U.S. Bombs - "The World" - CD
(Epitaph 2798 Sunset Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90026)
This release can be best described as late 70's influenced anthem punk. This band reminded me of post-Johnny Rotten Sex Pistols as can be heard on the soundtrack for "The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle". The guitar is prominent in the sound of the music and it seems like everybody in the band sings in unison on the chorus of every song. I guess another good description would be English pub influenced punk. {Mite}
Epitaph Web Site

The Unseen - "So this is Freedom?" - CD
(A-F Records P.O. Box 71266 Pittsburgh, PA 15213)
Somebody let go of that boy's balls. He sings with a gravely voice which sounds like he is in massive pain. The Unseen sound like they should be the poster band for Maximumrockandroll. It's punk rock angst to the tenth power. {Mite}
A-F Records Web Site

xbxrx - "Love Songs for the Blind" - CD
(Anal Log Recordings P.O. Box 3915 Terre Haute, IN 47803)
I missed this group when I was at WE Fest and heard that I missed one of the best bands there. (Dammit…read more about it in the We Fest 99 story). Anyway, at least I got their CD and people weren't kidding. xbxrx takes components of Brainiac, Nation of Ulysses, and the Dead Milkmen along with samples to make an amazing release. Many songs include sampled sounds from 80's video games doled out via keyboards. I can't say enough about this… My favorites include Carlos E. Moore, Duels (with its great Centipede samples), Siren Bomb Voo, and my personal favorite Chow Mein Alpha. Fun, demented, humorous, twisted rock with adrenaline to spare…you must get this and see them live… {Grog}
E-Mail xbxrx xbxrx Web Site E-Mail Anal Log Anal Log Web Site

Cease / Clairmel - "Subdued / Kings of Tampa" - 7"
(Attention Deficit Disorder 7309 N. Huntley Ave Tampa, FL 33604)
{Superchunk Steve}
E-Mail ADD

Chaniwa / F.Y.P. - "Split" - CD
(Suburban Home 1750 30th St #365 Boulder, CO 80301)
It's Torrance versus Tokyo. F.Y.P. start off this split CD with five of their standard fast, loud, silly, snotty punk songs. They have been around forever it seems and are as good as always. Chaniwa start their "side" off with two great punk-pop songs in the vein of Sicko then play a standard punk rawk song before heading off into two hardcore songs. They are fairly diverse and they have tons of musical ability, but I found their lyrics as simplistic since they choose to sing in English instead of their natural language. I know a lot of listeners like to hear lyrics in English, but I think it sounds better when they sing in their common tounge regardless of the language. {Grog}
Suburban Home Web Site

Einstein / Pop-Up Porn - "Split" - 7"
(Scandal Records)
A nice translucent green 7". If nothing else it's fun to look at, but wait there's more. Two bands, the first being Pop Up Porn. Other than being a great name this is a great band. Raw, fast punk rawk played with gusto and a good dose of fun. Einstein is fast as fuck (even faster than the original Einstein) but still melodic. A fun and catchy 7". {Grog}
E-Mail Scandel Scandel Web Site

Fishsticks / Hostile Takeover - "Split" - 7"
(Aloha Records P.O. Box 1070 Hermosa Beach, CA 90254)
{Superchunk Steve}

Jakkpot / LES Stitches - "Electric Live" - CD
(One Foot Records P.O. Box 30666 Long Beach, CA 90853)
Get out your spiked dog collar, combat boots, leather jacket, safety pins, and your mohawk ready and we'll ride the punk rock roller coaster as we listen to Electric Live.

Jakkot was recorded live at Club Midnight in Baltimore sometime in 98. Jakkot reminds me of Elvis as a punk rocker with a rockabilly influence. LES Stitches were recorded live at Tramps in NYC somewhere between 97-98. LES Stitches are the essence of pure punk rock. They are young, loud, angry, and spunky. They are great style in the music and fashion. I absolutely love the LES Stitches. Electric Live catches two great bands live and full of energy. Get this one. A guaranteed great listen. {Gail}
One Foot Web Site

No Side / Out Cold - "Split" - 7"
(Acme Records P.O. Box 441 Dracut, MA 01826)
{Superchunk Steve}

V/A - "1999 T.O.N. Sampler - Volume 4" - CD
(T.O.N. Records 6777 Hollywood Blvd 3rd Floor Hollywood, CA 90028)
As the title says this is "T.O.N. Records" fourth comp cd showcasing bands on their label. I have always liked the bands that they release and this comp is no exception. You get seventeen songs from ten bands on this release. The bands range in style from punk, good alternative (think Naked Raygun, Dinosaur Jr.), emo and riotgrrrl. My two favorites on this comp are Plastic Machine and Why? Things Burn. As always a great CD from your friends at T.O.N. {Grog}
E-Mail T.O.N. T.O.N. Web Site

