The ALMIGHTY LUMBERJACKS OF DEATH: Legendary patriotic American Oi! from the Motorcity of Detroit - THE SOUL OF THE STORM.

Hey guys and oh boy, yes, trust your eyes, hell yeahr, because oh fuck yes yeah', it's back, yes, the "AMERICAN Oi! HISTORY SERIES" finally and really makes its glorious (and by far too long overdue) return up here and this time it had been really freakin' fuckin' ages since the last article (paying tribute to the almighty STARS & STRIPES from Boston, MA/U.S.A.) came up here sort of damn six years ago in the late summer of 2012. I just read over the mentioned last article recently and oh boy was I wrong back then, because not only took it not only a year before this very one here finally is following it up but more or less six straight years, goddamn it, it almost feels a bit like a different life back then… okay, keeping in mind that I back then just got still a bit recently 31 years old and was just starting to go through some damn tough years to come that's maybe not that wrong after all. But anyhow six years, yes, that's still sort of a statement. (Also incredible that I still or sort of again-still run this very blog here.) How this all came to happen and so on I will here and now spare you and me, anyhow anyway, but by looking at what band this very article here and now will (finally) be paying tribute to this all is even more starting to really feel a bit 'surreal'. Like the headline/name of this article tells you (or at least should have told you already) this time here and now it will all be about no one else and/or no one less than the, yes, (al)mighty ALMIGHTY LUMBERJACKS OF DEATH, the patriotic Motorcity Madmen from the city of Detroit. This was planned already back then in 2010 and 2011 as one of the earlier posts of or in this nowadays (more or less) well aged posting series up here but was then held back by me because it was sort of meant to be published in a german printzine back then at the time but this should then ultimately never came to happen and then it sort of fell overboard… hm... and then right now, yes, it is really so much about time and already again by far too much bla-bla-bla and so now here we are and so enough of my anyhow already by far too long introducing smalltalking rambling(s), yes, and so now finally and ultimately here we go again…!!!

Starting this all now off with the confused questions concerning the "What?" and "Why?" of/about the anyhow/anyway also still today pretty weird and for sure damn unusual (but also damn cool) bandname that there is/was the ALMIGHTY LUMBERJACKS OF DEATH. The bandname came to happen like the underground-fame of the band, too, it developed over time and sort of just 'accidentitally' and so someday the band rampaged under the banner of (the) ALMIGHTY LUMBERJACKS OF DEATH just like the band someday was enthusiastically hailed in/by the underground by Oi! hardknocks and Streetpunk die-hards. They started out in the 1980's as a local Punkrock band jamming and roaring in their hometown and local suburbs with their original line-up consisting out of Danny Mason as their lead singer, the 'Big Dog' at the guitar, Pat 'Scruff' Shaw playing the bass, and Jeff Gordon beating the drums and more and more their weekly to daily practises with the band turning into rampaging parties and little/small concerts with a big bunch of friends and likeminded people/persons attending their practises in ever growing numbers and celebrating a damn good time together with the band. More or less (and again) 'accidentially' the signature sound'n'style of the ALMIGHTY LUMBERJACKS OF DEATH should develop heavily during that certain time period, and it was exactly that specific and back then in their area and maybe also espcially in the U.S.A. in general very unusual or untypical sound'n'style that should cause their ongrowing underground-fame. While back then pretty much anybody and everybody was looking to come up with (more or less) melodic and fast paced Skate Punk/Hardcore/Crossover in the tradition of or like bands like BLACK FLAG and D.R.I. and such stuff the ALMIGHTY LUMBERJACKS OF DEATH took the or a pretty opposite direction. First simply due to the fact that primarly their drummer simply couldn't keep up with the higher fast paced tempo they slowed down and this all 'just' to develop over time their very own sound'n'style of stoic hammering, harsh and heavy, hard stomping mid paced (Street-) Punk that further down the road should finally lead them to develop their damn own and unique interpretation of (American) Oi! musick for which they gained and gathered sort of their very own cult-following over time and their ongrowing underground-fame. To say it with the words of 'Big Dog' of the ALMIGHTY LUMBERJACKS OF DEATH himself: "It was kind of like the invention of pizza. We stumbled upon it by accident and everybody seemed to dig it." The band and their ever-growing circle of friends used to even set up their own club named the "THE WEST SIDE BOOT BOYS". Their first famous signature sing-a-long chants (and anthems) like for example "Drink Beer!" and "West Side!" were brought up by Danny Mason but things really took off'n'up when Jimmy Doom joined the ALMIGHTY LUMBERJACKS OF DEATH. The band went through some to a lot of ('troubled') line-up-changes that all came with some sort of controversy but should maybe finally make the band better or so to say. The clubhouse of (the) "THE WEST SIDE BOOT BOYS" was a 'landmark' in Detroit and for the local Oi!/Punk/Hardcore scene and not only more or less every day some sort of action and/or party used to take place and not only did the ALMIGHTY LUMBERJACKS OF DEATH used to spend a lot of their time exactly there but it was also the place where after the bars closed their doors you could find the ALMIGHTY LUMBERJACKS OF DEATH regulary up on stage playing live every friday and saturday night from 3am on. Chaos and destruction, ramapge and party where all around. And still the ALMIGHTY LUMBERJACKS OF DEATH managed to make it to the big(ger) venues and shared stages with acts like THE EXPLOITED, G.B.H., the CIRCLE JERKS, and also SOCIAL DISTORTION who were all bringing (far) over 500 kids to the shows everytime (we're still to be found in the late 1980's to the early 1990's, keep that in mind) and Punk (and Hardcore and Oi!) was (/were) getting bigger and bigger and the ALMIGHTY LUMBERJACKS OF DEATH were one of the many bands in the middle of it all fueling enthusiastically only even more fuel'n'fire to the flames. Things were looking nice, right, and then…

