Subhumans

Subhumans? More like "Dead Thatchers" if you ask me!!!!!
*special introductory paragraph!
*The Day The Country Died
*EP-LP
*Time Flies, But Aeroplanes Crash EP
*From The Cradle To The Grave
*Rats EP
*Worlds Apart
*29:29 Split Vision
*Unfinished Business EP
*Live In A Dive
*Internal Riot
Had I been born a Britainer, these fellows would have meant just as much to me as the Dead Kennedys. The two bands are very similar, in that they both started with rudimentary hardcore and progressed into echo-driven psycho-punk before slowing down to concentrate on more complex and accessible song structures. The only difference I can think of (aside from the whole San Francisco/Britain thing) is that, instead of unleashing one final blast of breakneck fury before calling it a career, the Subhumans retreated into a sort of reggae/ska/rock thing before reforming as Citizen Fish (whom I don't find very interesting, but lots of people do, so keep that in mind). This isn't the Canadian Subhumans I'm talking about, by the way; it's the politically-charged liberal British group that have influenced thousands upon thousands of punk kids to magic marker their name (SUB-HUM-ANS) in blocks on the backs of their black leather jackets. These guys wrote some awfully great songs. I think the band members are Dick on vocals (he wears glasses), umm..... the drummer, I think, is named Trotsky. Ummm...... and then there were two other guys. Okay then, let's talk about the albums!

Reader Comments

WBinder007@aol.com
You forgot something- the Dead Kennedys' "final burst of breakneck fury" had a shitload of filler, just like the Subhumans' final release. I wish you had removed Jello Biafra's dick from your ass before writing these reviews, but that's just wishful thinking from one of the heads of that big collective fag that sucks Puerto Rican cock.

The guitarist, Bruce, who seems to have escaped your mind, is the reason Citizen Fish is so boring, I believe. See, unlike Trotsky, Dick and their second bass player Phil, Bruce isn't in Citizen Fish. Instead, Phil plays guitar in Citizen Fish, and a guy named Jasper, who seems like a nice guy, plays bass. Phil is a competent enough guitarist, but there's no soul or feeling. He doesn't take any chances, unlike Bruce.

The guitar work on the Subhumans albums is amazing. You can actually hear him improve from the dissonant leads and simple scale patterns on early songs like Animal and Human Error to his full-blown, melodic, guitar-hero-esque solos on later songs like Ex-Teenage Rebel and Get To Work On Time. Name one other guitarist who could make playing out of key sound so damn cool. Anyone who says Greg Ginn is a moron.

Finally, the Canadian Subhumans are incredibly overrated. Everything of theirs that I've heard is indistinguishable from many other shitty bands of the era. And they're Canadian, so that's definitely two strikes right there.


The Day The Country Died - Bluurgh 1982.
Rating = 8


Straight punk, like that first Dead Kennedys album. Speedy, volumey, catchy, and, yeah, it does get a bit dull as it goes, but it's so darn fast, fun, and furious, who gives a rat's ass? There seems to be a pattern in the lyricism ("All Gone Dead," "Killing," "Mickey Mouse Is Dead," "Dying World," "I Don't Wanna Die"), but I can't quite make out most of the words, the singer being a thick-accented Britainer and all, so who the hell knows? Might be a rock opera about baking a turkey sandwich for all I know!!!! To be honest with you, I really don't listen to this album all that much, but that's only because it was the last one that I heard, and I was so used to the musical developments displayed in their later works that I had trouble sitting through the whole sixteen-song three-chord thrashfest. It's still a darn tootin' good time, though. Like playing a saxophone.

Reader Comments

VespaPunk@aol.com
being from same county and country i can definitely say he has a west country ......a west of england accent

rvielel@san.rr.com (Robert Viele)
i dont understand how you can critisice this band. subhumans, culture shock, and citizen fish have created some of the best music that i have ever heard. maybe you should concentrate on the ideals behind the force of the music before writing a review about it.

blakecb@erols.com (Chris Blake)
The day the country died has got to be the best Subhumans record. "No" has a message that is hard to put down. If you don't understand what he is saying, then pull out the fucking inlay and read it. The song will wall into place then.

chris@intown.net (Chris Schwarz)
This is the best Subhumans album, hands down. The songs are very political and paranoia-ridden, with oodles and oodles of speed and great lyrics! I like Dick's English accent and how the bass riffs seem to stand WAY out in almost every single song. "Mickey Mouse Is Dead," "Big Brother," "No," and "Ashtray Dirt" are great songs - almost every song is a winner, I think. Essentially, what you have here is the Subhumans at their youngest, loudest, fastest and finest.

