Plastic Idols (Houston, TX) "Siamese Love" / Are We Too Late For the Trend...LP (ESR, 1979).

The Commandos (Minneapolis, MN) "Complicated Fun" / Big Hits of Mid-America Volume Three LP (Twin/Tone Records, 1979).

The Outlets (Boston, MA) "3rd Floor for Me" / A Wicked Good Time LP (Modern Method Records, 1981).

White Boy (Washington D.C.) "I Hate" / :30 Over D.C.-Here Comes the New Wave LP (Limp Records, 1978).

Backstabbers (New Orleans, LA) "Fly by Night" / N.O. Experience Necessary LP (Oblique Records, 1980).

The Fugitives (New Orleans, LA) "Mystery Girl" / No Questions, No Answers LP (Vinyl Solution Records, 1980)

Dow Jones & the Industrials (West Lafayette, IN) "Ladies with Appliances" / Red Snerts LP (Gulcher Records, 1981)

Razor (Baltimore, MD) "Troll" / The Best of Baltimore's Buried LP (Balto Weird Records, 1979)

Razor was a short-lived B-more band put together by the late guitarist Kraig "Trixy" Krixer (Trixy & the Testones, Accused, Orange Wedge). The group was born out of the Baltimore Marble Bar punk/wave scene in the late '70s and it featured Kraig's brother Chris Krixer on bass and Oho's Jay Grabowski (as "Jewels LaRobert") on 2nd guitar. Razor never released anything else but there should be a decent studio tape somewhere with other tracks (from the "Troll" session) waiting to be heard. Kraig Krixer later joined Oho and played on numerous recordings in the next couple decades. Sadly, in 2011 Krixer's partially decomposed body was found in his apartment; police initially investigated the death as suspicious but later found the cause of death to be from "hyperthermia in connection with excessive alcohol consumption."

Penetrators (Washington D.C.) "Broken Promises" / The Best of Limp LP (Limp Records, 1980)

Most people buy "The Best of Limp" for the early Bad Brains song "Don't Bother Me" but that weak track blows compared to the Shirkers "Drunk and Disorderly" and this impressive offering from D.C.'s forgotten Penetrators. Not to be confused with the Penetrators from Syracuse or San Diego, this Penetrators played around DC from 1978 to 1980 and released songs on the first 2 Limp Records compilations. After the band broke up members went on to form Black Market Baby and The New Standard. Supposedly there are good unreleased studio tapes waiting to be put out.

The Whereabouts (Pittsburgh, PA) "Decept" / Made in Pittsburgh Volume 3 LP (Bogus Records, 1980)

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Next to nothing is known about this Pittsburgh band; no info on the web, no old fanzine articles that I can find and they have no other available recordings other than the 2 tracks on this comp. "Decept" is a winner and it sounds a lot like early Middle Class (but slower of course).

 

F-Models (Akron, OH) "It's Not Right" / T.M.I. 015: A Compilation LP (T.M.I. Products, 1982)

Akron had lots of unwarranted musical hype but very few bands that were actually worth listening to (not unless the Waitresses or Tin Huey were your thing). It wasn't until the F-Models started in 1980 that the rubber city had a new band to brag about; these guys took their cues from the Pagans and played good basic stripped down punk rock. The group consisted of Bill Ferrell (guitar), Steve Fender (bass), Steve McKee (drums) and Robert ("Iggy" or "Ig Nition") Morningstar on vocals. They managed to release 2 solid singles on T.M.I. (and this compilation track) before vocalist Iggy hung himself in 1983 and then the F-Models were no more.

Cinecyde (Detroit, MI) "Enemy Man" / Mandatory Music LP (Tremor Records, 1981)

Detroit's Cinecyde formed in 1976 and put out the first of their many fine records in 1977 ("Gutless Radio"). The band members ran the long-running Tremor Records label (which did a respectable job of documenting the motor city new wave scene) and it was Tremor that put out this compilation and all of the Cinecyde vinyl. The group became an early live staple at all the motor city waver dumps and they are surprisingly still together playing gigs and recording; check out their Facebook page for updates on upcoming shows and song downloads. The track "Enemy Man" is from the '81 Tremor comp Mandatory Music (it also turned up later on their 1982 LP). This bit of hype is from the original Mandatory Music liner notes: "Cinecyde's first single, "Gutless Radio", issued in the fall of 1977, was a milestone both for Tremor, with its premier issue, and the Detroit music scene, with its first bona-fide punk-influenced record. The disc also introduced what would prove to be the trademark Cinecyde sound: nasally, snarling chants of vocalist Gary Reichel, the menacing, trebled out guitar of Jim Olenski, the penetrating thrusts of bassist Clay Albertson and drummer Rodger Wesch. Here we have..."Enemy Man", which should be a preview of Cinecyde's forthcoming album, I Left My Heart in Detroit City."

 

Coldcock (Detroit, MI) "You" / Detroit on a Platter LP (AutoMotive Records, 1981)



Coldcock live at Bookies in Detroit circa 1979



 


Coldcock were a Detroit punk band that was active from 1978-1981 and "You" was their last recorded output. In 1979 they released the classic single, "I Wanna be Rich / You're a Mess", on the local IDBI Records label; the a-side of that single was later comped in 1989 on the first Killed by Death volume. Touch & Go zine went as far as calling Coldcock "Detroit's finest" during the band's short-lived heyday. Guitarist Vince Bannon helped to run the city's premier punk venue Bookies in the late '70s and the band was a regular featured attraction there; later in the '80s Bannon became a successful concert promoter around Detroit and booked concerts at Clutch Cargo's. After the band broke up Drummer Bob Mulrooney (also in the Sillies and the Ramrods) began performing under the name Bootsey X (and the Lovemasters) and could usually and probably still be found playing somewhere in Hamtramck.