Moon Records Vol. 2

So, It's been almost a year since my last post. I don't know what happened but time really got away from me. I have recently resurrected the blog, though, and have been going through an updating old posts and preparing some new articles for the near future. First up is the next volume of my trek through the Moon Records catalog.


Dieter Osten- East of Eden (Toast 11/ Toast 12)

This is another weird one from the early Moon catalog. This is a full length album released in 1986 by Dieter Runge, the man who brought you the East of Eden 7" single 2 years earlier, both songs from which can be found on this full length LP. There are only two reggae/ska songs on the album, one being "Sea of Happiness" from the single. The rest of the album is just really good rock and roll. Some of it almost borders on having a Mod influence.

Toasters/Beat Brigade split 7" (Toast 13/ Toast 14)

This 7", released in 1987, contains one song each from The Toasters and Beat Brigade. The Toasters song is "Talk Is Cheap" and is the same version of the song found on their album. The real gem is the Beat Brigade song, "Try and Try Again." Last time we heard from Beat Brigade it was "Armageddon Beat" from N.Y. Beat. That song was a catchy, fun calypso number. This time around it's completely different. "Try and Try Again" is a fast and incredibly catchy ska tune. It might be the fastest song they ever wrote and it's definitely my favorite. From that infectious guitar hook, to the horn lines, to the vocal melody that will have you singing the chorus in your head for weeks after hearing it, it's just about the perfect modern ska song.

Legal Gender/ The Scene split 7" (Toast 15/ Toast 16)

This split 7" between two very cool bands also came out in 1987. Legal Gender only released this one song before going through a slight personnel change and becoming the NY Citizens (more on them later). Their contribution to this split, "Overcast," sounds nothing like the fast, fun, danceable ska the Citizens would become known for over the next couple of years. Instead, it is more of a midtempo, dark, moody ska song with a punk chorus reminiscent musically of what The Scene and The Press were doing at the time. The Scene were a NY punk band who alligned themselves with the NYC ska scene. They had their song "Walking" on NY Beat a year earlier. This time they give us an even better song, "Bruise In Me." It has traces of the Oi the Press were doing at the time, while channeling the mod/punk of early Jam (circa In The City/This Is The Modern World). Where "Walking" was fast and fun in the spirit of '77 punk, "Bruise In Me" shows how they'd grown musically in just one year with a slowed down song that showed off much better and more intricate songwriting while maintaining the catchy, sing-a-long feel of "Walking."

Second Step- Do You Know This Man? b/w 2 Men In Suits (Toast 17/ Toast 18)

Another 7" was planned for release in 1987 but it, unfortunately, never saw the light of day. It's a real shame because Second Step were fantastic and apparently unstoppable and unmatched in a live setting from what I've heard from people who were lucky enough to have been there. There are obvious parallels to be made between Second Step and The Selecteras both had charismatic front women with the occasional male vocal. Neither bands had large horn sections either. The Selecter sometimes used Rico Rodriguez and Dick Cuthell on recordings for trombone and trumpet respectively and Second Step had a permanent sax player and, at least for part of their career, a trombone player. All similarities aside, Second Step did their own thing and did it well. They generally went for a slower reggae sound as opposed to the uptempo ska happening all around them though they indulged in the Manhattan funk/rock sound which permeated through the scene in the late 80's with the song "Friction" (See Urban Blight and the Skinnerbox's Tales of the Red). It's really a shame this single never came to be because both songs are amazing. I have an interrupted live version of "Do You Know This Man?" and a demo of "2 Men in Suits." "Do You Know This Man?" is a very fun song with an incredibly catchy horn line. The verses border on early reggae and ska and is the fastest and most upbeat song I've heard by the band while the chorus goes into a darker reggae before the horns come back in and speed it up. "2 Men in Suits" is a slower reggae with a hypnotic sax riff and a very mod/soul chorus. I recently had the opportunity to see Remi (Second Step's lead singer) perform "2 Men in Suits" with the Beat Brigade at B.B. King's. I'm sure it was the closest I'll ever get to seeing Second Step.

