people involved, I think I'm a little surprised that it's a similarity to Pollen that I hear the most.  The slick, distorted guitar and slightly gravely vocals mesh well with the steady, mid tempo rhythm section churning the songs along.  By the books pop hooks and chorus melodies pepper throughout the album and you can't deny their potency and effectiveness.  

Sometimes the songs feel a little too polished and somewhat clinical.  I wouldn't mind if things went off the rails a bit more and some of the perfection was traded in for a little chaotic energy.  Also the lyrics do lean towards a sort of confessional travel journal direction.  They can get overly heartfelt at times, particularly on "For A Minute," but the band is powerful enough to keep things from getting too sentimental.  It's a totally solid debut album and worth checking out, particularly if you dig Pollen or G-Whiz.

Higley - Higley:

https://watersliderecords.bandcamp.com/album/thats-not-me

The Phoenix Foundation - Closer LP

Waterslide / Boss Tuneage / Best Seller (2017)

First off, I should point out that this isn't the Phoenix Foundation band from New Zealand.  I don't know anything about those dudes other than they sure come up a lot when you're searching for the Phoenix Foundation Bandcamp page.  I'm sure they're nice guys and all, but the record I'm writing about is by the Phoenix Foundation from Finland.

I first heard of these guys as a recommendation since I liked the band Manifesto Jukebox.  I picked up a CD of theirs that came out back in 2003.  It was good stuff, really fiery and fast.  For whatever reason, they kind of fell off my radar after that.  I picked up the occasional single and EP, but I never grabbed another one of their full lengths.  I guess they were one of those bands that ware harder for me to keep tabs on.

Fast forward to this year and Phoenix Foundation's newest release Closer is back on my radar thanks to Waterslide records.  I can say this is a band that has gone through some changes since 2003.  The entire tempo of the record has calmed way down since their ballistic debut.  It's for the better really.  With a slightly slower pace, the songs have more freedom to expand and the hooks have more time to build and get lodged in your head.  Before, things would rush by so fast you couldn't always grab each subtle nuance.  This time out the songwriting quality is much more obvious because you have time to hear the details.

The band still has an obvious debt to the gravel throated, Leatherface style of punk rock.  But, like Leatherface, The Phoenix Foundation has become more confident in their craft.  Closer is a really outstanding record.  If there's one complaint I have, I just wish it was even longer.

The Phoenix Foundation - Closer:

https://soundcloud.com/waterslide-records/sets/phoenix-foundation-closer

Spoilers - Stay Afloat 12" - Blue w/ Splatter Vinyl

Brassneck / Boss Tuneage (2015)

Let me tell you something, when Spoilers are clicking for me they're at the very top level of current punk rock bands that I like.  The only issue that I have is that as far as my taste in music goes, Stay Afloat has its moments that veer sharply into territory I don't like as much.

There are two main reasons I didn't pick this up right when it came out.  The first was postage related and I was waiting for the chance to bundle it up with some other records that I wanted from the UK.  The second reason is that I just don't like the lead track on this EP, "All For One."  It flies by at two thousand miles an hour, leans heavily on that galloping drum beat that I really don't care for and has biting, shouted lyrics.  It's kind of a perfect storm of tthings that turns me off of bands.  Spoilers don't play this style of music poorly or anything, it's just not the kind of thing I like to listen to.

Once you get past that opening song though, the next two songs on side A are simply tremendous.  They're much more in line with the sort of middle tempo, organ fueled pop that Snuff has mastered late in their career.  The vocals are super melodic, a stark comparison to the prior song's shouting, and they've worked in hooky choruses in all the right places.  I couldn't ask for two better songs, truthfully.  

When you flip over to side B, we have the exact same scenario.  The first song is too fast and loud for me, but the next two are essentially perfect.  It's and interesting situation.  Six songs, two of which I don't like, but four that are among the best UK punk songs I've heard in quite some time.  Those four are great enough that I recommend this 12" without hesitation, but I definitely hope the band goes in the direction of their more melodic work as they move forward and put out more records.

Spoilers - Stay Afloat 12":

https://brassneckrecords.bandcamp.com/album/spoilers-stay-afloat

The No Marks / Spoilers - Split 7" - Gray Vinyl (/330)

Brassneck / Boss Tuneage (2016)

This fun little 7" came out on Brassneck records, familiar to some as one of the great labels that PopKid records got to co-release the Chestnut Road record with.  I've been a fan of Brassneck for a bit now.  In the short time they have been a label, they've managed to amass a catalog of bands that I'm really into.  One of the bands towards the very top of this list is The No Marks.