Anarchy9mm@aol.com
It's their fucking best album ever i fucking love Trotsky he's an awesome drummer the drums really stand out to me in "Subvert City" and "Black and White" I think this is their best album because of the message and musical value.

LftCstPUNK@aol.com
i gave this album a 7 1/2 because some of the songs were slow, but some of them were very fast so it evened out to be better, this was the first subhumans album i heard and it took me awhile to get the beat of it. what really got me to buy it was the cover. they have a lot of great songs on the album i could name off about 9 or 10 of my favorites but here's the best ones i think : "SUBVERT CITY", "MINORITY", "TIL' THE PIGS COME ROUND", "NO", "KILLING", "NEW AGE", well i named almost 10 but oh well . now that i think about it it deserves an 8.

Stephen_Thurlow@carat-int.com
erm...how can you be cockney in a trainspotting kind of way? trainspotting was scottish!

stepho2000@hotmail.com
I can't blame you for criticizing SUB HUM ANS cause that's exactly what you should do! Get off your lazy ass, think, and hopefully act on your ideas! But that doesn't mean I have to agree with you. Maybe if you had read the lyrics to the songs on The Day the Country Died you would have seen the meanings. That it's not all about cooking turkeys.

gculver@inri.com (George W. Culver)
In the early-eighties I either had the Subhumans or The Misfits on. This morning while driving to work (Im 27 now hehe) I was listening to the The Day the Country Died and it still has the same energetic feel it did all those years ago. My opinion is that the album was (and still is) quite powerful. Though some of the subject matter used in the songs is no longer a concern, it can be applied to our current lives :)

zaanpunk@hotmai.com (Michiel Heinicke)
Rock Opera about a Turkey Sandwich??? At least try to read the lyrics, prindle... and pick up the book 1984 by George Orwell, cuz THATS WHAT THIS ALBUM IS ABOUT, the dark future where there is no democracy anymore (the country died) but where the thought police torture you if you have a wrong opinion.

This album picks up the 1984 feel just like Orwell would have wanted it (too bad orwell never lived to hear punk music) Id give this album a 9, cuz it has some of the subs best songs, with the climax at Mickey Mouse, Nothing I can do, Dying World and Subvert City. But From there the songs dont do much anymore(you can find a much better version of I dont wanna die on Time Flies).

WBinder007@aol.com
An eight sounds about right. There's some fantastic songs here, like No, Mickey Mouse Is Dead, All Gone Dead, Nothing I Can Do and 'Til The Pigs Come Round, not to mention the jaw-droppingly amazing Subvert City, but there's too much filler to give it a nine. I Don't Wanna Die has got to be the sloppiest mess this side of Crass, (who I can usually stand) Big Brother's kinda boring, Black & White's way too long and Zyklon-B-Movie has got to be their dumbest song ever. No More Gigs has a decent riff & solo, but it just doesn't seem to work.

harold.briggs@sympatico.ca
I don't know how George Culver can say that the message of this album no longer applies to our lives! You should listen to the song ex teenage rebel from worlds apart! Nuclear War, cigarette smoke, and everything else this album is about is very relevent today! There are thousands of nuclear weapons on our planet, and it is just a matter of time before some fuck sets one off and after one goes off a whole bunch more will go off in retaliation and we'll all be dead. Millions of fools smoke cigarettes everyday hoping to fit in to crowds of cool people, or they just can't shake the habit after they realize they were mentally retarted in their early days.

Anyway This album kick all ass. Not quite as good as rats/timeflies but about as good as the first four EP. 9/10

Add your thoughts?

EP-LP - Bluurgh 1985.
Rating = 8


This is a delightful compilation comprised of three pre- and one post-The Day The Country Died 7-inch EPs. It was also the first Subhumans stuff I ever heard and, I gotta tell you, I was mighty impressed. I mean MIGHTY impressed. I illegally taped it on the back of an illegally-taped Seven Seconds album, and played it in the car every day for like fifteen years. Awww man, it was the shit. Of course, now I'm older and more mature, so I can give it an eight and tell it to fuck off, but at the time..... HOOOOO!