*thanks to Marco on the Bass and Dave Barry for hipping me to more Second Step music than just the one track on the New York Beat LP. They were always one of my favorite bands on the comp and finding out there was more and actually being able to hear it was a great surprise.

Learn more about the Moon Records catalog by reading my previous article on the label here.

Moon Records Vol. 1

The Music

Toasters- The Beat b/w Brixton Beat (Toast 1/Toast 2)

This was the single that started it all. It was released in 1983 and technically wasn't even released on Moon Records, the label on the record says Ice Bear Records. This single is incredibly rare, however, the two songs are available on the out of print Thrill Me Up CD Reissue on Moon Ska (which is WAY easier to find). If I had to compare the A-side, "The Beat," to anything I would compare it to The English Beat. The English Beat (or just The Beat in the UK) were a big influence on Bucket and I hear that in this song. It has that great mod guitar and is only barely a ska song (the keyboard and the drummer are the only instruments that maintain a typical ska beat, and the keyboard cuts in and out throughout the song) however, that doesn't make it any less of a ska masterpiece. "Brixton Beat" is the first version of what would eventually turn into the Toasters' classic "East Side Beat" on their debut LP, Skaboom!. It starts out as a slow dirge and then turns into a mid-tempo, dark ska song with very prominent bass. There's also some chilling female vocals harmonizing with Buck at points but mostly singing Ooooooooh's during the verses. The only thing similar to the more well known version found on Skaboom! is that the horn line on that one is played by the guitar once or twice on this original version.

East of Eden- Mystic Mood b/w Sea of Happiness (Toast 3/ Toast 4)

This single was released in 1984 and was the first release with a proper Moon Records imprint. My info on this is a bit hazy, but from what I understand the main musician is Dieter Runge, and he used a revolving cast of characters for this and the full length he put out a few years later. What I know for sure is he is German and was in a punk band called Rotzkotz from 1977-1981 before moving out to New York and recording this. (I've tried to find some Rotzkotz singles on the internet and the few times over the years they've popped up, they go for far too much money for me to afford.) His East of Eden material is very interesting. "Mystic Mood" is a cool mod-rocker. "Sea of Happiness" is a simple yet incredibly catchy ska song. The chorus will have you singing along immediately and you'll have the melody stuck in your head all day.

Toasters- Recriminations (Toast 5/Toast 6)

It's now 1985, and the Toasters are back with a 4-song 12" EP. This is the beginning of my favorite period of the band's music. These 4 songs are where they begin finding that classic late 80's sound they would perfect on the Skaboom LP. The first side is "Recriminations" and "Razor Cut," two of my favorite Toasters tracks. The flip side is "Run Rudy Run" and "Radiation Skank." This record is their most new-wavey, and since the band still hadn't added any horns to the lineup it's heavy on the guitar and keyboards and "Run Rudy Run" features the melodica work of Joe Jackson, of "Is She Really Going Out With Him?" fame. Bucket knew Joe Jackson through working at Forbidden Planet in London. One day after Buck moved to New York City to work in Forbidden Planet's Manhattan location, Joe Jackson walked into the comic shop and the two caught up. The two British expatriats became friends and drinking buddies. Joe Jackson ended up producing this EP under a pseudonym, due to contractual obligations, and would play melodica with them live whenever he was in town. This EP was re-released twice in 1988 with a new cover on Unicorn Records in the UK and also on Moon Records. It was also added to Skaboom! on both CD reisssues (Moon Ska and Megalith).

Kill Me- s/t (Toast 7/ Toast 8)

This is a funk rock LP released in 1985. I haven't heard it yet (but I did just find a copy which should get to me in the mal in a week or two) but apparently the band consisted of a couple members of the Toasters and Bucket's friends from Forbidden Planet, a comic shop he used to work at.