Their side of this 7" contains 3 songs, each highlighting a different strength of the band.  "Spirit" starts off with a cavernous drum beat that quickly bleeds into jagged guitar riffs and gravelly vocals calling into the night.  On "Guilt As A Control Mechanism" the band picks up the pace with a breakneck verse traveling at a thousand miles an hour, but just wait for the chorus that hook will pull you in immediately.  Lastly they serve up "Get Out," a 30 second semi-hardcore blast, not dissimilar from the sort of track Snuff would toss on a record to break things up.

Speaking of Snuff, that leads to the folks on the other side of the record, Spoilers.  Coming off the heels of a strong 12" EP (which I do have, but haven't reviewed yet), the two songs on this 7" are my favorite songs of theirs to date.  They have a strong Snuff influence, clearly seen on the organ fueled "The Same Again."  The backing 'whoa's' are right where you'd want them and there's a fast, catchy mod vibe that reminds me a lot of The 'Tone on top of the already mentioned Snuff influence.  

Their second contribution "Lost Your Way" is more straight forward.  It's faster, though I would say the drumming isn't particularly dynamic for most of the song.  Though everything comes together nicely at the end for an extremely poppy chorus.  It's the weaker of the two songs, but this is a band I will absolutely be keeping tabs on.  The flashes of brilliance they have are extremely bright.  All in all this is a pretty great 7".  Two bands making the kind of punk rock I want to listen to.

The No Marks / Spoilers - Split 7":

https://brassneckrecords.bandcamp.com/album/the-no-marks-spoilers-split-7

Doctor Bison - Dewhursts: The Musical / Bring It On 2xLP - Gray / Yellow Vinyl

Boss Tuneage (2015, Reissue)

Along with The Jones record that I wrote about a couple of weeks ago, this Doctor Bison album is the one that I was most excited to finally be able to purchase on vinyl.  Kudos to the kind folks at Boss Tuneage for giving me something so wonderful to spend my money on.

Dewhursts: The Music came out when I was in college.  Specifically it was out right when I was the music director of my school's radio station.  No one sent a copy of this in to us, this was a record I liked so much that I brought a in a copy for the station myself.  Let me tell you how many completely different kinds of DJs coalesced around this record.   Everyone loved it.  In particular, the banjo fueled, ever so slightly country tinged "Fractured Jaw" was probably played every few hours for a while there.  

The way that the incomparable Dickie Hammond poured his energy into these songs, mixing his dynamic punk rock assault into a band that leaned towards a much more to soulful side of things is something to behold.  I was hooked after the first time I ever heard "Delusion of Grace."  Please, take that Pepsi challenge.  If you like the records I typically review here, I think there's a good chance you'll be a fan as well.

As a bonus, the 2nd LP contains the Bring It On EP that the band had released many years later along with some extra unreleased songs.  I'll admit that I never had the Bring It On EP for whatever reason.  Honestly, it came out and I didn't find out about it for a couple of years after.  Then it just sort of slipped off my radar for whatever reason.  Rest assured, these are also phenomenal songs.  Maybe they're not quite at the level of perfection that Dewhursts reaches, but keep in mind that I have an extra 17 years or so of listening to those Dewhursts songs.  So it's tough to compare them fairly.

Regardless, this is an amazing reissue, one that I'm just thrilled to be able to add to the collection.  And one more CD I could theoretically move into storage.  If I was theoretically moving any CDs into storage.  Which I'm not.  I probably should though, I'm running out of room.

Doctor Bison - "Delusion of Grace":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTBe8GqJa4U

Doctor Bison - "Fractured Jaw":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uR8ecAG6JYs

The Jones - Gravity Blues LP - Blue Splatter Vinyl

Boss Tuneage (2015, Reissue)

It took me a little while to realize that this album had actually been released on vinyl, but I couldn't begin to tell you how thrilled I was to discover that it was.  The Jones is arguably the most under appreciated band to feature Dickie Hammond.  I'm not sure if it just got lost in the shuffle and not enough people heard it, but whenever I read anything about the great albums that Dickie was a part of, I never heard this mentioned.