V/A - "A Combination of Warped Music II" - CD
(Side One Dummy Records 6201 Sunset Blvd Suite 211 Hollywood, CA 90028)
Ohhhh buddy, forget the over commercialized Lollastock events that get touted as 'the' music events of the summer. The Warped Tour is the must see event of this summer. The shear number of quality 'trully' alternative bands and the diversity of the music makes sure that everyone will be satisfied who attends. And if you missed this year's festivities (which will have ended by the time this issue of MRZ comes out) then you will just have to wait until summer 2000. Anyway, this is the compilation c.d. from bands who were part of the Warped Tour 1999 and it is killer. With bands such as Blink 182, 7 Seconds, The Aquabats!, Less Than Jake, Suicidal Tendencies, Dropkick Murphys, Amazing Crowns, Voodoo Glow Skulls, ... this release can't help but be good. There are 23 tracks in all and not one of them sucks. Get this now! {Mite}
Side 1 Web Site

V/A - "Blues Power - Tribute to Eric Clapton" - CD
(House of Blues 2001 Butterfield Rd Suite 1400 Downers Grove, IL 60515)
On this release some of the Blues greats, Koko Taylor, Buddy Guy, Bo Diddley, Pinetop Perkins and others, take on the songs of Mr. Slow Hands himself. I have to admit that I'm not a big fan of Eric Clapton's music and sad to say that the artists on this release don't do anything too different to the tunes on this release. I believe the focus of this release is more on the guitar playing than the songs themselves. What it comes down to is: If you're a fan of Clapton or the more commercial rock blues guitar sound then you will love this release. {Mite}

V/A - "The Decline of Western North Carolina - Vol. 3" - CD
(Decline Worldwide Recordings 129 Roberts St Ashville, NC 28801)
I loved this compilation. The diversity of the bands represented on this disc is just one of the reasons that this comp is so great. The other reason is that all the bands on this release are top notch. My number one pick on this release is the band Dr. Rocket and their song Fly (on you wall). I must hear more from this band. If the bands on this release are a good representation of what's coming out of Western North Carolina, then I would have to say that it is probably one of the hottest music scenes going on. {Mite}

V/A - "The East Coast of Oi!" - CD
(Radical Records 77 Bleecker St #C2-21 New York, NY 10012)
{Superchunk Steve}
E-Mail Radical Radical Web Site

V/A - "Essential Blues" - 3CD
(House of Blues 2001 Butterfield Rd Suite 1400 Downers Grove, IL 60515)
Muddy Waters, Otis Rush, Bobby Bland, Little Walter, Junior Wells, Robert Cray, Robert Ward, Jimmy Reed, Lightnin' Hopkins and Taj Mahal, they are all on this killer blues c.d. put out by the fine folks at House of Blues. I was hooked from the very beginning of this two c.d. release when Luther Allison sent shivers up my spine with his rendition of You Can't Always Get What You Want. If you want to hear some great blues then you get this release now! {Mite}

V/A - "Legion of the Scroll #10" - CD
(Grimoire of Exalted Deeds P.O. Box 1987 Clifton, NJ 07015)
16 Band Compilation cd containing mostly death metal bands. I will mention a few band that stick out from the pack .Heresiarh : Wolfghosts. A female gothic metal band with very aggressive guitars and drums with a vocal style similar to the 3rd and the mortal or the Gathering. Check out this band if you are into those 2 bands ! One other interesting band on the compilation is Dismal Euphony. Pretty female vocals alternative with sick disgusting puke vomit yells. That is a cool combination in my book. Other bands on the compilation include MOD, Merciful Fate , Piss, Koven, Flashless. A compilation definitely worth checking out. 7/10 {Johnny Death}
Grimoire Web Site

V/A - "Metalo" - CD
(Grita! P.O. Box 1216 New York, NY 10156)
Fiftly minutes of crazy Mexican death metal along the lines of Brujeria. All the songs are sung in Spanish and can be rather unnerving at times. The cd also seems to have some Sepultura, and Fear Factory influences. Great Production, and actually are great sounding cd with some live tracks throws in on the cd as well . To keep thing interesting the band tries some jazzy and salsa (?) influenced parts. Very cool and unique cd release ! 8/10 {Johnny Death}
E-Mail Grita! Grita! Web Site

