Poison Idea "The Fatal Erection Years" CD/LP Review

POISON IDEA

“The Fatal Erection Years”

1983-1986

Southern Lord CD edition

TKO LP edition

This is the second in a series of reissues of the legendary Portland Oregon HC band. A big thank you goes out to Poison Idea, Southern Lord and TKO Records for inspiration and this opportunity. 

crown point vista house on the columbia river

Being 46 has its benefits. I was able to pick up "Pick Your King", "Record Collectors Are Pretentious Assholes" and the "Drinking is Great" compilation when they were released. I took my Poison Idea poster with  me when I went away for college. Realize, I had a lot of posters to choose from back in those peak FOE zine years and limited wall space. 

Gilman St.

Poison Idea has always been a band that was dissimilar to the bands of the genre. Sure, putting out a 7" with thirteen songs on it happened a lot back in the 1980s. Sure bands played fast while extending into a metallic edge such as you will find on "Record Collectors...".

Gilman St.

But. But! BUT! No one questions who Poison Idea is. They have a "sound". Minor Threat had a sound. Black Flag had a sound. Etc... Poison Idea had a sound and style that no one could recreate. You could be influenced by bands like Poison Idea, but they were an original, the real deal, you just can't copy this.

I had the pleasure of seeing Poison Idea in some blown out building/squat/space that had an apocalyptic center square / yard that provided the appropriate backdrop for the chaos that was going on in Philadelphia many years ago. My friends did some sort of drugs with Poison Idea, while I drank a quart with Jerry A (yeah, this was pre-40 oz days and at least 21 years ago as that is how long I have been sober). When Poison Idea went on stage, there was sweat, blood, chaos and complete nihilism. It was like a sacred end of days celebration. Not only was Jerry A slicing up his own flesh but one kid picked up the broken bottle as carving instrument and gouged his own flesh in celebration. The pit was one of the most intense things I have ever seen. Philly was different back there. There weren't just punks and hardcore kids at this show. There were dealers and people off the street who wandered into the decadence, thrashing with the hardcore kids. Leather jackets, spikes, flannels, t-shirts, dirty homeless action wear and freaking pimp coats and hats.

"Pick Your King" was Poison Idea's official debut release from 1983. Raw and ferocious, it is a classic, mandatory hardcore 7". The infamous jacket featured a "choice" of two kings, Jesus (front cover) and Elvis Presley (back cover). 

"Record Collectors Are Pretentious Assholes" was released in 1984. The cover featured guitarist Pig Champion’s record collection. 

The song "Laughing Boy" is from the "Drinking Is Great" compilation 7” which was released in 1985 (all the bands on this record are amazing).

Let it be known that the vinyl LP version contains six songs from the Live at the Met 1983 gig while the Southern Lord CD version contains the entire nineteen songs from the live set. So you know, you need to get both. 

FATAL ERECTION TRACK LISTING:

"Pick Your King"

1. Think Twice

2. It’s An Action

3. This Thing Called Progress

4. In My Headache

5. Underage

6. Self Abuse

7. Cult Band

8. Last One

9. Pure Hate

10. Castration

11. (I Hate) Reggae

12. Give It Up

13. Think Fast

"Record Collector Are Pretentious Assholes"

14. A.A.

15. Legalize Freedom

16. Cold Comfort

17. Thorn In My Side

18. Rubber Husband

19. Rich Get Richer

20. Don't Like It Here

21. Time To Go

Compilation Tracks

22. Laughing Boy

23. Typical

24. Die On Your Knees

25. I Got A Right

Live At The Met, Portland 1983

26. Dance Of Rage Live 83

27. This Thing Called Progress Live 83

28. In My Headache Live 83

29. Self Abuse Live 83

30. Slam Dance Jam Live 83

31. It's An Action Live 83

32. Think Fast Live 83

33. Think Twice Live 83

34. Come Out Fighting Live 83

35. Castration Live 83

36. M.I.A. Live 83

37. Pure Hate Live 83

38. My Hard-On Withers In Your Face Live 83

39. Underage Live 83

40. Give It Up Live 83

41. Bounce The Rubble Live 83

42. All Right Live 83

43. Louie Louie Live 83

44. (I Hate) Reggae Live 83

45. Marked For Life Live 83

Cheers,

FrANK FOE

Up To No Good Radio October 28, 2012

Up To No Good Radio

Reds, FOE & Generic

October 28, 2012

Click here to stream the show online or download.

