ESSENTIAL EPHEMERA* #1

*The title for this series of posts is unashamedly lifted and ripped off from a rather fine blog called....Essential Ephemera, which specialises in scanned,zipped and ready to download Punk Fanzines from the 70's and 80's. I feel Si's Ephemera is far more essential than my old collection of crumpled and faded flyers, ticket stubs etc that I'm gonna be posting as and when. But hey don't just take my word for it pay him a visit, and delight in the anarcho punk politics in old issues of Cobalt Hate and Pigs For Slaughter. Then there's Grinding Halt which is a good read, no real politics but some great reviews and interviews then there's copies of Strangled and London's Burning, no prizes for guessing which bands the main focus for these couple of 'zines are. Anyway enough of this shit there's more pressing reading to be had and done over at Essential Ephemera.

COMPULSION - Question Time For The Proles (4 Track CD Single)

Released in 1996 Question Time for the Proles is a blistering barrage about that New Labour reinventing the past notion of retrolution “Ancient times are taking over. Sentimental when you’re sober. Fills your mouth each time you speak. You choke.” they tell us that “Harold Wilson/Maurice Saatchi says that things are getting better for you” A year later New Labour also declared that “Things can only get better” with the help of hindsight we now know just who things got better for. Not us but them. Between 1992 and 1996 Compulsion were a breath of fresh air amongst the stagnant smell of the grunge and brit pop eras. Like S*M*A*S*H and These Animal Men they were lumped by the lumpen lazy music media into The New Wave Of New Wave scene. Compulsion were powerful and forceful in their presentation, a full on foot to the floor blast of Punk Raw guitars and chugging rhythms. Think 80’s Post Punk meeting the Manics, Nirvana and The Pixies, and you still won’t do this great forgotten band justice. Click here for some Compulsion. “Question time for the proles, The lunatics are running free and no-one knows.”

COMPULSION - Safety (EP)

While digging out the CD for the 60ft Dolls post I came across this little gem from the 90's (forgot I 'ad this, unlike their fantastic debut album Comforter, which sits comfortably next to Crass, Crisis, The Clash and Cock Sparrer in my collection.) Compulsion rawked in a grungy, punky and shouty sorta way. Great stuff, a reference point; The Pixies maybe? Saw 'em live once; Guitarist Garret Lee swinging from the scaffold beams of the venues ceiling, with his guitar swinging and screeching, in time to the pounding rythm. Garret has gone on to find more success than Compulsion did as uber producer JacknifeLee. Compulsion were one of the 90's most criminally ignored band. Shame on you! Grab the Safety EP there. Then take a trip to Born In The Basement where you can download a best of compilation of Compulsion. The revival starts here'n'there and everywhere.