Female-Fronted Punk Rock
March 12, 2010 4:46 AM Subscribe
Female-Fronted Punk Rock 1977-1989. A huge, 12 (!) disc, mix of punk rock sung by women.
Ditto what Pope Guilty said, except "The Slits on a comp and the song isn't "[something from Cut]?"
Looking forward to separating the sweet from the suck-- fantastic post!
posted by NolanRyanHatesMatches at 5:16 AM on March 12, 2010
Looking forward to separating the sweet from the suck-- fantastic post!
posted by NolanRyanHatesMatches at 5:16 AM on March 12, 2010
Assuming it's legal (oh god I hope so), I'll get them all downloaded then put together a torrent magnet link.
posted by seanmpuckett at 5:29 AM on March 12, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by seanmpuckett at 5:29 AM on March 12, 2010 [1 favorite]
I got the first third of this a couple of weeks ago and then forgot about it so thanks for the reminder!
Everyone should also check out the Women of Post-Punk mixes (1, 2, 3) on Musicophilia (he of the '81 Box Set).
posted by sleepy pete at 5:42 AM on March 12, 2010 [2 favorites]
Everyone should also check out the Women of Post-Punk mixes (1, 2, 3) on Musicophilia (he of the '81 Box Set).
posted by sleepy pete at 5:42 AM on March 12, 2010 [2 favorites]
Assuming it's legal (oh god I hope so)
Yeah, any guidance on that? I'm of the generation that respects copyright as a means for artists to earn a living - even long after they've put down the microphone.
The idea that Vacum might receive a tiny bit of money from my enjoyment - 30 years after they made the recording - is the sort of quid pro quo that makes me happy.
posted by three blind mice at 6:24 AM on March 12, 2010 [1 favorite]
Yeah, any guidance on that? I'm of the generation that respects copyright as a means for artists to earn a living - even long after they've put down the microphone.
The idea that Vacum might receive a tiny bit of money from my enjoyment - 30 years after they made the recording - is the sort of quid pro quo that makes me happy.
posted by three blind mice at 6:24 AM on March 12, 2010 [1 favorite]
>>Wow. Downloading now. Thanks!
>It's definitely not legal. Are you kidding?
Ha ha. Ha. ha?
posted by Forktine at 6:36 AM on March 12, 2010
>It's definitely not legal. Are you kidding?
Ha ha. Ha. ha?
posted by Forktine at 6:36 AM on March 12, 2010
Yeah, any guidance on that?
This is a homemade mix, not a commercial product. There is no opportunity to purchase this product and benefit the artists. There is, however, the opportunity to hear a band that you had previously been unaware of and purchase their music. Although for most of these bands you would likely be buying on the used market anyway.
This isn't a justification for copyright infringement, it's a clarification for those who have questions about what is going on here. This is not a link to album downloads, or to discography torrents. This mix is akin to an MP3 blog that posts a few songs by an artist in order to get you interested. How you handle things after that is up to you.
posted by OmieWise at 6:44 AM on March 12, 2010 [2 favorites]
This is a homemade mix, not a commercial product. There is no opportunity to purchase this product and benefit the artists. There is, however, the opportunity to hear a band that you had previously been unaware of and purchase their music. Although for most of these bands you would likely be buying on the used market anyway.
This isn't a justification for copyright infringement, it's a clarification for those who have questions about what is going on here. This is not a link to album downloads, or to discography torrents. This mix is akin to an MP3 blog that posts a few songs by an artist in order to get you interested. How you handle things after that is up to you.
posted by OmieWise at 6:44 AM on March 12, 2010 [2 favorites]
Some people think that an academic study of punk rock's role in the popularisation of feminism is long overdue. But I think OHBONDAGEUPYOURSONETWOTHREEFOUR!
posted by Jofus at 6:45 AM on March 12, 2010 [7 favorites]
posted by Jofus at 6:45 AM on March 12, 2010 [7 favorites]
it's a clarification for those who have questions about what is going on here.
Thanks OmieWise. Pity. Just wanted to know the rules of play. I'll reluctantly have to pass. Exiting stage left.
posted by three blind mice at 6:59 AM on March 12, 2010
Thanks OmieWise. Pity. Just wanted to know the rules of play. I'll reluctantly have to pass. Exiting stage left.
posted by three blind mice at 6:59 AM on March 12, 2010
Lots of good stuff there, but they forgot these:
Nichts
Look Blue Go Purple (too pop?)
Aunt Sally
As Mercenárias
The Rosehips (also too pop?)
