AVON CALLING 2 – Record Collector Album Review

3/5

The legacy of Bristol’s Indie bands is in safe hands.

In subtitling this follow-up to the 1978 Avon Calling compilation, documenting a multitude of hopeful Bristol indie bands, Forgotten Gems and Unknown Curios, its archivist Simon Edwards (who put out the original LP on his Heartbeat imprint all those years back), is acknowledging both this collection’s distilled essence of musical ambition and that, while none of these acts have transcended their regional scene, some have totally vanished without trace. What got left behind was a veritable treasure trove of cassette tapes that Edwards has horded and loved ever since.

We don’t care that these bands never got to the Colston Hall, let alone Carnegie: what we like is the notion that someone out there is hearing themselves and their aspirations and dreams for the first time for 30 years due to this diligent tending of the flame. What that must feel like!

As you’d anticipate, there’s a certain amount of raw enthusiasm over genuine talent embedded in these C60 demos, but there’s also some perky three-minute pop recorded for posterity. Were you a member of Sneak Preview, The Phone, Social Security (what a shame Self Confession is so grainy), Directors or Europeans? You did good!

(Ian Abrahams)

‘Avon Calling 2’ – Review in Venue this week

This raid on the vaults of Heartbeat Records captures no-budget Bristol in the fertile years 1978-1980. It’s pretty diverse. Social Security’s ‘Self Confession’ is a minor snot classic celebrating the rock ‘n’dole lifestyle, while Essential Bop’s busily psychedelic ‘Audition Room’ sounds like a Doors album track played at 45 rpm. Sneak Preview’s offerings are wonderfully deranged: ‘Mr Magoo’ meets Andre Breton’s ghost in an afterlife of freak-out organs; ‘I Can’t Get Out’ confronts a predatory transvestite in a fog of dub. Both are surprisingly catchy. Equally fine are the two Apartment tracks-the slasher atmospherics of ‘Broken Glass’ and hurtling panic of ‘Retrospect’. They’re the post-punk heroes you’ve (probably) never heard of. This is alternative history, from which the mysterious Sean Ryan emerges as the Gary Numan that never was.

It’s  highly recommended to anyone interested in the early years of the UK underground.

(Adam Burrows) 4/5

The album is released on September 13^th and can be pre ordered now at Amazon, HMV, Play or buy directly from www.bristolarchiverecords.com   

http://www.whisperinandhollerin.com/reviews/review.asp?id=7281

The Cortinas

MK1     ***/5

Bristol Archive ARC 755 V LP

Engines turn-over once more for Bristol punks.Though they certainly couldn’t claim to have been a part of the upper echelons of the original surge of punk (their most significant moments being a support slot for The Stranglers at the Roxy in early ‘77 at the

bequest of Hugh Cornwell and a memorable single in Fascist

Dictator), The Cortinas certainly did everything required of them.

Remembered for being the first punk band out of Bristol, they fired out a couple of 45s on the Step Forward label, both of which appear on this limited to 500 vinyl-only release, hammered their way through a Peel session, got their mugs firmly on the cover of Sniffin Glue and shot their bolt with a disappointing LP. All of which

was pretty much the form for most bands below punk’s premier division.

That said, this collection of 10 demos and all of their 7″ A and B sides crackles with three-chords so that, despite not really

marking them out as a band with an individual identity, it

demonstrates that, for a band “of their kind’, The Cortinas managed to hit all the targets and then some. Fourteen short

and sharp volleys - not the greatest punk outfit but definitely archetypal.

lan Abrahams

Edition 82 Record Collector

VARIOUS ARTISTS: Bristol “The Punk Explosion”

Possibly my favourite ever band, never mind just â punk band, came from Bristol you know? FIVE KNUCKLE were around in the mid 80’s and were obviously too late for a compilation such as this, but it just goes to show the depth and longevity of the punk scene in the South West.

