The Nomads - "Powerstrip" (CD, World Service/Rough Trade - 1994)

Hi there!

I just figured it out but it's almost a month since the last post...Sorry guys and gals, but too much things going on and naturally no spare time. I'd like to ask for forgiveness all of you guys who sent me an email and haven't replied back yet (I will though) and especially our friend Steve (thanks so much man for the GF stuff, I know I owe you something I promised LONG time ago, but hopefully I'll make it up this weekend). I'm slow sometimes but I never forget. Anyway, this cursed LAMF stuff has haunted us in a way and ever since whatever we tried with JP to touch with our hands stayed in the can. I'm not gonna say much but yes we're almost done for the next WAX hit and we already have another one in plans, so I guess there's life on the planet White Trash Soul/WAX, he he!
The past weekend I went to see the Nomads for the third time. It was pretty good. I mean no-one can mess with time it's obvious and it was quite frustrating seeing them aged, but they made me quickly forget all these stupid thoughts with just one song, actually my fave song ever and these Swedes are totally responsible for saving it from time's lethe! "16 Forever" man and I was such a jerk forgetting a statement supposedly is my life moto..! So, at the end I'm saying just this: If the Nomads ever come to your town don't have second thoughts, go see them. Satisfaction guaranteed as the old song says.
That's my fave Nomads record and the strange thing's that even a 90s release, has the fewer posts around and with dubious quality. I recently found the LP but I'm c-o-m-p-l-e-t-e-l-y useless in vinyl rips so here's what a friend of WTS, Pubbi had offered me some months back!

See ya in few days (probably...)

The Boyfriends (USA) - "I Don't Want Nobody (I Want You)" / "You're The One" (7" Single, Bomp - 1978)

I was checking up lately some old stuff and came to this great band and single. The Boyfriends from New York had some great power pop blood running through their veins (The Poppees) and as a result of this, some more great tunes! This Bomp seven inch has a special place among my favorites for what is known to this day as 'powerpop'. The reason why is not that difficult for someone to imagine it when the needle make its dive. Cause both tracks are some great examples of raw pop & roll jewels with a heavy Heartbreakers influence upon them. And on "I don't want nobody" exists this great Stooges drum beat ruffle ("No Fun" obviously) - elevating the song in the 'irresistible' heights of sentiments! As far as I know they had another one on Signal (1981, "Wrapped Up in a Dream" / "Same Old Song") which was equally good but clearly in more pop oriented paths. But this...WOW! Imagine Johnny Thunders' gang with all their girly pop influences up front and you're in. No wonder really why the Ramones chose to cover an unrecorded gem of theirs for the 'Subterranean Jungle' ("I Need Your Love"). Joey was nuts about pop vignettes like these, and so am I !!!

The Real Kids - "No Place Fast" (CD, Norton - 1999)

Hi there! Happy New Year to everyone!
Hope this year be better than the previous but the chances so far are not with our side (at least here in Greece). We got our families, our friends, our books, our rock & roll , quite a lot if you think to all  have a happy life, so fuck the rest.
Mmmm, I noticed many of you guys and gals want some re-ups. Even though I said I'm not going to do it, I will. It's not that easy cause my spare time is limited but in the next few days a first "package" hopefully gonna take place in the 'clouds'.
The limited spare time as well has halted all WAX confections for a while, cause JP just like me had too much things to take care, but hey, we're not giving up. And we are going to hit quite soon hopefully with two 'releases', an EP at first (for the first time in WAX's history) with the true-born survived material of a legendary record and a GREAT live tape our friend Steve handed us, a huge surprise for all the friends of real rock & roll, just be patient!
So, to our subject I was always a big Real Kids fanatic. But I never understood the reason why most people don't equal in quality matters the early 80s works of the band with the CLASSIC debut? I mean, sorry, but "Senseless" and "She" and "Can't Talk to that Girl" are among my fave rock & roll or power pop (you know, raw rock & roll with la-la-las as my buddy Vex used to say) tunes ever! 1999 Norton's compilation offers in one package these brilliant songs. The Taxi Boys side project on the legendary Bomp label that lead to reformation and the "Outta Place" second LP (produced by Andy Paley!!!) are here in all their garage-punk-pop furious glory! For my money only the Boys (UK) can match Real Kids' chop.

PS: Real Kids photo that used here as front sleeve it's one of the best ever captured on camera, I LOVE IT!

BUY IT HERE!

************************* Happy Holidays! *************************

See ya next year!

Crushed Butler - "Uncrushed - First Punks from the British Underground 1969-1971" (CD, RPM - 2005)

The perfect example of someone being ahead of its time. Of the few bands deserving the tag 'proto-punk'. Legendary Jesse Hector, Darryl Read and Alan Butler's three piece dynamite and predecessors of the Helter Skelter and the sadly underrated Hammersmith Gorillas (later just Gorillas) was probably Britain's own answer to MC5's soul guttering rock & roll (Whaaat? The Deviants? Come on, you must be joking right..?)! Hippie haters and prog-rock's squall enemies, were just what the Tubes immortalized with their classic "I was a Punk before you were a Punk" a few years later...Back to the basics rock & rollers, primal screamers and ex-mod mobsters. Waaaaaaayyy too wild to be compared with any other act of their time. They blew Slade, Atomic Rooster and Mott among many as the story smugly is saying now and they set the parameters for the generations to come (glam, pub rock, punk). Sometimes I really wonder what the public was then thinking by consuming massively Led Zep's pseudo blues crap...? If you think you 're offended by the last statement, stay away - if not, well this is the shit!