New Jersey American Oi! Legends

SQUIGGY - "LIVE ON WFMU 5/21/98" ("Squigtone Records"; CD):

Next one of the announced 'classical' releases. It's the live record of one of New Jersey's finest, the great SQUIGGY. I won't tell ya now not that much about them, 'cause they will also join sonner or later the ranks of the 'American Oi! History Series' here on this very blog. SQUIGGY had been formed in back in 1995, and had been defunct back in 2001. But they're back since the end of 2009, and the rumors go that they are about one or two new records still this year and this all on their own new record label named "Working Class Records". Let us hope and look forward to it!!! They released a big bunch of 7" singles and split records back in the days, and in 1999 their masterpiece full length "SONGS ABOUT HATE, ANGER AND THE AMERICAN WAY" finally came out. This here is their only live recording and it's from 1998 (the show) and was released back also in 1999 on the then own label of the band, called "Squigtone Records". This record normally gets not that a high rating when you look for it in fanzines, webzines, blogs, or where the hell ever else. But I think that this is a really damn good recording and also really a that damn good record, even if I'm usually also not that big fan of live records anyhow. SQUIGGY were always counted to the row of the legendary American Oi! bands of the 1990's, and that for some good reasons, but they also played a very strong style of their own. Pretty much influenced by early 1980's Hardcore Punk from England (THE EXPLOITED, THE VARUKERS, etc.) and 1980's early or old school American Oi!, all melted together by some strong bitter and pissed harsh Old School Hardcore noise, all brought together in the then present days and sound of the glorious 1990's. Fast and very aggressive guitar work, an atomizing rhythm section, and some of the damn most aggressive, bitter, angry, and pissed off vokillz I've ever heard no matter which genre you do take. Not a sunshine band at all, but the real deal, well grounded and edged, hard work and even harder struggles. Great!!! And that's what you also get from the lyrics of this great band!!! Totally non PC, showing the finger and giving the boot to both political wings, Working Class and militant and proud of it, higly political, violent, militant, rebellious, critical of society as well as the scene, and all 150% authentic, that's how I like it!!! And that's also what you get here!!! A big bunch of great SQUIGGY anthems, like "MIDDLE CLASS REBELLION", "DOUBLE STANDARD", "YOUR ATTITUDE", "ANTI-ESTABLISHMENT", "PULL THE TRIGGER", "SQUATTER PUNK", "GET OUT", and their great version of the 'ROMPER STOMPER' classic "PULLING ON THE BOOTS". Great stuff!!! This live set that they've recorded here back in the days was actually not a proper live show of them, but an live set they've played on a radio network show. So maybe we could discuss it, if it is a 'real' live record or not, but that's not that important at all, or at least I do think so. The sound is pretty good, and also the artwork of this record looks pretty good. So, decide for yourself if you could imagine that a nice little live album like this could please your gusto, but if you do think so this could be a pretty good starting point for ya if ya still not knowing this great band (and SQUIGGY is a band that you really need to know, point and fact), or it could be a very nice completion of your SQUIGGY collection. Anyhow, get it!!! Cheers & Oi! (8 of 10 points)

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