Various- N.Y. Beat: Hit & Run (Toast 9/ Toast 10)

This comp came out in 1986 and is a landmark album in American ska history in that it was the first American ska compilation. It also means a lot to me as an album because this album is what got me into '80s American ska. Unless you really look deeper, not much is said about American ska music from the 1980's. The Toasters, Fishbone and Bim Skala Bim are the only bands that really get any credit. While those bands are/were great, they were not the only ska bands in town. N.Y. Beat opened my eyes to the fact that there was a coherent ska scene in New York City in the mid-eighties. There was more than just The Toasters, and some of the songs on this LP are arguably better than the 2 Toasters tracks. The bands on this comp are: The Toasters, Beat Brigade, The A Kings, Cryin Out Loud, City Beat, The Daybreakers, The Scene, The Press, Urban Blight, Second Step, The Boilers, Too True, and Floor Kiss. Every song is amazing and every band should have gotten the fame they deserved. My personal favorites are "Armageddon Beat" by Beat Brigade, "Escape from Reality" by Urban Blight, "Oppurtunity" by Second Step, "Brighter Days" by the Boilers, and "Why is the Boat so Small?" by Floor Kiss.

For more info on N.Y. Beat, you can check out the Marcoonthebass blog here and join this Facebook Group to commemorate the 25th Anniversary of the album and read up on all of the bands that were featured on it.

Also, for those of you who love scene comps as much as I do, there is a NY Beat-esque comp devoted to what was going on in Boston called Mash It Up that you should definitely check out if given the chance. The LP is pretty hard to come by, but like NY Beat it was released on CD by Ska Records under the title Skaville USA Volume 2.



****As will be the case in all of these posts dedicated to the early days of Moon Records, The Duff Guide to Ska and Marco On The Bass provided invaluable information. I couldn't have written it without them, and EVERYONE should read those two blogs!*****

Scene Comps.

I've always loved scene comps. They tell a story of what was going on at that particular time in that particular city. There's a sense of camaraderie between bands in a particular scene. You know they know each other, they've played shows together, they probably even hung out. These are the bands you'd see on the bill every week if you went back back in time to these cities. This article is going to be dedicated to four of my favorite scene comps.

No New York

This compilation is an aural snapshot of what was happening on the Lower East Side of Manhattan in 1978. The compilation features four bands: DNA, Mars, Teenage Jesus and the Jerks, and James Chance and the Contortions. The story behind the album is that Brian Eno was in town working on More Songs About Buildings and Food by the Talking Heads and he saw all four of these bands play the same festival. He immediately decided this scene needed to be properly documented.

Like I mentioned in my last article, No Wave is NOT for everybody. For the most part, its dark, noisy, and ugly music (James Chance's music is ugly and noisy, but not usually very dark).


Each band contributes 4 songs to the album, and they were all recorded specifically for the album. At this point in time, this is pretty much the only way to hear these bands, because most of their recorded material has been out of print for years.

Flex Your Head

Flex Your Head was Dischord's 7th release and first LP. This LP showcases all of the bands important to the early years of Dischord Records which, loosely translated, means the best of the best in DC Hardcore. It was released in 1982 and features tracks by The Teen Idles, The Untouchables, State of Alert, Minor Threat, Government Issue, Youth Brigade, Red C, Void, Iron Cross, Artificial Peace, and Deadline. Like No New York, all of these songs are exclusive to this album.

The Teen Idles were Ian Mackaye and Jeff Nelson's (of Minor Threat) second band (their first was the Slinkees). Besides these three songs, they only released one E.P. which is available on Dischord's 1981: The Year in 7"s. They played fast, fun, immature hardcore.

The Untouchables were another early Dischord band that aren't too well known these days but whose members went on to more well known bands. This was Alec Mackaye's (Ian's brother) first band. He went on to form Faith and Ignition. The Untouchables also features Eddie Janney on guitar, who went on to play guitar for Faith and Rites of Spring. Bert Queiroz and Rich Moore also went on to be in the Meatmen. Their songs on this comp are great. They were one of the fastest and angriest of all the early Dischord bands.

State of Alert are probably my favorite band on this album. This is Henry Rollins' first band. S.O.A. formed out of the ashes of another band, The Extorts. When the Extorts' singer, Lyle Preslar, left the band to play guitar for Minor Threat Henry Rollins stepped in after being encouraged to sing by H.R. from the Bad Brains. With a singer in place, S.O.A. was formed. He doesn't think too much of these recordings, which I can't blame him for considering he went on to make a string of amazing Black Flag albums after leaving this band, but these songs are great. They cover "(I'm Not Your) Stepping Stone" by Paul Revere and the Raiders (also covered by the Monkees, Minor Threat, The Untouchables [ found on disc 3 of the Dischord Box Set] The Untouchables [the L.A. mod/ska band] and the Sex Pistols, which was the version all of the D.C. kids knew and loved at the time) They, like the Teen Idles, only released one E.P. which you can get on 1981: the Year in 7"s.

