The Pigs ‎– "1977" (Bristol Archive Records ‎– ARC 090 V) 2010

The Pigs were the little brothers of The Cortinas in the Bristol punk scene in 1977. They were the ones who were due to support the Sex Pistols but the venue burned down the day before.
Like the Cortinas, theirs was avery Pub Rock/Punk hybrid sound.Clean guitars and speed were all that was needed.
They didn't stimulate the metal end of the genre, so quickly faded away after one highly regarded single.

Tracklist:

1 Psychopath
2 Youthanasia
3 Ran Me In
4 National Front
5 They Say
6 Exploitation
7 General Election
8 Nuclear Disarmament
9 Personality Change
10 Give It Ball
11 They Shoot Horses Don’t They

DOWNLOAD the eggs and bacon of punk rock HERE!

The Pop Group ‎– "Y" (Radar Records ‎– RAD 20) 1979

To wrap up this brief sojourn into the seedy underbelly of post-punk Bristol, we end logically at the beginning, with The Pop Group's rather marvelous "Y" album.
Along with PiL's first two albums and anything by This Heat, this magical record loomed large in my teenage years. Everyone who reads this blog must be familiar with it(surely?),but it can't hurt by posting it again!? 
I hardly noticed the overbearing politics when i was a yoof, but without doubt they must have crept in by osmosis, because I'm the same kind of pain in the arse as Mark Stewart is.......but at least i recognise it and occasionally shut the fuck up!......i do describe my self as a Nihilist these days though,which is a nice cop out for me.
There are so many classic tunes on here, but what i like the best about it is they never thought twice about mangling them up completely, with the help of Brit-Dub producer Dennis 'Blackbeard' Bovell .
"We Are Time" has that classic, 'surely it had been written before' vibe that all classic tunes have.....could have been a hit if Echo and The Bunnymen had released it in its straight form; but with admirable,and fashionable for 1979, anti-commerciality, they walked the walk and rendered it unsellable.Nearly perfect in it's imperfection.....Y?.....because i say so! 

Tracklist:

She Is Beyond Good and Evil

Thief Of Fire
Snowgirl
Blood Money
Savage Sea
We Are Time
Words Disobey Me
Don't Call Me Pain
The Boys From Brazil
Don't Sell Your Dreams

3:38

DOWNLOAD Y and all the other letters of the post-punk alphabet HERE!

The Pop Group ‎– "For How Much Longer Do We Tolerate Mass Murder?" (Rough Trade ‎– ROUGH 9, Y Records ‎– Y 2) 1980

The Pop Group's 'disappointing' second album,is in fact really good; despite some rather chaffing in-yer-face politics.
Snappy album title that, I wonder what these chaps' message to all us unenlightened worker ants is?
The Cover photo is a tactic used today by Charities,whose directors draw huge salaries, on those TV adverts voiced by millionaire actors who urge us to donate £3 a month with a background of sad piano music to manipulate our emotions.Except in this case the background music is designed to turn us into angry militants.......albeit dancing angry militants.
Its kind of patronising, and insulting.......but then again some of us need to be patronised and insulted, so fair enough.
Preaching self-righteousness aside, the music is ferocious punk-funk-dub, spat out with all the venom of a napalm attack on a village of vietnamese children.
The answer to the question?
We will continue to tolerate mass murder, because that's what the human race has always done.One day we will all realise,in all our arrogance, that we are not the chosen ones,but are merely on the top of a food chain and will do anything that maintains that position, including killing the opposition .If that means destroying ourselves then that is what we will do, clearing the way for a more successful species that can manage itself better than Homo-sapiens obviously are incapable of doing.

Tracklist:

1.Forces Of Oppression
2.Feed The Hungry
3.One Out Of Many

4.We Are All Prostitutes
5.Blind Faith
6.How Much Longer
7.Justice
8.There Are No Spectators
9.Communicate
10.Rob A Bank

DOWNLOAD and tolerate the pop group HERE!

