Battered Wives LP

The Battered Wives were a punk band from Toronto that consisted of Toby Swann (guitar and vocals), Larry "Jasper" Klassen (bass and vocals), John Gibb (guitar) and Cleave Anderson (drums). This was their first release which was a self-release and it came out in 1978 on Bomb Records, the same label that did the Last Pogo compilation, which was like a soundtrack for Colin Brunton's movie. This first Battered Wives album had memorable songs like 'Daredevil', 'Suicide,' 'Freedom Fighters,' and perhaps their best known hit, 'Uganda Stomp (Bomp Idi Bomp)', that poked fun at Ugandan dictator Idi Amin. The band would present a copy of the single to the Uganadan embassy in Ottawa. Although the band was criticized within the scene for being too rock 'n roll or stadium rock sounding, evident in the slow do wop song writing in songs like 'Lovers Balls'. they had a great ability to write a catchy number and come across as an early version of the Toy Dolls. They certainly fit into the camp of punk that worked to offend like the Angry Samoans or the Dickies. This first LP came out in late 1978 or ealry 1979 and was released on red vinyl. The songs on it are:

1. Daredevil
2. I Want it All
3. Get What I Can
4. Uganda Stomp
5. Suicide
6. Angry Young Man
7. You Better Be Right
8. Lovers Balls
9. Everybody Loves a Loser
10. Freedom Fighters

In 1999, the album was re-issued as a CD on Pacemaker Records. This release included the songs:

11. Talkin' Shop Liftin'
12. Something She's Hiding
13. Best Part of a Man
14. Rocking Good Summer
15. Rodeo
16. Bad News

Flyer - Wednesday, March 28th - Saturday, March 31st, 1979

Flyer - Friday March 23rd - Saturday March 24th, 1979

DOA "Triumph of the Ignoroids" 12"

This was DOA's first 12". The record came out on the band's label Friends Records. The recording is live from a Battle of the Bands set that DOA played. But the cover is the big deal. The women sitting in the picture is Margaret Trudeau and was a photo taken in front of the El MoCambo when the Rolling Stones played. This photo appeared on the cover of the Globe and Mail and led to suspicion that Canada's first couple were having marriage problems. It was beleived that Margaret was sneaking around with Mick Jagger or Keith Rochards. I'm not sure which one it was.

As for pressing information there was three different pressings of the 12". According to the band's manager at the time there was three pressings. The first pressing was done in a rush so that the band could take them on their first US tour. This first pressing (1979), had an "un-censored" paper sleeve, with Margaret's genitalia fully exposed. Some pressings had cardboard sleeves.

They sold out the first pressing and so when the band returned to Vancouver they re-did the cover omitting Margaret's shame. This cover was printed with blue ink and cardboard sleeves. There was 1,000 of these pressed.

The third press was done overtly by the label owner. The band had gone back out on tour and the label owner pressed a additionally 1,000 copies without having the original artwork so he photocopied the cover. This is part of the distinguishing feature about this press. The blurry cover. The band was pretty pissed and stopped doing things with Friends Records.

The songs on this 12" are:

1. Nazi Training Camp
2. Want Some Bondage
3. Rich Bitch
4. Let's Fuck

Various Artists "The Last Pogo" LP

This is a compilation that came out to honour the Last Pogo shows. The live shows were recorded by Comfort Sound and released by Bomb Records. The recordings are taken from the two nights at the Horseshoe Tavern on December 1 and 2, 1978. The show was promoted by the Garys. The songs on this compilation are:

1. The Secrets - Teenage Rampage

2. Drastic Measures - Flowers

3. Cardboard Brains - Babies Run My World

4. The Scenics - In the Summer

5. The Scenics - Sunshine World

6. The Mods - Between Four Walls

7. The Everglades - Rock 'n Roll Cliche
8. The Secrets - Shout (cover of the Isley brothers)

9. The Ugly - All Because of You

10. Ishan Band - Egzebier

11. Cardboard Brains - Jungles

12. Drastic Measures - Mr. America

13. The Everglades - I'm in a Coma

14. The Mods - Step Out Tonight

Below are the covers for the record which had an extensive thank you list that is a who's who of the early Toronto punk scene. The flipside is a great collage of photos.

The Red Squares "Ottawa Today" ep

The Red Squares were a punk band from Ottawa. This was released on a label called Double Helix and the labels were on the wrong side. The songs on this are:

1. Transmitter
2. Ottawa Today

They can be downloaded at Killed by Death Records.

The Fits "Bored of Education" ep

The Fits were one of the first wave Toronto bands. They were overshadowed for a number of reasons but they did self-release an ep titled "Bored of Education" on Stage Fright Records and was limited to 800 pressed. the songs on here are:

1. Just Lust

2. Bored of Education

3. Sailing to Hell

The band was brought back to attention with teh "Smash the State" comps as they appeared on the ep that was released with the book and the first comp LP.