This twenty-track CD highlights many of the bands that were around between 1977 and 1983. The whole point of this collection is to showcase the musical mood of Bristol during that period, but really it’s quite illustrative of what was going on in cities the length and breadth of the UK at the time. And where this album also scores is that the tracks are listed chronologically, so the listener can see how the punk scene was changing during that six year period, with the songs becoming harsher, harder and more abrasive as the album (and years) progress.

Opening with one of the two most famous bands of the time to come from the city (although there are several listed here who will be remembered by original punk fans) THE CORTINAS were one of the first pioneers of this new music. They played the city’s Roxy Club, released a couple of singles on the Step Forward label, were featured on the cover of the seminal Sniffin Glue fanzine and recorded a Peel Session. Defiant Pose is their contribution to the compilation and is pure old school punk bliss with everything you’d expect from an original punk band. Simple, repeated riffs, shouty vocals and gang-backing.

National Front by THE PIGS follows. Brilliant! A song with a distinct anti-racism message even if it is put across in a rather patronising manner: “The National Front are fascists, there’s nothing wrong with the black kids no way” the chorus goes. Genuine sentiment, of course but could that line pass the PC brigade today? A¦ the innocence of 1977!

THE PIGS actually have a second contribution shortly thereafter: Youthanasia. The recording sounds like it was done with their dads old tape recorder in the living room, but this just adds to the overall flavour of the album. The previous two tracks are interspersed by two from 1978 and SOCIAL SECURITY “I Don’t Want My Heart To Rule My Head” is the first, the guitar riff seemingly plagiarised from The Bannedâ hit at the turn of 1977, “Little Girl”. Their second song is Choc Ice which is slightly Buzzcock-esque in sound.

So off to a blistering start and it continues this way right through to the end. I’d happily write all night long in praise of this collection, but time and space is a bit of an inhibitor. Instead, I shall just mention the following highlights. Well, EVERY track is a gem, but these just shine a little brighter for me:

VICE SQUAD were always favourites of mine, so it’s good to see Resurrection included here. And the political age in which we lived then is brought to the for with two songs that relate to the troubles in Northern Ireland at that time: 48 HOURS have A Soldier (Demo) included and THE VERDICT sing IRA Man. THE X-CERTS have two songs that were previously unreleased Fight Back is a chugging guitar driven punk anthem with a shout-a-long chorus, while Stop The Fussing And The Fighting is a nine and a half dub / reggae epic. Again, the almost primitive sound on this just takes you right back to the time and parties in dingy basements.

Moving onwards through time, the album culminates with some early hardcore / Oi from the early Eighties. You can tell by the change of tone in the bands names that the music has taken on a more aggressive feel. The likes of DISORDER; CHAOS UK; LUNATIC FRINGE; CHAOTIC DISCHORD and ONSLAUGHT are all represented with tracks that just go to show even Punk moves with the times.

For anyone around at the inception of the punk scene, this is an essential!

It’ll be straight to the top of my personal playlist, I can tell you!

(Released through Bristol Archive Records and available now July 2010)

(10 / 10)

Taken from http://www.loudhorizon.com

RELEASED? Out now.
SOUNDS LIKE? The Bristol Punk scene from 1976 to the early eighties and fuck what you hear about London with its fashion posers and Manchester with its art posers, Bristol was where the real shit was happening. Or so I believe. I wasn’t there, but these songs sound like they mean it, which is fine by me.
IS IT ANY GOOD? What do you think? This is when the only real punk was made, anything the wrong side of the eighties is nothing, a great big gape. So listen and learn, this is history, vital and important and a worthy addition to the earlobes of any connoisseur. I’m not a connoisseur, but I do like the badly recorded shouty punk jangling from this recording, so I’m sold. For a shortlist roll-call we have The Pigs, The Cortinas, Social Security, The Verdict and Chaotic Disorder, the latter of which kicking out a tune in just over a minute called ‘Who killed ET? (I Killed the Fucker!)” which is delivered with so much attitude you believe the young man, even though he may now be the director of a bank. Or an organic farmer.
WHERE IS IT? www.bristolarchiverecords.com

http://www.unpeeled.net/albums.html

Various Artists: Bristol - The Punk Explosion (Bristol Archives)

Bristol Archive Records is my new favourite record label. Their sole reason for existence is to preserve the punk/post-punk musical history of Bristol. This compilation is almost perfect. For a start, this was the first time I’d listened to a punk compilation where I didn’t already know every song.