The Cortinas ‎– "For Fucks Sake Plymouth (Live in Plymouth 1977)"

Ridiculous title aside, this is an electrified performance captured in the amphetamine charged atmosphere of 1977. This was very relevant for the year of Punk Rock, not 1976, which was the year of the Punk Rock  clique, a club basically which YOU weren't a member of; this all changed in '77 when it became inclusive.Then 1978 it became too inclusive,and the Punks/Chav's destroyed it,and they're still there today, bedecked in studded leather, jeans, boots and that fucking tired Travis Bickle inspired mohawk.Duh!
Thankfully, real Punk ideals split off into what we now call,rather unimaginatively, 'Post-Punk'; back then it was just ALL Punk to us kids.....in retrospect it definitely wasn't Punk Rock....that was crap like the UK Subs, Vice Squad, and the laughably moronic Exploited.
Anyway, enough of this boring 'Punk' analysis. Here we have some proper Punk Rock, with The Cortinas at their peak in the golden year of '77, with several unrecorded songs, on what would have made a fine debut LP. They missed the boat, like a lot of other groups from that era.

Tracklist:

1 Defiant Pose
2 Tired Of Compromise
3 They
4 We're Gonna Play In The Subway Today
5 Further Education
6 Fascist Dictator
7 Tokyo Joe
8 Gloria
9 Gonna Get Mary In The Bus Shelter
10 Have It With You
11 Television Families
12 Have It With You
13 Slow down

For Fucks sake DOWNLOAD this relic HERE!

The Cortinas ‎– "True Romances" + "Please Don't Hit Me (CBS Demo's)" (1978)

True Romances (CBS Records) 1978

A1 Heartache 4:48
A2 I Don't Really Want To Get Involved 2:20
A3 Ask Mr. Waverly 3:39
A4 Youth Club Dance 2:58
A5 First I Look At The Purse 2:28
A6 Radio Rape 3:49
B1 Tribe Of The City 3:39
B2 Have It With You 2:02
B3 I Trust Valerie Singleton 2:08
B4 Broken Not Twisted 3:01
B5 Take That Light Away 2:12
B6 Further Education 2:26
B7 I'll Keep My Distance 3:51

"Please Don't Hit Me!" (CBS DEMOs)1978

1 Tribe Of The City
2 I Don't Really Want To Get Involved
3 Youth Club Dance
4 Ask Mr. Waverley
5 Have It With You
6 Broken Not Twisted
7 Heartache
8 Radio Rape
9 Justice
10 Further Education
11 I Trust Valerie Singleton
12 First I Look At The Purse

Bristol's premier 'Punks' ,The Cortinas, were one of those few '77 punk bands that looked like kids from the street. No expensive biker jackets,swastika t-shirts and spiky haircuts for these hicks from the provinces.They also played no-frills rock'n'roll rather than the hyped up version of Rock and Bad heavy metal that was the output of the higher echelons of the genre.They even had a singer who sported a proud Quiff, how anti-fashion was that?

The record companies were running out of 'punk bands' to sign up and destroy, so, inevitably the turn of the Cortinas would come.

CBS released an LP based on the Demos they recorded to get a record deal, which was a sterile over-produced version of what had made them a viable acquisition for the label who had turned the Clash into an Adult Orientated Rock act.

Included here are both the Demo versions, and the Official versions for a contrast and compare lesson in why record companies Suck!

Its like giving your mum (or Dad) your dirty jeans to wash and receiving them back washed and ironed with a sharp crease running down the front and back of the trouser legs.

"Please Don't Hit Me" (Valarie singleton) is raw,rough and ready Pub influenced Punk Rock;whereas, "True Romances" is polished New Wave pop,expertly recorded in an acoustically dead studio.....which I have grown to actually like over the preceding 40 years.

Both versions have their plus points in 2017, but for the time, it is astonishing how unbelievably stupid record executives/producers were in 1977/8 and beyond.Punk Rock was universally misunderstood by almost everyone in the business, and these two LP's stand as a testament to that.

