Rock Pretty - The Comp that Launched Zero Careers - 1984

The Rock Pretty compilation. Very simple concept really. Four UK bands, two songs each, hopefully some of 'em rock, and hopefully some of 'em are pretty. Big shots on the record at the time were Marionette, because of Ray Zell, Kerrang, etc...then you've got The Babysitters, who were pretty much Marionette with a better sense of humor...and The Grip and the excellently-named Napalm Hearts were competent enough....but it's Aunt May who steal this record. And to this day I still have no idea who the fuck Aunt May were or are. This is the only record I've ever seen 'em on, and internet searches of the band or members return nothing. Yet their two songs on Rock Pretty are gloriously terrible and unbelievably addicting at the same time. I mean, I know these songs are terrible, but if they're so terrible how come the adult me remembered every word of both songs the teenage me listened to 20 years earlier? Aunt May, you've tortured me for decades now. I don't know where the band members - Aunt May, Marcus Sparticus, Lee Van Starz and Lance the Creature - are now, but hopefully they're somewhere in the UK living the good life off the massive royalties they made from Rock Pretty. More likely they're dead or driving a bus. Rock pretty glam fiends.

Track Listing:
The Grip "Two Hearts"
The Babysitters "Rock en Roll Chicken"
Marionette "Gettin' Sticky"
Aunt May "Flesh of the Devil"
Napalm Hearts "Little Miss Teazer"
Marionette "You Better Believe It"
Babysitters "The Beard Song"
Napalm Hearts "Suzy (was a Live Wire)"
Aunt May "Respect the Dead"
The Grip "Tension"

https://www.amazon.com/clouddrive/share/YL4vnejPnQqMx4FT79Ds9OCMV8GcGLQfuyv0X0Ey9Jt

Winter Kills - Further then Beachwood Sparks

1989 Demo Cover

1990 Demo Cover

Found these old demo tapes the other day at a friend's house and was immediately reminded how much I loved this band when they were around. Back in 1989 and '90, when the majority of bands in Hollywood were still trying to be the next Motley Crue, Poison, etc...Winter Kills were looking to bands like Lions & Ghosts for inspiration. The guitar player, Josh Schwartz, I believe went on to be in both Further and Beachwood Sparks. Unless its a different Josh Schwartz. The bigger question, looking back at the band photos now is, is singer Tom Sanford in some way related to Legs Diamond singer Rick Sanford ? You can't deny there is a resemblance. But who really cares about that other than me? I know, no one. On to the music...

Winter Kills 1989 Demo
Radio Suicide
Flowers in Hell
Rain's Curtain Call
Humor Me
Painting Pictures
Soul Mirror

https://www.amazon.com/clouddrive/share/MnrXWBO0ZKqSl2cHOAVeY9abe7rJG7QkjkCuHCdhuYj

Winter Kills 1990 Demo
Hate To Hate
Whisper Darling Blue
Cheerleader Sickness

https://www.amazon.com/clouddrive/share/F6w6050r0IQulADyOz2jRpSw7yQPOBwKUkkaE1j34sz

Smack - Live in LA 1990 - 2 Shows

That's right, actual recordings of Smack's last stand in Hollywood - March 2nd, 1990 at the Green Door and March 30th, 1990 at the Meadowlark Country Club in Huntington Beach (?). I wasn't at either of these shows, I did see them around the same time at the Scream club in downtown LA, or whatever it was called by that time. I can't remember who gave me these either...I think a female friend of friend recorded them, and was nice enough to give me copies because something had happened to my recorder at the Scream show and I didn't get the recording. These tapes have just been digitized for the first time, and to my knowledge they may be the only recordings of the Smack LA shows. Audience recordings they may be, but I think you'll be pleasantly shocked and surprised at how good they sound. Then again, if you're reading this, you're just happy they exist and want me to stop rambling so you can download them, right? Fine. Smack ruled. RIP Claude. Long Live Smack.

