Cool reissue of ESCAVELS, who made one acetate of a couple of landlocked surf classics. These guys had connections to Chicago-area punks, THE THINGS TO COME and THE RAVENS. Nice rockin' A-side, plus a nice slow burner on the B-side, full of melancholy. The audio appears to have been mastered from vinyl, but it sounds good, despite minor crackles. KILLER!

2012 reissue of this long lost material from Chicago's GRIFFITH HARTER UNION. The A-side is a cover of a song made popular by THE PRETTY THINGS & the B-side is their take on the KINKS tune. Like the original, this reissue is limited, so act fast! *********** C H I C A G O **************

1978 recording from this almost-unknown California punk/garage band that later had a lineup change & called themselves the REALTORS. These guys (& gal) were from Santa Cruz, & the two recordings on this 7-inch are from 1978. The A-side is a cover of the MUSIC MACHINE song "Talk Talk" & the B-side is an original. Another very cool time-capsule release from Chicago's own Alona's Dream Records. RECOMMENDED!

Alona's Dream Records presents the 30-year anniversary edition of this 1984 Chicago punk classic. Five tracks of blazingly fast hardcore with an almost proto-metal crossover guitar sound courtesy guitarist J. Yuenger in his pre-WHITE ZOMBIE days. As featured in the documentary YOU WEREN'T THERE and most recently the FOO FIGHTERS SONIC HIGHWAYS HBO series (they were the first punk band the young Dave Grohl ever saw!) Deluxe packaging with hand screened covers drawn by Marvel Comics artist Rob Schwager and a ton of inserts. First pressing on randomly selected black, gold or purple mixed vinyl. Limited to 500 copies so these are sure to go quick!

*** CHICAGO HARDCORE 1982-83 *** Legendary teen punks NEGATIVE ELEMENT were certainly there, as the saying goes. The Brothers Stepe (that's S-T-E-P-E) along with Keith Lyons & Tom Faulkner were among the first true hardcore (as opposed to punk) bands to emerge in the Chicago area, and helped define the underage scene (as well as fathering the western suburban punk scene that followed in their wake.) Side one's demo (rescued by Dr. J. Yuenger) features original singer Sparky and the band's early Oi-influenced sound, while their 1983 EP YES WE HAVE NO BANANAS comprises side two and is a classic in its own right. Another winner from Alona's Dream Records!

*** CHICAGO HARDCORE 1982-83 *** Legendary teen punks NEGATIVE ELEMENT were certainly there, as the saying goes. The Brothers Stepe (that's S-T-E-P-E) along with Keith Lyons & Tom Faulkner were among the first true hardcore (as opposed to punk) bands to emerge in the Chicago area, and helped define the underage scene (as well as fathering the western suburban punk scene that followed in their wake.) Side one's demo (rescued by Dr. J. Yuenger) features original singer Sparky and the band's early Oi-influenced sound, while their 1983 EP YES WE HAVE NO BANANAS comprises side two and is a classic in its own right. Another winner from Alona's Dream Records!

Naperville's PROTAGONISTS formed in the wake of the first wave of Chicago hardcore punk. Instead of being inspired by the first generation weirdo Chicago punks like SILVER ABUSE, TUTU & THE PIRATES or the hardcore legion who followed (AOF, ROTA, NEGATIVE ELEMENT, etc.) PROTAGONISTS drew their motivation from sources as diverse as punk icons BUZZCOCKS, THE DICKIES and THE DAMNED to prime era 50s and 60s teen anthems (BUDDY HOLLY, DEL SHANNON and THE MONKEES). On Alona's Dream.

Chicago hardcore simply by virtue of having been there, SAVAGE BELIEFS were always a cut above the usual punk rock orthodoxy. Elements of surf, PEBBLES-style garage punk and mid-period HUSKER DU combine for a unique sound. Side one was originally released in 1983 on 7" by ARTICLES OF FAITH's Wasteland label, while side two features their tracks from the 1984 MIDDLE OF AMERICA compilation along with 4 never-before-released tracks. Remastered from the original tapes in 2015 and sounds better than ever! Featuring BRIAN GAY (ex-GOVERNMENT ISSUE) and DAVE RILEY (pre-BIG BLACK) along with shredder WES TABAYAYONG and singing drummer ERIC CASSEL. On ALONA'S DREAM and HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!