You know Sing Sing has been doing this for a while now and I have yet to pick one up. I have enough trouble keeping up with singles from bands that are around now releasing stuff, and then Sing Sing throws these essential documents from the birth of punk at me. They seem to have a lazer focus on this era of rocks evolution and making this stuff available again for a completely affordable price. They want it to be heard...so to go to all this trouble of reproducing the sleeves exactly how they were released...well I have to get on their curated train and stop sounding like such a clueless bastard sometimes.
I swear, there is too much to talk about these days...you should see the masses of drafts I never get too and have ended up orphaned somewhere on the internet. Do I need to start posting a few times a day? Do I need to have some kind of life outside 7Inches? I can't answer these hard hitting questions.
But I do need to look into all of these Sing Sing Releases, like this one from the Locals. Sing Sing has a great interview with these guys on their blog with tons of tracks from the era of this single, and I'm completely into it. It's just in the middle of punk and new wave, just doing their own thing...maybe a little Feelies style? Lots of jangle, little less polish maybe
Straightshooters...a little too produced, bubblegum for me, too much harmony, they actually can sing. I like my early 80's more raw, and maybe...the guitar tone is great though.
The Tunnelrunners are real bad ass, grungy guitar, it's fast, the vocals are a little loud, little more fucked up. But I'm hearing Cheap Time, Busy Signals, Unbunny, Hunx...it's all there.
It just goes to show there's always good music being made, just go find it...you don't have to take the fucking whatever 100's word for it. That's what makes me so mad, there were a shitload of great bands that all sounded like the stones or beach boys rip offs....where was CBS - FM's show about those bands? All my dad ever listened to was the same top ten songs from 1950-1965....there are other bands out there! Fuck them.
Don't worry Sing Sing, you'll get my money.
And I will get something priceless...bad ass 7"'s!
Sing 017 :: THE LOCALS - You Never Have Fun b/w Yes Or No
An underrated punk-tinged pop band comprised and founded by four Pratt students, among them Bill Rohlfing, former bass player from the unruly punk n roll band Public Problems. The band gigged regularly around the New York from '79 to '83 and soon built a reputation as an amazing live act (check out the live songs on our blog from Max?s Kansas City)!! This, their one and only vinyl release, was recorded at Backstreet Studios and released in 1980 on the private Griffy label. It was distributed locally and sold primarily at gigs. Both sides are extremely well written and masterfully played punky-pop songs with intricate vocal harmonies and monumental guitar lines. Guaranteed to get in your head and stay there. A totally essential record from a criminally overlooked band.
Release Country: USA
Release Year: 1980 / Reissue Date: 04.10
Original Label: Griffy Records.
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Sing 018 :: STRAIGHTSHOOTER- Straightshooter b/w She's So Fine
A four-piece group formed in 1976 and active in the Southampton area with a line-up of Don O'Riley (gtr), Pete Luck (v), Tony Ecclestone (b) and Mike O'Riley (d). In 1977 Straightshooter joined the local heat of the Melody Maker-sponsored 'Rock & Folk Contest', but their Punk/Powerpop set witht he occasional Hard Rock overtones failed to impress the jury. Recorded at Airport Studios on April 20, 1979, the combo's one and only vinyl output was co-produced by sound engineer G Dewhurst and privately issued in an edition of 500 copies through the SRT pressing service in the second half of July. The two self-penned songs are remarkable efforts and justify the collector's status reached by the 7", with the B-side, a melodic but energetic Powerpopper entitled SHE'S SO FINE, as the stand out cut.
**The original release was issued without artwork. The reissue comes housed in a Sing Sing Records company sleeve.
Release Country: UK
Release Year: 1979 / Reissue Date: 04.10
Original Label: Strolling Bones.
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Sing 019 :: THE TUNNELRUNNERS - Plastic Land EP
Main-man Madoc was never a real feature of the local scene, and only every now and again would he be spotted, with his long shaggy non-punk locks and mostly sporting some kind of brightly coloured miltary tunic, fronting The Tunnelrunners in some God-forsaken you-take-your-life-in-your-hands gig like the Admiral Benbow pub out on Fabian Way. You couldn't just go and see The Tunnelrunners: you had to be lucky, to be in the right place at the right time. With the legend of the Tunnelrunners' glories grown to almost mythic proportions, the group was eventually nailed down in one place long enough to record a ten-song everything-live session for the local radio station, and in January 1981 five tracks from the session were released as the "Plastic Land" EP. The group played one final Swansea gig, to show willing, and then disappeared back to the up-England-way college-lives that had effectively finished the group that past autumn. (Low Down Kids)
Release Country: UK
Release Year: 1981 / Reissue Date: 04.10
Original Label: Sonic International Records.
Epic post man.
ReplyDelete"Do I need to start posting a few times a day?"
I'm for it, but only if you are rich or something. If you have a job too, then you are nuts. Like, for instance, my zine thing is still only 85% done after a month and a half. I work long hours, and my computer was fucked for part of that, but still. You put lots of effort into this site, it shows.
On topic:
I really love Sing Sing Records output. They really dig deep. I got into a few of their reissues from Bloodstains or KBD comps but many are completely unknown. I've yet to have been really disappointed by them. Any time I see a Sing Sing (re)release on a distro, more than likely, I purchase it.
Hey Japanther,
ReplyDeleteYea, I doubt I could keep that pace up, I wonder if this 7" thing is actually growing as a whole, or it's just getting more attention, and if that's even a good thing? What am I bitching about, it's a good problem to have....too much good stuff out there. It already takes an excessive amount of robotripping to get this done everyday, I need an intern.
On Sing Sing...I love that there is this alternative music history out there. Undiscovered bands like the Chin Chin full length...all of Mississippi Records too, mining this amazing wealth of stuff that deserves reexamining. I'm going to start picking all these up, I never see them in any of the record stores around here, and I forget to put an order together with them. It might take another round of rereleases to get my act together, I'm already way behind and the Zippers one is sold out....DAMMIT
I know I was looking at that zippers one too. That Sing Sing LP looks fun too, I was thinking of putting off a giant order till that comes out (apparently in july). But then I saw the zippers OOP, so I might just have to buy up everything that isn't OOP next paycheck.
ReplyDeleteAnd stop being such a hockey puck, you turkey! BAWWWWWW I HATE MY POPULARITY BAWWWWWWWW. Hahah, just kidding, I like your modesty.
Hi Jason Dom from Straightshooter..I thank you for the comments especially as I was the guitarist!! First time someone said we could sing!! Anyway I became lead singer in later bands and have been so inspired that after 25 years am picking it all up again..checkout www.myspace.com/domoriley for some really bad vocals..Im the singer
ReplyDeleteD