Welcome to 1984

The title could be read as some kind of political "Big Brother" comment, but nope, it's compilation Friday.

Welcome to 1984
One of the first international hardcore compilations, put out by Maximum Rock&Roll in 1984. 23 bands from 17 countries. At the time I first heard this many of these bands were unknown to me. I was just amazed at how the music translated around the world, regardless of the language or geography. Now, 20 years later a great deal of this sounds unaccomplished, generic, etc. Some of it still stands out. The highlights:

Terveet Kadet - Outa Maa.mp3
47 seconds of freaked out Finnish thrash. I used to read a lot about Terveet Kadet in zines like MRR, but I was never able to track down anything else by them. Oh, the days before the internet...

NOTA - Propaganda Control.mp3
Speedy, guitar heavy hardcore from Tulsa, Oklahoma. I bought this comp because of NOTA - a band I had heard on tape but whose releases I could never track down. This track later appeared on their 1985 self-titled LP in more polished form.

Kidnap - No SS.mp3
melodic mid-tempo punk/oi from France. Kind of long at 4+minutes, especially when the lyrics consist mostly of "No, No, No, No" and "Fucking Nazis". Never heard anything else from them.

Raw Power - Fuck Authority.mp3
The epitome of 80's Italian Hardcore. Insanse screamo vocals, hyperfast guitar, and the odd "rock" flourish, in this case cowbell. I love cowbell.

Depression - What A Strange World.mp3
A slow and powerful hardcore song from this Australian band. The guitar sound and vocals make this one enjoyable for me. Pre-metal phase.

BGK - Computer Control.mp3
A tight and fast one from Balthasar Gerards Kommando. This song and "Arms Race" from the War/Peace comp turned me into a fan. After many years I was finally able to hear their albums when their complete discography was reissued on Alternative Tentacles in the late '90's