I grew up listening to punk compilations and samplers and mix tapes, and this is the first one that I’ve heard where the actual sequencing of the tracks made any sense. On The Punk Explosion, the tracks are ordered chronologically, starting in 1977 (naturally) and ending in ‘83, this makes sense because it shows the development of the punk sound. We start off with some Buzzcockian poppy love songs (”she’s my choc ice”?!) and finishes with the birth of hardcore and thrash (Chaos UK and Onslaught, respectively).

What this album does best is present the Bristol scene as a microcosm of the punk scene in general. On an ordinary compilation, The Clash or Stiff Little Fingers would represent political punk, Dead Kennedys would be your dose of hardcore and X-Ray Spex would be the only female-fronted band. On this record those bands are replaced with 48 Hours, The Undead and Vice Squad.

By limiting the record’s scope to a very specific geographic location, Bristol Archive Records have avoided rehashing the same old bands and I’ve had a chance to listen to music by bands I’d only heard of from staring at the patches on other people’s clothes at gigs. Before Bristol Archive Records, the punk compilation wasn’t dead, but it was stagnant. Check this out if you like your music short, fast and loud. 9/10

Daniel Shields

Taken from: http://www.tastyfanzine.org.uk/albums98may10.htm#VariousArtistsBristolThePunkExplosion

VARIOUS ARTISTS
BRISTOL – THE PUNK EXPLOSION
Bristol Archive Records

This is a highly commendable compilation, as you should expect from this label, with some interesting bands, which is harder to achieve with Punk material than you may realise. Punk compilations tend to be fairly orthodox nowadays, and after a while almost pointless, the same material endlessly regurgitated, but having a regional niche to explore gives this a character of its own, with the timeline aspect fairly unnecessary. It’s a snapshot stretched out over whatever frame you might wish for. Like the wonderful hyped2death releases Bristol Archive continues to intrigue and captivate with their diligent work, so you should enjoy this if you’re an adept at discerning Punk varieties, but also for the newcomer it’s a pretty diverting mixture. Some you will love swiftly, some will make you feel sick. This is all to be expected, and while you could argue some bands deserve more or less space than others, that’s a personal argument. The weirdest part, as with pretty much any Punk compilation, is just how cute it all sounds. There’s also one of the greatest punk songs ever quivering on the autopsy table, which you may be unaware of.

With cuteness under scrutiny The Cortinas are coyly puffing their puny chests out throughout the jingly-jangling ‘Defiant Pose’, which originally felt like a breath of fresh air but now appears to be gerbils covering Dr Feelgood. The voice of rebellion ladies and gentlemen! The Pigs spin into view with ‘National Front’, complete with some shockingly inane lyrics, but then I thought this was dopey old tripe when I first heard it. In fact this was about the only one of the first indie punk singles I didn’t buy, at a time when you bought pretty much everything which came within reach. Even that Clark Kent thing, or Pork Dukes. Luckily Social Security’s ‘I Don’t Want My Heart To Rule My Head’ is made of sterner stuff, albeit determinedly one-dimensional, as agile and chunky guitar disports itself alongside some spirited, ambitious vocals. The Pigs partially redeem themselves with the ironically callous ‘Youthanasia’, complete with a guitar break that wouldn’t exhaust a flea. Social Security could be attempting a cheeky Buzzcocks impersonation in ‘Choc Ice’ but come over as a lopsided version of The Boys, which is okay as their guitar is bright and vivid.

