70's punk Archives - Vinyl From The Vault

Avengers “We Are the One”

sfilzen — Mon, 15 Jun 2026 18:28:59 +0000

Avengers “We Are the One” 1977. Originally released on Dangerhouse Records, this version limited edition repress, blue vinyl on Superior Viaduct. We got to see the first wave SanFran punks last week at their first and most likely last show in Milwaukee on the 49th(!!!) anniversary of their very first show on June 11th 1977. “We Are the One” was the Avengers first single (this 3 song 7″ is considered an EP for whatever reason); all three tracks would appear on their 1983 album Avengers. Besides being an excellent straightforward punk anthem, it also is notable as the first time a West Coast punk band issued music on an independent label (Dangerhouse). They of course played “We Are the One” (video of Thursday’s performance below, recorded by Joe), one of their best-known tracks, plus a slew of other old favorites like “The American in Me” and “White N****r” which they obviously have changed the title and lyrics to (“Gold Digger is it’s new name/lyrics). Also on the 7” is “I Believe in Me” and “Car Crash” which I think they played but honestly I can’t remember at this point.

The post Avengers “We Are the One” appeared first on Vinyl From The Vault.

The Bags “All Bagged Up”

sfilzen — Fri, 05 Jun 2026 19:49:56 +0000

The Bags “All Bagged Up” the collected works 1977-1980. Artifix Records. Last night we had the immense pleasure of seeing the Alice Bag Band at Anodyne Coffee here in Milwaukee – omg she is still so fantastic: vibrant, intelligent, a great storyteller, lovely but still a pissed off punk at heart. A US punk pioneer, Alice Bag led The Bags, a first-wave L.A. punk band that didn’t really receive the national (underground) attention as they’re LA contemporaries like the Germs and Black Flag. All Bagged Up is a compilation of original Bags that Artifix says is “After years (Literally) of hunting, researching, tracking down and finageling, Artifix is proud to present ALL BAGGED UP…the collected works 1977-1980. This 12″ LP represents everything we could dig up by L.A.’s infamous BAGS.” (from Artifix’s website). On it are The Bags first single “Survive” and “Babylonian Gorgon” which, along with “We Don’t Need the English” and “We Will Bury You” were recorded in 1978 at the Dangerhouse recording studio. Last night “Survive” was the encore (video Joe recorded below) and Alice told a delightful story to introduce “We Don’t Need the English” – former Bags bassist Patricia Rainone (Pat Bag) had married The Damned’s Dave Vanian and while the song was not written about him, the band decided it would be funnier to introduce the song saying it was definitely about him. Four tracks were recorded live at The Masque on February 24th, 1978 – this show just 2 weeks after their debut performance at the Masque (at which The Germs Darby Crash – then going by Bobby Pyn – was there and rushed the stage yanking off the bags from The Bags’ heads). Recorded live in 1979 in Oregon are the songs “7 and 7 is” – a Love cover, “1, 2, 3,” “Gluttony” (which Alice played last night, introducing it as a song written by an original Bags member who suffered from an eating disorder – can’t remember if she said which one but it was one of the guys; this song also appears in The Bags appearance in the 1981 Penelope Spheeris directed concert/documentary film Decline of Western Civilization) plus “In Love with Romance” and “Survive.” There’s also a few studio rehearsal recordings and their first demo “Bag Bondage.” Finding any Bags on vinyl has always been a challenge so having some of their classic tracks compiled in one place has been a long time in coming.

The post The Bags “All Bagged Up” appeared first on Vinyl From The Vault.

The Radiators From Space “TV Tube Heart”

sfilzen — Fri, 15 May 2026 16:51:53 +0000

The Radiators From Space “TV Tube Heart” 1977. Chiswick Records. Punky power pop from Ireland. Think a mashup of the Ramones, the Buzzcocks and some mod-ish Jam-like sounds, too: 50’s/60’s-inspired pop sensibility with a snotty garage sound. The band formed in Dublin in ’76 (and have been dubbed Ireland’s first punk band); they shortened their name to The Radiators in 1979 with their second LP release Ghostown. They broke up in 1981 and Radiator frontman Philip Chevron went on to join The Pogues as their lead guitarist. (The band reunited in 2003 and were active until Chevron’s death in 2013). TV Tube Heart was the band’s first LP; three tracks that all skew power pop were released as singles: the opener “Television Screen” — the first and only punk record to make the Irish top 20 – “Sunday World” and “Enemies.” My top picks are the harder punk-leaning rippers: “Press Gang” and “Contact” and the tightly-wound “Electric Shares.” It’s a fantastic record and a shame The Radiators aren’t as well known as their first wave contemporaries.