(All links go to YouTube.)
posted by Syme at 6:59 AM on March 12, 2010 [3 favorites]
Nichts
Look Blue Go Purple (too pop?)
Aunt Sally
As Mercenárias
The Rosehips (also too pop?)
(All links go to YouTube.)
posted by Syme at 6:59 AM on March 12, 2010 [3 favorites]
I took a peek at these and it looks like they're zips full of MP3s. The MP3s themselves are CBR 192K and appear to have been encoded with iTunes and have iTunes-style filenames so... don't expect audio quality here. These are definitely homemade generation copies by someone who doesn't know much about sharing audio, not something you're going to want to archive and keep forever and ever and hug them and love them and call them George.
(Is LAME V0 really that hard? It's free and easy and sounds so much better!)
posted by majick at 7:17 AM on March 12, 2010
(Is LAME V0 really that hard? It's free and easy and sounds so much better!)
posted by majick at 7:17 AM on March 12, 2010
I wish it were otherwise but I'm going to have to retract my torrent offer. Damn. And in light of the non-legitimacy of this, since despite how awesome this collection is, it's a link to a bunch of infringing MP3s, I'm wondering if we should really be linking to it.
posted by seanmpuckett at 7:30 AM on March 12, 2010
posted by seanmpuckett at 7:30 AM on March 12, 2010
don't expect audio quality here
Have you heard of this genre, 'punk rock'? That chick with the screws in her ear and the brown denim vest (vest used to be blue, used to have sleeves) doesn't care about LAME, she only thinks you are, and the only flac she gets is from the cops.
Are these recordings in stereo? I'll have to find another speaker.
posted by fuq at 7:32 AM on March 12, 2010 [20 favorites]
Have you heard of this genre, 'punk rock'? That chick with the screws in her ear and the brown denim vest (vest used to be blue, used to have sleeves) doesn't care about LAME, she only thinks you are, and the only flac she gets is from the cops.
Are these recordings in stereo? I'll have to find another speaker.
posted by fuq at 7:32 AM on March 12, 2010 [20 favorites]
"Have you heard of this genre, 'punk rock'? "
Yeah. One of the defining characteristics, particularly in the early and middle years, was making recordings as cheaply and easily as possible with what was available at hand. Given that the source recordings are not always of the highest quality, and that the compilation is intended to be of historical interest, wouldn't it be a pretty good idea not to make them worse? Caring about good things is, what, too square for you?
But yeah, sure, ITS PUNK ROCK MAN FUCK CARING ABOUT IT. Or something.
posted by majick at 7:49 AM on March 12, 2010 [2 favorites]
Yeah. One of the defining characteristics, particularly in the early and middle years, was making recordings as cheaply and easily as possible with what was available at hand. Given that the source recordings are not always of the highest quality, and that the compilation is intended to be of historical interest, wouldn't it be a pretty good idea not to make them worse? Caring about good things is, what, too square for you?
But yeah, sure, ITS PUNK ROCK MAN FUCK CARING ABOUT IT. Or something.
posted by majick at 7:49 AM on March 12, 2010 [2 favorites]
This is awesome, but I don't see Honey Bane's "Girl on the Run", my all time favorite can't-quite-play-reggae punk rock song ever. (Youtube)
posted by bendybendy at 8:02 AM on March 12, 2010
posted by bendybendy at 8:02 AM on March 12, 2010
Best Detroit band of the era...
L-Seven was formed in early 1980 in Detroit, Michigan. Yeah…you heard right…Detroit and 1980. This L-Seven has no connection to the better known L-7 that formed in Los Angeles several years later. The original incarnation of L-Seven consisted of Dave Rice, Mike Smith, Frank Callis, and Larissa Stolarchuk (who later played guitar as Larissa Strickland in the Laughing Hyenas). After a few months they added Chuck McEvoy on clarinet and sax. Chuck and Mike left, so Kory Clarke (drums) and Scott Schuer (second guitar), from the Attitudes, joined the band. L-Seven played around Detroit, Lansing, and Kalamazoo, including some high profile gigs, most notably with U2 at Royal Oak Theatre.
As a group of musicians, the members of L-Seven had very eclectic tastes. When the band formed, Larissa was the one who was the most into the exploding English punk scene, and she started a fanzine called Anonymous. It was through this fanzine that she got to know the Necros, with whom she quickly became friends. Despite the obvious stylistic differences between the two bands, after seeing L-Seven live, the Necros became fans and Corey agreed to release an L-Seven EP on Touch and Go. However, since it didn't really fit in with the other records Touch and Go was releasing at the time, they came up with the idea of "Touch and Go Special Forces", acknowledging the differences between L-Seven and the rest of the (largely hardcore) bands on the label (not a brilliant idea then… sounds even dumber now).
