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Maybe Crazy

V/A – Crazy Crazy Crazy

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V/A Crazy Crazy Crazy

Maybe Crazy MY LP 005 [1990]
Mad Sin: Blind Spot – Scallywags: Criminal Boiz – Scallywags: Ship Of Fools – Scallywags: Double Talkin’ Baby – Scallywags: Your baby Blue Eyes – Voodoo Dolls: Chicken Walk -P.O.X.: Sick Brains – P.O.X.: Boppin’ The Blues – P.O.X.: It’s So Dark – P.O.X.: Psycho’s Mind – P.O.X.: Rawhide -Voodoo Dolls: Poison In Your Drinks
A very interesting compilation released by Maybe Crazy from Germany.
The first track is an unissued song by Mad Sin (Blind Spot) featuring the classic trio line-up. This is a pure shot of adrenalin and slap bass straight into your brain.
The next four tracks are by the Scallywags. Criminal Boiz and Ship Of Fools are penned by the band and are quite good. Classic mid 80’s psychobilly with a light country flair on the guitar for the latter. The two covers sound more like the band having fun during a rehearsal than a proper studio recording, and I suppose they were not recorded with the idea to be released (the vocals being rough and approximate.)
The Voodoo Dolls were one (if not the first) Swedish psychobilly band. Those two songs come from their debut album, a good mix of garage (a cover of Hasil Adkins), and Psychobilly.
The first mini album of POX (Psychobilly Orchestra X) “It’s So Dark” completes the set. It’s a bit young and rough, but very personnal. Two songs, the more ‘traditional’ dare I say, feature a double bass while they use an electric bass for the more garage influenced stuff (Link Wray’s Rawhide.)
Crazy, Crazy, Crazy features classic psychobilly and even some historic releases which is a reason good enough to get it. Furthermore, it comes in colored vinyl with a superb gatefold sleeve featuring a very nice drawing by the same artist who did the Scannerz’ cover .
The Radioactive Kid

The Scannerz

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The Scannerz started in late 1985/ early 1986. Sebastian Glenz aka Semmel (guitar) met Uwe Klein through his older brother. Uwe had started to play doublebass and was looking for a guitar player to form a neo-rockabilly / psychobilly band. They were very young (Glenz was 16!) and that was the first band for both of them. Klein and Glenz were soon joined by Murphy (singer/second guitar) and Pennmütz on drums (both from Bonn). Semmel quotes Restless, The Sharks as well as Gene Vincent and Johnny Burnette as influences while the others were more into the 80’s Psycho scene and a bit of Punk too.

Murphy stayed with the band for less than a year then left leading Semmel to take over the vocals duties and the band carried on as a trio. Then Pennmütz left and Gonzo took the drums. Finally Klaudia Menzel joined the band sharing the vocals with Semmel.

They eventually got a contract with the newly created Maybe Crazy records (later home of Mad Sin, Scallywags) but Gonzo left before the recording because he had to go to the army.The Lp was recorded with Johannes Bokskopf who Semmel knew from another musical project.The album is quite good and has aged rather well. It features 10 originals and one cover. It’s solid neo-rockabilly with a touch of psychobilly featuring an excellent lead guitar and a powerful slap bass with a sound very close to Restless (Vanish Without A trace/Girl Invisible era). The songs are well done, with a will to make melodic and original tunes. Klaudia’s voice is a real plus. She sings b-vox on a couple of tracks and lead on two, including the cover of The Ricochets’ Night Ship and the ska/new wave/psychobilly Change Myself. Sadly this is the sole release of the band (with the exception of one demo).

The band kept on with another drummer (Johannes Bokskopf wasn’t able to join the band full time, which maybe explains why you can’t see the face of the drummer on the cover of the album) called Gammel but the musical direction changed and Semmel left the band. The Scannerz continued a bit with a new guitar player (Michael) and Gonzo back on drums, playing more in a 60’s beat style but it didn’t last and by the end of the decade the band was no longer in activity.

scannerz
scannerz

Since then Sebastian has played with the Hot-Riffs, The Paralysers and today his “Mark Harman meets Cliff Gallup” guitar style can be heard in The Tin Cans.

