The Chronicles of Dis (part 2): "Discharged" compilation cd, 1992

The two next records I am going to write about are both Discharge tributes bearing the same name: "Discharged". They were released around the same time, 1991 and 1992 respectively, and both had a vinyl and a cd version. Now, I am aware that having two records with the same concept, the same name and even bands in common sounds a little weird, if not suspicious. The first "Discharged" was released on Allied Recordings, John Yates' label, and was an Ep, while the second "Discharged" was out on Rhythm Vicar, a sublabel of Plastic Head run by Steve Beattie (formerly of Endangered Musik and Stone the Crowz). There are two possibilities here. Either both labels had got Discharge's green light but couldn't reach an agreement and thus released their own "Discharged" tribute (which sounds a little silly), or all the parties involved agreed to have two related but distinct tributes, one Ep on Allied Recordings and one Lp on Rhythm Vicar. I only do not have a clue (the internet has remained very silent about this case so far) but the presence of Nausea and Extreme Noise Terror (Dean Jones was the brain behind the UK project) on both suggests that it was amicable (but still a tad silly, methinks).

Anyway, let's start with the "Discharged" Lp from the UK, here in the white cd version (there is also a black cd version which is the same colour as the vinyl). I got this geezer a long time ago for one reason: it has SDS songs on it. I had read about them on several occasions but could not find anyone in my circle of acquaintances who could be arsed to do a tape for me and they had become a bit of an obsession. I found this cd for cheap in a mainstream second-hand record store and, although I am not really big on tributes in general, there were familiar faces on it (C Sox, ENT and Nausea) and I have always been a sucker for Discharge covers. To me, covering Discharge is almost like a D-Beat punk subgenre of its own. It is unfathomably geeky, I'll give you that, but the fact that the DIY punk scene has produced a few Discharge-cover bands throughout the years indicates that covering Discharge is quite unlike covering other bands. And doing a good Discharge cover is very difficult because it looks deceptively easy. But more often than not, the easier it looks, the hardest it is to master because there is very little room for error. You can go two ways in such an enterprise: you can pick the path of utter worship and try to stick as close as possible to Discharge, or you can turn a Discharge song into one of your own. Both ways are arduous and should not be trodden lightly. They require long hours of focusing on the magic of this band and of actually listening, and not merely hearing. When done rightly, they are a real treat but they can be embarrassing when they sound like a half-arsed job (I will probably still dance and sing along to them though, just for the gesture).

The "Discharged" album is both satisfying and disappointing. It has really good Discharge covers but there is absolutely no information about either the bands selected or about Discharge themselves. There is not even a booklet! So you don't have any basic details about recording dates, members or even the country of origin. For a long time, I had no idea Scamp were actually from Japan. That is my main issue with this record and it is just the perfect opposite of the "Does Dis system work?" tape that I reviewed last: there is no passion involved here on the part of the label. Don't get me wrong, it is obvious that the bands truly love Discharge and they all did a pretty good job. But with a tribute such as this one, the opportunity to write about Discharge, ten years after "Hear nothing", should have been seized. Done correctly, this record could have been a proper landmark, with the bands' perspective on Stoke-on-Trent's finest, some interviews, some new artwork, some critical thinking about the legacy... I mean, the lyrics are not even included here, so you've only got the songs and that's it. I know it is not the same context but the tribute to Doom, "Slave to convention", that I posted here a few years ago, was a real labour of love, and in spite of a rather unequal line-up, it displayed what should matter the most: passion.

But enough whining already, let's get to the songs. The record opens with three covers from Extreme Noise Terror, "It's no TV sketch", "Religion instigates" and "They declare it". Judging from the sound, they must have been recorded in 1991, with the "Phonophobia" line-up (possibly the same recording session as the "Punk's not dread" compilation). I am a sucker for ENT and I must say their outrageously over-the-top dual-vocal attack sounds completely glorious to me. ENT were a genre-defining band and their Peel Sessions remain a blueprint for obliterating, fast crust music. The band cleverly didn't pick songs from "Why?" or "Hear nothing" but focused on earlier Discharge recordings, notably two mid-tempo anthems, "Religion instigates" and "They declare it". I suppose there was not much point picking a fast song for ENT anyway as they always were faster than Discharge to begin with. The covers are solid, they are not stellar as they sound slightly rushed perhaps, but I suppose that the rather thin production is what ENT were going for (or they were running out of time in the studio). The dual vocals are used wisely and to great effect and there is enough groove to make up for the lack of power.    

Next are two songs from Concrete Sox and probably the highlights of the compilation to my ears. The absence of information implies that I am not completely sure about the line-up (unsteady if anything with the Sox) but my money is that it is the same one as on the Nightmare split Ep, with Loyd on vocals (I don't recognize Sean's voice here). Great choice of Discharge songs, a incantatory mid-tempo scorcher, "Death dealers", and a hit from "Why?", "Is this to be?" (that song probably has some of my favourite Discharge bass lines). Concrete Sox don't go for heaviness and gruff power but rather, opt for hardcore energy and infectious bass-driven groove with snotty vocals. Fantastic work here and exactly what I expect from genuinely good Discharge covers.