The EP was recorded in early 1982 in Detroit, and 1000 were pressed. Released as T&GSF01, or Touch and Go Special Forces Number One, the self-titled L-Seven EP helped the band get to NYC and Chicago a few times, including a swing through Milwaukee and Madison with the Gun Club, who L-Seven rescued after their van died in Detroit. L-Seven broke up in the winter of 1983.
(From Touch and Go's website)
posted by foodeater at 8:07 AM on March 12, 2010
L-Seven was formed in early 1980 in Detroit, Michigan. Yeah…you heard right…Detroit and 1980. This L-Seven has no connection to the better known L-7 that formed in Los Angeles several years later. The original incarnation of L-Seven consisted of Dave Rice, Mike Smith, Frank Callis, and Larissa Stolarchuk (who later played guitar as Larissa Strickland in the Laughing Hyenas). After a few months they added Chuck McEvoy on clarinet and sax. Chuck and Mike left, so Kory Clarke (drums) and Scott Schuer (second guitar), from the Attitudes, joined the band. L-Seven played around Detroit, Lansing, and Kalamazoo, including some high profile gigs, most notably with U2 at Royal Oak Theatre.
As a group of musicians, the members of L-Seven had very eclectic tastes. When the band formed, Larissa was the one who was the most into the exploding English punk scene, and she started a fanzine called Anonymous. It was through this fanzine that she got to know the Necros, with whom she quickly became friends. Despite the obvious stylistic differences between the two bands, after seeing L-Seven live, the Necros became fans and Corey agreed to release an L-Seven EP on Touch and Go. However, since it didn't really fit in with the other records Touch and Go was releasing at the time, they came up with the idea of "Touch and Go Special Forces", acknowledging the differences between L-Seven and the rest of the (largely hardcore) bands on the label (not a brilliant idea then… sounds even dumber now).
The EP was recorded in early 1982 in Detroit, and 1000 were pressed. Released as T&GSF01, or Touch and Go Special Forces Number One, the self-titled L-Seven EP helped the band get to NYC and Chicago a few times, including a swing through Milwaukee and Madison with the Gun Club, who L-Seven rescued after their van died in Detroit. L-Seven broke up in the winter of 1983.
(From Touch and Go's website)
posted by foodeater at 8:07 AM on March 12, 2010
Kory Clarke (drums)
Who moved to NY and became the front man for that godawful Warrior Soul band.
Metal to survive, indeed.
posted by snottydick at 8:44 AM on March 12, 2010
Who moved to NY and became the front man for that godawful Warrior Soul band.
Metal to survive, indeed.
posted by snottydick at 8:44 AM on March 12, 2010
I remember seeing Larissa Stolarchuk/Strickland in the Laughing Hyenas and as a Detroit music scene follower 79-96 (the 96 b/c it was the last public appearance of my favorites, The Mutants), I was saddened to learn of her death back in 2006. I saw L-Seven in one of the occasional Lili's 21 showcases in Hamtramck. I guess they were/are why, from time to time, female punk bands break through my conscious & unconscious barriers against "girl-pop" and have me jumping & shouting right along with them. Go Doll Rods!
posted by beelzbubba at 8:50 AM on March 12, 2010
posted by beelzbubba at 8:50 AM on March 12, 2010
Kory Clarke (drums)
Who moved to NY and became the front man for that godawful Warrior Soul band.
Oh ya...I saw a post-L7 Kory Clarke band open for the RHCP in Ann Arbor back in '85 or '86 and they were worse than bad. I wonder if it was Warrior Soul.
posted by foodeater at 9:08 AM on March 12, 2010
Who moved to NY and became the front man for that godawful Warrior Soul band.
Oh ya...I saw a post-L7 Kory Clarke band open for the RHCP in Ann Arbor back in '85 or '86 and they were worse than bad. I wonder if it was Warrior Soul.
posted by foodeater at 9:08 AM on March 12, 2010
Also for anyone who downloads these and finds themselves puzzled by the errors: zipfiles for CDs 4, 5 and 7 are damaged and some of the songs are busted. It's them, it's not you.
For all the enthusing on the linked site about what an amazing labor of love this compilation was, the ripping, packing and uploading process seems to have been less than loving. This degree of carelessness seems kind of disrespectful given that it's supposed to be appreciation of the music, which is probably why I find it so irksome.