...and then "Operation Desert Storm" happened and 'it all' became 'ugly'. A lot of the scene, the people in it and the bands of it, took an anti-war standpoint and burned their flags, joined communist groups, started protesting the war (sort of without really knowing for what they were or would be protesting anyhow with protesting against the war but that's another story) and this more or less all 'simply' also to show a middle-finger to the establishment and the(ir) 'warmongering politicians'. The ALMIGHTY LUMBERJACKS OF DEATH and their "THE WEST SIDE BOOT BOYS" crew and their fans more or less in general took the exact opposite standpoint, showed that middle-finger(s) right back, waved the american flag with honour and pride, spoke out pro the troops and voiced their opinions through their musick and their lyrics loudly and proudly. Especially Jimmy Doom, who along the way replaced Danny Mason as the lead singer of the ALMIGHTY LUMBERJACKS OF DEATH, wrote fantastic and very outspoken lyrics to voice the patriotic opinion of the band. In that in a 'political-sense' very overheated situation and time the ALMIGHTY LUMBERJACKS OF DEATH further on sharpened their 'musical profile' with 'ongoingly' nothing but getting stronger and better all the time. And also again new band members joined the band and no matter if they stayed long or short in the ranks of the ALMIGHTY LUMBERJACKS OF DEATH they left their marks and helped to develop the sound'n'style of the band further on. One or maybe even the best and most prominent example for that was/is Jiney Jim (who also played in the damn fantastic ROGUES, another great American Oi! legend from Detroit) who joined the band for a short while and took over the drums delivering that precise and harsh stomping Oi! Oi! Oi! beat that should help the band immensely and lead the band to sharpen their unique American Oi! musick even far more, despise the only short while he was with/in the band. And so the band wrote some of their biggest hymns and hits with Jiney Jim at the drums, like for example "GANGLAND" and "WORKING CLASS KIDS". It also helped surely quite a bit that the ALMIGHTY LUMBERJACKS OF DEATH back then were completly into that fantastic classic English Oi! we all still love today and that all the stuff they wrote songs about were authentic, honest, and heartfelt experiences and opinions that they voiced within and throughout their ever stronger gowing musick. Soon after Jiney Jim left the band again sort of ''as soon as he joined'' the band found their new drummer in and with Cliff "born to kill" Hill and after this they step-by-step should finally reach their full prime, even a lot of ''troubled'n'troubling'' line-up-changes really took place on-and-on-again and the band for sure wasn't the band anymore that once started in the basements of Detroit (so to say) with finally "Big Dog" being the final original or founding member at the end of this development. The shows were anyhow all the time and even more'n'more pure enthusiastic mayhem and 'onslaughting' chaos unleashed filled to the absolute max with violent circle pits, ever-retreating bouncers at the shows, audiences regulary taking over the stage, flying stage divers and also flying beer-bottles all the time everywhere, rivers of beer flooding through the halls and venues, open fights, even bloody brawls at/on stage, and the ALMIGHTY LUMBERJACKS OF DEATH over the years became headliners in Detroit having nation-wide far more famous acts opening for them and with having close ties to formidable legendary acts like MURPHY'S LAW. But over the years and maybe to all the madness-energy and the incredible intensity and maybe or surely also due to ever-on-going line-up-troubles the ALMIGHTY LUMBERJACKS OF DEATH should finally 'die-out', (with) maybe having sort of burnt too bright and too intense for a too long while and so they faded away and the bandmembers went seperate ways and founded new bands. The most prominent and best known bands of that "followers" are for sure "Big Dog's" very own 'new' bands COLD AS LIFE and SWORN ENEMY.

Over their time of existence the ALMIGHTY LUMBERJACKS OF DEATH never released that much of records/albums and their discography is rather short/small… very short/small. They only released (for all what I know and if I now not miss out on something) two tapes. In 1989 their tape (I think it was later on also released on vinyl as a 7'') "ALWAYS OUT OF CONTROL BUT NEVER OUT OF BEER" was released and soon becoming an underground-hit, and then in 1991 their "SOUL OF THE STORM" tape was released again causing much havok in the scene. It wasn't until 2005 when the glorious "DISCONNECTED RECORDS" finally released the fantastic "ALWAYS OUT OF CONTROL BUT NEVER OUT OF BEER - THE COMPLETE COLLECTION" CD that the ALMIGHTY LUMBERJACKS OF DEATH released (or) sort of finally a proper full-length-album for their fans. And, yes, if you really still don't have that CD you should try anything to still find somewhere a copy of it for you. The ALMIGHTY LUMBERJACKS OF DEATH played a mid-paced orientated and very heavy and energetic, strong rocking and sort of a despise the anthemic and hymnal character also still pretty dark style of American Oi! filled with dirty, noisy, heavy, and strong rocking guitar work, harsh and yet still melodic delivered and highly charismatic lead vocals (also at the Right moments nicely backed up), an evil and pissed-off roaring bass at work, and forceful and onward pushing pure power drumming, delivering great done verses as well as highly addictive refrains full of huge sing-a-longs and that's still today as fresh as it (so I think) was back then for example in 1989 or 1991. It was really so damn much about time that I finally pay my heartfelt tribute and show them my honest honour and give them my enthusiastic praise up here and so this article/post really was by far too much overdue and I'm glad (and maybe even a bit sort of proud) that it really finally saw the damn light of the day right here and right now (even at minimum six years too late… how-ever, better late then never, I guess). The ALMIGHTY LUMBERJACKS OF DEATH, one of the greatest unforgotten legends in the glorious history of American Oi! and, again, by any means make sure to try your best to do everything to still find a copy of their above mentioned 2005 CD (re)release and then make sure to grab it and never let it loose again. All hail the ALMIGHTY LUMBERJACKS OF DEATH. Cheers & Oi! Oi! Oi!

