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Bootleg Series Vol.1 - Up North/Downunder comp.LP

I-94 Bar (Australia)

Just when you thought it wasn't safe to go back into the compilation record water because it's been polluted by so many lame and ill-focussed efforts, this first-class collection of Real Rock Action comes sweeping out of the frozen north of Sweden.

The concept - lining-up a bunch of Scandinavia's best against a corresponding crew from Australia and setting them loose in a no-holds cage match - works like a charm, as both ends of the earth share a heritage of hard-edged raw and roll. You won't find any duds on this and each track is exclusive to the release, which is vinyl only. Liners by No-Mango label (home of the Radio Birdman "Flattery" tributes) co-honcho and expat Canuck, Dave Champion, and yours truly are the cream on the cake.

The late Specimens from Melbourne set the tone with "Good Times Gone", a chugging chunka mid-tempo punk that reminds you of their greatness.

Leadfinger show off leader Stew Cunningham's back-story with a cover of a Yes-Men track ("Swept Back") that's spiced by some rippling lead-work from new-ish guitarist Michael Boyle.

It seems melody's the current by-word in Swedish rock. Exibit One is Tramp, the latest band for Midlife Crisis/ex-Hellacopters drummer Robert Ericksson and their "No Light" is hooky but titanium hard with lots of room in the song. No need to tell you the Sewergrooves' "Easy To Pretend" is big on the M word, and in "Get Me By" the Deadbeats marry a groove to a hook big enough to land a deep sea marlin.

The DevilRock Four's Johnny Driver gets two bites with his "other band" The Lighting Strikes and DR4 scoring places. "Leave Here Alone" comes from the former and is a sassy strut with catchy chorus. "My Favourite Enemy" is more in the vein of what you'd expect from DR4 (which is to say it's a little harder but a keeper.)

Uber producer Chips Kiesbye is behind Sator, an institution in Sweden, and their Weirdoes cover ("Plastic Man") is harder than Chinese arithmetic. Similar kudos to Demons and their "The Leeches".

Rio Grande and their Shy Imposters-like "Eye for Eye" provide one of two female-fronted groups in this bunch and the infectious pop-rock on their track makes me want to hear much more. The other is Sure-Fire Midnights from Perth whose "Over The Edge" is an oncompromising slice of tough guitar rock. That's one killer voice Clair Serjeant has.

The odd men out are Melbourne-via-Perth pop-punkers Screwtop Detonators who sound more Rancid than Clash on "Stand Up". That would normally irk me but I've recently found Rancid's first album listenable nearly two decades after the event.

Cop a copy from the source and set the stereo volume for 11. - The Barman

3/4

The Next Big Thing (Scotland)

“Up North/Down Under” is the subtitle of Volume 1 of Bootleg Booze’s “Bootleg Series”. Obviously the contents are not illicit but like a strain of moonshine, it’s damn strong stuff. As the title suggests, Sweden and Australia’s raucous-est upcoming acts slug it out with the liner commentary supplied by Dave Champion and Craig “The Barman” Regan. You’ll be aware that this label only deals in the highest octane sonic firewater.

The common denominator is varying degrees of sounding like they were born in the Motor City. Detroit style rock is very much the order of the day and that’s pretty much a staple constituent of the finest gear from these territories. The Sewergrooves “Easy to Pretend” sound strangely like Franz Ferdinand might if they’d discovered the SRB. It’s difficult to figure what band comes from where, such is the continuity of spirit. There might be a hint of an accent here and there but when the vocals are being screamed rather than “sung” over a consistently boss racket then the lines get a little blurred here and there.

The emphasis here is on rock. Spelled R-A-W-K. Never lumpy, always blazing - of particular note I think the tracks by Leadfinger, Sure Fire Midnights and Rio Grande will tickle you, as will Sator’s take on The Weirdos “I’m Plastic”. It’s more “Hollywood” than Ann Arbor and they were “made to last” alright. The more astute will note the latter straddling the then of yesterday’s comp with the now of “Up/Down”. It’s hardly comfortable on the turntable until it’s time to flip the beastie over.

I realise these things don’t just come together overnight, or from under a gooseberry bush but wonder what’s in store for Volume 2?

OX fanzine (Ger)

Schweden trifft auf Australien. Die einen Bands kommen also von „up north“, die anderen von „downunder“. Und was haben die gemeinsam? Ein dünn besiedeltes Land mit vielen Menschen, die am Arsch der Welt leben oder von da kommen.

Und eine Menge Bands, die den Rock respektieren. Da lag es nahe, mal eine Compilation zusammenzustellen, die im größeren Stile das umsetzt, was einst schon HELLACOPTERS und POWDER MONKEYS taten, nämlich den Austausch und die Freundschaft auch über große Distanz zu pflegen.

Weder die einen noch die anderen sind hier zu hören, aber viele Gleichgesinnte. Und das mit unveröffentlichten, exklusiven Songs. So treffen SPECIMENS auf TRAMP, LEADFINGER auf DEADBEATS, SATOR (mit einem WEIRDOS-Cover) auf THE LIGHTNING STRIKES, SEWERGROOVES auf THE SURE-FIRE MIDNIGHTS, RIO GRANDE auf SCREWTOP DETONATORS, DEMONS auf THE DEVILROCK FOUR.