Smack Live @ the Green Door
https://www.amazon.com/clouddrive/share/4vblRVQBVnFBpxEKeEB0UCkvLv5nwnXbYW7n7kD3Dm4

Smack Live @ the Meadowlark Country Club
https://www.amazon.com/clouddrive/share/jmNQYz5qOecUDi4cEKQFfB5RAxVnatoPt6rJr55Lx9M

Demolition Gore Galore - Bulimia Babes in Endorphin Pain

Demolition Gore Galore were the brainchild of one Walter (aka Walta) Adams, the original bass player for Faster Pussycat. In addition to Adams, DGG consisted of (at one time or another) Mick Cripps of LA Guns, the one and only Kery Doll, Bobby Bones and Kayle. It's clear from the first listen that Adams and his Faster Pussycat bandmates had a love for Johnny Thunders in common, but that's where the similar influences end. DGG, even with their ridiculous over-the-top name, were closer to the Velvet Underground and Nikki Sudden than G&R and Aerosmith. Anyways, they didn't leave us much to remember them by...just a couple privately pressed records including 1986's "Bulimia Babe" EP and 1987's far more scarce 1-sided "Endorphin Pain" 7" limited to just 100 copies. And luckily for you I have both. And now you can too.

Track Listing:
Bulimia Babe
Bulimia Break
Long Blonde Bomb
Girls Just Care About Gore
Endorphin Pain

https://www.amazon.com/clouddrive/share/YDepNYLOsfXixrhqWAtspd5pv0RPFX8j95tdtBtlk2l

Axtion - "Look Out for the Night" (and all those hard rock cliches)

It starts the way hundreds of hard rock records started in the 80's...take three power chords, Animal-esque (from Dr. Teeth & the Electric Mayhem of course) drum fills, followed by a falsetto scream, and we're off "Road Runnin" with Axtion. By the way, do you think there was a band argument over whether to use an "X" or a proper "C" in the name? And which one of the guys really wanted to use triple X's, call the band aXXXtion, and pull some porn stars? Cuz you know one of 'em wanted to. My bet is either the drummer or bass player. But I digress. If anyone was wondering what the majority of indie or private hard rock releases coming out of the hair mecca that was Los Angeles in 1985 were like, look no further than Axtion's "Look Out for the Night". Besides the aforementioned intro, we 're gonna need a song with our band name in it..."Spread the Axtion"....check! We're gonna need something to try to get the more metal crowd, something fast and metal sounding...."Fury of the Tempest"...check! What about a song with extended acoustic intro so I can show these people that I'm not just "widdly-widdly solo" guy but that I really listen to Andres Segovia records?..."Look Out for the Night"....check! And finally, we gotta leave these kids with a positive message so they too know its okay for a grown man to use hairspray and wear makeup..."Stand Up! (for What You Believe In)"...check and mate! No matter how much I make fun of it, I won't deny that its an enjoyable listen from a particular moment in rock time. Thanks to Vince at The Music's Over for letting me borrow the wax to digitize so all of you could enjoy it.

https://www.amazon.com/clouddrive/share/5aU0jNP1k12vqxFFMI3ihBqcFcfFIOL8lDnzlTm10Nt

Hell Razer - "Shout Hey!" (aka "the very first terrible demo I bought from an ad in the back of a magazine")

Hell Razer, I'll never forgive you for starting my teenage obsession with finding demos and live tapes from glam bands who had yet to get a record deal or release a proper record. Where once this tape thrilled a teenage me, who'd ordered it from the back pages of either Kerrang or Metal Forces magazine, it now serves as evidence as to why not every band gets a record deal or release a record. Because they're terrible. The UK had their fair share of great glam, Pet Hate and Wrathchild, even Tiger Tailz come to mind. But Hell Razer, I'm afraid you belong at the other end of the stackheeled spectrum. I know "Shout Hey!" sounds like a great glam anthem, but it's really just poor grammar. But what about "Space Girl (Intergalactic Love)"? That's gotta be filled with glammy goodness, right? Not a chance in the hands of these hacks. But for some reason, its still fun as hell to listen to and puts a smile on the face, even if its a sardonic one.

