No1P2

Canadian Punk 70s - Death To The Sickoids

I'll have to be honest and admit that my knowledge of Canadian Punk bands from 77-81 was mostly limited to DOA. Great as they were, that was practically it. I had heard a couple of tracks by the Subhumans and was aware of the Viletones and Diodes, but that was it. I was an ignorant pup, not through my own fault really (I mean how many times do you think you will read about Canadian Punk in something like "Mojo"? Don't hold your breath), but gradually people recommended stuff and I was inspired to go looking round the Internet (thanks you the good people of TalkPunk )for bands like the Young Canadians, Modernettes, Forgotten Rebels and Teenage Head. Here's my take on some of the bands I've discovered, but I would recommend finding out much more info on the great Punk History In Canada Site

The Modernettes - Get It Straight - find this at Joey DOA's Sudden Death

The Modernettes were what a proper Punk Pop band should sound like. Though they never made much headway, if things had been different they could have been huge. The mainman of this outfit was the wonderfully named Buck Cherry and he sometimes shared vocals with lovely bassist Mary-Jo Kopechne, I guess giving the band a visual counter-point somewhat like Gaye Advert in TV Smith's mob. But soundwise totally different. Diffcult to explain, but much as I hate to brand things, I suppose pop music with guts pretty much is on the money.

The Demics - Two CDs available "The Demics" on Linus and "New York City" on Other Peoples Music...both recommended.

I wasn't quite prepared for how great this band is when I slipped "New York City" into the CD player. I hadn't previously heard of them, but given the cheap price of the CD and reading a little bit about the band I decided to give it a shot. Am I glad I did, as the Demics were one special band. Difficult to describe though. A lot of the current Punk bands feature big choruses but somehow sound hollow. The Demics choruses are "big" but solid as an oak. Like a more tuneful Stooges in a way, but even that doesn't do the band justice. They were just the Demics and you should listen!

"New York City" is basically the usual hotchpotch of demos, early singles and live performances, but the qualitry of songs and performances puts it in a league of their own.

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The Ugly - Disorder - Other People's Music

To tell the truth out of all these bands I was probably least impressed by the Ugly, although there is plenty of Dead Boys-type thrills on here to keep most people happy. For some reason the band are stripped to the chest on the rear sleeve and the singer has his winkie out. Quite why eludes me, Punk Rock I suppose!! Apparently they also had a spat with the Viletones and seemed to resent the attention that band got as the Ugly seemed to pre-date them. Even so there is a certain amount of the old "bar band gone Punk" to the Ugly's schtick, but it's not a bad collection really. Good cover of Iggy's "Lust For Life" .

The Forgotten Rebels - Other People's Music

This self titled collection has 23 songs (only 19 listed though) from the years 1978 to 1980. I believe there is still a version of the band going today, led by founder Mickey De Sadist (imagine being called that in your 50s!). But back in 78 they put out an EP called "Tomorrow Belongs To Us" with 4 slabs of hyper-dumb, ultra un-PC Punk Rock. The worst offender here is "Reich And Roll", yeah only one step on from the Ramones WW2 infatuation but still pretty darn silly. But the rebels were a good band and this mixture of demo tapes and live performance captures the desparate energy of those early years perfectly.

The Diodes - Tired Of Waking Up Tired - Columbia

The Diodes were one of the first Punk bands from Canada and in a way they typified the catchy and almost power pop version of Punk that many of the band here adhered to. Their 77/78 recordings can be found on this one handy CD which can be picked up for about �4 on Amazon. Their song "Tennis (Again)" is probably the only Punk song I can think of about not being able to play at Wimbledon (they're called Milton Keynes Dons now fellas!)! Never mind there's always the Boat Race! The Diodes were a great group though and though they did record later when they moved to the UK before splitting their best stuff is right here.

The Young Canadians - No Escape - Sudden Death

This band started in 1979 as the K-Tels, but legal action by the bargain bucket record label meant the change of name to the Young Canadians. Not the best name in the world, but a great band with excellent songs like the sweary "Hawaii" and "Don't Tell Me". I've only recently got this so this in not the most in depth examination of their work, 22 tracks featuring EP recordings and jumpin' live cuts. Sounds like a wild time was had by all..

Vancouver Complication - Sudden Death

A reissue of this excellent 1980 compiliation and as good a place as any to start any adventure into the world of Canadian Punk. The better known bands like DOA, the Subhumans and the Young Canadians meld perfectly with lesser known acts like the arty UJ3RK5 and the poppy Dishrags. A varied and excellent listen.

Now I know I've missed out important bands like Teenage Head, the Viletones and the Mods, but go to the Punk in Canada link above and they'll let you know about them and hundreds of other great groups of the era, an excellent site it is too. But be careful, it is highly addictive!!!