Minor Threat contribute two songs to this album: "Stand Up" and "12XU". "Stand Up" is a classic and "12XU" is a cover originally by Wire.

Void were one of the coolest bands involved in the early D.C. Hardcore scene. Their 3 songs on the comp are amazing. They were the most brutal band in the scene. After this comp they released a split with Faith called Faith/Void.

The remainder of the bands are great as well, and this comp has to be heard to be believed.

This Is Boston, Not L.A.

Here we have an album on the Modern Method label compiling the early Boston Hardcore scene (except for SSD, DYS, and Negative FX who felt they already had theyre own XClaim crew and didn't need to be associated with the Modern Method guys). It was recorded and released in 1982 following on the heels of Dischord's Flex Your Head. The album features Jerry's Kids, The Proletariat, Groinoids, The F.U.'s, Decadence, The Freeze, and Gang Green, who were only 15 years old at the time. It's a diverse record; no two bands sound alike. Jerry's Kids are a straight ahead fast hardcore band, a sound which they would perfect on their later albums. The Proletariat leaned more towards post-punk (think Wire or Pop Group) than hardcore. The Groinoids have one song on this album and it's fast, loud, and short. The F.U.'s are more of a punk band than a hardcore band. It's almost reminiscent of the hardcore punk going on in L.A. in the late 1970's early 1980's. Gang Green's material is possibly the best on the whole album. It's definitely the fastest, loudest, and rowdiest and considering they were 15 years old at the time, that's quite an accomplishment. The Freeze are the most melodic on the album (not melodic like Rites of Spring, though. This is still fast and heavy early hardcore).

N.Y. Beat! Hit & Run

N.Y. Beat, released on Moon Records in 1986, chronicles the early NYC Ska scene. It was also the very first American ska compilation. Moon Records was formed by the Toasters to release their own records and eventually they began releasing more and more. This LP was the label's 5th release. The Toasters are the only band on this album that went on to any sort of fame but that does not make the rest of these bands any less important. The Toasters contribute "Matt Davis" and "Shocker" to this comp while every other band contributes one song each. Beat Brigade, who released a split 7" with the Toasters the following year then seemingly disappeared from the scene contribute one of the albums catchiest songs, the calypso ska of "Armageddon Beat". Also on this album is Second Step, a personal favorite of mine from the early NYC scene. Another one of my favorite early NYC bands, The Boilers, contribute a song as well. This is their first release. Soon after this LP, Jeff Baker (King Django as he would be known as later) joined the band and they released Tap It in 1988 on Ska Records in the UK, which was renamed Rockin' Steady by the label without the band's consent. That same year they contributed a track to Moon's second ska compilation, Skaface and then they called it quits. Though Django was not in the Boilers at the time, he is still on the N.Y. Beat album as a vocalist for Too True. Though this is a mostly a ska album there are three non-ska bands included in the LP. The Press were an oi band and are considered to be America's first oi band. Also included on this album is Downtown favorites Urban Blight. Urban Blight mixed funk, rock, ska, reggae, dub and dance music and they did every style superbly. The third was The Scene. They were punk band in the style of the early Jam records.

This was never released on CD domestically though it was released on LP and CD in the UK as Skaville USA vol. 2.

Many of these bands were immortalized in the first verse of the Toasters' classic "East Side Beat":

"In a beat up Ford Cortina on Saturday night
Second Step and Urban Blight
Here come Boilers to check out The Scene
But that's never Too True if you know what i mean
The reception is cool, so turn up the heat
Come on boys do some East Side Beat"

For more on the 80's NYC Ska scene, see Marc Wasserman's blog "Marco on the Bass." He just recently interviewed Dave Barry about that scene and what it was like playing in all the bands that mattered.