The Exploited: Troops of Tomorrow

The Exploited: Troops of Tomorrow

1982

Grand Slamm Records

Format I Own it on: Vinyl

Track Listing: 1. Jimmy Boyle  2. Daily News  3. Disorder  4. Alternative  5. U.S.A.  6. Rapist  7. Troops of Tomorrow  8. UK 82  9. Sid Vicious Was Innocent  10. War  11. They Won't Stop  12. So Tragic  13. Germs  14. Class War



Hey! My copy just has a picture of Wattie yelling (presumably about Maggie and/or Anarchy). Where's the sweet metal album cover?!

I love the (literally) squatting punk on the far left and the (literally) squat punk on the far right. He looks really worried. I can see the zombies behind him, but I still have to wonder what's on the other side of the camera that has Big John so terrified? Let's turn the camera around...

Oh no! It's the 1982 debut by Kenny G!

Anyway, I love the painted fucking metal cover. I wish I had that version instead...Mine must be an alternative cover...

"♪ALT 'ERN A 'IIIIVE!!!! ♪"

 Sorry. I couldn't resist. Alright, "Troops of Tomorrow." The second album by Scotland's own The Exploit 'ed!  Is it just the 1990 Grand Slamm reissue I have, or does this record sound odd? Loud, grey, distant, echo-y and ringing. Tinny yet murky. It's pretty bold. (Update: Listened to the 2001 reissue somebody posted to youtube and it sounds like a completely different album. still kinda grey and ringy, but muuuuuch much clearer, which either leads me to believe they did an incredible job with the remaster or the Grand Slamm pressing was just shit).

This album is actually really awesome. I don't quite have the nostalgic connection to it that I have with "Punks Not Dead" but to me, this is probably the better album. There was a bit of unintentional comedy on the first album, but I don't laugh much here. The band sounds much leaner, meaner and more serious than before. Stuff like "UK 82" and "So Tragic" rip right out of your speakers and leave a trail of dust across the horizon. Even their Vibrators cover (a group I consider to be a fun timey band) is no joke. They sound pissed and it's a great sound for them. The only time they get clunky and cliche is "Sid Vicious Was Innocent" which is still kinda cute and endearing in the same way a lot of "Punks Not Dead was.

My copy ends with the song "Class War," which wasn't on the original pressing. I don't know where it originates. Presumably from one of their billions of singles/EP's they put out. Cool song either way. Pretty much what you'd expect. A verse, a shouted slogan for a chorus. Repeat.

Overall, this album doesn't have the dopey fun feel of the first album, but it's much cooler in a head-banging, fist pumping way. Speedier (except for the title track and "War") and more serious, it comes very close to becoming straight-up 80's hardcore at times. Depending on what pressing you buy, it might sound weird, though.

Here's "Disorder" by The Exploited! CHAOS!!!

The Exploited: Punks Not Dead

The Exploited: Punks Not Dead

1981

Secret Records

Format I Own it on: Vinyl

Track Listing: 1. Punks Not Dead  2. Mucky Pup  3. Cop Cars  4. Free Flight  5. Army Life  6. Blown to Bits  7. Sex & Violence  8. S.P.G  9. Royalty  10. Dole Q  11. Exploited Barmy Army  12. Ripper  13. Out of Control  14. Son of a Copper  15. I Believe in Anarchy



Y'know, it struck me the other day that I've been watching The Price is Right for forty years now and I still have no idea what Gold Bond Medicated Powder is.

 Now that I'm an old-ass man, I'm sure it's something I need, yet I have no clue what it is. And it's not like somebody invented a program that searches for and identifies items in a database that correspond to keywords or characters specified by the user. Do I have to do everything around here?!?!

But I didn't invite you here to discuss my need for medicated powder. I invited you here to shoot the breeze about some old punk record I have..."Punks Not Dead" by The Exploited. And oh, man...This record. It's absurd. It's hilarious. It's fantastic. It's catchy as fuck. It's stupid as fuck. I love it.

"Y'know wot? I know it's old fashioned and a little bit corny in this day and age but dagnabbit! I still believe in anarchy! Y'know that old chestnut anarchy? Were those the days or wot? The world was a simpler place then...Kids throwing flaming trash cans into the streets...Motorcycle fetish mutants molestin' old ladies?"

"My political beliefs? Well, I believe in anarchy and stuff...I think the world would be a better place if we could just all do what we want...If you want to work together to build schools for the community you could do that or if you wanted to just smash a window with a hunk of concrete you could do that too, y'know? Anarchy is utopia if you think about it...I think the world would be a better place if Wattie were President...The President of Anarchy..."

