HATED BY ALL/AM I COOL OR WHAT? CD - ZODIAC KILLER RECORDS 2009Zodiac Killer Records should be given some kind of medal of honor for making the Mad Brother Ward and the Screaming Street Trash records available in digital format, thusly righting one of the music world's most egregious wrongs.
The Screaming Street Trash may have only existed for a span of two years or so (1992 - 1994 or thereabouts, if my cloudy memory is correct), but what a two years they were. Those years saw Mad Brother and Co. take time out of their rigorous schedule of being banned from North Carolina's seediest punk venues just long enough to record and release two of the finest records to ever come down that worn-out old rock'n'roll pike. The result was the sonic equivalent of Killer Kowalski tearing off your fucking ear and then visiting you in the hospital to laugh in your face.
First up was Hated By All on the legendary TPOS label, quickly followed by Am I Cool Or What on Baloney Shrapnel. Produced by ANTiSEEN's Jeff Clayton, these records are thick walls of malevolence that don't need to hide behind insipid political posturing, ridiculous clothing, or any of the other de rigueur accoutrements of the early nineties punk scene. It is a "fuck you" not just of the sake of it, but because it was what everybody else rightly deserved at that moment in time. Cocky it may be, but the grit is there to back it up.
A lot of people didn't know what to make of these records when they first came out. The late Tim Yohannon of Maximum Rock'n'Roll rightly praised them both. FLIPSIDE was dumb enough to dismiss the Mad Brother as a GG clone, which is so far from the truth it makes me wonder if that particular dolt of a reviewer even gave the records a spin. I think people were so used to being spoonfed the curdled pablum that was passing as punk that they didn't know what to do when the real deal cold-cocked 'em with five across the motherfucking eyes. These records stand tall alongside anything you want to throw at 'em. They are backbone and gristle and busted knuckles.
I was lucky enough to witness the Screaming Street Trash perform on two different occasions. Was this shit for real? Most assuredly. You saw the Ramones in '76? Big fucking deal. Black Flag in '82? Who fucking cares? I saw Mad Brother Ward and the Screaming Street Trash in '93, and it was all that and more. I'm not bragging; I was just a witness. Hell, at that time I was too close to the flame to fully grasp the power of what I was seeing. But after fifteen years of seeing countless bands come and go, I still end up using those MBW shows as a yardstick by which others are measured.
This CD release contains both legendary seven inchers and the bonus track "Dead End Sunday." I was hoping maybe someone somewhere salvaged the tape of Mad Brother Ward and Cocknoose double-teaming Joan Jett's "Bad Reputation" for inclusion, but I guess that would have been more than any of us deserve. As it stands, we get fourteen tracks clocking in at around twenty-two minutes. If they were charging by the minute, it'd still be a deal. At a ten dollar sticker price, it's like they're giving it to you.
These records hold up every bit as well today as they did on their original release dates. In a time where everyone is watching their wallet and pinching their pennies, this is money well spent. I can't recommend this disc highly enough.
Ten out of five stars.
Was just thinking that I really should have done a post about this a long time ago.
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