So, yes, that's it or that was finally the newest and current post/article in/of the "AMERICAN Oi! HISTORY SERIES" up here. (Yes, sometimes the dead really come back.) I hope you enjoyed it, I had much fun writing it, and I especially hope that you got curious because of it for the ALMIGHTY LUMBERJACKS OF DEATH, yes, that would definitely be damn fucking great. Currently I would say that one sooner or later day this very series of articles/posts up here finally really will continue up here again. Don't ask me when but, so much I can say, it won't take again six years (not at least because if you ask me right now I wouldn't say that six years more from now on down the road I will still be doing this blog anyhow anyway, no, I really don't think so), and so just stay tuned for more of this to come in the future one sooner or later day. Until then, yes, maybe check out some of the other stuff up here you may enjoy it (as well) and never forget to always have a laugh and always have a say. Oi! Oi! Oi!

ALMIGHTY LUMBERJACKS OF DEATH - "A.L.D."

ALMIGHTY LUMBERJACKS OF DEATH - "DRINK BEER"

ALMIGHTY LUMBERJACKS OF DEATH - "MOTOR CITY TRICK OR TREAT"

ALMIGHTY LUMBERJACKS OF DEATH - "DRINK BEER" (live, reunited in 2015)

American Oi! Patriots from Boston: The legendary STARS & STRIPES ... it's time to drop the bomb on 'em all... Oi! Oi! Oi!

Hey folks, I know that it's been about freak fuckin' ages since the last post of this one, of the ''AMERICAN Oi! HISTORY SERIES'', came along the way up here, hm, but anyhow, now it's not only really about time and for far too long overdue but also now the time is up, the next one is coming right in through and like announced back then in the days of 2011 this time our journey leads us up to Boston, MA/U.S.A. back to the end of the 1980's and the ly beginnings of the 1990's and its very prominent and well-reputated scenery of Oi!, Hardcore, Streetpunk and Punkrock and its legendary American Oi! heroes of STARS & STRIPES, the - if you want or like to say it so - pure thru and thru Oi! Oi! Oi! sideproject of Choke from SLAPSHOT. I really love this band - or to say it precise: I loe both bands - since I discovered them for the very first time ever back then. A stand alone and damn great band, that should be also interesting for the Hardcore silverbacks out there that know about their roots and heritage. But before we go ahead on futher deeper into the subject of this very post I have some few general words for you all interested in the U.S. side of Oi! music to tell, so here we go...

I've started this posting series pretty much directly in 2010 (more or lessdirectly) when I started this blog as some sort of a resumption of my then pretty much dead printed fanzine of the name of "MANSLAUGHTER FANZINE BAD HARZBURG" and while I don't want to go any deeper into it because the reasons why this blog was born, the "MANSLAUGHTER THUG LIFE" blog, and why not finally a new printed issue came out again some day I have explained pretty much back then with the vey first post ever up here and so and also because this isn't the place for it I will spare me and you every word more about it even thinking about it that this goes now on for already more or less three years in a row makes me a little bit proud not at least because the amount of readers was over all the time very good and pretty high on a regular basis and this all for a blog that offers absolutely no downloads beside some download links that had been already officialy up by the bands or labels itself, yes, I think that's not that bad at all, especially when I have the very weak second half of 2011 in my mind and the very slow restart in 2012, so yes, not that bad after all, and thans very much especially and first and foremost to you, my dear readers, thanks for your respect and support and appreciation, thanks. Also to all the fellow bloggers who linked the blog and the work of me up here on their great sites, like Bernando and his great blogs up there ("THE U.S. OF Oi! OF SWEDEN" - http://usofoiofsweden.blogspot.de/, "VHS-PLOITATION" - http://vhs-ploitation.blogspot.de/?zx=d681035182c8e01e, and "FUCK YEAH!!!!!! - VOL. II" - http://bernandofuckyeah.blogspot.se/), the D.U." crew (http://downunderground.blogspot.de/), the great guys of SUFFER THE PAIN (can't wait for your new demo to finally come out - http://sufferthepain.blogspot.se/), Ryan of CRUCIAL CHANGE and - hopefully some day back to life comin' - the "THE SPIRIT OF YESTERDAY" blog (http://thespiritofyesterdayoi.blogspot.de/), the "CRUST DEMOS" crew (check the great http://crust-demos.blogspot.de/ blog out asap)  and the others I now maybe have forgotten about, thanks guys. So, okay, after this ''global words'' and now some general words about the future of the ''AMERICAN Oi! HISTORY SERIES'' up here. After now something like a full year used to pass me and you by I thought over it all a little bit then and now here and there and after first thoughts go like this should be the final and very last post of this posting series at least for now I finally changed this view on it quite a bit...