The post The Radiators From Space “TV Tube Heart” appeared first on Vinyl From The Vault.

The Saints ’73-’78 “Live Nights in Venice Vol. 1”

sfilzen — Wed, 12 Nov 2025 18:32:34 +0000

The Saints ’73-’78 “Live Nights in Venice Vol. 1” 2025. In the Red Records on red vinyl. Last night we caught The Saints (’73-’78) in Chicago at the Metro and scooped a copy of this limited edition EP. Just two of the original legendary Australian punks are still around, hence the ’73-’78 caveat in the band’s name. From the blurb on the concert website:

Featuring founding Saints members, guitarist Ed Kuepper and drummer Ivor Hay alongside honorary Saints: singer Mark Arm of Seattle rockers Mudhoney, former The Birthday Party / Bad Seeds guitarist Mick Harvey and bassist Peter Oxley of Australia’s legendary Sunnyboys, The Saints ’73 -’78 carry on where the original band left off in 1978 performing the material from their three incendiary albums (I’m) Stranded (1977), Eternally Yours (1978) and Prehistoric Sounds (1978).

Also joining the band onstage was a horn section, who also appear on this four song EP (Julien Wilson on tenor sax, Eamon Dilworth on trumpet and Mark Spencer on baritone sax). I loved the show! I really like Mark Arm so I was super excited to see him perform and felt that his distinctive raspy growl/shriek lent itself well to The Saints material. Not counting the horn section, 60-something Arm was the youngster in the group; the rest of the guys definitely in their 70s (or older). However, age is just a state of mind and they absolutely killed with tons of energy and rock swagger. The Saints played a couple of my favorites, including “(I’m) Stranded” (which is generally accepted to be the first punk rock single released outside of the United States, predating the first record releases from the UK punk scene, ie The Damned, and is lauded as an Australian national treasure) and “Know Your Product.” While “Stranded” does not appear on this release which was recorded at Princess Theater in Brisbane in December 2024, “Know Your Product” does (the swirly horns great both in person and on wax). While the single from their second LP (Eternally Yours) did not chart, it retrospectively is considered one of the greatest punk singles of the era. Also on Live Nights (and played last night) are “Nights in Venice” (from I’m Stranded) “No Time” (the b-side to “I’m Stranded”) and “(I’m) Misunderstood” (from Eternally Yours).

The post The Saints ’73-’78 “Live Nights in Venice Vol. 1” appeared first on Vinyl From The Vault.

Punk 45: There Is No Such Thing As Society

sfilzen — Wed, 16 Jul 2025 17:39:43 +0000

Punk 45: There Is No Such Thing As Society (Get A Job, Get A Car, Get A Bed, Get Drunk! Underground Punk in the UK 1977-81, Vol.2) 2014. Soul Jazz Records. 2024 limited edition reissue on blue vinyl. A comp of fairly obscure British punk singles, which are mostly just as good (if not better) as the more popular releases from their contemporaries like Sex Pistols, The Clash, Buzzcocks, etc. Some of the bands on this 2-LP release I am familiar with like The Mekons (their track “32 Weeks” originally released in 1978 as the b-side to their single “Never Been In A Riot“) and The Killjoys (mostly because two of the members formed Dexys Midnight Runners; they appear on this comp with the formulaic punk’d “Johnny Won’t Get to Heaven” from 1977). But most are unknowns. Top picks for me are the very 70’s UK punk sounding The Users “Sick of You” (1977), the raw “Incendiary Device” by Johnny Moped (1977) and The Nerves “TV Adverts” (1978). The Now’s “Development Corporation” (1977) is as sparse, stripped (I think there are 2 chords, total) and simple as a nursery rhyme with vaguely reggae beat, it’s kinda great! The Scabs’ “Leave Me Alone” (1979) infuses 60’s garage organ into snotty a snotty Brit-punk banger. The postpunk offerings like PiL-ish “Last Words” by 23 Skidoo (1981), the complex world-beat infused mostly instrumental “Spin” by The Impossible Dreamers (1982) and the messy (with saxophone!) “Everything Stops for Baby” by The Astronauts (1981) are also all excellent. And while “Wot’s For Lunch Mum?” by The Shapes (1979) isn’t great, it is hilarious (spoiler: the answer is beans. again).