Oh well, back to listening to the bits that aren't trashed!
posted by majick at 9:20 AM on March 12, 2010
For all the enthusing on the linked site about what an amazing labor of love this compilation was, the ripping, packing and uploading process seems to have been less than loving. This degree of carelessness seems kind of disrespectful given that it's supposed to be appreciation of the music, which is probably why I find it so irksome.
Oh well, back to listening to the bits that aren't trashed!
posted by majick at 9:20 AM on March 12, 2010
But yeah, sure, ITS PUNK ROCK MAN FUCK CARING ABOUT IT. Or something.
You're old.
posted by Pope Guilty at 11:52 AM on March 12, 2010
You're old.
posted by Pope Guilty at 11:52 AM on March 12, 2010
I still can't get over that The Au Pairs singer is a lady--I mean I know it, but every time I listen to them I'm like whoa. The same thing in the other direction happens whenever I listen to Tram and remind myself the singer is a guy.
posted by ifjuly at 11:56 AM on March 12, 2010
posted by ifjuly at 11:56 AM on March 12, 2010
Some of these songs are so obscure that I could justify downloading them for free, but for the ones that are easily and legally available -- why not buy them? The Fastbacks's song is here, for example, and the X-Ray Spex song is here. The Pandoras are here, but I don't know if it's the same version. Those are just the first three I tried; I presume the Avengers, Holly And The Italians, and other comparatively well-known bands are just as easy to find on.
posted by The corpse in the library at 12:54 PM on March 12, 2010
posted by The corpse in the library at 12:54 PM on March 12, 2010
Aside from the couple of dozen "big label" artists (like Blondie), I know at least five artists who'd prefer their material not be distributed for free like this, which would be enough for me to nix this post. And at least one of the tracks does not feature a single woman in the band - singing, playing, working in the studio or anywhere else. Some of the obscurities are fine; a lot of them suck - overall, aside from the sheer number of bands, I don't find this that great, and I could name about a dozen tracks by a dozen female-led bands which are at least as good as most stuff in the top 10% of what's on here.
So given the illegal content, I'm not sure why this is here. It's ultimately just someone's mix tape.
posted by Dee Xtrovert at 6:39 PM on March 12, 2010
So given the illegal content, I'm not sure why this is here. It's ultimately just someone's mix tape.
posted by Dee Xtrovert at 6:39 PM on March 12, 2010
Based on plenty of experience with music labels and other copyright holders, they can't even get straight who owns what or whether they want it on YouTube or not, so with all due respect, none of you have any idea what here is "illegal content" or not. (Unless you are a copyright holder of one of these songs, in which case I don't intend to include you.)
posted by Hello Dad, I'm in Jail at 2:37 AM on March 13, 2010
posted by Hello Dad, I'm in Jail at 2:37 AM on March 13, 2010
so with all due respect, none of you have any idea what here is "illegal content" or not.
With all due respect, *you* don't know what you're talking about. I counted 42 acts which I have personal knowledge that there is no dispute of ownership (roughly a third where the acts have *always* controlled the material (like Crass), a third where the labels have allowed the material to revert back to the artists (or have allowed the artists to buy it back) who now license this the material as they see fit (as with the Fall), and a third where there's no meaningful dispute to the label's ownership (Blondie, Bow Wow Wow, and so on.) Most of the acts I don't know about probably always owned the material themselves. Having talked to members of three bands on this comp who do own their material, none were contacted for permission despite being very easy to find. One didn't care, one shrugged and said she thought "it was lame that they didn't even ask us," and a third is writing a letter asking for her song to be removed. I also know of one artist, who has a deal with his (not "her") label not to issue the track that's on this compilation, a request that's been honored for over three decades.
There's plenty of illegal content here, and even your argument that some song ownership may be in dispute between parties (less common than you imply) certainly doesn't make it okay for a third party to barge in and claim rights. In fact, given that no party involved seems to have been contacted for permission, it's essentially all illegal content, although some artists wouldn't mind.
posted by Dee Xtrovert at 9:55 AM on March 13, 2010 [2 favorites]
With all due respect, *you* don't know what you're talking about. I counted 42 acts which I have personal knowledge that there is no dispute of ownership (roughly a third where the acts have *always* controlled the material (like Crass), a third where the labels have allowed the material to revert back to the artists (or have allowed the artists to buy it back) who now license this the material as they see fit (as with the Fall), and a third where there's no meaningful dispute to the label's ownership (Blondie, Bow Wow Wow, and so on.) Most of the acts I don't know about probably always owned the material themselves. Having talked to members of three bands on this comp who do own their material, none were contacted for permission despite being very easy to find. One didn't care, one shrugged and said she thought "it was lame that they didn't even ask us," and a third is writing a letter asking for her song to be removed. I also know of one artist, who has a deal with his (not "her") label not to issue the track that's on this compilation, a request that's been honored for over three decades.