Im Einzelfall lässt sich ohne Playlist vor Augen nur anhand der Songs kaum sagen, woher die jeweilige Band kommt, was entweder die Seelenverwandtschaft der Musiker oder die musikalische Vorliebe von Bootleg Booze-Boss Andreas belegt.

Schnörkelloser, kickender, schmutziger Rock(’n’Roll) ist also angesagt, und wer nicht nur hören, sondern auch lesen will, der führt sich die Linernotes von Dave Champion (über die Aussies) und Craig Regan (I94 Bar; über die Schweden) zu Gemüte.

Coole Sache und schönes Artwork (von Dirty Donny).

8/10

Joachim Hiller

Rock Hard (Ger)

Eine verdammt coole Vinyl-only-Compilation von jeweils sechs australischen und schwedischen High-Energy-Rock´n´Roll-Bands hat das schwedische Label Bootleg Booze Records hier zusammengestellt. Während die schwedischen Acts wie z.B. SATOR, THE SEWERGROOVES oder DEMONS den meisten Rotzrock-Fans bekannt sein dürften, gibt´s hier einige australische Underground-Acts (u.a. THE DEVILROCK FOUR) zu entdecken, die in puncto Qualität den schwedischen Bands in nichts nachstehen. Und dass in beiden Ländern auch die Mädels die geilsten Rock´n´Roll-Posen zu zelebrieren und zu vertonen wissen, beweisen nicht zuletzt RIO GRANDE (Schweden) mit ihrer Sängerin Kristina und die All-Girl-Band The Sure-Fire Midnights (Australien). Für Genre-Freunde ein absoluter Pflichtkauf.
Andreas Himmelstein
8,5

ipunkrock.com (Spain)

Excelente recopilatorio que bajo el pseudonimo de “A Swedish-Australian High Energy Rock And Roll Compilation” presenta un combate de riffs entre bandas suecas y australianas, los hemisferios norte y sur, el calor y el frío mano-a-mano compartiendo surcos en vinilo al que pone cara Dirty Donny con su marca inconfundible y particular. A seis bandas por cara y país, interpretando temas exclusivos para este recopilatorio, desde los veteranos y archiconocidos SATOR ”I’m Plastic” (versión de Weirdos), una institución en Suecia, la banda del productor Chips Kiesbye, a los que se les unen otros no tan veteranos pero igual de conocidos como The SEWERGROOVES con “Easy To Pretend” siguiendo el camino marcado por The Hellacopters, The DEADBEATS “Get’s Me By” rock 70’s de calidad, DEMONS fieles a ru punk-a-billy se marcan “The Leeches (I’m Getting Out!)”. Como novedades la banda del batera de los ‘copters TRAMP ”No Light” para seguirles la pista muy de cerca y para finalizar la escucha escandinava una banda con chica al frente RIO GRANDE “Eye For Eye”.

Por la parte aussie bandas conocidas como LEADFINGER que se marcan una versión de The Yes-Men “Swept Back” sucio rock’n’roll pantanoso, y The SPECIMENS “Good Times Gone” un temazo!!! al más puro estilo Powder Monkeys, a estas se les unen otras bandas a tener muy en cuenta como The LIGHTNING STRIKES “Leave Here Alone”, un potente grupo de chicas The SURE-FIRE MIDNIGHTS “Over The Edge”, los SCREWTOP DETONATORS con “We Want You” y siguiendo la estela marcada por Radio Birdman The DEVILROCK FOUR “My Favourite Enemy"… escuchalos en sus myspace…

Si estás decidido a hacerte con una copia de este vinilazo apresurate ya que sólo hay disponibles 500 copias.

-Markenstein

Stefan Yxan Karlsson (SWE)

Äntligen lite kött på benen att gnaga i sig, en fet samling på Bootleg Booze med dom ledande rock'n'roll staterna Sverige och Australien under nålen. För visst har vi saknat en bra samling, en platta som får en att upptäcka nya band eller börja gilla band du förut bara bläddrat förbi. Skivan är inslagen med stiligt konvolut med artwork av hotrod penseln Dirty Donny, och för några som köper den limiterade utgåvan även nerstoppad i en sjysst tyg bag!
Båda länderna ställer upp med sex band var, riktigt bra låtar från alla, inga 'fillers' här inte!
För mig personligen blir det ett kärt återseende av bl.a. Sator och The Sewergrooves, och första låten med det tills nu smått anonyma Tramp med ex. Hellacopter R. Eriksson man får på skiva. På den Australienska sidan kan jag lovorda The Specimens som öppnar samlingen klassikt! Sen får introt på Rio Grandes låt 'Eye for eye' mig att flina förnöjt när jag lutar mig tillbaka och tar en pilsner... hoppas att samlingen 'Vol.1' får många uppföljare.