CRYPT RECORDS tv special (1996)

"Wah Wah" (VAVA tv, Germany 1996, English language) 

TV special dedicated to the American record label Crypt Records. The label is run out of Hamburg by Tim Warren. Interview with Warren and The Oblivians + live footage with the band and music videos by New Bomb Turks, Lazy Cowgirls, Chrome Cranks, Elvis, Pegans, 13th Floor Elevators, and Jon Spencer Blues Explosion.

I've just reuploaded this TV special (which I talked about in my previous post). I don't know who taped this off TV in 1996 but in 2010 he uploaded the programme to YouTube and, uh, made a bit of a mess of it. He uploaded the full show in five parts. YouTube then deleted part 2 after which the uploader edited the programme into just two parts and uploaded them. So try and figure out which part 1 and 2 you watch before part 3, 4 and 5!! Some of the music was missing from some of the parts and ... it was a mess. In this upload I've edited the parts back together and have created the most complete version possible.

A heartfelt thank you goes out to the original uploader for sharing the programme. Unfortunately, YouTube has removed the PM option so I can't even get in touch with him.

Hanging at the CRYPT owl nite

I found an old cool music programme about Tim Warren and his label CRYPT RECORDS on YouTube. The show also included an OBLIVIANS interview + live footage, and videos by other bands on the label. It was broadcast (in English) on a German music TV channel called VIVA in 1996. Back in the old days, you had to upload longer programmes in shor 10 minute bits. In 2010 the uploader divided the approx. 50 min. show into five parts. Unfortunately, the truly anal copyright Gestapo police decided that parts 1-4 were objectionable (in reg. to copyrights I assume) and had to go (i.e. according to a later post by the uploader).

In order to keep the Crypt special on YouTube, in 2011 the uploader edited the 50 min. programme into two approx. 10 min parts and uploaded them leaving out the copyrighted music. However, when I discovered the programme (yesterday) it soon became clear that - without the uploader being aware of this - YouTube had reconsidered and let parts 1, 3 and 4 back on (part 5 was never censored). So now only part 2 was missing.

I had a look at the various parts and discovered that part 1 of the re-uploaded/edited part actually contained all the missing interview parts from the missing original part 2 (still missing the music videos, though). So I'm spending the night editing together a "complete" version of the show (it's missing a couple of music videos but the full OBLIVIANS and Tim Warren interviews are there + the OBLIVIANS live footage).

It was a pain but fortunately I had a pile of new LP's from Crypt to listen to while working (see my previous post). Ive been away for a few days and have only had the chance to listen to one of them so far (Reatards - "Teenage Hate") so I pulled out CHEATER SLICKS - "Skidmarks" + a second hand copy of THE RUNAWAYS debut LP I got a while back (but haven't really listened to). The Cheater Slicks record was great (needless to say). Runaways is ... fun, and interesting in a historical context (as several of the band members went on to have long careers in rock music, not least Joan Jett and Lita Ford), but I doubt the record is gonna get into my top 10 or even top 5000.

REATARDS - teenage hate

Last time I ordered records from Tim Warren's CRYPT Records was 8 years ago! (and as I've mentioned the past ten posts or so) My record player broke down years ago and but I've finally got a new one (second hand but good condition). First thing I did was to check out and order a pile of platters at CRYPT's way cool online shop, stuff that I wanted way back but just never got hold of. Yesterday, I recived 10 (!!!) albums (LP + 1 cd) (good thing records these days are way cheaper than back in the 80s!). Here's one of them, REATARDS (sic) and their debut LP, "Teenage Hate". It's a reprint which includes an extra record. If you're into garage punk you'll most likely to be well aware of Jay Reatard's his band Reatards but it's just one of those bands I never got around to getting hold of back in the day. I'm playing the album for the second time now and it's awesome!

Btw, if you're an old garage rock fan who (like me) fell outta the loop and wonder what became of Tim Warren; no need to worry, according to this quite new interview he's still at it!

This is the best toon ever recorded!!!