I started this series of posts back then because, yes, because of the very simple reasons that American Oi! music was and is and still is and surely will remain one of my personal favorite styles of music ever, as well as Oi! beside Hardcore was and is exactly this for me, my personal absolute favorite kind of music (even not in all its foms), and American Oi! is simply my favorite of it, period. Over the first two years I started to want to go more and more into some sort of a somehow ''complete'' and especially chronological affair... and this was in contrast of what I wanted to do in the first place... just post the bands that mean the most to me and pay them some honour, or at least try to do so, and now that's exactly what I will do from now on again. Giving a fuck about any correct timeline and also not trying to be anyhow ''complete'' up here, just paying tribute and giving some honour to my own personal favorites and so especially this post about STARS & STRIPES is a great restart that could not had been anyhow better, it's great, period. Anyone looking out for some pretty complete, of course always subjective, not chronological and very frequently ongrowing and very deep going detailed overview on the U.S. of Oi! should go to the already above mentioned great "THE U.S. OF Oi! OF SWEDEN" blog (http://usofoiofsweden.blogspot.de/) and will find a lot to discover and there also including downloads of all the stuff. So, okay, the diretion is now that I don't know what will come up next, maybe again a band of the golden 1980's, or one of the amazing and legendary 1990's of American Oi!, or one of the militant first decade of the 2000's or maybe also a current active band, we will see how the story finally will go on. This means not that the posts so far had been done at least partially just for the record or history books or so, no, from U.S. CHAOS to DOC. MARTEN (the so far last entry of this very series) it had been favorites of mine that found their place up here, some more, some less, for sure, but they all have a special place in my record collection. But I headed to realize a more ''complete'' and especially chronoligal done approach and this I decided to cut and return to the original idea behind this posting series, so this is all meant. So, okay, after I used to figure this out for myself I am finally pretty curious about continuing this very posting series here again, and even I don't have a clou how frequently and regular new posts of it will after this one later on again come up here I hope and think that the posting pause in this category won't take a year again, trust me upon this. Btw, and I'm also very happy that now with this post finally again something with more weight is coming up here again, not only reviews of records, zines, and movies, not only video postings or some news lines or so, no, finally something more is coming up here again, and you know what, it's pretty overdue, at least if you ask me. And now onward with this post...

STARS & STRIPES - "SHAVED FOR BATTLE"

"OUR HEADS ARE SHAVED FOR BATTLE AND THAT'S WHAT WE'RE GONNA DO!!!"

- PATRIOTIC AMERICAN Oi! FROM BOSTON, MA/U.S.A. -

"COPS ARE WAITING AT THE STOP, WE'LL BE HEADED TO THE TOP, TIME TO DO THE SUBWAY STOMP!!!"

STARS & STRIPES - "DROP THE BOMB"

Okay, so here we finally go again, "Oi! Oi! Oi!" and so it goes: The legendary and infamous SLAPSHOT had been alredy around for quit a while when around 1989 Choke and some of his friends decided to start a thu and thru American Oi! band and so it happened that one of the very best ever and also one of the most controversial and most hated and heavily discussed bands ever saw the light of the day, the almighty STARS & STRIPES. The rumors go that they recorded under this name because they did music that would not had been tolerated or accepted under the name of SLAPSHOT, so they named it all STARS & STRIPES. After SLAPSHOT had always been a at least controversial and surely not politically correct band (but had also never been anyhow a bullshit anyway WP/NS/what-so-ever crap band, lightyears away they had been and are from this retarded scumbags, even most of the whole oh so brave german AFA nutjobs as well as a lot of the brain- and buttfucked NS/WP idiots over here refuse to understand this simple thing) I think this interpretation is pure bullshit, even music-wise STARS & STRIPES are clearly an Oi! and not an Hardcore band, that's also pretty damn clear. The legend goes that Choke always loved Oi! music right from the start (listen to SLAPSHOT and you get this pretty clear as well) and so he found in Jordan Wood (a.k.a. Griggs) and Andy MacKaye two equal minded friends that thought and felt the same way and so STARS & STRIPES were born. Like they should sing it shortly after this in their anthem "AMERICAN Oi!" where the words went respectively go like this:

"Red alert and the 4 Skins were always our favorite bands,

but all the bands we listened to were from foreign lands.

We needed something to call our own, something to listen to.

We'll borrow what they started and make it Red, White & Blue.

AMERICAN Oi! - AMERICAN Oi! - Answer the call!

AMERICAN Oi! - AMERICAN Oi! - You know we'll never fall!

AMERICAN Oi! - AMERICAN Oi! - The ground work has been set!

AMERICAN Oi! - AMERICAN Oi! - You ain't seen nothin' yet!

Well, now we've got our Skinhead scene and it's strong as it's proud.

You know our bands play real hard and you know they play it loud.

Soon there will be so many of us, heads will turn our way.

You're living your greatest nightmare, yes, we're here to stay."

STARS & STRIPES - "AMERICAN Oi!"

They took what they loved and made their very own U.S. American Oi! thing out of it. STARS & STRIPES started playing and writing their first songs and soon they should release their debut record, the 7'' single "DROP THE BOMB", headlined by the infamous anthem "DROP THE BOMB", a brilliant song that should hurt their reputation pretty much at least in the ranks of the self proclaimed leftwingers and P.C. appeaser cowards. But thankfully they gave and give a fuck about it and them. No matter if you like this offending lyrical assault about bombing the middle east to solve the terrorist problem once and for all, but even some might can discuss about the words it sung in, but hey, it's Oi!/Streetpunk/Hardcore/Punkrock musick and no Shakespeare lyric stuff, and maybe some could also dislike and refuse to agree on what they sing about and discuss the by them proposed solution to this topic but if you like it or not you can't deny that they hit the nail right on its head, and I bet that deep down inside you can't silence the voice that knows and tells you that they were and still are  totally right with this... and last but not least no one cared and still no one cares that even MANOWAR back then used to know and sing this as well. Just remember "WARLORD"?!? If not, hm, then lisen to it, you stupid nutjob, and this you can do here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmQx10GFD-k!!! But maybe it's just the old story again, that goes like if Skinheads sing about things like this in a drastical militant and non-P.C. way then they are all promptly labeled Nazis and Fascists and scum like this, but when - for example - a bunch of leather wearing Metalheads sing about the same topic in the same way no one cares because they are allowed to do so because of their long hair, clothes in shining leather, and stuff like this, hm, or something like this... it sucks... so better don't care about it and just forget about it as well, point and fact. (But, btw, the mentioned MANOWAR song is a true anthem as well, and even far more non-P.C. than the one STARS & STRIPES had done, haha;-)!!!) The "DROP THE BOMB" single was a two song - or should I better say a two anthem - release,with the title track on Side A and the great also pretty patriotic "TIME TO LIVE, TIME TO DIE" on Side B of the single album release. Both songs are damn anthems and totally larger than life, and so it won't make anyone wonder about the fact, that "TAANG! RECORDS" took both songs and used them as bonus tracks on the rerelease of their amazing "SHAVED FOR BATTLE" debut album (primarly released in 1989 as well as the 7'' single) back then in 1998. Btw, the 7'' single "DROP THE BOMB" was released on the legendary and for all what I think to know today sadly enough pretty dead "VULTURE ROCK RECORDS" label and this, yes, like already mentioned, in 1989.

