About 20 years ago, I used to belong to this Clash bulletin board, where we sat around all day and talked about all things Clash related because A), we could, and B) Because the band meant that much to us. Kind of like how Religious types talk lovingly about their various deities and whatnot. Anyways, before I go off on a The Clash Changed My Life tangent, to get back to my point, we Clash-aholics did a lot of trading with each other, and I ended up with what I believe to be almost anything and everything Clash related one could dream of, from bootleg concert tapes to live videos. I tell everyone in my inner circle that I wish to be buried with this treasure trove of Clash memorabilia, and I truly mean it. But with the release of this Revolution Rock DVD, maybe there's hope I can replace some of this bootleg stuff with it's legal equal. First off, this remixing job is fucking AMAZING!! To hear the live stuff as pristine and as powerful as it sounds is truly a joy. The footage looks amazingly clear, and I could just rave for days and days as to how this DVD is so fucking good that it makes me cry. Seriously. It mesmerizes you, whether you're watching Joe drooling, twitching and yelling, Paul pouting and posing, Mick dancing and slashing or Topper bopping away, you cannot take your eyes off of what's happening on the stage. The Clash had "it". It's fucking beautiful to watch. My only complaint is about the bit of over lap of stuff that's already available on the Rude Boy DVD (the entire Munich 1977 performance is available on the UK import as a bonus feature), the Westway To The World release or The Essential Clash DVD. Why include any of that stuff AGAIN on this release, when the space saved could of been utilized to show the entire US Festival '83 performance? Or maybe the entire London Music Machine '78 gig? The Friday's set, where they did London Calling as well as Train In Vain. And why isn't the Saturday Night Live appearance on here? With Ron Howard announcing them. The entire New Jersey 1980 gig was professionally shot, in both black and white and color. Why wasn't that included? Will that stuff be turning up on Revolution Rock, Vol. 2? Hope so. For what it is though, this DVD is Crucial. Pick it up and see why this band is truly, The Only Band That Matters. Amen. From Sony Legacy Records.

This sounds good. Like, professionally recorded good and good music wise good. Real energetic, schizophrenic, melodic Alternative music akin to such bands as The Refused, Mars Volta or maybe even At The Drive In. Not exactly Punk, per se, not exactly Alternative, but not bad either. This stuff is infectious, like a case of chlamydia at any Beauty Bar type establishment in Anytown, USA. I was pleasantly surprised at hearing this. The guitar work is bright and wiry, vocals are a little lazy / whiny, but it somehow works for the music being played. The drummer is a creative fuck too. Some great drum lines going on here. This band hails from Portland. I don't remember how I got this CD, but I'd be interested in hearing some more from this band. It's not boring, that's for sure. Check out No Secrets Between Sailors if you're so inclined. Who knows? You might like it. And how bad would that be, huh?

From Oakland, CA., and Bremen, Germany, Christ On Parade... Holy fuck did hearing those words at the begining of this CD give me goose bumps! I literally shit a brick when I saw that this was available for purchase. A live recording from the Tour I was salivating to see, and alas, I never did. Doesn't matter. I saw them more than enough back in the days to last me a lifetime, and this CD is more than enough to bear me through the rest of my days. Yeah, Christ On Parade is one of the many cashing in on the whole 'reunion' thing but gawd damn, I'd be hard pressed to think of anyone I'd rather see back together again, with all original members, and sounding just as good. A blistering, powerful performance captured live at some college radio station, Christ On Parade just shred through a treasure trove of songs from their amazing back catalog, playing with the Passion and Integrity that is sorely missing in so-called Punk bands today. The live sound is amazing, with the guitars sounding like razor blades scratching on fat hunks of steel, the bass just throbbing and pounding inside of your brain, with the drums propelling it all along at not quite the same break neck speed of their earlier, classic material, but who fucking cares? It's in the songs, man, and this shit is just fucking amazing. Riding The Flatlands has been stuck in my head for days now. If you've ever been then you know why. Fucking incredible. Original singer Barrie is aboard, and him and Noah (guitar) do a great job singing all the classics from Sounds Of Nature, as well as The Mind Is A Terrible Thing LP. This band holds a near and dear place in my heart, as anyone who has ever hung around with me knows, and there's no way that I'd ever slag off this CD, even if it sucked, which, thankfully, it doesn't. Pick this up immediately and listen to what Punk Rock was about, circa 1986 or so, and see why I laugh at most bands who call themselves "Punk". Christ On Parade is Punk. You're not. Deal with it.

My Love/Hate relationship with the Vermin continues on unabatted, this time leaning heavily in the direction of the former more than the latter. This CD was like 8 years in the making, and at about the 0:24 mark of the opening track (Boredom Was The Reason) you're glad that they waited as long as they did to release this. This is sooooooo fucking good! Such a blistering, brass knuckle punch to the face. This CD is a godsend from these Vegas "Legends", and it's much appreciated. Dirk's raspy, whiskey soaked bark has lost none of it's sarcastic, venomous, lethal bite, and his guitar work is just as good as it's ever been. Interpret that in any way you see fit. :-) He's no Brian James, but he wishes he was Eddie Van Halen. Go figure. Turbo and Ruckus power the Vermin machine with tight as fuck rhythm rides, dead spot-on stops and starts, and beefy, thick, fat riffs that will have you nodding your head along to the sound. Both of those guys can play the fuck out of their respective instruments, and it definitely shows in this batch of punk tuneage. The Vermin can speed things up ala early China White or the Weirdos, but their real forte is mining from the same motherlode as bands like The Damned did before them. The fast ones (All Of This And Caffeine Too, Go For The Throat) sit alongside nicely to the mid-paced jams like Molotov and You Got A Problem (great song). Where's Nikki? reminds me of being at the Double Down at 4 in the morning after the usual Saturday night shenanigans. Lots of obscure references and funny ass lyrics too. Wearing High Karate in my Maserati / Belting out Punk like I'm Pavarotti... typical Dirk Vermin lyrical content and I love it! LOL This is such a fucking fantastic, great release from The Vermin. Major Kudos to them. Everywhere I go, I see people with this CD in their collection, and I always ask them what they think about the album. I have yet to hear anyone say anything negative about it. It's that good. Pick this up if you haven't already. Let's hope it doesn't take them another 8 years to make another CD this good. Fantastic release.

This is a really good CD. This is a really good band. It's not as easy as you think to have a good band put out a good album, but these guys did it. And not even on their debut release either! What a deal. If Good Riddance had never existed, then No Harm Done would of filled the void nicely of bands that are combining the melody of bands like NOFX with the anger of Black Flag. This band reminds me of Gaslight Anthem, or maybe even Lagwagon. Anthemic, fist in the air songs about Anxiety, Time, and their home state of Florida. The opening song has only 2 words in it - My Escape. Pretty cool. The singer's raspy vocals mesh nicely with the bands semi-Emo Punk music. At least there's lots of 90 degree turns and Stop / Start / Switch tempo bits in all the songs, which keeps things from getting boring. Check this CD out if you're into any of the aforementioned bands. You'll dig it. No Harm Done. Cool stuff.