V/A - "Punk-O-Rama 4 - Straight Outta the Pit" - CD
(Epitaph Records 2798 Sunset Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90026)
A brilliant collection of artist on the Epitaph label. This collection features Rancid, Ten Foot Pole, Bad Religion, Agnostic Front, Voodoo Glow Skulls, Gas Huffer, NOFX, and Tom Waits . After listening to this compilation, I felt like I got beat up with the punk rock brat baseball bat. I highly recommend getting out your pair of combat boots and stomping around to this masterpiece. {Gail}
Epitaph Web Site

V/A - "Punk's Not Dead - A Tribute to The Exploited" - CD
(Radical Records 77 Bleecker St. #C2-21 New York, NY 10012)
17 primarily newer, old school sounding, punk bands pay tribute to the Exploited. The bands I've heard before on this comp owe a lot to the Exploited and it shows through with their covers. Bands on this comp include: Blanks 77, Road Rage, I.C.U., The Cuffs, Special Duties (around since 82), US Chaos and Violent Society. Remember Punk's not Dead… {Grog}
Radical Web Site

V/A - "Short Music for Short People" - CD
(Fat Wreck Chords P.O. Box 193690 San Francisco, CA 94119-3690)
101 bands/songs in just under 50 minutes. This was an idea of Fat Mike's and he did it. I heard it was supposed to be the best 101 bands, but I think he left a lot of great ones off. Still there are tracks from: No Means No, The Dickies, Screeching Weasel, Rancid, The Circle Jerks, The Damned, Subhumans, Blink 182, D.O.A. and a ton more. Fun, fast and varied. {Grog}
E-Mail Fat Wreck Fat Wreck Web Site

V/A - "Skins 'n' Pins" - CD
(GMM Records P.O. Box 15234 Atlanta, GA 30333)
78 minutes of mohawks, safety pins, adrenaline and sweat. My favorites on this comp were: The Pinkerton Thugs, The Burdens, The Murder City Wrecks, The Trouble, Lower Class Brats, The Dropkick Murphy's, The Stray Bullets, The Choice, Oxymoron (who really are a good band even though they pissed me off in 92 when I sent them a copy of my bands 7" in trade for theirs since we shared the same name and they blew me off...), The Anti-Heros, The Randums and The Bodies. I also thought it was intersting that two bands had songs on here called Man's Ruin, but they were different. One talked about women the other about drinking. Oi!{Grog}

V/A - "The Sound of Channel One: King Tubby Connection" - CD
(Guava Jelly P.O. Box 862558 Los Angeles, CA 90086-2558)
The two CD set highlights artists including King Tubby, Delroy Wilson, Badoo, Jim Brown, Prince Pompidou, Calvin Stuart, Desmond Irie, and Larry Marshall. Channel One was a studio is West Kingston established in the early 70's. Channel One Studio was very influencial into bringing reggae music to the people.

The collection delivers previously unreleased tracks that were recorded in the 70's and early 80's. The tracks were mixed by the famous King Tubby. The collection is a must for any reggae fan. If features a variety of styles, moods, and some of the best dubbing. {Gail}
Guava Jelly Web Site

V/A - "Tangled up in Blues - Songs of Bob Dylan" - CD
(House of Blues 2001 Butterfield Rd Suite 1400 Downers Grove, IL 60515)
When I first started listening to this release, I had a feeling that I was going to hate it. However, when track four kicked in with Isaac Hayes started doing his version of Lay Lady Lay things started warming up. As I got further into this c.d. things just got hotter. Luther 'Guitar Jr." Johnson, Isaac Hayes, R.L. Burnside and Alvin 'Youngblood' Hart and Leon Russell all offer up some great tunes. The best track on this release goes to James Solberg and his rendition of Ballad of a Thin Man. Man, talk about someone making a song their own. My advice is to skip over the first three songs and enjoy yourself nine killer songs. {Mite}

V/A - "United Kingdom of Punk - The Hardcore Years" - CD
(72/74 Dean St London W1V 5HB UK)
This is another release by the extremely diverse Music Club label. This time the focus is on early UK hardcore bands. On this disc you get great songs by: GBH, Vice Squad, Anti-Nowhere League, Adicts, the Exploited and Chaos UK. It's great timing that this comp is coming out at the same time the "Social Chaos Tour" is making it's way across the states. If you want a lesson in the early years of hardcore, consider this your primer. {Grog}
Music Club Web Site