The Demolition War EP starts it off with one heck of a catchy delay-driven notey speedy brat racket (or, rather, five of such, plus a crappy reggae song) - possibly the finest British punk ever? Well, no, probably not, but definitely right up there. Good punk songwriters are a rare breed; appreciate them. The next EP, Reason For Existence, gambles with slowness a bit more than its predecessor, but at least "Cancer" really resonates in its deadening droniness. Next is Religious Wars, featuring the god-esque "It's Gonna Get Worse," a song that could singlehandedly convince me to convert to Judaism if that were its goal, and, finally, the Evolution EP is mostly kinda dopey ("So Much Money" and "Germ" are just... dumb), but it ends with one heck of a buttkick called "Not Me?" ("Who's gonna fight the system? You, me, or fucking no one?"). Lots of system fighting round these parts. These guys were into anarchy, not drugs. Life, not death. And realism, not utopianism. Of course, their brand of realism, much like (let me clear my throat) the Dead Kennedys's, is awfully depressing, wreaked as it is with all sorts of paranoia, fear, and disease. But I suppose life's like that in dreary old England. Or at least - it was back in Maggie's day. I'm sure it's much better now.

This EP-LP thing was a great idea, saving collectors all kindsa time and money, but not every single song is that great. Most of 'em are, but I'm telling you, very young white men need to learn to just stay away from reggae. It doesn't work. Well, okay, it doesn't work here.

Say, while we're on the subject, is "wreaked" a word?

Reader Comments

wookie@iinet.com (Valerie Jamieson)
Webster's dictionary defines "Wreaked" as "a word to use in a crappy music review".

punksnskins@rocketmail.com (Steve)
just to let you know that Britain ain't any better than it was....

LftCstPUNK@aol.com
i gave this album a 9 because the first three songs were very catchy and then the album got slower at the end which really made me mad because i thought they'd be faster then that. this album really got me hooked on subhumans and i still think they are the best punk rock band formed. up there with guess who dead kennedys, crass, sex pistols, misfits, exploited, and some others, but the first one up there is subhumans. when i first heard the song "religious wars" and "no" on the day the country died i skipped the song on it because it said negative stuff about religion. but after awhile it all added up and it makes perfect sense to me now. my favorites songs outta this one was "parasites", "drugs of youth", "animal", "society", "human error", "religious wars"," evolution". "human error" is a slow yet great song it expresses the ignorance of the people in those days and these days of war and how you're tricked to believe it's right, well not so much tricked. the other song that hooked me was "evolution", it reminded me of the music my dad listens to because of the beat of it. i thought it was a very meaningful song and another pack of lies by the gov't. thats all i have to say about that.

rtheaker@sprint.ca (Robin Graham)
Hey there,

That's great that there's so many people out there that like these guys. I used to think I was the only one. The EP-LP album was by far their best album, and in my eyes they are undoubtedly the best British punk band ever. All of the songs on that album and many of the others off of the other albums, have hit me pretty hard, but none more than "Human Error". I played that song in my grade 9 english class for some presentation, I had to show some other works that shared my opinion of life, versus these indian poems of the whole "circle of life" deal. There was literally, no lie, over half of the class with their mouthes open after I played that song. I even went to the trouble of handing out the lyrics to it so that they would know what he was singing about in the song.

If you want, take a look at my page. I am also a huge Dead Kennedys fan, as well as Lard and any of Jello's work.

http://members.tripod.com/~Fodder

bankrobber@usa.net (booji boy)
I like'm. Although I hear that Dick smokes now. What the fuck is up with that. The same guy who sung "ASHTRAY DIRT" and "CANCER" smokes now? That's fucked up.

zaanpunk@hotmai.com (Michiel Heinicke)
Id give this one a nine too cuz also this album has some of the subs best songs, PARASITES is perhaps my favourite Subs song of all time. But also this one gets a little boring in the end.