I suppose it's like myself producing a Hip-Hop album.....hang on...no i think i'd do a good job on that one actually....and i'd love to produce someone like that ginger bloke with the small acoustic....er...Ed Sheeran, thats it; and I wish I could have produced The Cortinas in 1978 too.

The cover is another issue. Looking through the 'New Wave' section in Revolver, Leicester, in 1978, I was looking for this album and couldn't see it.Asked the assistant and he flicked through twice and found it. It just so invisible, like when Man United played in a Grey kit and lost 3-1 against Southampton.The manager complained that they couldn't see each other. After changing the kit at half-time they still lost.......if CBS changed the cover at half-time I reckon the sales would have shadowed the fortunes of Manchester United that fateful day, and sunk without trace.

Yep big business and art don't go together, just like Footballers and brains......and the colour Grey.

DOWNLOAD a True Romance HERE!

and

DOWNLOAD a truer version of True Romances HERE!...(i.e. please don't hit me)

The Cortinas - "Sessions,Demos,and Singles 1977" (a Die or DIY? Compilation)

And who got there first in Bristol then?
'Twas 2nd wave punk band The Cortinas, which included a future member of "Cut The Crap" Clash (but we'll keep that quiet!), and a Singer with a quiff called Valentine!
More on the Pub Rock side of early Punk Rock were our Cortinas,refreshingly, keeping a clean crunchy guitar sound unlike the majority of the class of '77. Provincial Punks like this lot were rare in the early days, and to be accepted into the trendy clique was difficult; but without doubt they were one of the most competent and energetic of the New Wave crowd.This wasn't enough to survive the Seditionaries clad London fashionistas of the Kings Road.They always remained outsiders up until the rest of the Bristolian scene got the Funk on and left Punk and The Cortinas behind.
Here's a compilation I chucked together of some early Demo's, the John Peel Session, and the first two, Classic, singles, which showcase the band at their best before the Record Company got hold of them and destroyed 'em.(see the last track)

Tracklist:

01 Fascist Dictator (Single A-side 1977)
02 Television Families (Single B-side 1977)
03 Defiant Pose (Single A-Side 1977).
04 Independence (Single B-Side 1977).
05 Having It (Peel Session - 16-07-1977)
06 Further Education (Peel Session -.16-07-1977)
07 Defiant Pose (Peel Session - 16-07-1977)
08 Television Families (Peel Session - 16-07-1977)
09 Tribe of the City (Demo).
10 I Don't Really Want to Get Involved (Demo)
11 Youth Club Dance (Demo)
12 Mr Waverley (Demo).
13 Having It (Demo).
14 Broken Not Twisted (Demo).
15 Heartache (7" single version 1978.)

DOWNLOAD punk from before bristol got the funk HERE!

Rip Rig + Panic - "I Am Cold" (Virgin Records) 1982

The Pop Group spin-off ,Rip Rig + Panic's slightly more controlled and structured follow up to the massive financial flop "God".Somehow they managed to persuade trumpet maestro Don Cherry to add a bit of class to augment his step Daughters' whiny vocals.

Basically it's more of the same anything goes kind of trendy dubby jazz-punk fusion but with less wild abandon of the first LP.

Again, Virgin give them the double vinyl treatment, which ensured that they lost even more money in the vane hope that they could find the next Sex Pistols or Mike Oldfield to finance Branson's greater ambitions.

Tracklist:
North Side
1 Hunger (The Ocean Roars It Bites) 3:00
2 Epi Epi Arp Woosh! 4:00
3 Another Tampon Up The Arse Of Humanity 4:00
4 Misa Luba Lone Wolf 3:06
East Side
5 Storm The Reality Asylum 4:00
6 Here Gathers Nameless Energy (Volcanoes Covered By Snow) 4:20
7 A Dog's Secret 1:30
8 Liars Shape Up Or Ship Out 2:00
South Side
9 Warm; To The If In Life 4:30
10 Nurse Increase The Sedatives (The Torment's No Better) 4:15
11 Take A Don Key To Mystery 4:00
West Side
12 Tax Sex 5:00
13 Subversive Wisdom 5:00
14 Fire Eyes Joyful Silent Tears 4:10

Bonus:

15 You're My Kind Of Climate (7" single)

DOWNLOAD this chilly relic HERE!