This is THE FABS doing "That's the bag I'm in" from 1966. It's on BACK FROM THE GRAVE, VOLUME ONE (from Crypt Records). You should own that record!


Every morning when I wake up
I burn my fingers on the coffee pot.
My toast is cold and my orange juice hot.
I could start over but I'd really rather not
'Cause it would only happen over again.

Well, yeah!
Well, that's the bag I'm in.
That's the bag, that's the bag, that's the bag I'm in.
That's the bag, baby!
That's the bag I'm in.
Well, that's the bag I'm in.

I never met a girl I thought could be my friend.
The only money I got is Chinese yen.
They'll probably drop the bomb the day my ship comes in.
I want a steady girl who could be tall and thin.

Well, that's the bag I'm in.
Well, that's the bag I'm in.
Well, that's the bag I'm in.



The lyrics are courtesy of the YouTube uploader.

Too wild for the grave

60's garage punk, man!!!

I bought these two fine platters ("Back From the Grave, volume one" & "Teenage Shutdown: GET A MOVE ON") a couple weeks back and they've been spinning almost every day since then! This is just awesome trashy and wild punk from the 1960's (altho of course it wasn't actually called "punk" back then). Both records were released by the good, good people at Crypt Records in Hamburg (which is basically American Tim Warren who's been running the label for many yrs now, and Dirk running the Crypt store).

I already had a few volumes (both on cd and vinyl) of the "Teenage Shutdown" series so I knew the new ("new" to me anyway) volume would be ace - and it most definitely is! But holy fucken mackerel why didn't I start buying the "Back From the Grave" series sooner!!?? @_@ Me so stoopid! This is just one awesome track after the other!

In Denmark, when people say they listen to "60's music" it usually makes me feel like gagging violently cos what they really mean is they listen to The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, The Who, Simon and Garfunkle, and maybe The Mamas and Papas. And that's usually IT! It's like saying you love music from the 50s but only listen to Elvis and Buddy Holly! There was so much more!

I think the problem is many people often reckon that because something wasn't as *popular* it probably means it wasn't as *good*. Well, being a fan of psychotronic cinema you bloody well know those two don't always go hand in hand. Actually, I'd say more often that not they don't! The bands that got famous were often the ones that were "out there", sure - but maybe not AS "out there" as they COULD have been! There were about 3 billion tons of bands that were much wilder and crazy than the bands I just mentioned. But then again maybe that's one of the reasons why they didn't make it; They were TOO BLOODY wild for ordinary consumption (at least in their day)!! Bands who wanted to be the new The Kings and had the wildness but maybe not the luck or money (or even skills) to quite make it.

Like the many Elvis-wannabees in the 50's who wanted to be the next "Elvis" and recorded their take on rockabilly but did it wilder, crazier, louder; But like I said it was often to a world that wasn't ready for it and thus didn't embrace them as much as they could have. Or at all. Most of those bands & artists only cut the one 7 inch single - but whatta a single!! Or maybe they actually managed to put out two, and at the utmost THREE singles before they disappeared into the abyss never to be heard from again. Well, until Crypt Records dug them out of their grave! LOL.

I'm certainly gonna try and get hold of all these records, preferably both on CD and LP. I believe all the "Back From the Grave" volumes are still available from Crypt both on vinyl and cd. The "Teenage Shutdown" series is a different story, unfortunately. Most of the vinyls are gone and some of the cd volumes are OOP too. Maybe they became more popular because Tim Warren spent so much more money on them. Apparently, a lot of the other compilation records are crappy sounding shit dupes directly off scratched singles or even off badly sounding cassette tapes.

The "Shutdown" records were made using a very expensive professional record player with a needle that cost something like 6 billion dollars! The sound is perfect!

However, I wrote to Dirk at the Crypt store when I ordered the two CDs and he said they're gonna reprint ALL the vinyl volumes of "Teenage Shutdown" this year! Totally awesome news indeed! The CDs may take longer (still according to Dirk).

Anyhoo, I found two of my fave tracks from the "Back From the Grave" vol. 1 record on YouTube. Check them out (and play 'em loud!).