The Posers pound away at the yappingly gumboid ‘Good Advice’ which is a cross between UK Subs and some early hardcore, with neatly slithering bass. It would appear The Media recorded ‘New Blood’ inside a thimble decorated with Gen X posters where they sound tiny, stylishly constricted and a bit demented. It’s bizarre hearing something so oddly recorded it seems to be trapped inside the speakers, and yet it’s fun! The Primates have a live version of ‘Generation Warfare’ and this is a rough and tumble engagingly delivered with punky verve which isn’t squalid or aping others. The X-Certs also blare their way through the jiggling ‘Fight Back’ with some vivacity, at which point we reach The Great Moment.

One of the finest independent punk releases appeared on the ‘4 Alternatives EP’, a song by 48 Hours entitled ‘Back To Ireland.’ I lost my copy a while back but here we have a demo version of it, called ‘A Soldier’ and Ange, whoever he was, is a brilliant lyricist, detailed but direct, with the band, fittingly enough, close in style to Stiff Little Fingers without any hectoring aspect. Passionate but straightforward, this is almost modest in its excitement. I can’t work out all of the words but I felt it necessary to type out what I can, as this is so good compared to most of the dross punk bands used to come up with, especially the ‘have-you-got-10p?’ merchants who were everywhere back then.

“In 1969 I was just twelve years of age,
I didn’t know I was sent to act out on Britain’s great stage,
I had six years to go,
To play with my toy tommy gun,
It took one shot in the leg,
To prove that this isn’t much fun.

“Cos they said I’m going to Ireland,
I got to fight for my life
I’ve got to fight for Britain,
Using rifles and knives.”

(May have that last line slightly wrong.)

“1975, eighteen years have passed,
Eighteen years I’ve been here,
I hope this won’t be my last.
Standing in long lines with rifles in our hands
I crush them up with my big boots…

(Can’t make these words out properly.)

“Cos they said I’m staying in Ireland, for the next 18 months
A British army corporal
Once signed on at once
Cos they said I’m going to Ireland (etc).”

Guitar spiral off wonderfully in discontent at this point, over thumping drums, as we hit the best bit.

“How I wish I was back in the office,
Leaving off work at four-thirty
And here I am, in the Lansdowne Road.
I’m cold, I’m wet, I’m dirty.
The army just ain’t for me,
Guns and barbed wire is all I see
I’ve just got to leave this post,
I’ll ditch all my stuff
…and I’ll run for the coast.

“And I never wanted to come here anyway!”

That final touch of petulant post-Pistolian wit nails the perfect song, seemingly throwaway but an actual spark of emphatic genius. Bliss.

The Verdict keep the Irish theme going through a bustling ‘IRA Man’ that reminds me strangely of The Pirates as though they have an r’n’b past, and the carefully emphasised vowels are simply too Rottenesque to be taken seriously, while the guitarist just wants to go on soloing forever! The X-Certs do their convincing reggae in ‘Stop The Fussing And The Fighting’ which has spry touches, and comes over as soothing. Then it’s none other than Vice Squad who charge off in ‘Resurrection’ and here’s a band we could have done with more of. They always had a crazed energy about them and like many of the more exciting bands of that time their energy seemed to have been poured into a fragile shape you expected to shatter, but somehow they’d always seem to surf their own slipstream, round and round, up and down.