Like many teens who stumbled into punk I eventually worked my way to the "E's" and ended up with an Exploited album.

I started with a cassette version of "The Singles Collection" and I can tell you that as a mentally-impaired teenager, I fell for its charms hook, line and sinker...

"These guys are real ponk! Not that fake Blink 182 pop-punk shit! The Exploited are for real! These guys who dress like colorful Mad Max murder clowns are just being themselves and don't care at all what other people think! If I ever see a goddamn mod around here, I'll jump on 'is goddamn 'ead!!!"

But then as my brain stem grew in, aspects of the album became funnier and funnier to me... And one of those gut-busting moments appears on this "Punks Not Dead" album! The enduring anthem "Exploited Barmy Army," which never fails to crack me up because it takes sooooo fuckiiiing loooooong to spell their name. They decide to go mid-tempo just to drag things out too..."E! (big long drum roll and punk chugging...) X! (another infinity of drum rolling and distant chugging) P! and so on and so on...

 If you're unfamiliar with The Exploited, they're a sort of yobbish oi punk, but I guess that's probably not too helpful a description, because if the phrase "yobbish oi punk" means anything to you, then you'd probably already know who the Exploited are. I'd say they helped define and solidify what generic "punk" is. Prior to this, punk was a wide-ranging genre that encompassed arty new wave bands to street-level rock to literary-minded guitar jam bands. But pretty much since this UK 82 shit came out, it's become the default setting for so many years and if you fail to adhere to its suddenly rigid guidelines, you're often met with cries of "THAT'S NOT PUNK!" I think it's because The Exploited and these other bands proclaimed their punk-ness so loudly and so often.

A lot of previous punk bands hemmed and hawed and talked about how they were always trying to transcend the limits of punk. On the other hand, The Exploited happily wallowed in the cliches. They understood the glory of the incessantly buzzing guitar, the breakneck tempo and the big terrace chants.  As a result, "Punks Not Dead" is a such a blast to listen to. Find some other people who know it, crack a few beers and chant along blissfully. It's a lot of fun!

My favorites? God...I've always thought "Army Life" was a catchy little punk song with all it's stop and start "ME! ME! ME! ME! ME! ME-ME!"'s and you can't go wrong with tossing the title track on at a Friday night record party...Their cover of "Mucky Pup" shows they have a sense of humor...I'm also apparently one of the few folks who can stand the endless chant "Sex and Violence." These guys have a real knack for creating memorable chants, actually.

(Almost wholly unrelated memory: Me and my friends looking at the back of a Total Chaos CD cover and seeing the title "Punk No Die" and laughing hysterically). 

Again, the whole thing's a lot of good fun. Great shoutalong yobbo punk. No shame in that. Alright, let's yob...Here's "Punks Not Dead" by the Expoi' ed! BAHMY-AHMY!

Roky Erickson with Okkervil River: True Love Cast Out All Evil

Roky Erickson with Okkervil River: True Love Cast Out All Evil

2010

Anti Records

Format I Own it on: Vinyl

Track Listing: 1. Devotional Number One  2. Ain't Blues Too Sad  3. Goodbye Sweet Dreams  4. Be and Bring Me Home  5. Bring Back the Past  6. Please, Judge  7. John Lawman  8. True Love Cast Out All Evil  9. Forever  10. Think of As One  11. Birds'd Crash  12. God Is Everywhere


Holy shit. A new album by Roky Erickson backed by the soft rock/roots-rock/alt-country band Okkervil River that I'm somewhat familiar with. Not the first type of music that pops into my head when I think of Roky Erickson but this Will Sheff dude knocks it out of the park with the liner notes though. Sweet fuck, are they comprehensive, working as an in-depth making of the album as well as a complete history of  Roky himself. I'd say the liner notes were probably worth the cost of the album alone. It's seriously a damn book worth of info here. The concept behind the album is kinda interesting. The short version is that Will Sheff sifted through a mountain of Roky's old tapes and demos and pieced together an album that ultimately works as a diary of the man's undeniably interesting life.

As for the music on the album itself? It's not what I would have expected from Roky but it's exactly what I would expect from Roky Erickson and Okkervil River. The man definitely left his Dracula cape at home for this one. Lots of rootsy contemplation, gentle performances and ruminations on love, religion and mortality. You can totally picture old man Roky reflecting on his hazy past while looking at old sepia-toned photos of himself.