Rip Rig + Panic ‎– "God" ( Virgin ‎– V 2213, Uh Huh Prods ‎– V2213)

The Pop Group splintered into many pieces, none greater than the whole.
The very trendy Rip Rig And Panic(Jazzy namedrop number 1;nicked from Roland Kirk), featured Sager and Smith from the aforementioned Pop Group, plus keyboard hanger on Mark Springer, and future International Pop Star Neneh Cherry.
Thinking they were getting a poppier version of The Pop Group, Virgin Records signed them as quick as shit off a stick.......someone must have got the sack after Richard Branson heard this.
It does,however, sound like a bunch of pretentious ,and very recent Jazz Record fans shut in a room with instruments, a tape recorder, and some Tequila ,and told how fantastic they were.
The ,admittedly, lovely Neneh Cherry's whiney voice being particularly rasping on the delicate bones of the inner ear.
Whenever 'Jazz' becomes absorbed into Pop music, there is always a sense of annoying elitism treading water within the 'we are cooler than you' grooves. Someone bought some of those marked down Archie Shepp records from the eclectic record shop in downtown Bristol to leave lying around their squat........what music do you like?.........Moi?...I like Jaaaaaaazzzzzz, y'dig?
Oh...OK......I 'dig' Jazz too, but i'm not so far up my own arse as to not realise I feel slightly more sophisticated when i'm playing an Albert Ayler album than one by A Flock of Seagulls.......I know which one i'd prefer to be listening to most of the time......that's right, A Flock Of Seagulls, Ayler gets right on my tits. Neneh's dad, Don Cherry, happens to have made some rather great fusion records, and even appears on Rip Rig + Panic's second LP. 
I'm a big fan of the epoch when Jazz embraced rock, the Fusion era of Miles Davis,which was an evolution  rather than when Rock embraced Jazz, or worse, when 'Pop' embraced Jazz, which was motivated by a lack of idea's;so they steal from the past rather than look towards a future.
I hated this record when I bought it.....but as so often happens after a gap of thirty years it sounds fresh, wild and exciting.......now I thinks its very great(despite the fucking annoying people on spliff humour). I'm so fickle ain't I?

Tracklist:

Red Side
Constant Drudgery Is Harmful To Soul, Spirit & Health 3:24
Wilhelm Show Me The Diagram (Function Of The Orgasm) 1:10
Through Nomad Eyeballs 3:28
Change Your Life 3:01
Yellow Side
Knee Deep In Shit 3:30
Totally Naked (Without Lock Or Key) 1:54
Try Box Out Of This Box 2:34
Need (De School You) 1:32
Green Side
Howl! Caged Bird 3:30
Those Eskimo Women Speak Frankly 3:13
The Blue Blue Third 5:25
Blue Side
Shadows Only There Because Of The Sun 2:41
Beware (Our Leaders Love The Smell Of Napalm) 1:51
Miss Pib 1:34
It Don't Mean A Thing If It Ain't Got That Brrod 2:58

Bonus Tracks:

Bob Hope Takes Risks (7" Version)3:53

Go, Go, Go! (This Is It)2:19

The Ultimate In Fun (Is Going To The Disco With My Baby)2:30

Hey Mr E! A Gran Grin With A Shake Of Smile5:11

Billy Eckstein's Shirt Collar3:22

Bob Hope Takes Risks (12" Version)7:01

DOWNLOAD this rip and don't panic HERE!