That’s the good stuff and then we’re into the bowels of Hell, I’m afraid. Disorder’s ‘Complete Disorder’ is some form of rakish shorthand I’m sure, like low level sonic suicide. Mad and bad they keep the right side of thrash or the plain scrappy, and trail off coldly. Chaos UK offer a fairly identikit sub-anarcho rant in ‘Four Minute Warning’ and represent the kind of earnest but dog-eared, dog-tired Punk I never found remotely exciting or endearing. I suppose they sound pretty decent when set against Court Martial and their slack ‘Gotta Get Out’ but it’s a close run thing as both bore you senseless. The Undead want to complain about the world in ‘It’s Corruption’, as the police and the army are very naughty and apparently corruption destroys freedom of speech and drives people to do crazy things. Their drummer is truly awful. Lunatic Fringe ask ‘Who’s In Control?’ and I think they’re genuinely confused. Chaotic Dischord scamper through the utterly abysmal ‘Who Killed E.T? (I Killed The Fucker!)’ and you have to ask why this garbage was even allowed on the record. Onslaught think they’re Motorhead and gargle through the terminal ‘Thermo Nuclear Devastation Of The Planet Earth’ as I gaze around the office trying to summon up the enthusiasm to leave this chair. At least it’s a short song, but that final phase of the record is a weird thing. Punk started off exciting, developed character and then become a generic heap of shite. The record reflects that, I guess.

While you should find the majority of the album enjoyable, and can simply ignore the final tracks, this is a compilation worth buying for the mighty 48 Hours alone. That’s a total classic and it’s fantastic to be reunited with it again.

http://bristolarchiverecords.com/index.html

Taken from www.mickmercer.com  

TEMPLE
SEDUCTION
Bristol Archive Records

This is great, a Goth band finally cropping up in the Bristol Archive menagerie and not a band I had heard before. Luckily Ian Pirrie provides some detailed memories on their page of the discog section. The songs come from the ‘86/’87 period and here we find Matthew Butler – vocals, Ian Pirrie – bass, John Murray – drums and Adrian Bennett – keyboards and then guitar (who went onto Claytown).

They’ve got a brash confidence about their sound, with the boney bass protruding and the vocals in the tiny ‘Intro’ just an instrument by itself, and so it’s in ‘Book of Dreams’ we can really settle down. Solid but lightly handled drums mingle with a busy, pretty guitar, the song clean and bright as the muted vocals skirt the instruments wisely. ‘Twilight’ is another delicately balanced song with some interestingly sprung vocals, but what we’re talking about here is demo quality, it’s just they have a very full sense of what the songs should sound like, and have a good stab at creating that, leaving you with a weird Goth sound from that era, including some truly mangled, wiry guitar. Rockier than most late 80’s small Goth bands, but adhering to a sensitive core spirit.

‘Cabaret of Death’ was apparently a crowd favourite, although it’s hard to get to grips with. A linear, loping thing, with charismatic cross-woven vocals, it’s almost coy about its charms, although still stylishly sleek. ‘In Our Darkness’ has a bobblier drum beat, some scurvy guitar laid low by dominant vocal mess and some lovely bass capering but bearing the title in mind you wouldn’t automatically think Goth when first hearing it. The brusque count-in on the very demoish ‘Jewell’ is funny, as they chomp like an easily dented bit of acoustic glam, which probably hoped to seem a bit rock and rolly. It shuffles off rather cheerfully.

A needle-thin guitar opens the bumptious, slippery ‘Seduction’ and we’re finally into some reptilian Goth; dark vocals draped over some taut, angular shapes, with intermittently frisky passages, agile and thorny. ‘Renewal’ has a nicely peaky flow, guitar on a long, glowing fuse and the vocals ensuring the repetition makes the melody emphatic. ‘Lilith’ manages to concentrate on atmosphere instead, with nagging, torn guitar slivers and sinuous bass intrigue behind vocal drama. ‘Spine’ is a bit of a jangling, schizoid weirdness, heartfelt and pushy, but also crouched in basic form. ‘Temple’ is a curiously active little piece which is gone before you know it and maybe a clue of an artier direction they might have taken, with ‘Book of Dreams’ and ‘Renewal’ popping back up for further breath, astutely stark and noble.

Fascinating little record and a real find.

http://www.bristolarchiverecords.com/bands/Temple.html

Review taken from the rather brilliant www.mickmercer.com