Akvaryum (Turkey, 19?)

Yet another one I know almost nothing about. Google says Akvaryum = Aquarium. Pleasant songs with maybe a pop/psych feel. It could be from the 70's although I seem to remember reading somewhere it is mid 80's.

Akvaryum -Galip Dede / Bir Gün Ihtiyarlarsin 7" (Yonca YCAS-071, 19??)

Vanakos (Greece, 1980)

Since I'm lazy I'll just quote from a couple of past eBay auctions:

"The year is 1980. The Punk Rock movement has spread to other European countries, each producing their own bands and shops selling punk and "new wave" stuff. In Greece, George Vanakos was the owner of the main Athens punk boutique called Remember 79, which was "the place" for buying clothes, badges, etc. He was also a musician and released with his band this single ..." 

"Plaka/Athens-based wavePunk band led by George Vanakos (ex- SYBLIGADES) with sole release which came out in an edition of 200 copies and was given away for free to customers of the 'Remember '79' music/fashion-store owned by George Vanakos; Johnny Vavouras (of VAVOURA) played bass using the alias 'Johnny Alex'. George Vanakos became a well-known painter during the 1990's, but still performs/records music occassionally these days." 

Vanakos - If You Want Go To Amsterdam / You Say You Are A Good Boy 7" (Remember 79 PR7Y 131/132, 1980) 

V/A - Vardaxrumslive i Ultra-Huset cassette (Sweden, 198?)

This cassette contains various live recordings from some place apparently called the Vardaxrum. There are a variety of styles with the recordings dating from 1981 - 1984. The sound quality varies. These are generally pretty good with the highlight perhaps being a manic version of "Ronny" by ABKK. There are at least 3 other cassettes with similar recordings that may have been compiled by the same person: Direkt från Vardaxrummet, Mera Ljav från Ultra and Ultra Ljav eller Lever. I don't have any of them so if anyone would like to pass them along, I'm all ears.

V/A - Vardaxrumslive i Ultra-Huset cassette (198?)
Raketerna - Dick den lille muskeluppbyggaren (31/1/1981)
Napalm - Torbjörn (7/11/1982)
Zonkmonkers - En Mexicoinspirerad sak (13/4/1984)
Vredens Druvor - Bilen står kvar i Västerås (1/1/1983)
Mögel - Jag är så rädd (19/12/1981)
Me Flera - Mitt liv e' dynamit (13/2/1983)
Patrik Fitzgerald - Without Sex  (23/3/1982)
Nomads - En låt (19/12/1982)
Tommy Ferm's - My Generation Del 2 (15/4/1983)
Dom Ludna - Abisko hotell (28/5/1983)
Norsholms Befrielsefront - Hejå Hå (4/12/1983)
Broilers - Gun-Britt (12/4/1984)
Oroliga Kalkoner - Se upp (26/4/1984)
Perfekt Alibi - Ljuset brinner (20/11/1981)
ABKK - Ronny (14/11/1981)
Vittra - Allt är fel (25/3/1983)
Cher Pierre et Les Punx - Vi heter Cher Pierre (5/2/1984)
Hjärndöd - Jag är desperat (26/3/1983)
Tommy Ferm's - My Generation Del 1 (15/4/1984)

Terminals (Canada, 1983)

Obscure 12" EP from Toronto. I wasn't expecting much when I got this this but it turned out to have some worthwhile punky tracks. "Do It Today" and "Searching" didn't do much for me but the others made this $5 well spent.

Terminals - Circuitry 12" EP (SFC 001 / JM-83140, 1983)
(Do It Today / Love Or Suicide // Mr. Suburbanite / Searching / See You In The Papers)

Norda (Canada, 1984)

Punk/noise from this Toronto band. Only around 200 copies were made of this, their only release. There are currently copies for sale on Discogs. One seller calls it punk, the other says a mix of Sonic Youth and Industrial. If either of those descriptions interest you, check it out.

Norda - Snakes And Ladders / V // West Over Seas 12" EP (Unfaegne N1-GF2, 1984)

Speed (Japan, 1981)

This one has been getting a lot of play here lately. If my neighbors didn't hate me before, I bet they do now. Play this one really loud! All the songs titles are in Japanese. Just for laughs I also included the Google translations. Maybe someone can supply better ones?

Speed - Kiss-Off LP (City Rocker CR-00B, 1981)
カフェの窓から (Through The Window Of The Cafe)
 吸血鬼はキスの安売り (Vampire's Kiss Bargain)
フィール・オーライト (Feel Alright)
スージィ・スージィ (Soothing Soothing)
電気仕掛け (Electrical Work)
似合い過ぎたブロンド・ヘアー  (Blonde Hair Too Well Matched)
ボーイズ・アイ・ラブ・ユウ！ (Boy I Love You!)
レット・イット・ブリード (Let It Bleed)
カモン (Come)
ジャンキィ・ラッシュ (Junkie Rush)

Oh Boy! (Netherlands, 1981)

Dutch pop rock with a somewhat interesting B side. Perhaps their only release.

Oh Boy! - Masterplan / Sorry I Exist 7" (Ariola 102.739, 1981)

Carlsberg (Netherlands, 1980)

Prolific Dutch outfit that released at least 4 7"s and 4 LPs. Most of it is mediocre pop-rock but the B side of this, their 1st 7", stands out. Both songs are also available on the No Credit Cards LP. Their releases should be pretty easy and cheap to find if you are interested.

