We kick off this new Cheap And Nasty with the theme that opened Rodney on the ROQ back in 1980, featuring Brooke Shields introducing Agent Orange from California before launching into their now-classic "Bloodstains," the surf-punk anthem that fused the speed and attitude of '77 punk with the blazing sun of Orange County.
From California we head north for a short Canadian detour featuring Biz, Active Dog and Private School, three fine examples of the late seventies underground. They also offer a first taste of something currently in the works: a future Canadian Punk Underground session that's already taking shape behind the scenes.
Next stop is Europe for a brief excursion into French punk exploitation, where the punk explosion filtered into the pop industry with wonderfully odd results. Records by Soda Fraise, Stefan and Piero capture that peculiar meeting point between punk attitude, polished studio production and the tongue-in-cheek spirit that ran through so much of the French scene in the late seventies. It's also a fitting bridge to the next Cheap And Nasty, which will dive headlong into the world of British Punk Exploitation.
The journey continues with a handful of fascinating obscurities, beginning with the futuristic proto-punk of Ozzie and "Android Love," followed by one of the strangest discoveries in the set: Cavernícolas and "Quiero Esnifar Novofren." Although the band never released a record at the time, recordings made in 1983 eventually surfaced years later thanks to Munster Records, finally giving these lost sessions the audience they deserved.
From there we head to Australia for La Femme's "Chelsea Kids," another reminder of the outstanding Australian punk scene that flourished in the wake of Radio Birdman, where punk collided with garage rock and raw, high-energy rock 'n' roll.
Midway through the session comes a double shot from Disorder. Not the better-known Bristol hardcore band, but a completely different group who recorded for Ace Records around 1980. Their "Air Raid" is fast, uncompromising punk that already hints at the proto-hardcore direction the music was beginning to take as the new decade dawned.
From there the session drifts into stranger territory with Artery, Sconeheads and the offbeat humour of The Optimists, before heading into the home stretch with Lost Kids, the straight-ahead '77 punk attack of Victimize's "High Rising Failure," the biting sarcasm of Mad's "Disgusting," and the New York grime of The Slugs' "Problem Child," featuring guitarist Rick Rivets, who had previously played with The Brats and Actress, the latter a precursor to the New York Dolls.
To close the session, The Nuns and "Suicide Child," fronted by the charismatic Jennifer Miro, one of the defining figures of the San Francisco punk scene, bring the curtain down on another collection of rare singles, forgotten scenes and the kind of small stories that continue to make punk so endlessly fascinating.
00. Brooke Shields– Introduction. From the compilation Rodney On The ROQ.
01. Agent Orange – Bloodstains (Agent Orange Records, 1980) From the compilation Rodney On The ROQ.
02. Biz – I Don’t Give A Shit (Zulu Records, 1979)
03. Active Dog – Fun While It Lasts (Pinned Records, 1979)
04. Private School – Money, Guns & Power (Full Friction Records, 1979)
05. Soda Fraise – Ça Baigne Dans L'Huile (Philips, 1980)
06. Stefan – J’Suis Pas Méchant (Vogue, 1979)
07. Piero – Quelle Époque Et Punk (Eurodisc, 1979)
08. Ozzie – Android Love (Make Me Records, 1977)
09. Cavernícolas – Quiero esnifar Novofren (Munster Records, 1983)
10. La Femme – Chelsea Kids (Missing Link, 1979)
11. Vox Pop – Cab Driver (Bad Trip Records, 1980)
12. Disorder – Air Raid (Ace Records, 1980)
13. Fresh Color – No Chance (Periphery Perfume, 1978)
14. Artery – Pretends (Limited Edition Records, 1979)
15. Sconeheads – Morton’s Always Trying to Be Hip (Linden Sounds, 1981)
16. The Optimists – Mull of Kintyre (Armageddon Records, 1981)
17. Menace - I'm Civilised (Small Wonder Records, 1978)
18. Lost Kids – Skrid (Kong Pære, 1979)
19. Victimize – High Rising Failure (I.M.E. Records, 1979)
20. Mad – Disgusting (Disgusting Records, 1980)
21. The Slugs – Problem Child (Whiplash Records, 1979)
22. The Nuns – Suicide Child (BOMP!, 1980)
