James White & The Blacks – Off White

I digress from the current formatting to share this, the second of two James Chance records from 1979. Originally released by ZE Records as a no wave reaction to disco, this is far funkier than anything the Red Hot Chili Peppers wrote, and a lot cooler.

This is the 1995 Infinite Zero reissue, the first time "Off White" had been available since its original release.and the first time it was available on CD. Apparently, there's an 8-track available, and if you want to hook up your boy as a holiday gift, I certainly wouldn't decline. It also appends the James Chance contribution to 1982's "A Christmas Record" on ZE, "Christmas With Satan", a track my mom would probably hate but one that fits on every holiday mixtape worth a damn.

Discogs

Click here to download.

Contortions - Buy

Fuhhhhhhhhhhhh...this record is sooooooooo good. Like, "knock your dick in the dirt with the ants and cocaine" and "slap yr mommy" good. Without a doubt one of the highlights of no wave and the Downtown scene and definitely probably my favorite James Chance recording. At least for today.

Words escape me. Skronk away.

Postscript: I didn't know it when I wrote this, but the masters at Superior Viaduct just announced a vinyl reissue of "Buy" is coming in June, all for the measly cost of two sawbucks. This is a MUST own.

Discogs

Click here to download.

Gang Of Four - Entertainment & Yellow EP

Look, there's no need for me to spill the veritable digital ink over recordings that have been far better lauded than the likes of this humble ape. So let this tiny blog stand as a continuation of my ongoing Infinite Zero posts, a share of something I've owned since it came out in 1995, and a reminder that, even if I lose my job in the next 24 hours (a very possible future), no matter how bad things get, no one can take away the likes of Gang Of Four from me. A stone cold classic, a must own, a reason for continued existence.

Discogs

Click here to download.

Stiff Little Fingers - Live In Sweden

I have a minor itch.

Turned this one up in one of my regular go-tos for the princely sum of one dollar American. It's quite a find, considering it'd run me around $40 to snag a copy from Discogs. Here's Jake and the boys, in their first bootleg appearance, dating from the days between the release of "Inflammable Material" and "Nobody's Heroes". So, you know, the good stuff.

Originally released as a white label 12" titled "Christmas Album" back in 1981, this CD pressing of 1,000 units dates from 1989, on the short-lived, well-named Limited Edition Records. It also got a vinyl pressing of 2,000 pieces on a really sweet looking opaque green.

Enjoy the boys from Belfast in one of their earliest, liveliest lineups.

Discogs

Click here to download.

The Cramps - Psychedelic Jungle / Gravest Hits

In the before/before time, I had a pretty reliable rule: if a bar had the Cramps on the jukebox, they were going to be my type of gin joint.

I'm partial to their earliest work, featuring the late Bryan Gregory on guitar alongside Poison Ivy. But this set, released by I.R.S. all the way back in '86, offers the best of both worlds: the second LP from the Cramps, 1981's "Psychedelic Jungle", and their 1979 12" "Gravest Hits". "Jungle" is rad as its one of Kid Congo Power's' earliest appearances on vinyl; he replaced Gregory after the Cramps' first LP, and began doing double duty in the Gun Club in 1982.

This is so trashy. It makes me want to sniff glue and watch some Joe Don Baker movies. I want to stomp on feet and eat a plate of cake and go back to drinking $2 whiskeys in a shitty part of town and put about 20 Cramps on the jukebox and wake up with a painful, delicious headache from too much fun.

Discogs

Click here to download.

Iggy Pop - Heroin Hates You

Iggy Pop at the Longhorn Bar, 1979 (Tom Sweeney)

Stinky's awesome post about Brian James over at Jonderblog the other day got me thinking of the first Iggy bootleg I ever picked up. It was the 1997 reissue of "Heroin Hates You", and while it doesn't have the history or cache of "Metallic K.O.", it's still pretty damned good.

KROQ broadcast this live from the Stardust Ballroom in L.A. November 30, 1979, so you're, at best, looking at a FM-quality recording here, right down to the DJ wondering aloud if the Igster is going to do a second encore. The lineup here is pretty strong. Lining up behind Mr. Osterberg is the aforementioned Brian James (the Damned, Lords of the New Church) playing guitar, Ivan Kral (Patti Smith Group, Blondie) on guitar and keys, Glen Matlock (Sex Pistols, Rich Kids) slapping bass, and Klaus Kruger (Tangerine Dream) hitting the skins.

I know some people prefer the Bowie/Sales Brothers lineup from "TV Eye Live", but I prefer this group of first wave punks backing Iggy. They're really in the pocket here, even when playing the looser Stooges cuts. Additionally, I really enjoy the cover of the Kinks and the replay of "One For My Baby", foreshadowing Iggy's crooner records "Après" and "Préliminaires". The addition of some "New Values"-era tracks rounds out a pretty alright bootleg.

Discogs

Click here to download.