BobbySpence@email.msn.com
I GOT THE EP-LP SUBHUMANS CD AWHILE AGO, AND THOUGHT IT WAS REALLY GOOD. I'VE NEVER LISTEN TO "THE DAY THE COUNTRY DIED ALBUM BUT I GUESS IT'S REALLY GOOD.BUT THIS CD KICKS A LOT OF ASS. "PARASITES", "DRUGS OF YOUTH", "ANIMALS", WHOS GONNA FIGHT IN WW3", "BIG CITY", "PEROXIDE" "RELIGIOUS WARS" AND SEVERAL OTHERS ARE REALLY GOOD.I THINK SUBHUMANS GO IN THE BLACK FLAG,MISFITS, DK SECTION AND NOT WITH EXPLOITED OR G.B.H. CAUSE THATS CRAP.

WBinder007@aol.com
I can't see what your problem with Human Error is, because of all the Subhumans songs, it definitely has some of the best lyrics. The last verse alone makes almost every other "political" punk or hardcore band sound like retards. The first seven songs here are great, but the second and third EPs kind of suck. Religious Wars is a great song, but the rest of 'em...? Fortunately, the Evolution EP ends the compiliation strongly. I really like Germ, even though you don't, and both Not Me and the title track are great, too.

katie_taylor99@hotmail.com
re: booji boy's reader comment above:

SUBHUMANS FUCKIN RULE...EVEN IF DICK DOES SMOKE..THAT DOESNT AFFECT EITHER SONG...WHY CANT HE SING ABOUT IT...HE CAN SING WHATEVER THE FUCK HE WANTS.......... ITS CALLED - PUNK ROCK AND SUBHUMANS IS A PURE PUNK ROCK BAND ANYONE WHO TRULEY KNOWS PUNK MUSIC AND RESPECTS IT KNOWS THAT WHY DONT YOU REALLY LISTEN TO THE BAND .. NOT ONE ALBUM OR TWO SONGS

Add your thoughts?

Time Flies, But Aeroplanes Crash EP - Bluurgh 1983.
Rating = 9


Full of hot tuna and short enough not to start stinkin' right in the middle! Plus, there's musical growth here! "Susan" is a sorrowful PIANO ballad (and good, too), "Work-Rest-Play-Die" is half-children's-sing-song and half-Pink-Floyd-psycheclassic rock guitar solo, "Word Factory" is an honestly GOOD reggae number, and oh... okay, the rest of 'em are speedy echoey punk rock, but they're good, dammit!!!!!!!! I wouldn't sell my car to "Everyday Life," but every other track on here is just lovely. Apparently you can buy it on CD in collaborative conjunction with the Rats EP, so do that if you want, but it's your funeral. They say the bass player got replaced after this EP, but what am I, an encyclopedia?
Reader Comments

Sxeshawn@aol.com
hate to break it to you, but The Day the Country Died is a hell of a lot better than Time Flies.

zaanpunk@hotmai.com (Michiel Heinicke)
Together on one album with the RATS ep, I give it a TEN!

Cuz Time Flies and Rats fit perfectly together. The live versions on time flies kick ass (except people are strange), i love World Factory's catchy Ska rythymn (its not reggae stupid), and name me ONE PUNK BAND that ever made a song like "Susan", (name me one band that can make a piano song sound like punk music), and Work-Rest-Play-Day is their reaction on the Clash i think. Lemme review Rats for you Prindle, Its only 4 tracks, but all damn catchy. starts with "Joe public", wich is goes in the style with "from the cradle to the grave", and the song then blasts into "labels", wich is their fastest song ever i think, it kicks ass. "when the bomb drops" is a masterly reggae track with great some guitar solo's, and the last track "rats", is another song only the Subhumans could play, they do that weird "half-note-chord-playing" again (like dying world), cant really explain it, just hear it for yourself. And the song has two parts, the first part is the punk song, the second part is totally weirdness with keyboards and stuff. Great Great Great!

WBinder007@aol.com
There's no way this deserves a nine. Maybe a six, but no way should it be higher. Word Factory and Susan are the only good songs here. Work Rest Play Die isn't half psyche-classic guitar solo, Prindle, you ass, it's half Word Factory. Listen closely and you'll hear not only the kick-ass bassline from that song, but the lyrics, too. I Don't Wanna Die still sucks, the lead guitar work on First Aid is pointless, and the rest are boring.

