Great Lost Albums of the '80s

Honestly, I can't even bring myself to visit the Captain Jack Sparrow website. Looking at everything I can't have would just send me into a total meltdown...

np Screeching Weasel - Six A.M.

Oh yeah, another one just popped into my head: "Fast Women & Slow Horses" by Dr. Feelgood (a band I absolutely adore). Look, their first two albums are flawless, but the later stuff gets hit-or-miss; critics usually drag this particular one as their worst, which I’ve never quite understood. To me, it’s a gorgeous, infectious, upbeat R&B record. I originally tracked it down on a Sony Music pressing and bought it for all the wrong reasons—I mistakenly thought Johnny Rotten had praised them in an interview when he actually trashed them; I also read "Dean Kennedy road manager" on the thanks list as "d Kennedy road manager," what an idiot! I figured they were some hardcore punks, but honestly, I wasn't disappointed at all... if anything, it was the opposite. If it even exists on CD, I’ve certainly never seen it.

np Screeching Weasel - Supermarket Fantasy

Kevin Chavez3 said:Oh, right—another album just popped into my head: "Fast Women & Slow Horses" by Dr. Feelgood (one of those bands I absolutely adore).

Honestly, that whole British pub rock scene was nothing short of phenomenal. You had Bees make Honey, Ducks Deluxe, Brinsley Schwartz...

I haven't heard a single thing about that, aside from a bunch of Feelgood and one Kursaal Flyers single ("Television Generation," which is punk, making it excellent 😁; and the B-side "Revolver," a killer R&B hit)...

Here are a few more lost gems (I'm still stuck on Britanac), I just don't have the bandwidth right now to write a whole essay on these albums.
Monochrome Set-Love The Zombies, the second album from this incredibly solid group. You could easily lump it in with their first release, Strange Boutique.

Whenever someone brings up "any trouble," my mind goes straight to Dept S.
I’ve only ever heard their first three singles. Their 1981 album finally dropped this year—it's called Substance.

As for the next group, I'm talking about all the albums by Toulouse Tragic - Mulatto, which are still impossible to find on CD. I managed to order some cassettes (the last two) from Alternative Tentacles, but I'm not sure if they have any vinyl left. If anyone knows, please let me know. Here's the tracklist:

Italians fall down & look up Juda for The Blind Locos Por el sebe hot man Pussy Chartreuse
Judo for the Blind
Locos Por El
Hot Man Pussy
Chartreuse Toulouse

To me, Toulouse Tragic sounds the closest to that better Alica Donut release.

If we're talking about unfairly forgotten bands that are actually available, I'd throw in the group from SST Records, Slovenly. I keep telling myself I need to give them another listen. It would also be great to revisit some Saccharine Trust material.

Does anyone happen to know what happened with Sylvia Juncos? One major lost album of hers is One thing + Nature.

Dean Kennedy said:Saccharine Trust

I’ve been listening to We Became Snakes lately—it’s honestly such a stunning blend of jazz and rock, but they manage to pull it off without feeling suffocating. It's like Joe Baiza is the John Coltrane of the guitar here; well, actually, Nels Cline fits that description better, but Joe is right there on his heels. I suppose it isn't even surprising that Jo Watt was brought in to fill Nelsa's shoes during those Engine Room shows. While the live album Past Lives is highly regarded by most, I’ve never quite connected with it myself. As for Paganicons, their first EP is an absolute knockout. AMG is totally misrepresenting things—these guys recorded their debut on SST Records back in '81, and it was a massive leap away from the hardcore sound that was absolutely dominating the American underground scene at the time.

Douglas Robinson12—regarding that Paper Dolls track—was it an original by Rubber City Rebels or The Nerves?

If I’m remembering correctly, that was written by Chris Lee from The Nerves, but you won't find it on their original 70s EP. Actually, it pops up on some French compilation that supposedly gathered all the Nerves recordings, though even that seems a little sketchy to me.

Based on Dean Kennedy's recommendation, I'm heading out tomorrow to pick up some Dept S.

You mean Jack Lee. He’s a fascinating character—someone who churned out a string of absolute hits before just vanishing in '81 (or so the word goes over at AMG).

Well, since Douglas Robinson12 gave us such a great introduction to Chordse, I figured I’d jump in and add my two cents about these guys, who clearly drew a lot of inspiration from The Jam:

The Steppes - s/t (Mystic Records 1984 in the USA)
David Bratac and John Fallon, hailing from Ireland, dropped this mini-album back in 1984. Musically, they were blending the vibes of Paul Weller and John Lennon—you can even catch traces of Robyn Hitchcock’s influence during those more cynical moments, much like Young Johnny Jones. There’s a psychedelic edge to it too, which really starts to peak around the era of their Stewdio album (which, honestly, is the only other one I’ve managed to track down). All in all, there is a massive amount of pure fun packed into these 8 tracks. It was an era where rockers didn't feel the need to bloat their albums just to fill space; instead, they focused on having something meaningful to say—even if it was brief, as long as it was good. That sweet, raw studio sound feels like an early precursor to the lo-fi era, and despite the obviously shoestring budget and gear, they squeezed every ounce of joy out of it. Just pure, unadulterated fun.

