lorna doom Archives - Vinyl From The Vault

Germs “MIA: The Complete Anthology”

sfilzen — Wed, 04 Jan 2023 19:03:00 +0000

Germs “MIA: The Complete Anthology” 2020/1993. Limited, first edition on black vinyl and opaque blue vinyl. Today, January 4th, would have been Germs bassist Lorna Doom’s 65th birthday (b. Teresa Marie Ryan, b. 1958, d. 2019). I’ve had MIA since it came out on CD in ’93. I have about a zillion, give or take, Germs comps, bootlegs, originals but there’s always room for more in the Vault. Part of why I appreciate this release so much is specifically for the slow (best) version of “Lexicon Devil” (on Side C) which is not on their sole studio LP G.I. – one of my favorite records of all-time – but is on the EP What We Do Is Secret (my original “holy grail” release that I also first found on vinyl in ’93).

From Discogs: this release “Includes entire Germs recorded catalog except for the recordings for the tracks recorded for Tooth And Nail [a 1979 comp that includes Germs, Flesh Eaters, Negative Trend and others] and the remixed version of “No God” on Yes L.A. [another ’79 comp with Germs, X, Bags, others]. The first LP [on black vinyl] covers the full (GI) LP, while the second LP features the What We Do Is Secret EP in original sequence (side C, on blue vinyl).” Side D has the Germs first 7″ single from 1977 “Forming” and its B-side, a live version of “Sex Boy” which is a beautiful punk mess. They recorded “Sex Boy” for the Cheech and Chong movie, Up in Smoke. The song was not used in the movie, nor was the band. They were the only band not to receive a call-back to perform live for the film’s “Battle of the Bands” sequence, perhaps due to the fact that the Germs’ chaotic Roxy performance had featured an unscripted, full-on food fight.” (Wiki) Also on Side D are two of the Germs’ tracks from the 1980 Cruising (Music From The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) starring Al Pachino; the track “Lion’s Share” is the only one of the six they recorded that made it onto the soundtrack release. Finishing the anthology is “Forming 2” from the compilation What Is It, the 1982 comp that also includes The Dils, The Controllers, and others. I have all of the tracks on MIA on a bunch of other formats and releases, but having the best of the bunch on one good-quality release (i.e. not shitty bootlegs), re-mastered from the original tapes, is totally worth it.

The post Germs “MIA: The Complete Anthology” appeared first on Vinyl From The Vault.

The Germs “Lion’s Share”

sfilzen — Thu, 17 Jan 2019 19:33:33 +0000

The Germs “Lion’s Share” date unknown, bootleg release on Ghost ‘O Darb Records, an Official Australia Fan Club release. We got news yesterday that Germs bassist Lorna Doom (b. Teresa Ryan, date of birth unknown but one source put her age at 61) has died. She joined the band in its early inception, back when Belinda Carlisle was (briefly) the band’s drummer.

Lion’s Share is a pretty decent bootleg – the sound quality is pretty good, especially since a lot of Germs bootleg material out there is pretty shitty. Side A’s tracks which include such songs as “Throw It All Away, “Now I Hear the Laughter” and “Lion’s Share” were produced by Jack Nitzsche (which explains the good quality – he won several Academy Awards and nominations for film score composition from films like An Officer and a Gentleman and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest). Side B is live Germs, recorded at the Starwood in 1980 and includes versions of a cover of PiL’s “Public Image,” “Shut Down” and “Richie Dagger’s Crime.” The band is a mess, especially Darby Crash, but again the sound is pretty good.

The post The Germs “Lion’s Share” appeared first on Vinyl From The Vault.

The Germs “Forming”

sfilzen — Thu, 17 Aug 2017 14:55:04 +0000

The Germs “Forming” b/w “The Germs Live” (which is really “Sex Boy” recorded live at the Roxy, the Germs’ second show, supposedly intended to appear in Cheech and Chong’s movie Up In Smoke. It didn’t make the cut.) originally released 1977 on What Records? and reissued in 2015 on Viaduct Records, green vinyl. Today, August 17th, is Belinda Carlisle’s birthday – yes, she is best known as the lead singer of the Go-Go’s but she was briefly the original drummer for The Germs, going by the name Dottie Danger. From an interview with Rolling Stone: I was the first drummer but we never played. I came down with mononucleosis and had to go back to my parents’ house and recuperate. But yeah, I’d met Lorna Doom before she was the bass player for the Germs. We used to go see the Babys and the Ramones the first time they came to L.A.We went to the Beverly Hilton to try to get Freddie Mercury’s autograph, and we met Darby Crash and Pat Smear, who were trying to do the exact same thing. They thought we were ridiculous-looking, and we thought they were ridiculous-looking, and then we thought, “Let’s form a band.” I’d seen a lot of the early punk bands and just got to be part of the scene. After I got mono, another friend of ours from art class, Donna Rhia – Becky was her real name – was the first drummer. When I got better, I was fine with her taking over the drums, because I didn’t like playing the drums. I became sort of a Germs prop person. I would hand Darby peanut butter and broken glass and salad dressing and whatever was around. When we formed the Go-Go’s, I had the choice of playing drums again or singing, and I decided to sing.

Donna Rhia (Becky Barton) is the drummer on this single; she was replaced first by David Winogrond, then Cliff Hanger, next was D. J. Bonebrake (best known for being in X), then Nicky Beat (L.A. Guns), Rob Henley and finally Don Bolles. Darby Crash (b. Jan Paul Beahm) still went by the moniker Bobby Pyn in ‘77 and both he and Pat Smear are credited for the writing of “Forming.” The photo below is supposedly of bassist Lorna Doom (Teresa Ryan) and Belinda Carlisle from around ‘77.

The post The Germs “Forming” appeared first on Vinyl From The Vault.

The Germs “’Round and ‘Round”

sfilzen — Mon, 03 Apr 2017 14:29:07 +0000

The Germs “’Round and ‘Round” b/w “Forming (Version 2)” 2004. Alive Records, purple vinyl. “’Round and ‘Round” was originally performed by Chuck Berry (the B-side to 1958′s “Johnny B. Goode”) and appears on The Germs’ posthumously released ‘81 EP What We Do Is Secret and seems to be a nod to David Bowie’s 1971 version – Darby Crash was a major Bowie fan – the staccato rhythm and phrasing very similar to Bowie’s. The first version of “Forming” was The Germs debut single, released in ‘77, and that iteration is still my favorite, raw and rhythmically awkward, the ending has Crash bemoaning “We’re playing it all wrong. The drums are too slow, the bass is too fast, the chords are wrong, this is making the ending too long…ah, I quit.“ Version 2, on this 45, was cut “with future X drummer D.J. Bonebrake taking over for the departed Donna Rhia – Don Bolles was on hiatus; Crash’s monotone had evolved into a frantic, discordant wail; Pat Smear’s guitar is both looser and stronger, and Lorna Doom’s bass playing sounds kind of/ sort of professional. In short, they’d grown from an inept garage band figuring out how to put the pieces together to an inept punk band who, for better or worse, knew just what they wanted to do, and it’s their strength and confidence that makes all the difference in the world. The two versions of the song bookend the excellent compilation CD (M.I.A.), which ultimately tells you everything you really need to know about the Germs.” (Allmusic)

The post The Germs “’Round and ‘Round” appeared first on Vinyl From The Vault.