Bollocks
BOLLOCKS "ALL ROCK STARS SHOULD BE DRAFTED" 10-SONG 7"EP (BALTIMORE, MD- FETAL, RECORDED FEBRUARY 1981/RELEASED 1982)
Here’s a real catchy, fun, unique-sounding EP! And from the early 80’s D.C.-area scene of all places, which at the time was dominated by lots of thick n' chunky traditional hardcore. This EP has energetic drumming, quirky bass plucking and great guitar noodling with some- gasp!- ska influenced strumming here and there. Now, the term "ska punk" (Operation Ivy et all) usually causes me to clench my teeth, cover my ears and run for the nearest bomb shelter. But on this cool record it totally works for me. And what makes the package complete is the DIY cut-and-paste nature of the sleeve where they cram as much text and pictures as humanly possible onto both sides (including what appears to be some Arabic text in the lower right corner- cool!). The two-sided insert is also jam packed with clip art, good ol' handwritten text as well as stuff down on a typewriter (yeah!). Nice and raw looking like packaging on a punk record should be.
Baltimore , MD
Another City.mp3
Blow Up The Bayou.mp3
R.I.P. Vicious.mp3
Never Mind The Bollocks.mp3
Peer Pressure.mp3
Business Man.mp3
Invasion of The Plastics.mp3
War On Drugs.mp3
All Rock Stars Should Be Drafted.mp3
Song For Baltimore.mp3
ENDNOTES
An MRR Scumpit article from 1989 on the old D.C.-area scene first got me interested in hearing this EP after they recommended it as a good yet more obscure one. At the time my knowledge of D.C. area stuff was limited to either Dischord-related or 1/2 Japanese. J.T. taped the EP for me a few years later and I was instantly hooked.
I then raved about it and taped it for Scott (later of the very sorely-missed Antenna Internet Radio site of which I was a contributor in the interest of full disclosure). Scott dug it and shortly thereafter unearthed a boatload of copies in a big warehouse find in the D.C. area. Being such a cool guy, he was nice enough to send my multiple copies of the EP. What is very curious is the different sleeve variations- the PS came in a variety of colors, from white to light yellow (see above) to darker yellow and even a minty-green one if I remember right. Then some of the different sleeve colors have slight text variations on the front- I'd have to check all my copies when I get a chance, but I believe some less stuff written on the shoe. But I'd love to know how many copies were pressed in total and which colors constitute a 1st pressing, 2nd pressing, etc. Their later "Mediterran" EP also came in a variety of sleeve colors, including white and green. Again, I'd have to check all my copies to see which ones I have and if there's any others.
HERE IS THE TWO-SIDED INSERT
Here’s a real catchy, fun, unique-sounding EP! And from the early 80’s D.C.-area scene of all places, which at the time was dominated by lots of thick n' chunky traditional hardcore. This EP has energetic drumming, quirky bass plucking and great guitar noodling with some- gasp!- ska influenced strumming here and there. Now, the term "ska punk" (Operation Ivy et all) usually causes me to clench my teeth, cover my ears and run for the nearest bomb shelter. But on this cool record it totally works for me. And what makes the package complete is the DIY cut-and-paste nature of the sleeve where they cram as much text and pictures as humanly possible onto both sides (including what appears to be some Arabic text in the lower right corner- cool!). The two-sided insert is also jam packed with clip art, good ol' handwritten text as well as stuff down on a typewriter (yeah!). Nice and raw looking like packaging on a punk record should be.
Another City.mp3
Blow Up The Bayou.mp3
R.I.P. Vicious.mp3
Never Mind The Bollocks.mp3
Peer Pressure.mp3
Business Man.mp3
Invasion of The Plastics.mp3
War On Drugs.mp3
All Rock Stars Should Be Drafted.mp3
Song For Baltimore.mp3
ENDNOTES
An MRR Scumpit article from 1989 on the old D.C.-area scene first got me interested in hearing this EP after they recommended it as a good yet more obscure one. At the time my knowledge of D.C. area stuff was limited to either Dischord-related or 1/2 Japanese. J.T. taped the EP for me a few years later and I was instantly hooked.
I then raved about it and taped it for Scott (later of the very sorely-missed Antenna Internet Radio site of which I was a contributor in the interest of full disclosure). Scott dug it and shortly thereafter unearthed a boatload of copies in a big warehouse find in the D.C. area. Being such a cool guy, he was nice enough to send my multiple copies of the EP. What is very curious is the different sleeve variations- the PS came in a variety of colors, from white to light yellow (see above) to darker yellow and even a minty-green one if I remember right. Then some of the different sleeve colors have slight text variations on the front- I'd have to check all my copies when I get a chance, but I believe some less stuff written on the shoe. But I'd love to know how many copies were pressed in total and which colors constitute a 1st pressing, 2nd pressing, etc. Their later "Mediterran" EP also came in a variety of sleeve colors, including white and green. Again, I'd have to check all my copies to see which ones I have and if there's any others.
HERE IS THE TWO-SIDED INSERT
What a great EP. Most parts of it anyway
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Yes, I contributed to the Antenna Internet Radio show-- I used to write an article in the show's weekly e-newsletter that was called "Punk Archeology 101" that talked about reissues of old KBD-type stuff. I used to "guest host" shows from time to time and try to dig up the most obscuro (yet good sounding) KBD-type stuff I could. Damn, I really miss Antenna Internet Radio too! Scott, the guy that ran it, was a really cool guy. The show was a casualty of the damn RIAA and royalty demands(?!) made of Scott in late 2002. Maybe I'll post my old columns one of these days on this here blog...
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wow - this was totally new to me! some cool, some not so, but definitely a great post, since it's getting harder and harder to discover unknown bands from this time & place. thanks tony, you ARE the punk business manager!
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Glad you liked it!
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Great post, been looking for this for an age since my 7" bit the dust! It's interesting that "Blow Up The Bayou" is also probably the earliest example of Operation Ivy styled ska-punk that I know of! PS - pretty sure they were from Baltimore rather than actually being in DC, hence not too connected to that scene. Thanks for a great post! Ed
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