V/A - "Where is My Mind - Tribute to the Pixies" - CD
(GMM Records P.O. Box 15234 Atlanta, GA 30333)
Fifteen Pixies songs covered by a variety of fairly new bands that are starting to make waves such as Braid, Promise Ring, Weston, Superdrag and Teen Idols. There are also some very well known bands such as Weezer, Local H, Reel Big Fish, Eve 6 and Nada Surf. This is one of those great comps where the bands don't do straight covers and really mutate some of the songs to their own…I think Black Francis and Co. would be proud. My favorite covers were: Monkey Gone to Heaven by Far, Gigantic being turned into a dance hit by Reel Big Fish, La La Love You by Weston, Holiday Song by The Siren Six and Local H's treatment of Tame. {Grog}

V/A - "World of Ska" - CD
(Triple XXX Records P.O. Box 862529 Losa Angeles, CA 90086-25298)
An assortment of prominent ska groups on "Triple X Records". The collection features Judge Dread, International Beat, Big 5, Selector, Rico Rodriquez, and Lauredo Aitken. The music is a celebration of life painted with the atmospheric boogie beats of the instruments. I really enjoyed Judge Dread's cover of Tammy and Lonely Girl. Simply a fine collection of ska music. {Gail}
Triple X Web Site

SOUNDTRACKS

James Burwell - "The General's Daughter" - CD
(Milan / BMG)
This is a military flick so one would suppose that the soundtrack full of heroic or military music. Wrong. What we get is an excellent soundtrack containing haunting 'classical' instrumentals and modern day takes on old 'Negro Spirituals'. It would have been great if the soundtrack contained more spirituals, but a good soundtrack nonetheless. {Mite}
Milan Web Site

Randy Edelman - "The Hunley" - CD
(Milan / BMG)
The movie is about the first submarine to have sunk an enemy ship. It was developed during the Civil War for the south. Quite a few people drowned in the development of the vessel, including the designer. So what you have here is a soundtrack with a Civil War era tinge to it, with lots of heroic and people drowning music. {Mite}
Milan Web Site

Bernard Herrman - "Alfred Hitchcock 100 Years" - CD
(Milan / BMG)
It's Hitchcock movie music, of course this c.d. is great. Hitchcock was a great film-maker and the music in his movies is an intricate part of the overall movie composition. I dare anyone to reenact the "Psycho" shower scene without vocalizing the music. Included with the key music from "Psycho" is music from "Vertigo, North By Northwest, The Man Who Knew Too Much" and "The Wrong Man". A way cool way to celebrate the 100th year of Mr. Hitchcock's birth. {Mite}
Milan Web Site

V/A - "Austin Powers - The Spy Who Shagged Me" - CD
(Maverick)
As far as sound tracks go this one is pretty damn good. The focus on many of the tunes is a 60's sound with a contemporary feel. The bands on this release including the combo of Burt Bacharach & Elvis Costello, Big Blue Missile (with a Bowie sounding Scott Weiland) and the Flaming Lips did a wonderful job. R.E.M. has a catchy little number that has many people asking "that's R.E.M.!?!" The biggest surprise for me was the tune Beautiful Stranger by Madonna. Normally I'm not a big Madonna fan, but I love this song which has a nice dance beat with a 60's flare. And, no I will not end this review with a sound bite, so there. {Mite}
Maverick Web Site

V/A - "Josh's Blair Witch Mix" - CD
(Chapter III Records)
Ok, I've seen the movie and everybody I've talked to have one of two opinions about it, either they love it or hate it. But regardless of how you feel about the movie you have to give credit to whomever assembled the soundtrack. Though the movie doesn't really have music, this is supposidly the cassette that was found in Josh's car. One thing I can say is Josh has a great taste in music... Great haunting songs by: Lydia Lunch, P.I.L., Skinny Puppy, Bauhaus, The Creatures, Laibach, Afghan Whigs, Front Line Assembly, Type O Negative, Meat Beat Manifesto, Tones on Tail and Antonio Cora. {Grog}

V/A - "Universal Soldier" - CD
(Trauma Records 15165 Ventura Blvd Suite 320 Sherman Oaks, CA 91403)
The soundtrack features a variety of alternative/industrial/metal bands including Megadeath, Flys, Static X, Anthrax, D Generation, Fear Factory, Ministry, and GWAR. The Flys cover Ozzy's classic Crazy Train. When I listened to this collection, I fantasized that Jean-Claude Van Damme slammed danced in a pink and polka dot tutu with lavender leopard skin leotards to I Bled for Days by Static X. What a true inspiration!! {Gail}
Trauma Web Site

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