https://www.amazon.com/clouddrive/share/VlODXja4HYJQwwba9w5bLIM2MDqsrX9RHTz1ETFMTUs

Brooklyn Brats - They Lived to Rock

At least back in the mid-80's they did, when this five song picture disc was released. "No One Tells Me No" and "Wrong End of the Rainbow" still hold up after all these years. "We Live to Rock" not so much. "Can't Stand Your Love" and "Guess I Don't Mind" were filler back then and time hasn't done anything to change that fact. Still an important document of the time and place that was the Sunset Strip back in the 80's. Best part of the whole thing...their drummer's name was Dane Rage. I wonder if he went into gay porn after the band broke up, he already had the name for it.

Track List:
We Live to Rock
No One Tells Me No
Wrong End of the Rainbow
Can't Stand Your Love
Guess I Don't Mind

https://www.amazon.com/clouddrive/share/rQA9RFjGgo6khgibbED5UIwLztUjMT196C6N2Mo9t7t

Damn Yankees - Sadly Not Bigger Than Life

Its not the best quality, but believe it or not its from a first gen demo tape I've had since the 80's. Maybe that's why they never got a record deal, because their demos sounded like shit and no one could hear how good the songs actually were. The original Damn Yankees featured Sten on vocals, who later left to form the Love Razors. This demo comes from the second lineup, with the bass player (Michael? Anyone?) moving over to lead vocals. Unfortunately there's next to no information on Damn Yankees on the web (except the Nuge's version), and time and medication has blurred my memory too much to remember the other member's names. I think Josh was the drummer. Maybe Jason Nesmith on guitar or bass. How about a little help out there? I know there were other people at those shows at Madame Wong's and the Troubadour, I saw you there. So here it is, without further useless information, the 4 song Damn Yankees demo tape.

Track Listing:
Bigger Than Life
Caroline
Die Laughing
Racing with the Moon

https://www.amazon.com/clouddrive/share/5cnywqk3FI8hbyoRucic4yKHIVV33hO9QPawsYKZ6R

Premonition - Santa Clarita Knows How to Rock - 1980

Premonition were a local Santa Clarita Valley band of the late 70's/early 80's who self-released one single on their own label in 1980 featuring the songs "Glitter Girl" and "So What". Honestly, this thing is so obscure that the only reason I even have it is that the guitar player, Paul Hirschmann, was my guitar teacher from the ages of 10 to 12. I still remember the day he came over for my lesson and excitedly gave me two copies of this single, hot off the presses, and told me they pressed 100 of them. The A-side, their most famous song from their local gigs, was a classic-rock-cum-glam-rocker called "Glitter Girl" while the B-side was Hirschmann's moment to shine on the instrumental jazz-rock-psych riff-a-thon called "So What". This is the true sound of Los Angeles' north valley area circa 1980.

https://www.amazon.com/clouddrive/share/XbuvFl3PyZYyzRWSQpexoCkQfG6qJagX5VwhlWAeAde

SIN - On the Run With No One Following...

As far as I'm concerned, SIN don't get nearly the respect they deserve. Among all the terrible Hollywood bands who couldn't play, SIN were our version of Angel. I hear you screaming "What about White Sister?", to which I reply...they were Giuffria, not Angel. Big Difference. Anyways, SIN released one single in 1983, this beautiful shaped picture disc which should be worth a ton considering the 80's rock crap which passes for "rare" on Ebay these days. But sadly no one cares. Even though SIN had Rik Fox of Steeler fame and looked cool as hell, no one cared then either. It doesn't matter, as one day this record will have its due. After SIN burned out I'm pretty sure they morphed into the horribly-named Jag Wire. And guess what? No one cared.

Tracks:
"On the Run"
"Captured in Time"

https://www.amazon.com/clouddrive/share/GMt5pY6GsLBxrXQAGx8Add2TISYIfIHtBpCVTP07BUE