Discography

1987 -S/T – Maybe Crazy LP 001 (black vinyl and 433 copies in clear vinyl)
Later reissued on cd in 2003 by Crazy Love Records – CLCD 64200

A big “Thank You!” to Semmel for the infos.

the Scannerz - s/t
the Scannerz – s/t

The Scannerz – s/t

Maybe Crazy / Crazy Love Records CLCD64200
I’m A Victim Of Your Love – Tell Me – Night Ship – He’s A Murderer – Crime – Fun On The Fretz – Stupid Informations – Want A New Life – Station Girl – You’ve Left Me – Change Myself

The Scannerz were a German quartet. They only had one release in 1987 on Maybe Crazy records. They played neo-rockabilly with a touch of psychobilly featuring an excellent lead guitar and a powerful slap bass with a sound very close to Restless (Vanish Without A trace/Girl Invisible era). The songs are well done, with a will to make melodic and original tunes but the real plus of the band comes from Klaudia. She sings b-vox on a couple of tracks and lead on two, including a superb cover of The Ricochets’ Night Ship and the ska/new wave/psychobilly Change Myself. If you dig 80’s neo-rockabilly/psychobilly this one is for you.

Fred “Virgil” Turgis

Mad Sin

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Mad Sin - Amphigory

Mad Sin - Break the Rules
Mad Sin – Break the Rules

Mad Sin – Break the Rules

Maybe Crazy Records MYCD009 [1992]
Intro – Deep Black zone – Where Will It Go (Dub version) – No More – Fight Back – Sick World – All Hell Breaks Loose – Run To Live – Dirty Lies – Killer – No Mercy – Born Bad – She’s The One – Time Warp – Steal Machine – Where Will It Go

With Break the Rules, Mad Sin return to Maybe Crazy but instead of returning to the sound of their first albums, they pursue in the way that was announced by Amphigory. A full drummer had been added to the trio and Koefte can now fully concentrates on the vocals. the sound is heavier, punkier (they cover the Ramones She’s the One) and they regularly flirt with bad taste, especially on Dirty Lies, a slow that even Scorpions wouldn’t want on their most obscure b-side.

Mad Sin - Amphigory
Mad Sin – Amphigory

Mad Sin – Amphigory

Fury F 3019 [1991]
Intro ~ Amphigory ~ Eat Yourself ~ Body Snatchers ~ Alien Bug ~ Buried Alive ~ Vampire Slut ~ 1999 ~ Paranoid Brains ~ Your Death Is My Delight ~ Tornado ~ You Better Run ~ Rockin’ Bones ~ Human Fly ~ You Better Run #2 ~ Mind Blow
Third album and last one featuring the original trio with Koefte on drums. They still play their own brand of fast psychobilly, but with a heavier and punkier sound than their first two releases. It could have worked well if the production hadn’t buried everything. One can barely distinguish the instruments from the voice. Too bad, cause some songs like Amphigory or Your Death Is My Delight are as good as anything you can find on Distorded Dimensions. The cd reissue contains bonus tracks that were not on the original vinyl release.
The Radioactive Kid

Mad Sin - Distorted Dimensions
Mad Sin – Distorted Dimensions

Mad Sin – Distorted Dimensions

Maybe Crazy Records MYCD006 [1990]
Wicked Witch – Indestructible man – The Walltown – It Bites – Petrol Lunatic – Hammer beatin’ Boogie – No escape – Moonlight shadows – Watch out – Mad Man rock – Chainsaw cannibals – Fashion train

More or less the same sound than their debut album but a little less percussive due to the songs. If there’s good tunes like Wicked Witch or Moonlight Shadows, none are as good as Straight to Hell, Planet Paradise or Brainstorm. Anyway it remains a good album that can buy with confidence.

 

Mad Sin - Chills and Thrills in a Drama of Mad Sin and Mystery
Mad Sin – Chills and Thrills in a Drama of Mad Sin and Mystery

Mad Sin – Chills and Thrills in a Drama of Mad Sin and Mystery

Maybe Crazy Records MYCD004 [1988]
Acid Train – Brainstorm – Buddy’s Riot – Straight to Hell – Planet Paradise – Mad Rumble – 2,3,4 – Shake the thing – Day of the Merge Souls – Gonna get her – Sell your soul – Whirl girl – Blind spot* (*cd only)

Essential debut album from this German trio (the singer sings and plays drums). They kept the rockabilly and early psychobilly influences (from the Sharks, the Deltas and the early Meteors) but bring something new to the mix with Koefte’s crazy and manic voice and original songs. This album is definitely one to have in any decent psychobilly collection.