STARS & STRIPES - "NOTHING TO FIGHT FOR ANYMORE"

This, their debut album, "SHAVED FOR BATTLE" was also released in 1989 and this on Chokes very own label "PATRIOT RECORDS". There also a great act like FORCED REALITY released their stuff, also one hell of an amazing band that will also become a part of this "AMERICAN Oi! HISTORY SERIES" up here one day, as well as the roughnecks from Boston in THE BRUISERS that for all what I think to know also were on "PATRIOT RECORDS" for a while back then and will also one day become a - prominent - part of this very posting series up here, I'm just looking for some sources to get some proper informations about them both from some reliable ressource(s) - what is especially in the case of FORCED REALITY pretty hard (so if you have some stuff to or about them just drop a line and get in contact with me). Time will tell, back to the topic. With this album they took the aggression and heat and tension and decided to piss all the mentally amok running folks even far more off, with militant and battle-scarred patriotic lyrics that are also clearly aimed against all scumbags, against liberal appeasers and conservative traitors and of course against commie activists and this whole ''djihad-ists" out there, pro veterans and pro nation and constitution... and this was and is enough for some mentally retarded nutjobs to also often still somehow labe them as Fascists, Nazis, Racists and a thru and thru hate band of the far right. Too many bullshit idiots out there, period. This album is very outspoken and patriotic, militant and also for sure filled with some aggressive conservative views, no doubt about it. Also no doubt that they meant and still mean it all very serious. But also this album is so far over the top and ironical as well as self-ironical that it's pretty clear that it is also in parts a pretty open exaggeration of all what they got attacked with, also no doubt about it. If you are into SLAPSHOT and Chokes lyrical work you know that he's a master of this tongue-in-cheek exaggeraion and knows to work with this to its perfection. And so he does or did with STARS & STRIPES. As far as most of the critics on this album don't get this also a lot of the supporters of this album don't get this as well. It's a great thing to keep this true and real and authentic attitude and deliver the message as well as make jokes out of yourself and your supporters as well as critics that don't get the point and also include a self-ironic approach to it. Brilliant!!! That's, beside the phenomenal music, is why I love this album so incredible very much, a groundbreaking album, lyrical and musical, period. Back then during their original or first stint as a band STARS & STRIPES only played one single live show, together with the other American Oi! legends in FORCED REALITY and their Boston mates of THE BRUISERS. For this show they needed to recruit some friends to their ranks and the flyer to this legendary show you can see somewhere above in this very post. After this short period it should become more and more silent around STARS & STRIPES and pretty soon they went seperate ways for many years. But their legend and legacy became more and more immortal and lived on around the world and every Oi! addict knew and know that they created one hell of an stand-alone groundbreaking album. And all had been left desperately waiting and being left thirsty/hungry for more and demanding for it... Btw, like already above mentioned, in 1998 their debut was finally rereleased via "TAANG! RECORDS".

STARS & STRIPES - "HERE'S ONE FOR THE LADS"

Lyrically and musically this was some sort of the end of the first era of this band named STARS & STRIPES - surely more was just about to come but it took one hell of a long while before so - with creating hard knocking, fury stomping and heavy beating Oi! music full of hard, sharp, dry and just heavy and pretty diverse guitar work, rumbling bass and military style storming drumming. And above all throned Chokes amazing and incredible characteristic and hard and smart, pissed off lead vocals, backed up by some healthy doses of massive back up chants. Only a very slightly Hardcore influence is to be noticed and the songwriting as well as the skilled playing of the instruments had been and still are damn fucking bloody great, and for miles far above your average run of the mill bullshit wasted on a drink pseudo "Oi!" music. In every way a truly groundbreaking album, I would proclaim it a "decade making album" if you know what I want to say with this words. I think to the lyrics and their lyrical approach I already said or written enough  and so I will spare me the words here and now. Instead of this we will go on in time and history, because the time of STARS & STRIPES wasn't back then in 1989 already ran out through...

STARS & STRIPES - "SKINHEADS ON THE RAMPAGE"

It should take thirteen years for STARS & STRIPES untill they should come together again in 2002 when Chris Lauria rejoind SLAPSHOT and with them also refiring STARS & STRIPES where he now should play the bass and the band decided to come back, recording a new full length album that should be finally released in 2004 on "I SCREAM RECORDS", announced right after the release of the brilliant "DIGITAL WARFARE" (''comeback'') album of SLAPSHOT. To point it out and say and set it straight right from the start: I love this album of the very name of "ONE MAN ARMY"!!! They got a lot of heat for or because of this album, again you might can say, but this time not because some clueless retarded weak hearted felt offended by the political lyrics and its messages (beside some AFA nutjobs who will never get it in their selfrighteous way of living their lies called lifes), but because a lot of guys attacked them because they refused to make a "SHAVED FOR BATTLE" Vol. II. But insetad singing again over the top patriotic Skinhead anthems they rather decided to sing also damn self-ironical Hooligan hymns, and this was too much for all the self-proclaimed ''die hards'' and ''hard knocks'' out there. The lyrics were great, point and fact, especially the self-ironical-exaggation was and is totally great again and also the lyrics are damn authentic especially if you keep in mind that Choke pretty much surely never was involved in a real Hooligan gang fight. Also musically they changed a little bit the direction, and while the back then very slightly to be recognized Hardcore influence was totally gone they also played it all more a little bit more melodic and with a bit Streetpunk influence in it, but still standing true to their american idea of Oi! and that's just great. Fuck the "die hard" and "hard knock" critics on this album, clear your mind and forget any expectation of getting a "SHAVED FOR BATTLE" Vol. II and you will enjoy this great album. Okay, that it can't beat "SHAVED FOR BATTLE" anyhow should be clear right from the start is not a failure of the band and is making this album not in a single way worse and was also pretty clear right from the start, and so their decision to make something really new was even more right and deserves even more respect.