Carlsberg - All The President's Men / Silly Lilly 7" (GIP 4051, 1979)

unknown (Thailand, 1991)

Something a little different this time ... this record is a complete mystery to me since almost everything except the date (I assume the big "1991" written in blue marker is the date) is written in Thai. The seller said it was "heavy metal", no doubt based on the photo of the dudes on the cover. No heavy or metal here, the sound is really more like Thai pop music for the most part. Just one of the offbeat things I pull out of my collection every so often.

unknown Thai LP - 8 songs (1991)

Wild Boys (UK, 1980)

Here's one that drives powerpop collectors crazy. Prices of £400 - 500+ are not unusual when it does infrequently come up for sale. It was sort of posted over at the excellent Deadbeats & No Ones blog a while back. Here it is again, along with a little bonus. Their only other appearance on vinyl was the Sent From Coventry compilation LP, also in 1980. There were also 2 songs released as a cassette single, mentioned in this article, that were done for a theatre production.

Wild Boys - Last One Of The Boys / We're Only Monsters 7" (Ring Piece S/80/CUS886, 1980)

Brontophobia (Sweden, 1979)

Swedish garage/punk from a Sollentuna band that started in 1976. 500 copies of their only record were released in 1979, one of which recently managed to sell for $200.

Brontophobia - Hey / Motorcar 7" (Bronto BFS 179, 1979)

Oswalda Murph Band (USA, 1980)

San Francisco record that includes Jane Weems from The Maggots playing drums on the A side. There are probably other connections to the San Francisco punk scene as well. Two different versions of the song "74" written by Dennis Lee with lyrics amended by O. Murph.

Oswalda Murph Band - 74-1 / 74-2 7" (no label, 1980)

Brave New Works (Australia, 1982)

Obscure indie release. The 2 songs on the B side were recorded live and are energetic with a bit of a punky edge. Side A was recorded at M Squared Studios, Sydney.

Brave New Works - Wasteland // Mixed Up Feelings / Radiate EP (Local Label LOCAL 6, 1982)

Baby Dolls (Austria, 1985)

OK, I admit it. I bought this one mostly because of the cover. Especially the one standing at the front. The music? Some cheesy 80s synth disco pop. If you can't get enough of the A side, the B side is an instrumental version. 

Baby Dolls - Like A Shadow / In The Night 7" (Lion Baby 10 113 581, 1985)

Gents (South Africa, 1982)

I had previously posted The Gents 7" and at the time I was still looking for their LP. I've since found it and as there were a few requests for it, here it is. Luckily I didn't pay much for it since I found it somewhat disappointing after reading about it here where it is described as "measured rock with more than a hint of punk". I don't even hear a hint of punk but maybe that's just me. Side A has a few decent melodic songs but overall I find it lacking in energy. The aforementioned review goes on further to state: "Despite the album being a controlled and well produced affair, judging by the pictures on the sleeve, The Gents look like they were a colourful, energetic and probably quite loud live act with a fair following."

Gents - s/t LP (RAP SRLP C/15, 1982)
(Out Of Tone / Modern Girls / Don't Let Me / Don't Ask Me / You're So Young // Picnic In Paris / Deaf Speech / Nobody Nobody / Roxy Bar / So Messed Up / Passing Days)

Ascensions (Canada, 1980)

More of a hippy rock outfit than a punk band these guys from Sooke, British Columbia (not far from Victoria) managed to record this one 7" in December, 1980 in an attempt to get more shows from local establishments. The A side ("The Stud") was included on the excellent 2CD compilation called "All Your Ears Can Hear - Underground Music in Victoria, BC 1978 - 1984" along with an unreleased song called "She's Weird". 500 were pressed but only around 50 were distributed at the time. The rest were dumped or ended up in thrift shops years later. It doesn't turn up too often, fetching around $150 at times. More recently a copy sold for around 1/5 of the earlier eBay auction. Being patient can sometimes pay off.

Ascensions - The Stud / Need Some Lovin Times 7" (TA 1381-45, 1981)

Dreamz / Lefty (USA, 1978 / 1981)

Nothing connects these records (that I'm aware of) except that both have in the past appeared on eBay with the ubiquitous "powerpop" description. While the A sides of each may fleetingly veer into what might be considered "powerpop" I think both remain firmly planted in rock/AOR territory. That said, I don't mind both "You're A Special Girl" and "Lay It On The Line". As for the B sides, my mother always told me that if you can't say anything nice ...

Dreamz - You're A Special Girl / The Flame In My Eyes 7" (Peppermint Presents PP1150, 1978)
Lefty - Lay It On The Line / Anywhere But Home 7" (Sandlot 0001, 1981)

Passage Clouté (Belgium, 198x)

Mystery (at least to me) record from Tournai, Belgium on the Gamm label. My best guess at the year would be around 1980. Anyone know more or have info on other interesting releases from this label? This one is #0017 so presumably there were 16 that came before this. Are any of them of interest to punk/powerpop/new wave nerds like me?

Passage Clouté - Cette musique / Trop de fric 7" (Gamm GAMM 0017, 198?)