Rats alone would be an eight. Joe Public is a great tune, with a fucking Jimi Hendrix parody for Christ's sake. (Listen closely, it's near the end.) Labels is decent, too, but I don't know what the fuck Heinicke's talking about. There's no "half-note chord playing" in Dying World or Rats, and there's really no guitar solo in When The Bomb Drops. Whatever, the two on one disc get a seven.

harold.briggs@sympatico.ca
time flies without rats wouldn't be nearly as good as it is with it. I strongly suggest that pringle or whatever your name is gets timeflies with rats! you won't regret it. The version of don't wanna die is far better than the version on "the day the country died." "First aid" just rocks and even though i haven't listened to the album in a long time I remember loving every song from both rats and time flies. It's like psychadelic jamming prog punk or something-very original. My favorite punk album of all time. 10/10

fabbioclone@hotmail.com
I just wanted to say that the first person who responded to this was talking shit, and his e-mail address was "sxeshawn" if this guys straitedge then he has no business listening to the subhumans anyway. let us ignore him.

please don't take offense, I'm trying to help people.

Add your thoughts?

From The Cradle To The Grave - Bluurgh 1984.
Rating = 8


Okay, this would be the Frankenchrist period of the Subbers's career and, though certainly not quite as seamless a collection of psychotic midtempo rock as that fine DKs experience, this is still a grand listen and an admirable attempt to drag punk rock clear over the mountain of bombast. What is it I'm referring to, you ask? Well, on Frankenchrist, those Dead Kennedys did a six-minute epic punk track called "Stars And Stripes Of Corruption"; though enjoyable in spots, the song was ultimately just a bit too lengthy to hold the interest of your average punk fan, that fan being me.

That said, let me point out that the title track of this Subhumans album is about eighteen minutes long. Okay? And it sure ain't (isn't) no "Close To The Edge." What it is is a bunch of melodies (punk, reggae, pop, rock) that have nothing to do with each other all linked together in no particular order for no particular reason behind some lyrics about how much society sucks. It has some fantastic sections, but some of it drags like nuts on the ground. The real lollipop here is side one, full of kickass rock 'n' roll like "Where's The Freedom" and "Waste Of Breath," as well as some real strange "scary" tracks like "Wake Up Screaming" and "Rain." As a whole, I'd definitely say that the album isn't quite the prog-hardcore masterpiece they were hoping for, but that doesn't mean that it's not still really good; it is. It's just also chockfull of obvious flaws and half-baked ideas, if I may use the word "half-baked," for a moment. May I? Yahoo! I win and everybody else loses!!!!!!

Reader Comments

norma@scptac.org
one of punk's best bands ever. REALITY IS WAITING FOR A BUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

hilld@peak.org
Is that how you rip on creativity?

mef3211@erols.com (Mark Ferron)
"artistic failure?" this is one of the most creative records ever put out...side two is a brilliant and to-the-point summary of the life we should all try our best to resist. The musical vicissitudes of From the Cradle to the Grave may seem to be random, but from the first listen I saw a coherent relationship between the lyrics and the music. The different parts of the music (in mi opinion) do indeed have something to do with each other, and certainly do have reason to be where they are. I could attempt to explain how it all has to with the journey of life and so such, but I don't think you want to hear anymore of me rambling.

Unearth381@aol.com
I think From the Cradle To The Grave is a great song. It has a lot of diffrent parts that aren't that similar but thats what keeps it interesting, they just don't ride the same 3 or 4 chords for the entire song. The lyrics are great as well, their poetic and have depth and meaning to them their not just merely "a bunch of overblown lyrics about how much society sucks," their a little more than that. When you listen to music from anouther time you might want to take into account what was happening then and where the people whao wrote it are from. The songs about how your programed as a child so in the long run people end up contoling your mind and your heart. And that your told that if you kill or die for your counrty your considerd a hero, when in reality all you do is die for gead and corruption. My advice is maybe u should think about something before you write about it. Music isn't just words with a melody (unless your a manufactured alternative band) it generally has a deeper meaning.

tuber@worldnet.att.net (PunkRockKarl)
Who the hell told you that you are the average punk fan. Please stop doing record reviews. You do not have the necessary background knowledge to do them correctly.