The post Punk 45: There Is No Such Thing As Society appeared first on Vinyl From The Vault.

The Stranglers “Live (X Cert)”

sfilzen — Wed, 09 Apr 2025 17:47:41 +0000

The Stranglers “Live (X Cert)” 1979. Live UK punk, recorded at shows in ’78 and ’79. Some of The Stranglers best cuts from their first three LP’s sprinkled with banter, insults and a request for the crowd to stop spitting at the band. All of Side A (except “Hanging Around“) plus two tracks on Side B (“Straighten Out” and “Five Minutes“) comes from their concert at The Roundhouse in November 1977 (“Hanging Around” is from June ’77, Roundhouse); the rest are from a show at Battersea Park, September ’78. Live (X Cert) went to #7 in the UK which is pretty impressive for a live punk album. The sound quality is really good, the performances super-tight and as good as the studio versions, with the same swirly keyboards, infectious and danceable beats and aggressive vocals, accented with harmonies. Not surprisingly my top track on this live album is also my overall favorite by The Stranglers: their debut single “(Get a) Grip (On Yourself).” They go extra weird on “I Feel Like a Wog,” both weird and angular on “Do You Wanna?” go super-angry on “Straighten Out” and are particularly messy on “Curfew.” I thought maybe The Drones, who I wrote about yesterday, opened for The Stranglers at The Roundhouse in ’77 (they performed with them that year) but it seems that instead it was the Ramones and The Flaming Groovies, if the internet is to believed.

Here are The Stranglers at the Roundhouse playing “(Get a) Grip (On Yourself)” in 2010.

And here’s what I think is the concert at Battersea in 1978:

The post The Stranglers “Live (X Cert)” appeared first on Vinyl From The Vault.

The Drones “Further Temptations”

sfilzen — Tue, 08 Apr 2025 18:39:34 +0000

The Drones “Further Temptations” 1977. Valer Records. The debut LP from Manchester UK punks, with a very 70’s UK punk/pub rock sound. I’m not familiar with The Drones but for sure with many of the bands they performed with in the late 70’s including Generation X, The Vibrators, X-Ray Spex and The Stranglers. They started as a pub rock band in ’75 before switching gears and some of that pub sound definitely comes through on the more rock/pop orientated tracks like “Lift Off the Bans” and “Corgi Crap” (though a lot of punk elements that one). Or big guitar posturing: “Sad So Sad” and “No More Time” are both great, with punk anthem flavoring. Some are more sharp, snotty and snappy like the excellent “Bone Idol” or “Lookalikes.” But those, and a lot of the other tracks sound like other bands in their 70’s UK punk circle: the aforementioned Vibrators and Stranglers, plus Buzzcocks, The Ruts, Subhumans, 999, etc. (The Drones’ tracks “Persecution Complex” and “The Change” kinda sounds like all of them). It looks like The Drones are still at it and rocking hard, almost 50 years on, as the below video of their live performance of “Bone Idol” from this past January indicates.

The post The Drones “Further Temptations” appeared first on Vinyl From The Vault.

X “Aspirations”

sfilzen — Wed, 26 Feb 2025 19:03:23 +0000

X “Aspirations” 1979/2024 reissue on red & white splatter, Dirt Cult Records/Green Noise Records. Australian punk – NOT the L.A.-based classic punk band but a classic nonetheless. Less polished, way snottier than their American counterparts, with accents! Tough, menacing, stomping, and often political, Aspirations is up there with the Sex Pistols, The Clash and yes, X, with must-owns for any classic punk collection. The opener “Suck Suck” is brutal, “Police” has tinges of reggae just like the UK punks like to sprinkle in, “Revolution” is a growling brawler, the bass-line of “Turn My Head” vibrates deep, a real ass-shaker (like literally quivers the tailbone), “Waiting” is a tortured screaming dirge, reminiscent of Germs’ “Shut Down,” and “I Don’t Wanna Go Out” is an absolute banger, the bass-line a direct nod to the Peter Gunn series theme song by Henry Mancini. Even if you think you’ve never heard of Aussie X, you probably do know this track (well, if you like/listen to punk).

