"There is no real music, and I'm just shouting and screaming!" was the rallying cry for Discharge, the band that laid the foundation for all future raw punk. The band was started in 1977 by the twin Roberts brothers Tony "Bones" (guitar) and Terry "Tezz" (drums). Originally a more straightfoward, '77-style punk band, Discharge had been knocking around in a few different incarnations before Clay Records owner Mike Stone moved to their stomping grounds of Stoke-on-Trent, England in 1979. Stone, a former Beggar's Banquet A&R guy and manager/producer of the Lurkers, was impressed by an intense live show and signed the band onto his label. With singer Cal and bassist Roy "Rainy" Wainwright, Discharge recorded their first EP Realities of War in 1980 with Stone producing. From the opening drum beat, nothing about punk would ever be the same. The Discharge style, emulated by countless bands since, is driving "D-beat" drums, trashed distorted guitar, high-pitched one note solos, and ultra-abrupt lyrics about the tragedies of war and death. Clad in studded leather jackets with soap-spiked hair, Discharge embodied the dirty sound the made. The band vomited out two more singles before the end of the year, and then upped the ante with the masterful 12" EP Why? in 1981. This release found Tezz replaced by new drummer Bambi and set the stage for their first UK tour, the Apocalypse Now package along with the Anti-Nowhere League, Chron-Gen, Anti-Pasti, and the Exploited. With amazing anthems like "Ain't No Feeble Bastard," Discharge struck the middle ground between the dark, angry worldview and raw emotion of underground punk and the rowdy rock'n'roll of the better heavy metal bands (when told Discharge sounded like Motorhead, Rainy replied, "they sound like us").
Bambi left the band after tour to pursue other projects, and Gary Maloney of the Varukers took over the ever-rotating drum throne. The band recorded the Never Again EP, using an old anti-war poster image of a dove impaled on a bayonet as the now infamous cover image. The cover and title of the LP that followed came from the same book of Situationist art. The 14 tracks on 1982's Hear Nothing, See Nothing, Say Nothing LP were as furious, if not more so, than those on Why? This LP was supported by tours throughout Europe (including Sweden and Finland, where their aftershocks are still booming strong). They also headed west and toured the US and Canada with only a handful of import releases preceding them. After returning to England, the band fell apart. Terry rejoined his brother to form Broken Bones, and left Discharge behind. The remaining members recruited a new guitarist by the name Pooch Pyrtle, and started slowing down to the point where Cal's abrupt vocals, bathed in reverb, sounded awkward and out of place compared to the all-out attack of their earlier material. After the tours supporting the Warning... and Price of Silence EPs were done, Poodle and Gary split to do a metal band called Hells Bells. Clay released an outtake from the Warning session as the More I See EP, and followed it with an uneven, re-recorded singles collection LP confusingly titled Never Again. The two remaining Dischargers managed to put a band together and record one more EP in 1985 before things really went to shit.
1986's Grave New World is a sad testament to fucked priorities and bad judgement. This LP found Discharge reinvented as a poodle-coiffed spandex-clad hair metal act. Cal, now billed as Kelvin Morris, attempted to hit the high notes as his back up band (with Garry back on drums, his Crass tattoo covered by a dragon) went through the motions. The press kit bragged that it was the technically accomplished record you always knew these fine musicians could make. The record was a blatant, shameless about-face from the band's stated commitment to "noise not music." I don't know about you, but I'll take shouting and screaming, please. The fans in 1986 agreed, and the following tour was a disaster. New York fans were so outraged by the Grave New World tour that the show almost turned into a riot, with HR of Bad Brains allegedly joining in by dumping ice on the band from a balcony. I've heard stories of shows where the crowd heckled the band to the point where Cal left the stage and the other members then played the old songs without vocals. Ironically, it was the least musically talented member who refused to play the old songs. English fans were even less forgiving than in America, and a humiliated Discharge returned home and hung up the studs in 1987.
Not satisfied with their first failed attempt at metal, another version of Discharge formed in 1991 for more punishment with the power-rock album Massacre Divine in 1991 and another in 1995. Then, finally getting the idea, the original Realities-era line-up got back together and a demo surfaced recently. I'm told there's not a D-beat on the whole thing. Oh well, even if the reunion is a dud, there's still plenty good Discharge available from Clay in the form of an endless stream of repackaging and reissues. Honestly, none of the original vinyl is very rare, but for the digital set I'd look for the first two LPs and the Punk Singles Collection. Destroy fanzine (po box 1122. bristol. bs99 2hx. england. uk) also did a great issue that reprinted several Discharge interviews which helped flesh out this biography a bit. Discharge is more than essential listening - it is fucking punk.
