Title: GI
Artist: The Germs
Year: 1979
Genre: Hardcore Punk
Challenge set by: The Batlord, AKA Trollheart’s Bane
Well I guess I can no longer really avoid this can I? If there’s one thing Batty knows it’s how to push my buttons, so not only has he chosen a hardcore punk album from the end of the 1970s, he’s chosen an AMERICAN hardcore punk album and it’s a DOUBLE! Oh joy! The good thing is that the chances are I won’t get too far into it, as I am currently already hammering my white sheet to the post as I write. I have no doubt this will be a clear victory for him, and if I’m lucky I may get through half the tracks, but I don’t expect to even get that far. It would be quite a victory if I could defeat his designs, but I know him well enough to understand he has very carefully chosen an album he knows, with one hundred percent certainty, will get right on my tits, blow my ears off and have me screaming for mercy within a very few short minutes.
And I would expect he’s right.
All right then, into the valley of death I charge. Or at least, slouch unwillingly. Hey, at least there is one slightly murky lining not as dark as the cloud: being a punk album we’re not talking long songs, in fact some of them are only seconds long. Mind you, the closer is nine, but I’m sure I’ll have given up long before I get to that.
"What We Do Is Secret"
No surprise to hear this barrelling along at top speed, mad guitar, only thirty seconds or so, but they certainly pack a lot into it I must say.
"Communist Eyes"
I guess most of the tracks are going to be more or less the same, so there’s probably not a lot I can write about it. However I will make a tentative point that this is nowhere near as bad as I was expecting. These guys can play, that’s for sure.
"Land Of Treason"
You know, in ways these guys aren’t that different from rawer metal bands like Tank; I can certainly make out the vocal, which is a surprise to me. It’s definitely not just noise.
"Richie Dagger's Crime"
One thing you can’t accuse them of is to be lacking in energy, cos they have that in spades. Must have been exhausting to have been at one of their gigs. Probably exhilarating too though. Vocalist reminds me of early Nick Cave here. Shut up. Hey I really like this one. Who woulda thunk it? Gonna take this as my first Nugget, and very surprised I even have one.
"Strange Notes"
Oh man this is so fast it makes the others seem plodding in comparison. Got a certain Motorhead thing going on here too. That guitar solo - such as it is - is pretty damn cool. That’s my second Nugget already.
"American Leather"
Bits of “Suffragette City” in there at the start. Who said punk bands couldn’t play? Oh yeah: it was me. Well these guys certainly can, and they must be a good showcase for American punk if other bands are like them.
"Lexicon Devil"
This I would characterise as a quasi-Clash thing, with a whole lot of attitude. I’ll tell you one thing: I’d listen to this guy before some death metal vocalists. He certainly seems to be enjoying himself.
"Manimal"
Oh this is excellent. Kind of western movie type theme going on here with a lot of what I would call more metal than punk. Really like this one. Oh man! I just read the vocalist killed himself a year after this album was made. Elphenor may say that’s the punkest thing you can do but it sounds like it was a terrible loss. So this was the only album they released. And this is my third Nugget. You know, I doubt it will be the last, but I only need three, so I’m already well on the way.
"Our Way"
I love the start of this! Again very Clash, or maybe even BAD in a weird kind of way. That guitar riff just slays. The speed has lessened here, and this is a real striding, strutting song that showcases the vocalist’s talents and puts me in mind of Jess Cox, original singer for The Tygers of Pan-Tang.
"We Must Bleed"
The riff here is excellent, the one that opens the song, and then we’re back running at breakneck pace, but damn if it isn’t so much ****ing fun! The chorus is almost like a nursery rhyme or kids playing. Superb. The extended guitar riff at the end is the icing on the cake.
"Media Blitz"
Ah, the machine-gun guitar just punches your face in and the boys are off again. This is a ride on which I had expected to be clinging on by my fingernails, or more likely, jumping off at the earliest opportunity, but to my intense surprise I am really enjoying this rollercoaster. And I hate rollercoasters. The ending is a bit meh, which, oddly, is the first bad thing I’ve had to say about this album.
"The Other Newest One"
I love the way the melody kind of rises on this one. The guitarist kind of holds himself in check here, which is interesting. It is a bit repetitive, but what do you expect?
"Let's Pretend"
Off we go again at full speed after easing back on the throttle a little. Heads-down to the end now? Another great guitar outro.
"Dragon Lady"
The mini-drum solo opening this is sweet. Guitar seems a little further down in the mix, though he makes up for that by racking off some short solos, which is also sweet.
"The Slave"
Oh this is just played at the speed of light! ****ing hilarious! Keep it going, guys! Great, great guitar work.
"Shut Down"
Wow. Starting off with a thick - slow! - bass, and then a menacing guitar as we head into the closer, the longest track by a mile at just over nine minutes. Vocalist singing like a demented version of Waits, the sort of blues beat really suiting the song. The bass line is epic, and the guy on guitar puts his instrument through some histrionics - was that a ****ing PIANO? How did that get in here? This just gets better!
If I was surprised to like SGR’s album I’m gobsmacked that I like this. I had fully expected it to be an ordeal, hands up, wave the surrender flag, you got me dude. But no. I really enjoyed it. Whether I’d listen to more punk is, well, probably pretty certain now, though I expect there are bands out there I just won’t like. But given that Batty characterised this as “an album designed in a factory to make me hate it”, they maybe should shut that factory down, because I know what I hate, and I sure don’t hate this.
To everyone’s - very much including my - surprise and shock.
Trollheart 1 - Batty 0
Trollheart 4 - The World - 1