It's a bit of a shame as aside from Leatherface, The Jones could be my favorite thing that Dickie ever did.  Just give the opening track "Monotone" about forty-five seconds.  With its searing guitar riff in the verse, the slowed down, hook filled chorus and impassioned vocals from Golly (also from HDQ like Dickie), you'd be hard pressed to find a more impressive song in Dickie's arsenal.  But it's not the only one.  The album is nearly perfect in execution with song after song of incredibly dynamic guitar work.  It's kind of crazy to me that more people don't know and love this album.

For this vinyl reissue the fine folks at Boss Tuneage have also tacked on two 7"s that preceded the Jones full length.  The Stokoe 7" and Fatty Jones 7" both featured Dickie and Golly, but each had a different cast of characters supporting them on other instruments.  Fidelity wise, the three Stokoe songs stand out a bit from the rest, but as far as song quality goes, they are every bit as good.  

Again, I couldn't be more excited to finally have these songs on vinyl.  Maybe The Jones isn't quite as well known as Leatherface, HDQ or even Doctor Bison; but they should be.  Every song on here is incredible and this is absolutely a record you should go out of your way to pick up if you don't already own it.

The Jones - Gravity Blues:

https://bosstuneagerecords.bandcamp.com/album/gravity-blues

Elmerhassel - Self Analysis - Discography Part 2 CD

Boss Tuneage (2015)

Last week I wrote about part one of the fantastic Elmerhassel discography reissue CD set from Boss Tuneage.  You had to figure part two wasn't far behind, so here we go.  Self Analysis contains the songs from the John Wark LP, the Pride In Ipswitch 7", a song from a split 7" with Six Pack, a comp song and their previously unreleased first demo from 1991.

Like the first part, this second CD is just crammed absolutely full of hit songs.  In particular, just about everything from the John Wark LP is so great.  Not being a Soccer/football fan, the two "Ipswitch (Get That Goal)" songs are a little bit lost on me, but I'm sure they make more sense in the context of the time they were released.  If forced to pick, I probably prefer the first of these two discography CDs, but there is no shortage of Senseless Things/Midway Still style melodic punk from the UK on part two.

Really, there's just no way you only buy one of these two CDs.  You have to get them both.  There is just way too much great music on these to pass up.  Elmerhassel may not be a household name in the UK and in America probably even fewer people are probably familiar with them, but this is a band that deserves a lot more attention than they get.  I'm thrilled Boss Tuneage reissued all of these classic songs.  Now who's going to step up and make the 4xLP vinyl version?

Elmerhassel - "Apology & Explanation":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6PdNinSbFw

Elmerhassel - "Positives":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=727NibU2BMc

Elmerhassel - Entertainment Value - Discography Part 1 CD

Boss Tuneage (2015)

Everyone should stand up and applaud the actions of Boss Tuneage records.  The fact that they stepped in and blessed this world with a two part Elmerhassel discography is the sort of thing that deserves having a statue erected in their honor.  This is the very definition of a band that could have just fallen through the cracks and been forgotten.  I never had much in the way of Elmerhassel records apart from some comps and a 7", so even I hadn't given them much thought until I saw that these discography CDs had come out.  Getting to listen to all of their songs compiled together, I've really gained an appreciation for just how great they were and how seriously they've been overlooked.

The first volume of this CD set contains the Honour Your Partners mini LP, The Billyous LP, a 7" and 2 compilation appearances.  Melodic punk is probably the best genre definer if you really need one for Elmerhassel, and they're just as good as the best bands playing this sort of thing.  I immediately think of other UK bands of the era.  You can hear a bit of Mega City Four, a little Senseless Things and some Midway Still churned in for good measure.  The pop is every bit as catchy as any of those aforementioned bands and Elmerhassel really had an incredible knack for constructing some seriously catchy tunes.

The only thing, and really this is the only thing, is that there are a handful of cover songs I'm not as into.  I don't really need to hear another cover of "Big Yellow Taxi" at this point, but I will cut them some slack as it was released in 1992 after all.  If you have even the most fleeting interest in 1990's UK punk rock, this is absolutely essential.  Snuff and Leatherface made the biggest name for themselves in the US, but there are a whole pile of other great bands that came out of that time.  Elmerhassel sits very much at the top of that pile.

Elmerhassel - Entertainment Value Volume 1 (2 Songs):

https://bosstuneagerecords.bandcamp.com/album/entertainment-value-discography-part-1