The Best of Brought To Life - 017

1.  THE VAPORS - 'Sunstroke' - United Artists 7" - UK - 1979
The B-side of the first single by this well-known British combo. Why did they spell the name that way? Was it a simple punk-rock deliberate misspelling or was it in preparation for a crack at the American market? Don't know, don't care, like the song. I'll probably stick the A-side 'Prisoners' on later.
2. PSEUDO EXISTORS - 'Coming Up For Air' - Dead Good 7" - UK - 1979
From Lincoln. The best of 4 tracks on the 'Stamp Out Normality' E.P.  Get their whole recorded output on the Overground CD.
3. AGENT ORANGE - 'Bloodstains' -  Agent Orange 7" - USA - 1980
Surrealist psycho-drama from Mike Palm and Co. Their first record. Probably the best.
4. EATER - 'Lock It Up' - The Label 7" - UK - 1977
The third of a trio of solid singles they put out in 1977. 'Whoever found pleasure, scared of too much treasure, sure you're under lock and key?' 
5. ARTHUR COMICS - 'Isgodaman?' - Beggars Banquet LP - UK - 1978
Now for a couple of tracks from the excellent 'Streets' comp. LP. Arthur Comics were the Snivelling Shits incognito, if you didn't know. 'Has he heard of rock'n'roll, is he wearing any pants, or would he rather be Keith Richards given half a chance?'  
6. THE ART ATTACKS - 'Arabs In 'Arrads' - Beggars Banquet LP - UK - 1978
Classic song, but in 35 years I've never met anyone who can tell me the complete lyrics. Can you? Pleeeease?
7. LA PESTE - 'Better Off Dead' - Black 7" - USA - 1978
Great Boston punk single. See it performed live and loud here.
8. THE CROWD - 'Modern Machine' - Posh Boy LP - USA - 1979
From the 'Beach Boulevard' comp. LP, though Posh Boy also released it as a 7" in the early '90s.
9. THE LAST - 'L.A. Explosion' - Backlash 7" - USA - 1978
California nostalgia: 'Well you can talk, you can joke 'bout the days of old, when kids would run in thousands to the Whiskey, the Trip, on the Sunset Strip, though the cops would swarm around us those days are gone, but I think I see the dawn and I guess you never really know when it's comin' on'.
10. THE OUT - 'Linda's Just A Statue' - Rabid 7" - UK - 1979
The B-side of 'Who Is Innocent' which has a great bassline but does go on a bit and I prefer the shorter, sharper quirkiness of 'Linda'.
11. THE DRONES - 'Lookalikes' - OHMS 7" - UK - 1977
From the 'Temptations Of A White Collar Worker' E.P. - their first release.
12. RIK L RIK - 'I Got Power' - Posh Boy 7" - USA - 1979
From the ex-F-Word and Negative Trend front man. Read the whole story here.
13. THE HASKELS - 'Taking The City By Storm' - Milwaukee Hits 7" - USA -1980 
The best song from their 4-tracker. Full story here.
14. DEFNICS - '51%' - Terminal 7" - USA - 1981
From Cleveland Ohio. Their sole release on Mike Hudson's Terminal Records, though they also had a track on the Cleveland Confidential compilation. '51 per cent of everything, is all it'll take for me to be king'.
15. CHILD ABUSE - 'I'm Not Your Contraceptive' - Reforce 12" - USA - Recorded 1977
Appears to be from an old demo which was finally released in 2005. Well, you try googling it to find out more!
16. THE DRONES - 'Bone Idol' - Valer 7" - UK - 1977
This was definitely released in 1977. Great sleeve, great riff.
17. THE LAST - 'She Don't Know Why I'm Here' - Backlash 7" - USA - 1978
The first single and very 60s influenced, especially with that organ.
18. X - 'White Girl' - Slash 7" - USA - 1978
By 1978 X had really hit their stride: 'Easy to fall when part of your skull starts to break away, cheaters walk down the block behind this evil street'.
19. THE GIZMOS - 'Muff Divin' - Gulcher 7" - USA - 1976
Meanwhile back in '76 the Gizmos were much less sophisticated: 'Let her know she's your favorite gal, stick your tongue in her birth canal'. 
20. THE EDGE - 'Leave Home' - Smear 7" - USA - 1983
From a rough little 3-tracker, originating in Cincinatti. Recorded on a 4-track in a basement laundry room. That's punk rock!
21. '63 MONROE - 'Hijack Victim' - Nardem 12" - Canada - 1980
Originally called N.F.G. (No Fucking Good) they were the bad boys of the London Ontario scene. With a new name they developed a more glam-punk image but this was the standout track of their musical career.
22. THE VAPORS - 'Prisoners' - United Artists 7" - UK - 1979
As threatened, the A-side of their first single.
23. THE 101'ERS - 'Keys To Your Heart' - Chiswick 7" - UK - 1976
Joe Strummer's band before he left to join The Clash. As good as this is, that was probably a wise move.
24. 48 CHAIRS - 'Psycle Sluts' - Absurd 7" - UK - 1979
The B-side of 'Snap It Around'. You'd probably call it art-punk, but it's just so damned quirky!
25. FEAR - 'Fuck Christmas' - Slash 7" - USA - 1982
As the season is approaching, why not? The B-side was a censored version called 'Beep Christmas', just in case the radio stations wanted to play it. New Wave Theater version here.

***BONUS TRACKS***

26. THE DRONES - 'Hard On Me'

27. RIK L RIK - 'Meathouse'

28. THE HASKELLS - 'Daddy's Girl'

29. THE EDGE - 'Death To A.O.R.'

30. THE PSEUDO EXISTORS - 'Pseudo Existence'

31. THE OUT - 'Who Is Innocent?'

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