STARS & STRIPES - "HANG ON TO YOUR DREAMS"

This is it for now, the end of this post as well as the end of the story so far of STARS & STRIPES. SLAPSHOT still use to play STARS & STRIPES songs live on stage sometimes these days and maybe we will see a thrid full length album of this great ''project''-band some one day. I would cheer up to it, for sure. For now I just hope that you've enjoyed reading through this article at least a little bit as much as I enjoyed writing it finally down. Even it turned out to be a hell of a lot of work, haha;-), I can tell you. But that's nothing wrong with anyhow. Closing this article I will very soon give you some more videos of STARS & STRIPES anthems beside the ones already watched/viewed by you or so, so you can enjoy this almighty legends from the States directly through their music, because not at least that's how it's meant to be. Don't know when the next "AMERICAN Oi! HISTORY SERIES" article will follow this very one here up (surely it won't take a year again, to set this straight) and I am also not so sure who will be the next ones that's being payed tribute to up here by me. But there will come for sure more some day, maybe soon maybe not so soon, we will see, but it will come, you can take my word on this. So, okay, that's it for now, more soon the next days again. Cheers & Oi! Oi! Oi!

STARS & STRIPES - "THE POWER AND THE GLORY"

 

STARS & STRIPES - "TIME TO LIVE, TIME TO DIE"

(PS: This article isn't read over, wrong spellings will be corrected in the near future or so.)

DOC. MARTEN - American Oi! History Series, finally coming to the closing chapters of the golden 1980's.

Hey folks, finally things get started up ready again up here. I’m very sorry but honestly I have currently simply not that much free time to spend… and also honestly: In the rare free time I have these days I felt and feel no real need to sit at home infront of my computer screen and ‘write’ stuff down, nah, I really hated the thought especially over the last two weeks or so, but also a little bit longer, that’s the reason why especially June was a month that was just filled with ‘Record Reviews’ and ‘Videos’ posts. They just don’t take normally that much time to be written down… okay, the ‘Record Reviews’ pretty often take some time anyhow… I won’t lie to you so I can’t say anything if that (my rare free time and my motivation) will change this month so I won’t say anything about what and how much of it will be coming up this very month. It’s just like if you’re working around ten hours each day when you’re then finally at home you just don’t have the time and/or the motivation to sit down and write something, nah, I really rather do my sports, spend time with my girlfriend, play with my dog, hang around with friends and family, listen relaxed to music, go and out and have some fun, etc. pp. instead of spending my rare free time infront of my personal computer. So, okay, enough crying around or so, this here will finally be a new and the next post up here, and also the first in two weeks or so and also the first for this very month and finally the ‘American Oi! History Series’ will be continued up here by me. This entry will feature (as announced) the legendary and great DOC. MARTEN, an American Oi! band active around the mid to late 1980’s, and now onward into their history and tribute we will ride…

*** ONE LAND TO CARE FOR ***

DOC. MARTEN

*** ‘HAIL THE IRON HAND’… ‘THE STREETS ARE OURS’!!! ***

DOC. MARTEN were founded in New Jersey, NY and they formed back then by the late of the year of 1984 and they always used to have troubles to recruit a proper and reliable bass player. The band consisted of Paul Link at the drums, John Devine playing the guitar and singing, Stephano Morisi (as the most ‘consequent guy’) at the bass and also playing the saxophone, and also Brent Eaton on the second guitar. They used to play over their career several different gigs/concerts, especially and first-and-foremost in the New Jersey-New York area. Their first release was a demo D.I.Y. tape that also made them known over here in Europe and eventually led them to a deal with the then already pretty ‘prominent’ german record label of the name of “ROCK O RAMA RECORDS” where DOC. MARTEN used to release their first and for all what I know solely full length album, “ONE LAND TO CARE FOR”, released around 1989 or so. On their mentioned tape they used to do a big bunch of cover tunes of all the famous British Oi! legends, and with that demo tape recordings also a lot of other rare recordings and also live recordings you can find compiled together on a bootleg CD that was compiled by the german “FORCE OF HATE” fan-/webzine quite a while ago (but you should still be able to buy it anyhow, or download it at the “THUGROCK” blog… even it seems that this blog was taken out of the web in sometime in the not so long ago past because somehow I couldn’t visit it today and it was announced that the blog would be no more around what would really be a huge pity). Beside this releases I think that they’ve also released a 7’’ back then, but I’m not so sure if, where and when right now and I don’t call it my own anyway in contrast to their mentioned full length album. (It’s pretty hard to get some proper informations about this band, so that’s the cause why this here may seem ‘shorter’ and ‘not-so-detailed’ like the precursor posts of this posting series, just that you know it.)

