CHICAGO SERIES, PART 4 The pace of some of the guitar riffs on “Another Kind of Man” and especially the sound of it sorta brings to mind the Plastic Idols’ IUD. Very hummable, or whistle-able. The chugga chugga break at the 2:42 mark makes that part of the song sounds like it would fit nicely on the Victims’ great Annette EP. Weird coincidence. The other tune, “Don’t Be Tame”, is a faster-paced, high energy tune that is essentially hard rock with some “gunka gunka” punk-ish guitar jabs here and there. A metal guitar solo that starts at the 2:30 mark, though, does not appeal to me nor does the last 20 seconds of the song where they drift again into metal territory with their “outro”. But overall not a bad song.
RAZER “DON’T BE TAME / ANOTHER KIND OF MAN” 7″ (CHICAGO, IL- SNAP CRACKLE & ROCK, 1978)
Sorry for the crappy .jpg, but no one has the sleeve
for this record! More on that later…
The label name “Snap Crackle and Rock” is so cornball to me. It gets even worse when they put that “Just add milk” quote under it- good thing the music on the record makes up for this misstep.
Part of the songwriting credits are given to this guy whose last name is “Matthys”. My search for more info on who this was turned up nothing.
But we get the full name of Mark Durante, and some quick research on that name turns up this guy– wonder if this is the same Mark Durante from Chicago (?). If it was, then he was also in a band called Public Enemy in 1978 and in the 80’s went on to some bands like the The Slammin’ Watusis (‘member them?!) and others.
I know next to nothing about this band- you type “Razer” into Google and see what comes up! The only thing I do know comes from the liner notes of 2000’s Hyped To Death #1 comp which is where I first heard “Another Kind of Man”. Chuck Warner’s very brief liner notes said that most copies came sleeveless but a few had an elaborate hand-made promo sleeve. I assume the back of the sleeve (which I have never seen) had a Chicago address printed on it, and that’s how Chuck knew the band was from there. Anyone have any scans they’d like to share??
“Another Kind of Man” took me some to grow on me, as initially it sounded too “rock” to me and not punk enough. But now I recognize it as an interesting, unique-sounding mixture of rock and punk. But I don’t consider it “punk n’ roll”, if you use something like the Nervous Eaters’ Just Head or Corpsicles’ Big Doings as a reference point like I do. For the “Another Kind of Man” I am going to call it “punk friendly rock”. Perhaps an accident that this song appeals to punk fans, and not the intention of the band at all (?). I wonder if they had any ties to the loosely-organized punk/”new wave” scene of late 70’s Chicago and its surrounding suburbs. Anyone have any old flyers to share? Perhaps Razer were a studio-only project? All speculation, as they are a mystery band to me. There is nothing about them on the Chicago Punk Database, and I don’t remember them being mentioned in the You Weren’t There documentary.
/files/98398-90993/02_Another_Kind_of_Man.mp3″>Another Kind of Man.mp3
* My above rip of “Don’t Be Tame” is unfortunately missing the first few seconds of the song and cuts off at the end so if you have a full-length, high quality rip of this tune please let me know!
Monthly Archives: November 2012
Want List Additions
I have been meaning to update my mp3 want list for quite a while (the last “big update” I did was in May of 2011), so here are about 20 more additions. For my other wants that have been haunting me for some time, please refer to the list in the left-hand navigation bar. If you can help with anything on my want list please get in touch! All of the below items with an asterisk are “big wants”. Thanks in advance!
UPDATED 3.17.2014Bump Fuzz / Calypso Machinegun split 7″EP (Omaha, NE- Talking Mule, 1982) Thanks to the person who helped me with this one!Drivers “Johnny’s Dying / I’m No Moron” 7″ (CA- Overdrive, 1980) Thanks to the person who helped me with this one!
European Liquidators “Why Don’t You Shoot Me With Your Sex Pistol” acetate (Angel Sound, 1977) *I have mp3 but need a better rip of this one
Fumes “Smut City Strut / Transistor Head” 7″ (Sepulveda, CA- Consecutive, 1979)
Gallows “Like Your Mum / Kings Road Bollocks” 7″ (UK- Smash and Grab, 1980)Genetic Invasion “Clones / Preliminary Screening” 7″ (NY- Unreel, 1979) Thanks to the person who helped me with this one!
Millionaires “You Can’t See Them…and They Won’t See You!” 7″EP (Teen Patriot, 1996)*** Neck Tie Party “Stranger Still” 7″EP (Long Island, NY- Little Borris, 1981) Thanks to the person who helped me with this one!*** No No’s “Who Shot The President?” 7″EP (San Diego, CA- Mutation Productions, 1981) Big thanks to the person who helped me with this one!One Takes “Extended Play” 7″EP (Scotland- No Choice, 1980) Thanks to the person who helped me with this one!
Oral Sox “Make A Fool Out Of Me / Rip It Up” 7″ (Jackson, MS- WEE, 1980)
*** Plugz “Achin’ / Strange Love” promo 7″ (Los Angeles, CA- Fatima, 1981)Product “I Like The Angles” 7″ (MA- XXX, 1981) Thanks to the person who helped me with this one!The Reaction “On The Beach / The Kid’s Arrived” 7″ (St. John’s Newfoundland, Canada- Neutron, 1979) Thanks to the person who helped me with this one!Revolvers “Gimme Your Monkay / At The Border” 7″ (Cleveland, OH, 1983) Many thanks to the person who helped me with this one!Sickness “Caution” 7″ (Boston, MA- Stinky Bike, 1981) Thanks to the person who helped me with this one!*** Sneeze “Chronic Wave” 7″EP (Japan- Needle, 2002) Big thanks to the person who helped me with this one!Sophisticates “Welfare Boogie / Acception” 7″ (Detroit, MI- own label, 1981) Thanks to the person who helped me with this one!Throbbers “Unrequited Hard On / Dear One” 7″ (Chicago, c. 1982)Veel “Frustrated / Moneygrubber” 7″ (Limburg, Belgium- MIT, 1981) Thanks to the person who helped me with this one!
*** Venerias “Monarki / Problem” 7″ (Stockholm, Sweden- Venerical Record Company, 1978)Victims (NJ) “Help Me” 4-song 7″EP (BRG, 1977) Thanks to the person who helped me with this one!Wetnurse “Toots and Hot Tubs / Bar Wars” 7″ (San Francisco, CA- Rouleau, 1978/1980) Thanks to the person who helped me with this one!What “On Vinyl” 7″ (Ohio, c.1981) Thanks to the person who helped me with this one!*** Wicked Lester “Here Comes My Girlfriend / Say Your Prayers” 7″ (Cleveland, OH- own label, 1981) Thanks to the person who helped me with this one!