The album is mostly low-key country shuffles like "Ain't Blues Too Sad," "Be and Bring Me Home" and the title track or skeletal gospel music as characterized by "Please, Judge" and "Devotional Number On." To be honest, it kinda reminds me of those sad old man albums that Rick Rubin would make with Johnny Cash or Glenn Campbell. The difference being that those guys were basically on their deathbeds while Roky still seems a little too active and impish for such treatment. To be fair, there's a tiny bit of rocking here and there..."Bring Back the Past" is sprightly and Byrds-ish enough to qualify as "rock"  as does the noise-fest "John Lawman" but that's about it. We've come a long way from the horror-rock of his 70's work or the fevered psychedelic fantasias of the Elevators for sure. Even the light-touch Buddy Holly-ish stuff is gone replaced by a darker moodiness despite the unguarded lyrics.

 People (like me) who see the name Roky Erickson and the word "evil" on an album cover might walk a way a bit underwhelmed, but what's on here is interesting. You get to view a different side of Roky for sure. I can totally see a different audience eating this up though. Your narrative-driven NPR fans who like to unwind to some new tunes by old folks will love it. Or people who veer more towards laid-back serious music as opposed to monster-movie rock. But when I readjust my mindset before putting it on I always find myself enjoying it. It's always good to hear Roky again. He's absolutely one of the most interesting rock artists of all time and his output is relatively scant for someone whose career has spanned six decades, so it's important to treasure and appreciate what we have.  Here's hoping the old guy has another record in him...Maybe one with a bit more spring in its step though...

Here's "True Love Cast Out All Evil" by Roky Erickson...Enjoy...

Roky Erickson : Live At Oyafestivalen, Oslo, Norway, August 10th, 2007

Roky Erickson : Live At Oyafestivalen, Oslo, Norway, August 10th, 2007

2007

Bootleg

Format I Own it on: Vinyl

Track Listing: 1. Cold Night For Alligators  2. White Faces  3. Don't Shake Me Lucifer  4. The Interpreter  5. Bloody Hammer  6. Before You Accuse Me  7.Two Headed Dog  8. Night Of The Vampire  9. The Wind And More





I wonder what Oyafestivalen is. I bet it's a sweet festival where you get to eat  a lot of oysters and listen to bands play. Yes, I'm certain that's what it is and no one else can tell me otherwise... 

 I'm sure I've discussed my love of bootlegs before. There's just something about blank white labels, incorrect track listings and weak glue that excites me. Sometimes they sound like raw shit, but sometimes you stumble upon something so great you wonder why it was never released. This would be one of those examples. 


I bought this at Double Nickels Collective/Eastside Records for about 10 bucks. Wasn't expecting much. Maybe something along the lines of the more poorly recorded stuff on "Halloween," done by an older, more out of breath Roky...But when I got this thing home and tossed it on the turntable I was immediately blown away at how professional it sounded. This must have been recorded for the radio or television, cos the sound quality is better than anything on "Halloween." No distant mics or muddy/missing instruments.

\
  I'm not sure who his backing band is here, but they're top notch. Delivering old favorites  like "Cold Night for Alligators" and "The Wind & More" with utmost rocking professionalism. Roky sounds great too. I had to momentarily adjust to his older voice, he's a bit gruffer and some of the high keening quality is gone, but you quickly adjust. He really does do an excellent job knocking out these songs. And it's super fun to hear him go waaaaayyy back to his 60's repertoire for "Before You Accuse Me," which is delivered in a more straightforward, bluesy manner than his wonked-out  Thirteenth Floor Elevators performances. 

This gets a very high recommendation from me. One of the better bootlegs I've found and it seems to be pretty common, so if you run across it and you're a big Roky fan, go for it...Makes a great companion to "Halloween"...

Here's "Cold Night for Alligators"...Enjoy...

Roky Erickson: Halloween Recorded Live 1979-81

 
Roky Erickson: Halloween Recorded Live 1979-81

2008

Norton Records

Format I Own it on: Vinyl

Track Listing: Disc 1: 1.  Two Headed Dog  2.  Don't Shake Me Lucifer  3. Bermuda  4.  The Wind And More  5. Starry Eyes  6. I Walked With A Zombie  7.  Stand For The Fire Demon  8.  Bloody Hammer  

Disc 2: 1. Wait For You  2. Wake Up To Rock And Roll  3. You're Gonna Miss Me  4. Creature With The Atom Brain  5. I Think Up Demons  6. The Beast   7.  I've Just Seen A Face  8. The Interpreter  9. White Faces  10. KLBJ Radio Ad


I'm keeping this short. I'm balls-deep in a three-day weekend/birthday celebration but wanted to pop in to let you know I haven't abandoned this blog! 