From Dept S., I’ve only got Is Vic There? which is such a great track, and it actually shows up on a Stiff Records compilation tape that came out here in the States a long time ago.

Good grief... I think I'm actually starting to develop dyslexia. I keep getting my wires crossed lately. Like, I saw some Chris Lee CD sitting in a shop window just yesterday and totally blanked, and then I had a moment where I thought Sunburn was a record by the Blaka Babies. My brain is officially mush. And man, Jack Lee really was such a legend back in the day. I have this nagging feeling there's an old release out of New Rosa that collected all his recordings, but it probably only ever hit vinyl and has been out of print forever.

Hey Douglas Robinson12, you're always preaching about Rank and File, but you never actually tell me if you've checked out Cowboy Nation yet—they’re basically what those Kinman guys would sound like today if they went through a darker, moodier phase. For me, they are easily the strongest pick in that whole "No Depression" or alt-country scene. Honestly, they’re far more engaging and soulful than any of those "next big thing" singer-songwriters, those suddenly enlightened Texas outlaws, anyone trying to mimic Uncle Tupelo, or just some other NPR-style cowboy. All three albums they've put out so far are truly exceptional, though I'd say the first one might be their best. Their latest, Cowboy a go go, feels the most similar to Sundown of the bunch. But man, that debut is just full of brilliant moments—it all builds up to Big Train, which they originally released as a limited edition electronic version called Blackbird (and mind you, I'm not even an electronics fan!) before Mike Watt eventually took the song and did his own thing on Bullhog or Tugboat. You can check them out at their site here: www.cowboynation.com.

Tav Falco Panther Burns - Behind Magnolia Curtain
This track was featured on the Blow Your Top CD (which I think is pretty hard to find these days). Personally, Magnolia is my absolute favorite Tav Falco album.

Blood on The Saddle - Fresh Blood is a total cowboy punk masterpiece. That record came out ages ago on New Rosa, and if I recall correctly, it’s just as impossible to track down now as it was back then.

The Brandos are a bit of a forgotten act. Their debut, Honor Among Thieves, dropped back in '87—it was an import here in the States, but it eventually made its way over, even if people have largely moved on.

Looking for some massive lost gems from the eighties? Here’s a list of the heavy hitters you missed:

Psihomodo-pop - godina zmaj
Psihomodo-pop - Live in Amsterdam
Psihomodo-pop - Sexy Magazine

Plus everything by Film, everything by Paraf, everything by Animator, the original Zabranjeno Pušenje stuff, and everything by Sexe... Damn.

Martinez - excellent.
You can actually pick up those Tav Falco Panther Burns albums over at Soulsick, so if you're looking for them—definitely give it a shot. I remember grabbing this Brandos record for maybe two or three bucks back when my local record shop was still open for business—it’s honestly such a great listen. Their take on Strychnina is top-tier. I still need to hunt down Blood on The Saddle, though. By the way, pretty much everything released on New Rosa is fantastic... You can find the full list of releases right here: http://www.limbos.org/newrose/newrose.htm It covers all their stuff.

The Jesus and Mary Chain - "Psycho Candy"

dean martinez said:Blood on The Saddle - Fresh Blood is a true cowboy punk masterpiece; it was released on New Rosa ages ago, so I suspect it might be quite difficult to track down or even find nowadays.

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I believe I picked up a copy of Fresh Blood directly from Greg Davis at a Blood on The Saddle show in a nearby city a few years back. They actually reissued it themselves in 2001, though it was a very low-budget affair—the CD just had a sticker on it, if I recall correctly. As I remember it, Greg mentioned that since nobody else showed any interest in reissuing it, they decided to handle it themselves. In my opinion, along with New Blood and Poison Love, it’s easily the best album from what might be the greatest punk band ever.😛 😁

I've got their "More Blood" and half of "New Blood" (though I have to hand it to them for trying with those album titles 🙄), but honestly, it’s just not THAT great. Credit where credit is due regarding the originality, but now that the genre has already been defined, I'd much rather listen to Nina Pound Hammer or Lazy Cowgirls (speaking of which, does "Now that you're down on me" actually mean what I think it means? If so, then it's easily the best love song title ever created!)

Yeah... I can get behind "more Blood," but "New Blood" just doesn't work for me.