Next is "Mania for conquest" from the mighty Disaster, arguably the band that sounded the most like Discharge. Hailing from Halifax, Disaster were an integral part of the North East crusty punk scene of the early 90's. There will be a Disaster post in the near future (if the possibility of life's destruction has not been confirmed until then of course) so I will not dwell too much on them. Just know that their cover walks proudly on the path of total worship.

Excrement of War follows with an abrasive cover of "Tomorrow belongs to us" that fits their Swedish take on unabated Discharge-love to a tee. Their cover is just ferocious and pummeling, bringing to mind Shitlickers, Anti-Cimex or Discard. Great job. The line-up of EOW for this one only recorded that very song and was made up of Stick on the drums and Tom (from Genital Deformities) on vocals and guitar, the two pillars of the band, but also of Mark Bailey (ex ENT and Filthkick) on guitar and of Jez (Genital Deformities) on bass. The cover was recorded just after the split Ep with Dischange and "The waste... and the greed" Ep and before EOW was joined by Leigh and Mags on vocals. Very good shit here.

Next are two songs from Raw Noise, "A look at tomorrow" and "Always restrictions". It should not come as a surprise that a second Dean Jones band was included on "Discharged" as he was the man compiling it for the label. By that time, the old version of ENT was on its last leg and Raw Noise basically started when ENT fell apart with Pig Killer (the original ENT drummer) replacing Stick and Ali replacing Pete on guitar. I would argue that the Raw Noise covers are more effective than ENT's as the production is more powerful, heavier. I far prefer vintage ENT to Raw Noise as their songwriting was stronger and Raw Noise could never their level of aural savagery. This said, I do feel that Raw Noise's Discharge covers are better in this particular instance.

Nausea's "Hear nothing see nothing say nothing" is next. A great choice of cover that suits Nausea perfectly as "Hear nothing" allows them to add a metal element in the guitar and drums and increase the groove of the original with the bass being more upfront. The result is rocking, beefy and undeniably crusty, though not as heavy and punishing as the original but Nausea weren't trying to outdischarge the originators. Smart move. Al's vocals are perfect here as well, his tone being totally appropriate to Discharge's songwriting, and the result is that it really does sound like a Nausea song. I presume this one was recorded during the same session as the "Lie cycle" Ep, in 1991.

The last three bands on "Discharged" are all Japanese: SDS, Scamp and CFUDL. The mighty SDS deal with "Doomsday" and "Why?". These two songs were recorded between the split Lp with Misery and the unreleased "In to the void" Lp. The band had just hired a new bass player, Andon, and were at the peak of their Antisect-worshipping power. As expected, SDS deliver quality Discharge covers with a distinct Japanese feel: a focused and tight intensity that still manages to sound wild and out of control (that's the whole trick, innit?). I have already raved about SDS on several occasions so I'll leave it to that.

Then you've got two songs from Scamp, a band that is virtually unknown to me. If I get it right they are a band that blends traditional epic Japanese hardcore and... psychobilly. Now, I am totally ignorant about psychobilly and I don't intend to change that anytime soon, but at first, listening to the Scamp covers, I thought that my cd was scratched because there was that weird noise on the drums. And then I realized that it was a psychobilly move with the drumsticks (right?). The covers are great though, "Two monstrous nuclear stockpiles" and "Free speech for the dumb", very energetic and triumphant but I can't help being distracted by the noise... Bummer.

Finally, the glorious CFUDL offer two Discharge covers, "Does this system work?" and "Ain't no feeble bastard". I am a big fan of CFUDL, I love their youthful, unpretentious punk spirit, although they don't always deliver on record. But their songs absolutely rule here, a distorted blend of Discharge impact and Japanese noisepunk madness. The singer has that weird effect on his voice which confers an almost crazily evil vibe to the songs and it works really well. The band is tight and super dynamic here, the drum rolls are cascading, the bass is loud and thick and the guitar is distorted just enough to my liking. Probably the winners of "Discharged" along with Concrete Sox.

Interestingly, this compilation was released in 1992, just a few years before the D-Beat mania swept across the punk world. One can notice that no Swedish band was included, but then, only Dischange were already releasing at the time "Discharged" was compiled (Disfear's debut was also released in 1992) and the most popular D-Beat band ever, Disclose, was still in its infancy. I would argue that "Discharged" was also coming from an older generation of bands that were already active in the late 80's and may have been largely unaware of the storm that was coming. The notable exception to this was obviously Excrement of War, a genuinely 90's band that would embody the genre in England during that decade (along with Hellkrusher) and play with a lot of the D-Beat bands that would explode in the mid-90's. What was the impact of "Discharged" on this new generation of bands? After 1992, Discharge-loving certainly changed and became much more gimmicky, sometimes to the point of parody, it became an actual trend with its own name: D-Beat. Just for its position in time, a crucial one albeit retrospectively, "Discharged" is still a fascinating, if partial, journey into a particular era of Dis-love and reflects a specific side of it.  

Discharged in 1992