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DISCHARGE
"There is no real music, and I'm just shouting and screaming!" was the rallying cry for Discharge, the band that laid the foundation for all future raw punk. The band was started in 1977 by the twin Roberts brothers Tony "Bones" (guitar) and Terry "Tezz" (drums). Originally a more straightfoward, '77-style punk band, Discharge had been knocking around in a few different incarnations before Clay Records owner Mike Stone moved to their stomping grounds of Stoke-on-Trent, England in 1979. Stone, a former Beggar's Banquet A&R guy and manager/producer of the Lurkers, was impressed by an intense live show and signed the band onto his label. With singer Cal and bassist Roy "Rainy" Wainwright, Discharge recorded their first EP Realities of War in 1980 with Stone producing. From the opening drum beat, nothing about punk would ever be the same. The Discharge style, emulated by countless bands since, is driving "D-beat" drums, trashed distorted guitar, high-pitched one note solos, and ultra-abrupt lyrics about the tragedies of war and death. Clad in studded leather jackets with soap-spiked hair, Discharge embodied the dirty sound the made. The band vomited out two more singles before the end of the year, and then upped the ante with the masterful 12" EP Why? in 1981. This release found Tezz replaced by new drummer Bambi and set the stage for their first UK tour, the Apocalypse Now package along with the Anti-Nowhere League, Chron-Gen, Anti-Pasti, and the Exploited. With amazing anthems like "Ain't No Feeble Bastard," Discharge struck the middle ground between the dark, angry worldview and raw emotion of underground punk and the rowdy rock'n'roll of the better heavy metal bands (when told Discharge sounded like Motorhead, Rainy replied, "they sound like us").
Bambi left the band after tour to pursue other projects, and Gary Maloney of the Varukers took over the ever-rotating drum throne. The band recorded the Never Again EP, using an old anti-war poster image of a dove impaled on a bayonet as the now infamous cover image. The cover and title of the LP that followed came from the same book of Situationist art. The 14 tracks on 1982's Hear Nothing, See Nothing, Say Nothing LP were as furious, if not more so, than those on Why? This LP was supported by tours throughout Europe (including Sweden and Finland, where their aftershocks are still booming strong). They also headed west and toured the US and Canada with only a handful of import releases preceding them. After returning to England, the band fell apart. Terry rejoined his brother to form Broken Bones, and left Discharge behind. The remaining members recruited a new guitarist by the name Pooch Pyrtle, and started slowing down to the point where Cal's abrupt vocals, bathed in reverb, sounded awkward and out of place compared to the all-out attack of their earlier material. After the tours supporting the Warning... and Price of Silence EPs were done, Poodle and Gary split to do a metal band called Hells Bells. Clay released an outtake from the Warning session as the More I See EP, and followed it with an uneven, re-recorded singles collection LP confusingly titled Never Again. The two remaining Dischargers managed to put a band together and record one more EP in 1985 before things really went to shit.
1986's Grave New World is a sad testament to fucked priorities and bad judgement. This LP found Discharge reinvented as a poodle-coiffed spandex-clad hair metal act. Cal, now billed as Kelvin Morris, attempted to hit the high notes as his back up band (with Garry back on drums, his Crass tattoo covered by a dragon) went through the motions. The press kit bragged that it was the technically accomplished record you always knew these fine musicians could make. The record was a blatant, shameless about-face from the band's stated commitment to "noise not music." I don't know about you, but I'll take shouting and screaming, please. The fans in 1986 agreed, and the following tour was a disaster. New York fans were so outraged by the Grave New World tour that the show almost turned into a riot, with HR of Bad Brains allegedly joining in by dumping ice on the band from a balcony. I've heard stories of shows where the crowd heckled the band to the point where Cal left the stage and the other members then played the old songs without vocals. Ironically, it was the least musically talented member who refused to play the old songs. English fans were even less forgiving than in America, and a humiliated Discharge returned home and hung up the studs in 1987.
Not satisfied with their first failed attempt at metal, another version of Discharge formed in 1991 for more punishment with the power-rock album Massacre Divine in 1991 and another in 1995. Then, finally getting the idea, the original Realities-era line-up got back together and a demo surfaced recently. I'm told there's not a D-beat on the whole thing. Oh well, even if the reunion is a dud, there's still plenty good Discharge available from Clay in the form of an endless stream of repackaging and reissues. Honestly, none of the original vinyl is very rare, but for the digital set I'd look for the first two LPs and the Punk Singles Collection. Destroy fanzine (po box 1122. bristol. bs99 2hx. england. uk) also did a great issue that reprinted several Discharge interviews which helped flesh out this biography a bit. Discharge is more than essential listening - it is fucking punk.
DISCOGRAPHY
Releases
REALITIES OF WAR 7" (Clay, 1980)
FIGHT BACK 7" (Clay, 1980)
DECONTROL 7" (Clay, 1980)
WHY 12" (Clay, 1981)
NEVER AGAIN 7" (Clay, 1981)
HEAR NOTHING SEE NOTHING SAY NOTHING LP (Clay, 1982)
STATE VIOLENCE STATE CONTROL 7" (Clay, 1982)
WARNING 12" (Clay, 1982)
THE PRICE OF SILENCE 7" (Clay, 1983)
THE MORE I SEE 12" (Clay, 1983)
IGNORANCE 7" (Clay, 1985)
GRAVE NEW WORLD LP (Clay/Rock Hotel/Profile, 1986)
LIVE AT THE CITY GARDEN, NEW JERSEY (Clay, 1989)
MASSACRE DIVINE (Clay, 1991)
SHOOTIN UP THE WORLD (Clay, 1995)
LIVE - THE NIGHTMARE CONTINUES (Clay, 1996)
Reissues
NEVER AGAIN LP (Clay, 1983)
1980-1986 LP (Clay, 1987 - "best of" collection)
PUNK AND DESTROY LP (singles collection)
THE CLAY PUNK SINGLES COLLECTION CD (Clay - another singles collection)
HARDCORE HITS CD (Cleopatra - "best of" collection)
VISIONS OF WAR 2CD (?)
Bootlegs
DEMO (1977)
Compilations
DRIVEN TO DEATH LP (Clay, 1990)
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