DOC. MARTEN had been an American Skinhead band that always used to focuss pretty strong on a political or (how they used to call it) social side and not so much on the subcultural and Way of Life side of things, and this they’ve also propagated in interviews back then. They had a strong and pretty militant patriotic (and maybe nationalistic) and also anti-communist stance, like a lot of other more or less right wing American Oi! bands of the 1980’s due to the fact that this was the last and also pretty heated phase of the so called Cold War so that a lot of a militant potential in society was created and that also found its expressions in the different subcultures and for that DOC. MARTEN also used and still use to be a pretty good example. But they’ve always used to have some really damn strong and good lyrics, no matter if you take the issues they’ve dealt with or the way how they’ve dealt with them. And also they always stayed away for all what I would say away from any WP and/or NS stuff. (At least if we’re not talking about the back then still future to come of one of the mentioned band members…) Anyhow, great lyrics, and they’re also worth a read today and still speak really a good healthy dose of truth even still today, no matter if some now may like it or not. (If written already in the future enough about late Cold War bands and ideology and society and subculture so that I won’t repeat myself again here, just read for example th stories about the ARRESTING OFFICERS, NEW GLORY, BEST DEFENSE and/or the YOUTH DEFENSE LEAGUE, and you will know what I’m talking about.)

Musically DOC. MARTEN played some sort of a mixture out of Oi!, R.A.C., and Rock & Roll and Rock music in general. It was and is all very rockin’ and guitar dominated and also pretty melodic, yet damn heavy, and if you can imagine a great mixture out of the TEMPLARS, early R.A.C. like BRUTAL ATTACK and BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN you should know pretty good how DOC. MARTEN used to sound, and they should also be interesting for fans of the dutch BADLANDS. Also musically they had and still have a lot to offer and it’s basically totally free of any Hardcore moments or Tough Guy attitude (something that was pretty unusual for American Oi! back then), and anyhow also musically DOC. MARTEN are very relevant even still today, especially when it’s about how they’ve melted symphonic melodies together with a streetcharmed heavyness and all cultivated with strong roots rockin’ impressions, something you won’t be able to listen to that often, no matter if back then or today or in-between this two time periods. So you should take care of getting your hands finally on their great “ONE LAND TO CARE FOR” full length album anyhow asap, point and fact!!! I don’t know what the bandmembers used to do after the defunction and split of DOC. MARTEN, beside the fact that Brent Eaton used to play in and for the WP NS Hate Core band AGGRAVATED ASSAULT after his career in DOC. MARTEN.

That’s it for now (like I’ve already mentioned was it a very hard to get any informations about this band so don’t wonder about the ‘shortness’ of this entry), next stop in this series will be Boston, MA and next up then will be the almighty and infamous STARS & STRIPES, so be prepared for it (but don’t ask me when it will come). Also no video clips found by now, but I will try it sometime again or I will maybe get by myself a little clip settled together or so, we will see. Keep the spirit alive!!! Oi! Oi! Oi!

*** "American Oi! Reaction Rock - Commie Busters, ain't afraid of NO Hino!!!" ***

BEST DEFENSE - "AMERICAN SKINS"

(Note, read first: Somehow my CPU-'mouse' is more or left wrecked badly (especially the left button is ticking me off... hehe;-)...) and so I'm really annoyed with workin' with this piece of crap and a new I don't have currently here and so I have to stay with working with the Touchpad of my CPU/LapTop and that is totally ticking me off, too and even more, so don't look for the little 'Red, White & Blue' colors of the bandnames and so here in this post, it's due to my CPU-'mouse'-wreckage, just that you know it, so don't search after this little 'color-playing' here and now.)

BEST DEFENSE - "ARMED WITH THE TRUTH"

(I've already posted this one before but just in case that you might have missed there and then...)

Hey folks,

yeahr, and here we finally go again, continuing the 'American Oi! History Series' here on this blog, and this time we take a ride to the state of Pennsylvania because now it's time for BEST DEFENSE!!! And you all know the masterplan, after BEST DEFENSE we will come to pay our honour and to donate our tribute to DOC. MARTEN and then to STARS & STRIPES. After this I will also do two or three posts more about the good old days of the golden 1980's of American Oi!, featuring two bands together in a pretty controversial 'dual-post' (this two bands I've forgotten until now and after at least one of them used to release just a Demo Tape and some- but very important- songs on some- also very important- compilation(s) and then turned out to become some extreme right wing farce I wasn't so sure anyhow if they should be featured here amongst all the legendary bands- because they just didn't release that much after all- anyhow but decided to do so), then I will pay my tribute to one immortal larger-than-life band that's maybe not so much 'through-and-through' Skinhead'n'Bootboy'n'Oi! at the end of the day but is justified and needed and important to be mentioned here, and then I will do a closing post of the golden 1980's of American Oi! with completing the picture of it with introducing "THE U.S. OF Oi!" to you. After this we will leave the 1980's and step into the 1990's, the supreme time of American Oi! and there we will find uncountable great and legendary acts like PATRIOT, PRESSURE POINT, BOOT PARTY, STORMWATCH, BOVVER WONDERLAND and oh so many more. Okay, now you know the deal and for now and before we go ahead with DOC. MARTEN and STARS & STRIPES it's time for one of the best bands that had ever been around, short and simple: BEST DEFENSE!!! Unfortunately it was pretty hard to find something about them anyhow anywhere, okay, but hopefully I've got settled a post together that comes out anyway 'proper'!!!

*** AMERICAN SKINS - ARMED WITH THE TRUTH : 'American & Proud' ***

*** BEST DEFENSE ***

*** "REACTION ROCK, US AGAINST THEM... and WE'LL SMASH YOU!!!" ***



Pennsylvania back in the year of 1987 when the lads Greg Olsen, Tom Walkinshaw, Dave Baiter, Shawn Moyer, and Jim Rogers (all young Skinheads back then) had totally enough with all the bands from here and there around at that time and decided to take things in their very own hands to create finally a band that would be able to play the proper music that they by themselves always wanted to listen to. But anyhow it all lasted not for so long, they had been playing just for three years together, from 1987 to 1990. Okay, but even in this short time of their existence as a band they've managed to leave quite an impact on the Oi! movement and with some time of a delay it was brought to the whole wide world of global Oi! music, thanks to "PURE IMPACT RECORDS" from Belgium and "HAUNTED TOWN RECORDS" from Chicago.