There's plenty of illegal content here, and even your argument that some song ownership may be in dispute between parties (less common than you imply) certainly doesn't make it okay for a third party to barge in and claim rights. In fact, given that no party involved seems to have been contacted for permission, it's essentially all illegal content, although some artists wouldn't mind.
posted by Dee Xtrovert at 9:55 AM on March 13, 2010 [2 favorites]
it's essentially all illegal content, although some artists wouldn't mind.
Awesome, so it's even cooler to cop these disks now.
posted by fuq at 2:10 PM on March 14, 2010
Awesome, so it's even cooler to cop these disks now.
posted by fuq at 2:10 PM on March 14, 2010
i just noticed that the avengers photo at the top of the page was shot by theresa k. that chick has been around for years (although, amazingly, she looks much younger) & knows just about anyone who has ever even thought about being a punker. her stuff is definitely worth a look.
posted by msconduct at 10:11 AM on March 17, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by msconduct at 10:11 AM on March 17, 2010 [1 favorite]
Hi Dee, sorry I inadvertently singled you out as not knowing what you were talking about, and I certainly didn't mean to do that. Check this out for a better description of some of the difficulties of determining whether content is illegal or not. It is surprisingly difficult in general, although maybe you do just plain know in this case.
It is remarkably common for some band's label to post a video to YouTube as part of promoting a new album. This seems reasonable, but then the label's parent company (one of SonyBMG, EMI, Warner Music, or UMG) will issue a DMCA takedown request. The label complains to YouTube, and all YouTube can do is tell them to file a DMCA dispute (which is actually pretty simple) and maybe point them to the parent company. Eventually the parent company retracts the takedown request, but in the meantime, any media coordination of the album promotion has been wasted. In the worse case, it'll be the label's third copyright strike, and ALL their videos will get taken down until the mess gets straightened out, which really makes them howl. Next, maybe Viacom issues a DMCA takedown request because it's a video of the band when they appeared on MTV. Again, the label can file a dispute, but we're not going to know who really has the rights to post or deny posting of the video until the court case is over.
That whole example is a bit oversimplified too, since for each piece of content, there can be song publishing rights, synchronization rights, mechanical rights, performance rights and master use rights, for audio-only, and for audio-visual. Sometimes the same company or individual owns them all, but more often it's split among at least two companies. (If you're an artist, I think it's to your advantage to have a different company own the Publishing rights than the company you're signed to perform for, because you're more likely to get all your royalties.) Oh, and these can vary from one country to another.
I'll refrain from ranting about the confusion caused by movie or show soundtracks, for example, when a song by "The Who" occurs in the opening credits to CSI.
So I just have a knee-jerk reaction against people claiming something is "illegal content." Sorry about that.
posted by Hello Dad, I'm in Jail at 6:59 PM on March 26, 2010
It is remarkably common for some band's label to post a video to YouTube as part of promoting a new album. This seems reasonable, but then the label's parent company (one of SonyBMG, EMI, Warner Music, or UMG) will issue a DMCA takedown request. The label complains to YouTube, and all YouTube can do is tell them to file a DMCA dispute (which is actually pretty simple) and maybe point them to the parent company. Eventually the parent company retracts the takedown request, but in the meantime, any media coordination of the album promotion has been wasted. In the worse case, it'll be the label's third copyright strike, and ALL their videos will get taken down until the mess gets straightened out, which really makes them howl. Next, maybe Viacom issues a DMCA takedown request because it's a video of the band when they appeared on MTV. Again, the label can file a dispute, but we're not going to know who really has the rights to post or deny posting of the video until the court case is over.
That whole example is a bit oversimplified too, since for each piece of content, there can be song publishing rights, synchronization rights, mechanical rights, performance rights and master use rights, for audio-only, and for audio-visual. Sometimes the same company or individual owns them all, but more often it's split among at least two companies. (If you're an artist, I think it's to your advantage to have a different company own the Publishing rights than the company you're signed to perform for, because you're more likely to get all your royalties.) Oh, and these can vary from one country to another.
I'll refrain from ranting about the confusion caused by movie or show soundtracks, for example, when a song by "The Who" occurs in the opening credits to CSI.
So I just have a knee-jerk reaction against people claiming something is "illegal content." Sorry about that.
posted by Hello Dad, I'm in Jail at 6:59 PM on March 26, 2010
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posted by Pope Guilty at 4:56 AM on March 12, 2010 [8 favorites]