The Hard Stuff... (Chess Records Vintage Series ad - 1969)

Various Artists - "Teenage Shutdown: Jump, Jive and Harmonize" (CD, Teenage Shutdown / Crypt in reality - 1995)

Howdy people! Back from a couple of days off (thankfully there are few more on September's starting) but still in a slacking mood... You know, Greece's having many reasons to be in heat except for the summer, he-he...

Anyway as most (if not all of them) posts here are the results of things I'm crashing in daily and kick me to write and present to you stuff I had previously led my hands on and wasted my ears to and so is this one. My good friend JP once introduced me to the Steve Hoffman forum and even though I hate purists, it has many interesting moments if not educational or funny!

I came yesterday across a TEENAGE SHUTDOWN discussion that if these semi-boot Crypt series are any good and as most conversations ends up, it got bigger and wider on garage/60s punk comps mixing along (what else?) the sound qualities matter... Don't know if any of these guys there are following this jerk behind this blog, but if they do please do yourself a favor and go somewhere else guys for sounding matters. I mean, rock and roll is everything else but fidelity! And even if these next words sound/look/are a cliché, are 100% true as well. Rock and roll is sweat, sex, rawness and sloppiness. It's moving and grooving and having a good time. How this old mod punk song goes? Ah yeh: FUCK ART, LET'S DANCE! 

For me the Shutdowns, are even better than BACK FROM THE GRAVE volumes! Actually Shutdowns are better from anything else except for the iconic NUGGETS (yep, PEBBLES included).  I'm not going to enter into the 'legit' discussion. Of course there lying many well pointed opinions, but firstly I don't know actually what's what and secondly, I don't care as long as these are so well packaged and mastered (yes, even if it's from the bands 45s directly and not from the master tapes).

Here's the first volume and probably my fave one! The "Pounding, Pulverizing, All-Out Punk Dance Ravers" sub sets from the word go, the recipe for this. And what I like THE MOST on these (as the legend says, Moptop Mike owned but Tim Warren chosen) 45s it's the all American feeling into! These frat punks are deeply rooted on the black R&B and Soul acts of their country and day than the British Invasion gangs. Chuckster, Bo, Little Richard and the less known Rhythm and Soul acts (listen to the Shandells' "Gorilla" version or the Us Four "Alligator"). And of course it includes some very well known now tracks like the comp's subtitle of the east L.A. garage legends Thee Midniters or the Lyres well covered and strongly Kingsmen influenced "Busy Body" from the Jolly Green Giants. For fuck's sake it has a prime Del-Shannon mover also!

Don't know if they're still around but if they are, grab 'em with no second thoughts. Trust me, I know my rock and roll...