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Colin Tappe has been really non-busy as of late. How non-busy? He’s been playing a Final Fantasy 1 marathon and sending me long emails updating his progress. I love this guy.

Colin’s December UK82 roundup: 

Hiya, I know I tend to only write about UK stuff on this site, but what can I say, I follow the bargains. This time around I found a US seller offing a batch of cheap, but essential, UK82 singles, and if, like me, you worship at The Steamy Temple of Combined Shipping, then you can recognize a good thing when you see it. I should clarify that I have no idea who this guy is, and just found these auctions through saved searches, so I don’t want to be accused of cronyism or anything. Here’re the highlights from what he’s got up:

• Attak: These guys are best known for being kind of a little brother band to Blitz, but to me they were on even more of an inept Motorhead trip than a hard oi! style. Basically all their songs sound like that Blitz track “Don’t Need You,” but worse, and with waaaay dumbed down drumming. I mean, make no mistake, I LOVE this band, and I actually think their LP is better than their singles (a RARE occurrence in this game, folks),  but they’re super retarded sounding in the best of ways.
• Charge: Anyone I know is probably sick of me hyping these guys up, but I can’t say enough good things about this band. I’ve loved everything I’ve heard, but this ep “Destroy the Youth” is their finest hour. Musically this ep blends the vitriol of anarcho punk, the tom-based, gloomy rhythms of the best bat cave/4ad bands, and the momentum and energy of UK82. Couple that musical approach with great songwriting and production and you got a full blown classic on your hands. I’m also reminded of early Proletariat, namely in the vocal department, but it’s obvious both bands were drinking from the same well anyways. And, as if that weren’t enough, you also get four tracks on this one, making it even more of a no-brainer, especially since this one won’t break $10.
• Exploited: Listen, I’m an unrepentant fan of the Exploited, but they had one major flaw, which was a lack of quality control. I mean, with 3 LPs and 8 singles between ’80 and ’83 you’d have your fair share of duds too, and unfortunately sticking to the singles won’t necessarily keep you out of harm’s way with these guys. I mean, if I never hear “Barmy Army” or “Singalong-a-Bushell” again, I’d be okay. But “Dead Cities” is a sure bet, all around. The a-side, “Dead Cities,” would be a strong contender if you had to explain the “generic UK82” sound in just one song. It has that bouncy, pogo pace to it, an instantly memorable sing-a-long chorus, and the power to instantly turn off any egghead boner who think’s Nick Cave’s “deep.” On the flip, “Hitler’s In the Charts Again” starts with an intro bass riff lifted off “Warriors,” and follows through with a similarly mid-paced fist-banger. I really like the delivery of “it couldn’t happen here” during the hook, too. “Class War” is kind of an afterthought, but it’s short, sweat, and has a great shouted chorus.
• Angelic Upstarts: I’m a recent Angelic Upstarts convert, and I gotta say, I’m a fool for sleeping on these guys this long. To me, their first single “The Murder of Liddle Towers” is kind of like the UK “Pay to Cum,” in the proto-hardcore sense. Stateside, people generally don’t consider bands like GBH and Exploited hardcore, and think of the “Leather, Bristles, Studs and Acne” crowd as “punk” for whatever reason, which is ridiculous considering the sizable percentage of people who swoon over Buzzcocks and the lot, but thumb their noses at all the Riot City bands and their ilk (then and now, by the way). To me, any of the early 80’s UK bands who weren’t consciously doing a retro-’77 thing (like Erazerhead or Anti-Nowhere League, for instance) were hardcore, period, and bands like Angelic Upstarts and UK Subs (check out their essential “Stranglehold” single this guy has for sale) who adapted and survived from the ‘70s into the ‘80s are analogous to bands like DOA, Misfits, Black Flag, etc. who formed in the punk heyday, but stayed relevant to hardcore audiences. I love the a-side of this single, with its ripping Townsend style leads, but it’s the flip, “Police Oppression,” that bridges the gap from ’77 to ’82. I mean, I like the Stranglers and X Ray Spex and shit, but I’m into hardcore, y’know, so as far as late ‘70s UK punk goes, it’s the harder edged bands like Angelic Upstarts who I can really connect with. As is often the case, this is the Rough Trade version of the single, which goes for way cheap, so check it out.

That’s all I feel like writing about now. All the singles this guy’s selling are fuckin’ solid, though, so if you need to fill out the meat and potatoes of your UK82 collection, have at it.