The 'B' Girls "Fun at the Beach" ep

The B Girls were an all girl group from the Toronto punk scene. the band featured Cynthia and Rhonda Ross, Lucasta, and Xenia Splawinsky. The band played the Crash 'n Burn, Club David's, the Horseshoe and the Edge and got to play ine New York City. there is a photo of them hanging out with Deborah Harry. Cynthia was engaged to Stiv Bators of the Dead Boys. The Go-Gos guitarist wrote the B-Girls on how to start up a punk band. They opened for the Clash on the "London Calling" tour. Greg Sgaw on Bomp Records was inpried by the band and released them on his label. The songs on here are:

1. Fun at the Beach

2. B Side

Cardboard Brains "The White" ep

The Cardboard Brains were a big part of the Queen Street art bands for the Toronto punk scene. The band featured

John Paul Young (vocals, keyboards)

Vincent Carlucci (guitar, vocals)

Richard Miller (drums)

Paul O'Connell (bass)

Patrick Gregory (bass, vocals; replaced O'Connell 1978)

Mickel Keena (drums; replaced Miller 1978)

John Thomas (bass; replaced Gregory 1979)

Dave Richardson (drums; replaced Keena 1979)

The band originally formed in 1977 and played places like The Edge and The Horseshoe Tavern and played with bands like the Viletones, Teenage Head and The Ugly. With several line-up changes the band continued developing its unique cross of King Crimson-inspired art-punk which led to the release of a 12" 1979's four song follow-up called 'The Black EP' -- which contained the 7" single as a free bonus. That same year the band would achieve its biggest claim to fame when they were immortalized on film and record for their performance as part of the 'The Last Pogo' movie and soundtrack recording.

The band reunited for the Edge's brief resurrection and anniversary celebration April 26, 1981. Recordings from this performance were released as a live album in 1982 before the band split up for good. Patrick Gregory went on to become a member of Woods Are Full Of Cuckoos and The Lawn; Vincent Carlucci would form Station Twang with Carl Tafel of Terraced Garden fame; John Paul Young is a successful actor in many Canadian television productions and has contributed to movie soundtracks such as 'The Gate'. He has since resurrected the Cardboard Brains on several occasions for club dates in Toronto, initially to coincide with the John Paul Young And Cardboard Brains 'best of' compilation CD, and then in 2000 as a prelude to a possible new Cardboard Brains recording project.

Arson "(Living with the) White Folks" ep

Arson featured the following folks:

Rudy Tuesdai [nee Rude Van Steenes] (vocals)

Marcel Lafleur (guitar; backing vocals)

Nick Neurotic (drums)

Tony Lester (guitar; added as second guitarist)

Steve Goode (bass)

Spike Bandito [nee Mark Gammage] (bass)

Mike "Motor X" Anderson (drums; replaced Neurotic)

Chic Parker (guitar; replaced Lester)

Rudy Tuesdai fronted this short-lived proto punk act from Toronto's Queen Street circuit from 1978 through 1982. Tuesdai and Lafleur were joined by Lester and Neurotic to rehearse in the Old Rose Theater on Queen Street. Steve Goode, from The Poles, rounded out the line-up on bass. Gammage replaced Steve Goode on bass in 1979. The group fought tooth and nail for their own gigs including opening slots for The Ugly and The Viletones. Legendary Toronto promoters, The Gary's helped the band out by slotting them in on Dead Boys tour dates alongside London, Ontario band The Demics. Arson were recognized as one of the first independent acts to self-finance and organize their own tour taking them through Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Detroit, Chicago, Milwaukee, Long Island and two weeks in New York City.

The two songs on this ep were re-released on a "Smash the State ep that came out with the book and the first Smash the State LP. These were released on No Exit Records.

Tyranna characature

Drawn by Rabies.

Flyer - Thursday March 8 - Saturday March 10, 1979

Zine - The Pig Paper #10b

Click for download

This issue starts out wuith a piece on the Ugly Ducklings playing for the first time in a decade. There is a great piece on the Clash coming to town in support of "Give 'em Enough Rope" and self-promoting as how at the Rex-Danforth theatre. There is a gossip section which talks a lot about probelms with the "Last Pogo" LP getting released. There is gossip about the Poles being signed to John Cale's label, the Forgotten Rebels needing a drummer, and releases by Teenage Head, the Diodes and Martha and the Muffins. There was also a Pig Guide for shows back in March 1979. Lots of great bands played here including Ultravox, the Police and 999.

Flyer - Thursday, March 1st - Saturday, March 3rd, 1979