Rancid “Up To No Good”

Misfits “Halloween”

Ramones “Anxiety”

Dead Kennedys “Halloween”

Alberto Y Los Trios Paranoias “Kill”

M.F.D. “Boris the Spider” (The Who)

D Generation “Prohibition”

D Generation “Sweet Talker”

The Clash “One Emotion”

Depressions “Screw Ya”

Avengers “No Martyr”

Replacements “Kids Don’t Follow”

Lords of the New Church “Opening Nightmares”

Agent Orange “Bored of You”

U.K. Subs “Keep On Running”

The Boys “See Ya Later”

Biters “Hold On”

Social Distortion “Don’t Drag Me Down”

Red Rockers "Running Away From You"
Cockney Rejects “Your Country Needs You”

Negative Approach “Lost Cause”

M.D.C. “I Hate Work”

Mob “Common Criminal”

Verbal Abuse “Free Money”

Business “Spirit of the Streets”

C.O.C. “Not For Me”

Dwarves “Drug Store”

Anaal Nathrakh “Making Glorious the Embrace of Saturn”

Cockney Rejects “Scars to Prove It”

Last Rights “Chunks”

Decontrol “Young and Tired”

Pork Dukes “Down, Down, Down”

Meatmen “Mr. Tapeworm”

Dollyrots “Staring Over Again”

Kelly of Dollyrots

EyeHateGod “Story of the Eye”

Urban Waste “Reject”

Fear Factory “Difference Engine”

Antidote “Die at War”

L7 “Lions Share” (Germs)

L7

G.G. Allin “Dead or Alive”

Primate “Wasted Youth”

Damned Dirty Apes “Death Comes Rippin” (Misfits)

Slamhounds “Rain” (Garbage)

Briefs “My Girl Wants to be a Zombie”

Danny Elfman “This is Halloween”

Joneses “Graveyard Rock”

Naughty Women “Linda is a Man”

Rob Zombie “Werewolf Women of the SS”

Electric Frankenstein “Coolest Little Monster”

Reatards “Out of My Head Into My Bed”

Jeff Dahl “Leather Frankenstein”

Plasmatics “Black Leather Monster”

Dickies “Hideous”

Redd Kross “Linda Blair”

Freeze “Halloween Night”

Dead End Drive “Become the Dead”

A.O.D. “Mischief Night”

Samhain “Horror Business”

Revillos “She’s Fallen in Love with a Monster Man”

Dr. Know “Crucified”

Turbonegro “Drenched In Blood”

D Generation “PCP Highway”

Cheers,
Frank FOE

Fear Factory "The Industrialist" CD Review

FEAR FACTORY

“THE INDUSTRIALIST” CD/LP

CANDLELIGHT RECORDS

RELEASED: JUNE 5, 2012

Reviewing a Fear Factory record is a intimidating task. I find it difficult to rationalize in my mind how I could possibly convince anyone to seek this band out who hasn't already accomplished this or decided they don't like them (my daughter doesn't like the "singing parts"). So I have been listening to this disc relentlessly for the last 5 months. It is so heavy, punishing, creative, hypnotic, aggressive - typical Fear Factory - that I have also gone back and been re-listening to their back catalog heavily this year. 

Fear Factory released a video for the title track on October 25, 2012. Check it out below. 

I was on target to finally see Fear Factory live twice this summer, but both times fell through. Damn it.

"The Industrialist" is fittingly a "concept" album. Vocalist Burton C. Bell states, “the protagonist (The Industrialist) is the incarnation of all industries in the form of an automaton. The mechanical, technological, and scientific advances through the industrial age led to the creation of The Industrialist. In the story, the automaton becomes sentient as it collects memories with each passing day. Through observation and learning, it gains the will to exist. What was meant to help man, will eventually be man’s demise.”

By 2012, you know about Fear Factory. By November of 2012 you should have "The Industrialist".

Primate "Draw Back A Stump" CD/LP review

PRIMATE

“DRAW BACK A STUMP”

RELAPSE

RELEASED: JULY 3, 2012

Primate is Kevin Sharp (vocals from Brutal Truth) Billy Kelliher (Mastodon guitarist) Dave Whitworth (bass Timebomb77) and rounded out with others who did time in The Despised with Dave. 

Sometimes a band can describe themselves sufficiently. Primate according to Primate is "stoner grind meets Swedish/Japanese hardcore...". Sounds good to me. 

Part over the top - Gwar, part aggressive metallic hardcore, part thrash and grind blizzard. Yeah, go with what they said. So good, I sought out and purchased the vinyl. 

If Primate look old to you, then you won't be surprised that they do a song called "Get the F*#@ off my Lawn".

The Black Flag cover of "Drinking and Driving" is worth the price of admission. 

Very much looking forward to the Union Transfer gig with High on Fire and Goatwhore! This night will kill!

Cheers,

Frank FOE

UTNG Radio October 21, 2012

Xristina

Up To No Good Radio

October 21, 2012

Reds, FOE and Generic

CLICK HERE TO STREAM ONLINE or DOWNLOAD THE SHOW

Rancid “Up To No Good”

Germs “Strange Notes”

MIA “Just A Dream”

Decry “Island Paradise”

Decry

Subs “Walkin’ On A Mine Field”

Chaos UK “The Alcoholic”

Flesheaters “Pony Dress”

Raunchetts “What? Scuz Me”

Surf Punks “Wave Spy”

Knox “Tired of Living With You”

Fugazi “Kyeo”

RF7 “Government Science Fiction”

Radicts “Rebel Sound”

X “You Phones Off the Hook…”

Reverend Horton Heat “Bales of Cocaine”

Red Scare “Redrum”

Business “Coventry”

Business

Murphy’s Law “Panty Raid”

Pleased Youth “Lunkhead”

Corrosion of Conformity “Eye For An Eye”

The Freeze “Now or Never”

The Partisans “17 Years of Hell”

Broken Bones “I.O.U.”