BEST DEFENSE - "AMERICAN & PROUD"

What now may sound to you like the typical kind of clichè of founding a band because wanting to play the music that you would like to listen and just couldn't due to the fact that no band else was playing this music was in the case of BEST DEFENSE totally correct, 'cause they really came up with a syle and sound of Oi! of their very own. And I mean really off their very own!!! Yes, they had been an Oi! band, an Oi! band from the States so that's made them to an American Oi! band, but they really had their very own style. The music is marked by the outstanding and totally unique guitar playing, all done very much varying and also more than 'just' well-versed, no matter if ya take the outstanding and very diverse lead and the stand-alone solo playing or if ya aim ya ears at the great rhythm guitar work and how it's marking the architecture, the structure, pace and rhythm of the songs, that's really and truly just 'awesomly' great, and the (out)shining bass (very present, great) and the hardest stomping drums really do (and they succeed in doing so) back up the guitar playing with a lot of power, force and might, yehp, and like we all know might makes right, and BEST DEFENSE really had been the real deal (and they respectively their music are so still today). And also it all had a pretty cool and very good Rock & Roll - ish feeling to it. What's even more just stand-alone outshining and just amazing and phenomenal are the exciting, great and truly unique lead vocals, maybe just a little bit comparable with the young GLENN DANZIG back then in the old and early MISFITS times. Outstanding!!! Also the songwriting was (and still is) just amazing, all very, very well-versed and damn brilliant into each and another floating. No holes or unwanted distorting breaks (because 'wanted breaks' you'll find, and this breaks even lead the songs pretty much, and it's really exciting to get it all while you listen to it) in the songs, all changes of pace and rhythm and structure are very good floating and flowing and melting into each other, so that it is really a pleasure to listen to BEST DEFENSE also and even and maybe especially today. You can't really compare them with any other bands, and even if I would now say that if you're searching for a mixture out of DOC. MARTEN, the ARRESTING OFFICERS, and NEW GLORY (maybe put a little bit of MORAL OUTRAGE respectively STORMWATCH to it) then maybe BEST DEFENSE are what you're searching for. Ah, and forget about what you can read at a lot of different places, because BEST DEFENSE had never been a band with Hardcore marks in their music, not really, and hell no they had never been an Oi! Core band, even they've played really hard stomping and harsh knocking American Oi! with a great Boots & Aggro potential in it, yeahr, but damn no Hardcore or Oi! Core after all. Just to get this straight!!!

BEST DEFENSE - "SIX GUN JUSTICE"

Lyrically they had also quite a lot to offer. Being a patriotic American Oi! band from out of the Cold War era they had a strong Anti-Communism and also Anti-Liberalism in their lyrics, as well as a big portion of Patriotism and they had been pretty militant after all. Comparable to the YOUTH DEFENSE LEAGUE, but without some stupid non-sense White Pride talking aside of the stage and beside of their songs. No NS crap to be mentioned anyhow, too, and they've also stayed totally away from the pro-white to White Power bullshit, no racist and/or fascist crap or stupid jackass non-sense that bands like NEW GLORY or the ARRESTING OFFICERS used to go nuts on (more or less). And with a lot of what they've used to sing about they had totally been right anyway. A lot of folks will may ran their mouth about their lyrics, but I feel no need to say here anything more about it, so if ya have a problem with it than just get a life, point and fact!!!

BEST DEFENSE - "REACTION ROCK"

BEST DEFENSE only existed from 1987 to 1990 (way too short if you ask me) and they've managed to record and release a demo (on tape, through and through D.I.Y.) back in 1988 with the oh so evil (and today in Germany forbidden / censored) Celtic Cross on the frontcover. But not like you all (?) now think that's a sign of racism and fascism. Because only over the last two decades the (Neo-) Nazi faggots used to steal and contaminate a lot of 'old mythological northern symbols' (again) with their NS WP weltanschauung-crap it don't mean that these symbols are what the Nazis turned them into and it also don't mean that they haven't got different meanings. And beside this, a racist band would not write about how great values like equality in general are in the linernotes or thanklist of their release, like BEST DEFENSE had done it. Musically it's just great stuff!!! For what I know the only realistic way to still get it today is via downloading it and maybe you just check the great "THE U.S. OF Oi! OF SWEDEN" blog for doing so (http://usofoiofsweden.blogspot.com/search/label/Best%20defense). Then they recorded a lot of songs that had been meant to be released via a full length album that should have been released via Roddy Morenos THE OPRESSED record label "Oi! RECORDS" back then in 1989, but the label closed down business before doing so. So the recordings had been 'for nothing' until the belgian "PURE IMPACT RECORDS" label got them and released the material under the banner of the title of "SIX GUN JUSTICE" finally back then in 1999 on CD and the american label "HAUNTED TOWN RECORDS" on vinyl as a 12'' LP also in 1999. The track lists do somehow be a little bit different, and the artwork of the LP looks very different and much, much better than the one of the CD (I have the LP as well as the CD version... just that you know it...;-)...), but all in all it's the same record. And that's a good thing, right;-)?!? Ah, may sound like a sorry weak excuse, but sadly enough my scanner isn't big enough so that I can just give ya the atwork of the CD in proper quality. So, that's all for now, a damn great band far ahead of their time and unbeaten even and still today, so do your best and buy this record, "SIX GUN JUSTICE", from where you can ever get it. Cheers & Oi! Oi! Oi!

BEST DEFENSE - "LOST NOW FOUND"

(PS: The videos here posted (or the stuff that's here named videos at all;-)...) I have done by myself, so don't blame the band or anyone else for what you do get to see here;-). Btw, all songs are taken from their "SIX GUN JUSTICE" masterpiece, just that you know about it.)

BEST DEFENSE - "BOOTBOY"