updated as of feb 3rd '05
These 2 bands the CONTENDERS, and the BACKSTABBERS played in a Punk style very similiar to JOHHNY THUNDERS and the HEARTBREAKERS, u can hear some CLASH guitar in there as well on some CONTENDERS tracks , with the BACKSTABBERS a similiar style is approached allthough with synths, razor sharp guitars, and strong melodies, these bands were indeed true lost 70s punk.....
1 'DRUG CITY'
GREAT number, ANTHEMIC razor sharp guitars in the style of the HEARTBREAKERS, and the CLASH, this song is just as the title says a song about scoring drugs in the city......'I WANT TO BE THE FIRST WITH A CLENCHED FIST BABY, DON'T TAKE AWAY MY PRESCRIPTION....( ? ).........( chorus ).....'YOUR LIVIN' IN DRUG CITY, SPENDING ALL MY MONEY ON A HOT ( ? )'.........later.......' CONNECTING EVERYWHERE CAUSE I GOTTA MAKE SURE NO ONE's GONNA HAVE A PLACE TO SCORE'......
2 'LITTLE MURDERS' another GREAT song !....melodic intro into fast-paced rock......'ALL U GOOD LITTLE MISSIONARIES, NEVER GET WHAT U DESERVE, THOSE LITTLE HEARTS CAN HURT...TAKE A TIP FROM A MERCIANARY, KILLING TIME WITH A ( ? ) U NEVER GO TOO FAR, WITH A SMLE FROM DIRTY HANDS........( chorus )....' WANT A BE YOUR LITTLE MURDERS, COME OUT BE 4 LITTLE MURDERS....
3 ' TRIGGER BOY'
the next few tracks are live compared to the 2 above which appear to have been recorded in the studio........this one is in the style of the HEARTBREAKERS......'IN YOUR EYES IS SOMETHING MISSING, CONVICTION, HOLDING ON TO YOUR TREMBLING HANDS,...DECISION..........WHERE WERE U WHEN THE LIGHTS WENT OUT' ? ..............' TRIGGER BOY WHATCHA GONNA DO' ?
4 'ACTION TOWN'
the band plays tight here......( 'this one's called action town' says the singer )........'LAW AND ORDER NOW DREAM, CLEAN AND VICIOUS SO DISTORTED NOW........(later )....... ' FIND MY TICKET, BUT ONE BREAKING DOWN, IN AN ACTION, IN AN ACTION, IN AN ACTION, TOWN'......
5 'HEARTS OF THE WEST'
( spoken; 'ok this is gonna be the 1st single, it's called hearts of the west'.....).......GOOD number, CLASH-like guitar, the lyrics are hard to decipher here.......'OR IN SOME FACTORY, DO IT TILL U DIE, DO IT FOR ME'.........' GET OUT, OH HEARTS OF THE WEST, OH HEARTS OF THE WEST, CAN' T KEEP IT IN, CAN' T STAND THE TEST'........( at the end the singer says 'your never supposed to spit )
6 'JUNKYARD'
loud and fast, probably written about JOHNNY THUNDERS,......some lyrics borrowed......' I BEEN WORKING IN THE JUNKYARD ALL NITE, I BEEN WORKING IN THE JUNKYARD'.......'GONNA GET OFF TONITE, BABYS ALL ON THE CORNER, GET OFF THE BLOCK, CAN U HEAR THEM SCORE, JOHNNY's GONNA COP..........SOMEONE's IN THE JUNKYARD WITH JOHNNY, JOHNNY DON'T U BLOW, JOHNNY DON'T U BLOW, JOHNNY DON' T U BLOW YOUR LOAD'........( at the end the singer says 'thats for anyone whose ever shot dope ) :)
7 'COMIN' DOWN TO FAST'
another anthem ? sure sounds like it, this one's even louder and faster than 'Junkyard'.......EXCELLENT guitar playing !.........'COMIN' DOWN TO FAST, DON'T U KNOW, ( ? ) DON'T U KNOW, COMIN' DOWN L.a..........U KNOW IT ALL SO WELL, ALL THE THINGS U HAD ALL YOUR LIFE, COMIN DOWN L.a........( GREAT guitar solo here ).......AND U KNOW WHEN YOUR NOT RUNNIN FAR, AND U KNOW THEY DON' T CARE, COMIN' DOWN L.a........( spoken ; ' allright, thanks a lot good night, we'll be at Showboats with the TOPCATS next weekend fri, and sat. )
at the end the audience was cheering loudly, we assume Showboats was a small club in New Orleans, and the TOPCATS were a revivalist band, see the link below for info on them
be sure to order the CONTENDERS from Rave Up records in Italy today if u want some real u.s. punk played in the style of the HEARTBREAKERS, and the CLASH....
Contenders lp back cover
the BACKSTABBERS
Note; seems the link between these 2 bands is the singer Brad Orgeron, who's the singer for both of the Contenders, and the Backstabbers, after the Contenders broke up, Brad went on to Aces 88 and also played guitar for the final version of the Next. we'll say both bands are great, but the BACKSTABBERS are just a bit better,
this band sounds a lot like the CONTENDERS, thats because they both had the same lead singer, however they are different with this band adding synths to their music for a more experimental sound as opposed to the CONTENDERS following the 1,2,3,4 rule of rock.......this band sounds REALLY GREAT on these tracks.......love those synths !!