Government Issue “Fun and Games”

Briefs “Big Dog”

Ill Repute “Strike Back”

External Menace “Don’t Conform”

Face to Face “No Authority”

The Threats “Drug Culture”

Modern Pets “Endorphins”

Thee Nosebleeds “Black River”

Corrosion of Conformity “Indifferent”

Corrosion of Conformity “Excluded”

Husker Du “Don’t Wanna Know If You Are Lonely”

The Freeze “We Make Sanity”

Government Issue “No Way Out”

Antidote “Real Deal”

The Partisans “That Girl”

Peter and the Test Tube Babies “Giving Up Drinking”

Agnostic Front “In Control”

Gang Green “Narrow Mind”

The Briefs “New Case”

AOD “House Husband”

Broken Bones “Decapitated”

Decry “Falling”

Slamhounds “Vibromatic”

Lunachicks “Pretty Ugly”

Lunachicks

GBH “Womb With A View”

Slaughter and the Dogs “It’s Alright”

Slaughter and the Dogs “Where Are All The Bootboys”

Screaming Bloody Marys “Johnny Be Dead”

CH3 “Stupid Girl”

Misfits “Devil’s Whorehouse”

Blitz “Someone’s Gonna Die”

Downlow “Change of Pace”

Poison Idea “Think Twice”

Vibrators “Wrecked on You”

Vibrators “Automatic Lover”

Damned “Smash It Up”

Black Flag “Thirsty and Miserable”

Lurkers “I’m on Heat”

Poison Idea “Rubber Husband”

Murder Junkies “Once A Whore” (Special backing vocals by FOE, REDs and BOB FOD)

Murder Junkies

Dead Boys “Down in Flames”

Social Distortion “Moral Threat”

Biters “No Connection”

Kamikabe "Aberration of Man" CD Review

KAMIKABE

“Aberration of Man”

Unique Leader Records

Released: August 2012

Kamikabe call Pittsburgh PA their home. Right off the bat, as I watch the video for the track "The Rot" from "Aberration of Man", I have to see the Pittsburgh Penguin on the wall. Huge even. Being a Philadelphia Flyers fan, I have to take a step back.

OK, maybe they aren't Penguins fans. Maybe this video wasn't recorded in their practice space. I have to assume that or I won't be able to continue... But man, if they actually like Sidney Crosby... 

Deep breath. Sidney Crosby would cry if he heard such music... Sure he would.

I do have to hand it to these Pittsburgh death metal technicians, they are skilled at their craft. Kamikabe are adept at creating punishing and hyper, death metal. Bands that I enjoy the most in this genre have the ability to play so fast that it seems like they slow down time. A slow motion reaction to an extreme speed. I enjoy Black Dahlia Murder much the same way. 

OK, Penguins kidding aside, well, not really, but... "Aberration of Man" kicks. Put it on when you need to blast off!

Cheers,

Frank FOE

Corrosion of Conformity "Eye For An Eye + Six with Mike" Review

CORROSION OF CONFORMITY

“Eye For An Eye” Reissue

Candlelight Records

ReleaseD:November 6, 2012

I was there. The early 80s. I was lucky.

C.O.C. was legend. Saw them in Philly more times than I can count. Saw them in the Lehigh Valley and State College PA and probably in Pittsburgh and New Jersey but you know, they were like a local band. Dedicated to their craft. I was always in awe. I was dedicated to see them as often as possible. I will never forget seeing Mike Dean banging on a piano in State College PA in some hallway or something at the university. I had a dream about seeing them somewhere in Philadelphia with Metallica and Mastodon. COC won.

The following photos were from a gig I saw C.O.C. play at West Catty Playground Building in Cattasauqua PA. Seems like everyone in the Lehigh Valley proudly wore a COC t-shirt with that perfect logo after this gig. 

Well, if you missed the chance, here it is. "Eye For An Eye" (1984) plus the "Six Songs With Mike Singing" (1989) reissued again for your education, experience and pure unadulterated means to liberate you from any tension you may have. Listening to these tracks is an effective way to release every piece of garbage that pollutes your soul.

Thankfully, COC has a number of great packages, that include vinyl for your enjoyment. Head on over to indiemerch to get your fill.  

C.O.C. during this era was the unspoiled cross pollination of hardcore and metal in the 80s. There was no drama. The songs were so perfect, the talent so evident, the creativity so unique, that no one was going to question Mike, Woody and Reed. Luckily for the hardcore scene, they started their ascent to world domination within those rented halls, rec centers and dingy clubs.

COC @ North Star Bar Philly PA 11/8/12

Cheers,

Frank FOE