The 1981 Listening Post - Red Rockers - Condition Red

 Red Rockers - Condition Red

#79

1981 Housekeeping

Red Rockers

Condition Red

Genre: American Clash Punk

3.75 out of 5

Highlights:

Can You Hear

Dead Heroes

Condition Red

Live or Die

Requisite 80s Cover: “Folsom Prison Blues” (guest vocals Jello Biafra!!) They don’t bring anything new, but then again, did Dead Kennedys bring anything new to Viva Las Vegas? Or The Clash to “I Fought the Law?” It’s solid. 

That’s it. All there. This is what The Clash used to sound like. Check out the last track “Live or Die” About 26:00 in. It’s not THE last cuz this has an expanded EP which I will not listen to. Fast, to the point, loud, angry. The most remarkable thing is that, in less than 3 years they will go mainstream rock, with barely a hint of punk to display and, instead put out a fairly middling but not terrible power rock record. In 1983 they will put out a record that is more like The Alarm meets The Hooters but for their entry into the pantheon of 80s records, this one is pretty straight up, if not kind of run of the mill punk. 

Thing is…The Clash certainly isn’t doing this anymore so, why the fuck not, right guys?

I actually prefer the longer tracks to the 90 second speedsters. Maybe that tells me something about where these guys were going…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8lOSLSBdOc

The 1984 Listening Post - Red Rockers - Schizophrenic Circus

Red Rockers - Schizophrenic Circus

#160

1984 Housekeeping

Red Rockers

Schizophrenic Circus

3.5 out of 5

Highlights:

Blood From a Stone

Another Day

If Hooters could make it, how come not Red Rockers? Well that’s not fair, they did have a modest hit the year before. But, from the big anthem sound of “Just Like You” to the opening moments of the cover of the aforementioned Hooters’ “Blood from a Stone”, with it’s ready-made-for-radio meets The Alarm sound I wonder if maybe they were just a tad bit early with that alt-country cum Americana sound. The kind of thing that Lone Justice would mine in just a couple years. Somehow this record missed us all. We all had The Alarm. We had Beat Farmers. But I have never heard of Red Rockers.

Apparently they were originally a punk band but you’d never know that from the psychedelic garage rock of “Another Day” and “I Know Her”. It’s a shame that their version of “Eve of Destruction”, while probably as important in 84 as ever, is too soft-edged and doesn’t come close to The Dickies version, let alone The Animals’.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/schizophrenic-circus-expanded-edition/1207114000