Shoes For Industry - "Singles,Sessions,and Live 1979-81" (a Die or DIY? Compilation)

This lot take me back to the Actors in groups discussion we indulged in during the Punishment Of Luxury posts; for Shoes For Industry,as well as having a similar style of moniker, they were the 'house band' of the Crystal Theatre in Bristol. At least singer Paul Bassett Davies trod the boards, and was a regular at the Edinburgh Fringe, as well as a comedy script writer for radio, and now writes funny books too.His voice has that dodgy Spherical Objects, Deep Freeze Mice quality, that could be annoying,but as the lyrics are so good, remarkably, i am the very opposite of annoyed (unusual for me).Another theatre connection is their group name, which was taken from a 'Firesign Theatre' routine.
In fact,this bunch sound like very entertaining chaps indeed;in all departments,great tunes, funny,intelligent lyrics,and backed by Bristol's version of the Blockheads.
Barely had they poked there heads above water when they disappeared from view...never to reform again.Something a lot of far worse groups have failed to achieve in recent times, to disastrous effect! 
Here we have their two excellent singles,and their sole Peel Session, along with a live soundboard recorded live bootleg from Berlin!?

Tracklist:

1-Devil Dogs (Peel Session 10-09-1979)
2-War Of The Potatoes (Peel Session 10-09-1979)
3-Shell Shock (Peel Session 10-09-1979)
4-Fear Of Wages (Peel Session 10-09-1979)
5-Falling In Love Again (Single a-side 1979)
6-Laughing Song (Single B-Side 1979)
7-Spend (Single A-Side 1980)
8-Sheepdog Trial inna Babylon (Single B-Side 1980)
9-Fathers Trousers (Live in Berlin 1980)
10-Slave Of Love (Live in Berlin 1980)
11-3 Tons Now (Live in Berlin 1980)
12-Imaginary Boogie Doll (Live in Berlin 1980)
13-Sheepdog Trial Inna Babylon (Live in Berlin 1980)

DOWNLOAD bristols finest shoes HERE!

Shoes For Industry ‎– "Talk Like A Whelk" (Fried Egg Records ‎– FRY1) 1980

The most boring band I ever saw live came from Bristol.......no it wasn't "Shoes For Industry"; I'm talking about the dreadful Massive Attack.
Shoes For Industry are the very opposite of Massive Attack; talented tune-smiths who write their own stuff instead of nicking it,and can actually perform it, and, most importantly,they have a sense of humour. You never saw these chaps pictured in half light looking mean and moody with a backdrop of recent technology; taking oneself too seriously isn't an attractive quality, especially if you're a boring fucker.
I suspected the lead singer,Paul Bassett Davies, was a frustrated comedian, and lo and behold he seems to have carved out a reasonably successful career for himself as a comedy script writer and novelist.Even winning....gulp...'awards'!?
However the award he is winning this evening, as one of Shoes For Industry, is in the third best band from Bristol ever, category, in which they beat Massive Attack by at least a couple of hundred places.
No doubt there will be persons in the comments section telling me how fantastic 'Blue Lines' is? Well don't bother 'cus you're wrong!
There are few songs to rival "Invasion Of The French Boyfriends" for satirising European stereotypes, both in its accurate description of the swarthy French libertine, and the British sense of inadequacy in the realms of romance. All this and managing to be genuinely funny too, an art-form that seldom achieves its goal.
There are plenty of clever and funny moments hidden in the lyrics of this, their sole long player.I'm rather fond of "The War Of The Potatoes".......who won that war? I hear you ask......I don't know!....I'm paraphrasing again, so download the album and find out.
It's definitely NOT boring!

Tracklist:

A1 The War Of The Potatoes
A2 Fear Of Wages
A3 Invasion Of The French Boyfriends
A4 Jerusalem
A5 Depilation
A6 Shell Shock
B1 Violent Stabbing With A Knife
B2 The Changeling featuring Devil Dogs and Slave Of Love
B3 Talk Like A Whelk

DOWNLOAD it you whelk HERE!

Glaxo Babies ‎– "Nine Months To The Disco" (Heartbeat Records ‎– HB2) 1980

It's Glaxo Babies but not as we knew them.
After a line-up change, our second favourite Bristolians recorded their only official album, and its like a different group made it. No vocals,lots of of showing off how eclectic and sophisticated their record collections are, and some on-trend bass slapping,all glued together with a disco beat.
It was time to break up and they obliged us. Dick Catsis taking his funky bass slappin', and "Shake (the Foundations)" to the Pop Group.
A sad demise to a group with buckets of potential.