And ohhh yes! This is the shit! A nice, big, glossy gatefold, 2-record set of prime, live Roky. Captured over several venues (hence the title...duh...), the sound quality fluctuates throughout, ranging from the spectacular to the distant and muffled. They're usually segregated into clusters though, so you'll get a run of five songs from a Texas show that sounds pristine, then you'll flip it over and there will be a run of rougher sounding material from a California show, so it'll take a minute, but your ears do readjust. Even the worst recordings are very listenable.

However, all the performances are all great. Despite the man's reputation for instability, he's a true professional onstage.These performances all pretty much sound just like their studio counterparts, except they sometimes stretch out a bit to rock out more (as evidenced on an 8-minute run through "Stand For the Fire Demon").

My favorite part of the album is possibly one life-changing tid-bit of information hidden deep in the liner notes. Like many other people I've always been amused and intrigued by Roky's seemingly deteriorating enunciation in "I Waked With a Zombie." It gets weirder and weirder as the song goes on, until eventually it sounds like "I waked with suh-sombie..." Weird, right? Well, not actually! Roky's drummer, Freddie Krc, clarifies the reason for this pronunciation is that Roky is working his way through the alphabet...It goes, "I walked with A zombie..." to "I walked with B zombie" to "C zombie" and so on until its just "I walked with zombie" which marks the point where Roky becomes a zombie...I think that info justified the album's price alone.

This is definitely a fun album for Roky enthusiasts. Some of the best live Roky stuff I've come across and any sound issues are secondary to the fantastic performances. It's a miracle any of this stuff was even recorded in the first place, let alone there's so much of it and it's mostly stellar quality.

 Here's the live-run through of "Two Headed Dog" by Roky Erickson. Enjoy:

Roky Erickson: Don't Slander Me

 Roky Erickson: Don't Slander Me

1986

Light in the Attic Records

Format I Own it on: Compact Disc

Track Listing: 1. Don't Slander Me  2. Haunt  3. Crazy Crazy Mama  4. Nothing In Return  5. Burn  6. Bermuda  7. You Drive Me Crazy  8. Can't Be Brought Down  9. Starry Eyes  10. The Damn Thing  11. Hasn't Anyone Told You  12. Realize You're Mine  13. Haunt (Alt Take)


Oh, man. I love this record. If it's not as good as "The Evil One," then it's only by a centimeter. Alright, here's your guide to how much you'll like "Don't Slander Me," based on how much you loved "The Evil One" (you did love the 'The Evil One', right? Of course you did...):

If you loved The Evil One" mostly for its rocking and catchy songs,  then you'll love this one equally as much.

If you loved "The Evil One" mostly for the horror imagery, then you'll like this one a bit less. It's about 50% less evil. 

If you loved "The Evil One" but wasn't wild about the horror element, then you like this more than "The Evil One."

Yea, there's about 50% less devils and monsters. But what does he replace it with? BUDDY HOLLY LOVE SONGS THAT SOUND LIKE IF BUDDY HOLLY HAD SURVIVED THE PLANE CRASH AND TOOK PART IN THE LATE70's/EARLY 80's POWER POP SCENE!!! And I'm completely serious when I say that "Starry Eyes" and "Nothing in Return" can stand up to any Buddy Holly song. If Buddy had written and recorded "Starry Eyes" it would be hailed as one of the greatest pop songs of all time, no question. 

There are a couple other non-monster movie songs here that don't fit into the Buddy Holly mold: "Hasn't Anyone Told You" and "Realize You're Mine" are disarming, lovey indie pop. I'm still torn if the insanely rocking "Can't Be Brought Down" falls into the horror/supernatural category. Due to the usually macabre imagery found in his songs, I initially assumed the protagonist was a zombie, but now that I re-listen to it, it might just be a tall-tale, Texas-outlaw. Fucking rocking song either way.

Lots of great horror stuff here: From the stripped down rocking of "Haunt" and the completely bonkers, alien-obsessed title track to the slow, burning theatricality of "Burn," which just might highlight Roky at his horror-host best. He really sounds like he's lurking in the rafters, sawing away at a chandelier on this one. I'm also endlessly fascinated by Roky's repeated insistence that the devil is innocent in "Bermuda" (which as you can guess is about the Bermuda Triangle). This song's awesome and reminds me most of "The Evil One" musically speaking.

Special shout-out to "The Damn Thing" which for some reason, always cracks me up. He sounds so teeth-grindingly irritated at some damn demon lurking out there. Not horrified out of his freaking mind like you'd expect, but just sorta real-world irritated. Think of your Dad complaining about some damn raccoons in the wood pile. That's the level of discomfort on display. A must-hear. 

It's a nice day out today, maybe I'll step away from the computer for a bit...But before I do, let's listen to some music. Here's "Starry Eyes" by Roky Erickson. Enjoy...