COMATEENS
Danger Zone c/w Elizabeth’s Lover
12-inch (90 Orange Vinyl / 200 Black Vinyl) / CD
Back in the 1970s, women in punk bands were far outnumbered by their male counterparts, and women who wrote punk songs were even more rare. Ramona Jan formed Comateens in 1978 with Nick Dembling. She wrote, played guitar and sang on the 2 songs included on this exciting new, deluxe reissue, which includes liner notes by both Nick and Ramona. Nick sings lead on Danger Zone, Ramona on Elizabeth’s lover (which was recorded at the same time as Danger Zone, but not previously released). She left the band shortly after the release of the Comateens single to found the more New Wave-oriented Dizzy & The Romilars (think Waitresses, B-52s, etc.), who recorded and released their own version of Elizabeth’s Lover. In between, Ramona produced the much-loved and sought-after, “Drive My Car” EP by NastyFacts (Jimboco 1981/2022 Left For Dead reissue). If you like first wave punk, pop punk and alternative music made in a time when genres were still fluid and the rules had yet to be written, you’re going to love this record!COMATEENS
Back in the 1970s, women in punk bands were far outnumbered by their male counterparts, and women who wrote punk songs were even more rare. Ramona Jan formed Comateens in 1978 with Nick Dembling. She wrote, played guitar and sang on the 2 songs included on this exciting new, deluxe reissue, which includes liner notes by both Nick and Ramona. Nick sings lead on Danger Zone, Ramona on Elizabeth’s lover (which was recorded at the same time as Danger Zone, but not previously released). She left the band shortly after the release of the Comateens single to found the more New Wave-oriented Dizzy & The Romilars (think Waitresses, B-52s, etc.), who recorded and released their own version of Elizabeth’s Lover. In between, Ramona produced the much-loved and sought-after, “Drive My Car” EP by NastyFacts (Jimboco 1981/2022 Left For Dead reissue). If you like first wave punk, pop punk and alternative music made in a time when genres were still fluid and the rules had yet to be written, you’re going to love this record!
NASTYFACTS
Drive My Car + Get To You + Crazy ‘Bout You
12-inch EP (100 Splatter Vinyl / 200 Blue Vinyl / 600 Black Vinyl ) / CD
Nastyfacts were fronted by bassist/lead singer/songwriter Cherl Boyze, an 18 year old Queer POC with the rest of the band being in their mid-teens or younger in 1981 when their three-song, 7-inch debut, Drive My Car, was released on the New York-based, independent Jimboco label. The record was a word-of mouth hit and sold strongly in the U.S. despite group members being too young to tour. John Peel played it repeatedly on his legendary indie-centric BBC show and helped get it released in the UK on UB-40’s Graduate Records punk off-shoot label. Over 40 years after their release these songs still capture the imaginations of music lovers the world over, showing up on OG punk compilations like Killed By Death while collectors pay $300 for original 7-inch 45 copies.
THE SENDERS
All Killer No Filler (1977-2001)
2 LP Gatefold Vinyl (100 Splatter Vinyl / 200 Black Vinyl) / CD
“Being perpetually out of fashion and simultaneously ahead and behind their times, they never landed a big record deal, the Senders recorded for whoever would have them, Max’s own record label, the Midnight Records store label, some label in France, et al. But this means like other bands of a similar mindset—the Blasters, the Fabulous Thunderbirds, Dr. Feelgood, the Red Devils—the Senders were never neutered, processed, remolded, cleaned up and spit out by the record biz. No overproduced ‘80s sounding discs, no stupid videos, nothing they couldn’t be proud of. The 27 tunes here are a cross sampling of what they did—The Senders Thing. Tunes by Don & Dewey, Bill Allen, Howlin’ Wolf and Otis Blackwell sit beside their originals—Fat Face, Don’t Mind Me, My Baby Glows In The Dark. Raw, unvarnished, unproduced and great. If you were there, you remember, if you missed it, here’s your chance to do The Senders Thing.
—James “The Hound” Marshall (NYC, February 2022
Bonus: Includes 7 previously-unreleased tracks recorded with Johnny Thunders at Max’s in 1978.
TMA
What’s For Dinner?
LP (100 Hand-Poured Vinyl) New! !
TMA’s 1983 debut LP reissued on hand-poured white & pink vinyl, sold separately from the box set at a great price! Only 100 numbered copies produced.
“What’s For Dinner? arrived after the addition of singer David Oldfield, which necessitated the adjustment of the initials to Too Many Assholes. But this is speedy, tense thrashcore with songs like “What’s For Dinner?”, the title track: “Mrs Paul’s fish sticks! Spaghetti and meatball Chef Boyardee! Greasy Tony’s trashcan steak!” If it hadn’t already been taken, they could’ve titled this one Young, Loud and Snotty.
… What’s For Dinner? was a fun, potent burst of hardcore that… still sounds pretty cool in the here-and-now. And now you can get TMA in a limited hand-poured edition. Which is also pretty fuckin’ cool.
—Tim Stegall, Ugly Things, 40th Anniversary Edition (Nov. 2023)