1 'NEW WORLD/ SPY GENERATION'
dirge-like SUPER-punk, this one is really 2 songs in one, in one, out the other and back for a reprise at the end.......the band sounds confident as they work their way through a GREAT number.........'IN THOSE DAYS U WERE CALLED A FOOL, I WAS THE ONE TO FOLLOW YOUR RULES'...........' AND WE WON' T BELONG IN THE NEW WORLD, ..........AND NOW IT's COMIN' TO THOSE WHO WANT............EYE FOR AN EYE, TOOTH FOR A TOOTH, INSPIRATION'...........( cannot make out quite what he says at this point, but over and over he screams)....'SPY GENERATION, SPY GENERATION, SPY GENERATION, SPY GENERATION.........( then a reprise of 'new world' ).......'STAY TOGETHER IT's THE LEAST U COULD DO, U REALIZE IT's UP TO U ' ?
2 ' FORTUNE TELLER'
an old cover written by NEVILLE, made popular back in the 60s by the STONES, in this version here the BACKSTABBERS here do a COOL punk version, rough and hard........ ' Went to the fortune teller , to have my fortune read , I didn't know what to tell her I had a dizzy feeling in my head, said she'd take a look at my palm, she said son, you feel kinda warm, snd she looked into her crystal ball, said you're in love ....'......it is doubtful if the Back Stabbers got their name from the O'JAYS, wonder if a band could do a punk version of that GREAT soul tune though ? hhhhmmmmmm :)
3 ' I GOT ALL THE GIRLS'
possibly an early single the band had from ' 76 ? POWERFUL sound like the HEARTBREAKERS styled straight ahead rock , drums knockabout ......' I GOT U RUNNIN AND U CAN EAT YOUR ( ? ) , AND YOU'LL BE SUNNIN'................WELL PEOPLE SAY ABOUT WHAT I LIKE.........WOAH, WOAH, WOAH,.........U SHOULD BE RUNNING CAUSE I' VE GOT ALL THE GIRLS'..........GOOD vocals here........
4 'PIRATE LOVE'
another cover, and a gREAT chioce as the band does a Strong cover of this HEARTBREAKERS original .......You've got to walk that walk, You've got to talk that talk , You've got to be that girl, In the diamond world , C'mon cut me so fast ,...............Pirate love, Is what I'm looking for, Pirate love , Is what I'm wanted for, I never ever needed it so bad , Yeah!
5 'SUSIE'
these songs seem to get better as they go along, this one is a top rate frantic punk number with GREAT synth work, and vocals where the whole band jions in.....'( de sta, sta ) SHE's AHEAD OF HER TIMES, OOHHH SUSIE I'M GOING TO THE STORE, SUSIE I CAN' T FIGHT NO MORE'..............' ONE OF THE BEST', .........( closes with )........' I AM THE HEIGHT FO FASHION, SUSIE' !
6 'SHE PUT A KNIFE IN MY HEART'
RAVE up records chose the BEST for last for this batch of songs by the BACKSTABBERS, we think you'll agree once u buy this and u will after reading this far if u don't u may be mentally unstable because this sounds like one of those ULTIMATE Punk tunes with FANTASTIC synths, sounds influnced a bit by MAGAZINE-type synth punk bands........love the rythm here.......hard to decipher some of the lyrics here are some selected ones ~ ' I KNOW SHE's GONNA HAVE A STORY TO TELL.......................................I KNOW U EVER SO WELL'.................( later )................' SHE PUT A KNIFE IN MY HEART, AND DON' T U LET IT HAPPEN AGAIN, SHE PUT A KNIFE IN MY HEART, TRIED TO GET IT OUT BUT IT FELL AWAY'..............ends with a bang !!!!........
Orgeron where are u today ?
other songs that made it onto comps by the BACKSTABBERS were ; 'LUNATIC FRINGE', 'ANTHEM', and 'FLY BY NIGHT'...........
Sir Thomas Browne (1605-82)
"What sunshine is to flowers, smiles are to humanity. These are but trifles, to be sure; but scattered along life's pathway, the good they do is inconceivable."
Joseph Addison (1672-1719),
"In the case of good books, the point is not to see how many of them you can get through, but how many can get through to you."
Mortimer Adler (b. 1902),
Contenders
this band was an L.a. punk band that played in the late 70s, some of their stuff is rather GLAM-inspired, we'll be reviewing this info on another page, here is a tracklisting for now ~
Polaride Pictures Hard Times Run for your Life Later than you Think Possibilities Burn all Bridges 30-06 Popular Boy Chains Break it Up No Fun ( live ) Polaride Pictures ( live ) Not Very Nice ( live ) Baker's Dozen ( live )
indie 103.1 in L.a. recently played CHAINSAW's version of 'No Fun', it's not as good as the PISTOLS version of course, but a pretty good punk version anyways.....
LINKS ~
1 this link here mentions a bit on the NEW ORLEANS punk scene of the late 70s, with some other songs by the CONTENDERS, and the BACKSTABBERS not mentioned here -
http://backstreetone.netfirms.com/New%20Orleans.htm
2 'NO EXPIERENCE NECCESSARY' was the name of a NEW ORLEANS punk compilation that is said to be a great one, featuring songs by both the CONTENDERS, and the BACKSTABBERS, see this link here at FLEX for more info ~
http://www.fuzzlogic.com/flex/n/3518.php
3 HYPED TO DEATH punk site, has a bit on both bands too, take a look -
http://www.hyped2death.com/allH2Ds%20ABC.htm
4 The TOPCATS
probably the same band that singer Brad of the CONTENDERS mentions at the end of his show, seems they were a revivalist band in New Orleans of the 70s, their style is late 50s rock....
http://www.thetopcats.com/
http://web.tiscali.it/raveup/