Tracklist:

A1 Maximal Sexual Joy
A2 This Is Your Vendetta
A3 Seven Days
A4 Electric Church
A5 Nine Months To The Disco
B1 Promised Land
B2 The Tea Master And The Assassin
B3 Free Dem Cells
B4 Dinosaur Disco Meets The Swampsstomp
B5 Conscience
B6 Slim
B7 Shake (The Foundations)

DOWNLOAD 37 years after the disco ended HERE!

Glaxo Babies ‎– "Put Me On The Guest List" (Heartbeat Records ‎– HBM 3) 1980

Early Glaxo Babies demo tracks from 1978 to 79, including a plodding version of the classic "This Is Your Life" and a reggae version of "Who Killed Bruce Lee".Some of the other tracks are lesser versions to the ones recorded for The John Peel Show, and for their excellent singles. However,its a better record than the official LP "Nine Months to the Disco" released earlier that same year.

Tracklist:

A1 Avoiding The Issue*
A2 Because Of You*
A3 This Is Your Life*
A4 Police State*
A5 Who Killed Bruce Lee (Version)#
B1 Stay Awake*
B2 She Went To Pieces#
B3 Burning#
B4 Flesh#
B5 Puppet Patrol~

* 01/12/78. 

#   09/03/79

~   25/06/79. 

DOWNLOAD yourself on to the guest list HERE!

Glaxo Babies - "Singles and Sessions 1979-80" (a Die or DIY? Compilation)

Another classic post punk combo from Bristol are Glaxo Babies, briefly called Gl*xo Babies when the pharmaceutical giant of the same name threatened legal action unless they changed their name. It was an unflattering reference to the fact that the very same drugs company had provided Thalidomide ,which caused deformities in unborn foetus's.......that's capitalism for you, killing and maiming our kids and ruining our favourite pop groups names.
Glaxo Babies released a string of classic singles and EPs in 1979-80, which were never matched by their long players. Again, this oversight was remedied by the BBC, with two great Peel sessions.
Put all this together and you've got one of the greatest post-punk albums that never existed!
Its almost impossible to choose between "Christine Keeler" , "This is Your Life", "Who Killed Bruce Lee", and punky funk classic "Shake",which was frequently covered live by The Pop Group, as their greatest un-hit.
In fact, bassist Dan Catsis, would add his considerable talents on the four strings for The Pop Group from 1980 onwards(sadly he's also in the recently reformed poop groop!); which explains why they started to sound like the Glaxo Babies plus Mark Stewart from then on.(but doesn't explain why they now sound like Haircut 100?!)
For which track the Glaxo's earned their place on the infamous Nurse With Wound list, i can't be bothered to find out, but on it they are! They are a bit too funky for Stephen Stapleton and chums,but, "It's Irrational", stands out out as an early example of ferocious discordant guitarwork, more akin with the kind of 'No Wave' stuff that was gestating on Thalidomide in New York at the time. Then again, if The Pop Group were american wouldn't we be dumping them in with the No Wave lot too?.....or were they too political for those mid-town trendies, rather like The Glaxo Babies?

Tracklist:

01 Christine Keeler [Christine Keeler 7" 1979)
02 Nova Bossa Nova [B-side Christine Keller 7")
03 This Is Your Life [This Is Your Life EP 1979)
04 Stay Awake [This Is Your Life EP 1979)
05 Because Of You [This Is Your Life EP 1979)
06 Who Killed Bruce Lee¿ [This Is Your Life EP 1979)
07 Shake (The Foundations) [single 1980)
08 She Went To Pieces (Live 28-03-1979, Shake B-side)
09 It's Irrational [Peel Session 17-04-79)
10 Bruce Lee [Peel Session 17-04-1979)
11 She Went To Pieces [Peel Session 17-04-79)
12 Burning [Peel Session 17-04-1979]
13 Limited Entertainment [Peel Session 19-02-1980]
14 Dahij [Peel Session 19-02-1980]
15 There'll Be No Room For You In The Shelter [Peel Session 19-02-1980]
16 Permission To Be Wrong [Peel Session 19-02-1980]

DOWNLOAD some mutant post-punk funk HERE!