YouTube isn’t cooperating to embed this video but it’s early/live(ish) X performing “I Don’t Wanna Go Out.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGc02KW4fFg

Here’s a 2022 video of “Suck Suck” (not sure which band members are original, definitely not all of them: the bassist looks young enough to be the singer’s or guitarist’s son)

The post X “Aspirations” appeared first on Vinyl From The Vault.

F-Word! “Like It Or Not Live”

sfilzen — Thu, 18 Jul 2024 18:40:40 +0000

F-Word! “Like It Or Not Live” 1978. Posh Boy Records. First-wave LA. punk, recorded live “off the boards” at Mabuhay Gardens, San Francisco “in front of a hostile audience” at a show with the Nuns and Avengers. The sound is pretty excellent for 70’s live punk. F-Word! has virtually no releases: besides this live LP, they released a single covering the Germs’ “Shut Down,” which also appears on Like It Or Not Live. Other covers include New York Dolls’ “Bad Girl” and The Stooges’ “No Fun.” The originals all have a sound that mashes up their influences (Stooges, Germs, Ramones). My top picks are “Do the Nihil” (great title!), “Out There,” the super-messy and melodic “(I Don’t Want To Be A) Real Guy” and the wild “Eat Your Dinner” (can’t understand a word of it except the the “eat your dinner!” part). You can listen to the entire recording here.

I knew nothing about this band but found out F Word! was part of the initial 1977 L.A. punk explosion, centered around the Masque club in central Hollywood. Posh Boy was both their label and manager (Robbie Fields), who, according to F-Word!’s Dim Wanker (co-founder, guitar) precipitated the breakup by releasing a record without the band’s knowledge or permission, kicking the then 17-year old Wanker in the stomach, and instigating rifts between band members, particularly Wanker and co-founder Rik L Rik (vocals). The two mended their split years later and played a show “at Bergimont Station in late 1999 w/ X, The GoGo’s, The Crowd and MC’d by Pee Wee Herman to a maximum crowd filling out into the street” (punkvinyl.com). Rik died in 2000.

The post F-Word! “Like It Or Not Live” appeared first on Vinyl From The Vault.

“Guerrilla Girls! She-Punks & Beyond 1975-2016”

sfilzen — Tue, 30 Jan 2024 20:52:28 +0000

“Guerrilla Girls! She-Punks & Beyond 1975-2016” 2023. Ace Records on Rough Trade exclusive edition splatter vinyl. A compilation of 25 punk tracks by all (or mostly all) women-led punk bands. A lot I’m familiar with, mostly the older stuff like Patti Smith, X-Ray Spex, The Slits, and a few I’m not (We’ve Got a Fuzzbox and We’re Gonna Use It, The Tuts). It’s a double LP so packed with material so here are my highlights, in (mostly) chronological and LP organizational order. The great Patti Smith leads off the comp in the 70’s with “Gloria” (seeing her sing this live last month was epic). I’m always thrilled to have anything on vinyl by The Bags since actual physical, stand-alone releases by them are practically non-existent so “Survive” is very very appreciated. I’m always surprised when Blondie is included on punk comps (they are so new wave/pop!) but Debbie Harry never disappoints and the track “I Didn’t Have The Nerve To Say No” isn’t one I’ve already heard on the radio a million times so it’s nice to have here. As we move into the 80’s: the Bangles have a track, too, (again, not punk in my mind) the surfy instrumental “Bitchen Summer (Speedway)” and it’s just OK but novel enough for a mention. The Slits are always great, included is “Earthbeat” as are Bush Tetras with “Das Ah Riot.” Au Pairs’ “Shakedown” is a real ass-shaker. Not necessarily punk, in fact way more jangly 60’s hippie garage, is “It’s About Time” by The Pandoras and I love it. Then we move into late 80’s/early 90’s riot grrrl era with the raucous “Her Jazz” by Huggy Bear, massively angry Babes in Toyland’s “Bruise Violet,” the anthem “Rebel Girl” by Bikini Kill and one of my all-time favorite songs by any group, L7’s “Pretend We’re Dead.” We have a bunch of all of these tracks on the original album upon which they appeared but some of the more obscure stuff is pretty great to have compiled in one spot.

The post “Guerrilla Girls! She-Punks & Beyond 1975-2016” appeared first on Vinyl From The Vault.