The Pop Group ‎– "Idealists In Distress From Bristol" ( Vinyl Japan ‎– JASKCD195) 2007

Two whole compact disc's of vintage live performances by everyone's favourite Bristolian Punk Funk Dub combo, including several unreleased tunes, and a Capitol Radio session track from 1979; which was also included on "Cabinet Of Curiosities" and listed as being 'Live in Bristol 1978'????
The quality of the recordings are varied, as are the sources.Most are audience bootleg recordings, with only the Helsinki and Milan gigs being obviously soundboard feeds. Alas, its all very listenable, and captures the live energy and anger of this innovative,once legendary, and ironically named pop group.

Tracklist:

CD1:
Capitol Radio Session, April 5th 1979
1.1 Don't Sell Your Dreams 3:42

Locarno Ballroom, Portsmouth UK, March 8 1979
1.2 She Is Beyond Good And Evil 5:48
1.3 Don't Call Me Pain 7:33
1.4 Snow Girl 3:39
1.5 Don't Sell Your Dreams 3:39
1.6 The Boys From Brazil 4:55
1.7 We Are Time 5:41

Milan, Italy, 1980
1.8 Thief Of Fire 1:36
1.9 Forces Of Oppression 2:17

"Beat The Blues" Festival, Alexandra Palace, London, June 16 1980
1.10 Shake The Foundations 3:26
1.11 Forces Of Oppression 2:24
1.12 Feed The Hungry 4:08
1.13 Thief Of Fire 3:50
1.14 There Are No Spectators 5:08
1.15 God Problems Communism 2:47
1.16 For How Much Longer 4:26
1.17 Justice 3:44
1.18 We Are All Prostitutes 4:40
1.19 Shake The Foundations 3:40

CD2:

Koln, West Germany, February 5 1980
2.1 Shake The Foundations 1:47
2.2 Forces Of Oppression 3:21
2.3 Thief Of Fire 3:27
2.4 Feed The Hungry 3:39
2.5 There Are No Spectators 3:57
2.6 Crime Of The Evening 2:51
2.7 For How Much Longer 4:10
2.8 Where There's A Will 4:47
2.9 Justice 3:21
2.10 We Are All Prostitutes 6:46
2.11 Shake The Foundations 3:02

Helsinki, Finland, October 1980
2.12 Liberty City 9:50
2.13 Hotter Than 1000 Suns 5:58
2.14 Feed The Hungry 4:36
2.15 Entertain Your Life Away 4:54

DOWNLOAD disc one ideally HERE!

DOWNLOAD disc two to avoid distress HERE!

The Pop Group ‎– "Cabinet Of Curiosities" (Freaks R Us ‎– FREAK 2) 2014

The reformation of The Pop Group has finally brought about the release of the remainder of the Pop Group archives.
This is the companion disc to the "We Are Time" official bootleg. A couple of live unreleased tunes,an 'original' version of a classic, remixes,and the rest of the Peel session from the tenth of August 1978; including a slow motion version of "Words Disobey Me". There's a weird 'pop' version of "Don't Sell Your Dreams" that reminds me of the crud that they would release in the recent reformed version of this classic group.
I double checked to see if the new stuff was as bad as I thought, so I re-listened to "Citizen Zombie" from 2015, and it was even worse than I remembered! Yes it really does sound like Haircut 100 fronted by Mark Stewart. Its even shitter than the 21st century version of PiL.
Tragic!

Tracklist:

1-Where There's A Will (Foel Studio 1980, Remastered Single)
2-She Is Beyond Good And Evil(Ramport Studio 1978,Original Version)
3-Colour Blind (Live Brussels 1978)
4-Words Disobey Me (Peel Session 10-08-1978)
5-Don't Sell Your Dreams (Demo 1978)
6-We Are Time (Peel Session 10-08-1978)
7-Abstract Heart (Live Brussels 1978)
8-Amnesty Report III (Previously Unreleased Mix Of 1979 Single)
9-Karen's Car (Live Helsinki 1980)

DOWNLOAD if you're curious HERE!

The Pop Group ‎– "We Are Time" (Rough Trade ‎– ROUGH 12, Y Records ‎– Y 5) 1980

The Pop Groups 'Official' bootleg, compiling demos, live tracks,and radio sessions onto one handy black disc. Not a bad track on here (excepting 'springer',which is rather irritating).
The revived Poop Groop are currently destroying their legacy at a concert venue and record shop near you, but don't let that detract from the brilliance of their back catalogue,which you should already have in your collection and know intimately.Of which 'We are Time' is an essential part.

Tracklist:

1- Trap - demo 78
2- Thief of Fire - live Electric Ballroom 79
3- Genius or Lunatic - live Brussels 78
4- Color Blind - demo 78
5- Spanish Inquisition - live 79 (venue unknown)
6- Kiss the Book - John Peel Session 78
7- Amnesty Report - Foel Studios 79 

8- Springer
9- Sense of Purpose - demo 78
10-We Are Time - live Glastonbury 79

DOWNLOAD this genius or lunacy HERE!

The Pop Group - "The Boys Whose Head Exploded (live 1979-80)" (Freaks R Us FREAK20LP) 2016

File under Post-Punk.

This is post-punk with zero per cent progressive content, thirty-three and a third funk and soul.A sprinkling of free Jazz and Dub,you name it, its in there.Which I guess is a definition of 'Post-punk' after it was released from the straitjacket of its rocky predecessor.

The preachy nature of the Pop Groups manifesto like lyrics tends to get on ones proverbial tits, and the dance-ability irks somewhat as a nod towards the commerciality they allegedly detested.

Then, the cherry on the top, they go and reform as slightly rotund middle-aged blokes, to earn some dough.....ironically they still play "We Are All Prostitutes" but now in the style of a Haircut One Hundred tribute band.

What we have here are ten live cuts from 1979 to 1980, all of which verge on the cusp of total chaos.

Bruce Smith (the drummer), has the particular distinction of playing in two of the worst reformed groups from this specific epoch; namely The Pop Group, and PiL. They both should take a leaf out of This Heats book of how to do things;starting with make good music , and then call themselves 'This Is Not.... The Pop Group'.In the case of PiL, they should have used the prefix 'This Is Not...' from about 1982.

Tracklist:

We Are All Prostitutes (Live Milan 1980)
Justice (Live Cologne 1980)
How Much Longer (Live Cologne 1980)
Blind Faith (Live Sheffield 1979)
Forces Of Oppression (Live Cologne 1980)
There Are No Spectators (Live Cologne 1980)
Feed The Hungry (Live Cologne 1980)
Rob A Bank (Live Milan 1980)
Shake The Foundations (Live Cologne 1980)
73 Shadow Street (Live Helsinki 1980)

DOWNLOAD the boys whose waistlines expanded HERE!

Various Artists - "Avon Calling (The Bristol Compilation)" (Heartbeat Records 1979)

Generally thought of as thee best post punk comps. But, apart from the superb Glaxo Babies, the rest hasn't been done any favors by time. Its probably my least favourite of all the compilations i have posted. Its too well produced, and professional sounding for my taste.

Tracks:

01 - Glaxo Babies - It's Irrational
02 - Europeans - On The Continent
03 - Private Dicks - Green Is In The Red
04 - Moskow - Too Much Commotion
05 - Essential Bop - Chronicle
06 - Directors - What You've Got
07 - Various Artists - Own Up
08 - Sneak Preview - Slugweird
09 - The Stingrays - Sound
10 - The X-Certs - Anthem
11 - Apartment - The Alternative
12 - The Numbers - Cross-Slide
13 - Vice Squad - Nothing
14 - Stereo Models - Move Fast-Stay Ahead
15 - Double Vision - My Dead Mother

"Ding Donnnng....."DOWNLOAD calling! HERE!