HeXeDReBeL@aol.com
YOU SUCK i read your subhumans reviews and there is a few things i wanted to say how can you say that from the cradle to the grave is "a bunch of melodies that have nothing to do with each other" and that it has "over blown lyrics"you obviosly don't know good music when you here it. and also why do repetedly compare subhumans to DK i mean there good the fucking world doesn't revolve around them. also HOW CAN YOU SAY THAT WORLDS APART IS THERE BEST ALBUM!!!!!!! out of all them that is definatly the worst. you do not know good music when you here it .in one of the reviews i think you even said you didn't know the lyrics ,HOW CAN YOU RIGHT A REVIEW WITHOUT KNOWING THE LYRICS THE SONGS ARE NOTHING WITH OUT LYRICS. try reading them then mabey you'll understand you idiot

WBinder007@aol.com
I think you fucked up bad on this one, Prindle. Worlds Apart is a 9, this is the 10. Are you honestly telling me that the title track is NOT the best punk song ever written?! Half-baked is a term I would use to describe Sandinista, not this. This is truly one of the best, if not THE best punk album ever made.

This was not the Frankenchrist period of their career. How could it be?! Frankenchrist-1985, From The Cradle To The Grave-1984. If anything, Frankenchrist was the From The Cradle To The Grave point of the Dead Kennedys career. Although I doubt you'd ever concede THAT point, because you obviously favor the Dead Kennedys.

"Stars & Stripes Of Corruption" is not something I would consider epic. "From The Cradle To The Grave," on the other hand, practically defines the word for me. The musical parts do fit together, trust me on this one. And the lyrics are brilliant. It's one thing to just say "the system sucks, fuck the system" Hell, both the Subhumans AND DK have done that on some of their shorter songs. ("No," etc.) But to show exactly how the system controls someone from birth until death, or from the cradle to the grave, Prindle, now that is brilliant. And to do it in the way Dick & the boys did it on this particular song, well, I truly am at a loss for words on this one. Of course, you'll never re-rate this album or anything so I guess this comment is pointless.

That doesn't change anything, though. The title track, "Waste Of Breath," "Where's The Freedom," "Forget," "Us Fish Must Swin Together" and "Reality Is Waiting For A Bus" are some of the best songs they ever wrote. It's just too bad you don't seem to realize this.

harold.briggs@sympatico.ca
I agree with pringle on this one. The subhumans are probably my favorite punk band and this was the subhumans album I bought to complete my collection. I was very dissapointed. After repeated listenings Some of the songs have grown on me but From the cradle to the grave just puts me to sleep. It's a very ambitious song to say the least but it's just too long and boring. I really like "us fish must swim together" though. I'm going to keep listening to it to see if i'm missing the point but as for now I give it a 6.5/10

Netdefender1@aol.com
Im a huge Dead Kennedys fan but im not crazy about the Frankenchrist era so hearing this album being compared to it kinda turned me off but i still bought it. However, i listened to the whole thing and if this is anything like Frankenchrist my name is mary. With the exception of Wake up Screaming and the 16 minute From the Cradle To The Grave (which is no more frankenchristish than NoFX doing the Decline) the rest of the songs are just as rockin as The Day The Country Died

Add your thoughts?

Rats EP - Bluurgh 1984
Rating = 7


EP. Rats EP. Of all the music joints in all the towns in all the world, it walked into mine. Well, it's not the humans in your sub that count, it's the Sub in your Humans. I'll be back.

(*five minutes later*)

Would you be shocked if I put on something more memorable? My Mama always said, "Subhumans EPs were like a box of chocolate; you never know what you're gonna get." I could dance to this till the cows come home... On second thought, I'd rather dance to The Cows when you came home. Frankly, my dear, I don't give it an eight.

They singin' to me? They singin' to me? They singin' to me? Well, who the hell else are they singin' to? They singin' to me? Well, I'm the only one here. Who the fuck do they think they're singin' to? Gimme some Whiskeytown, Crystal Gayle on the side. And don't play Sting, baby.

I'd love to do this all night, but the list just ended so I guess I have to FCUKing review the FCUKing CD now. It has four songs in eleven minutes. First three sound like early Subhumans, the last one like later Subhumans. They're good, but all of them are dragged down by unneceesary slow parts tossed in there all willy-nilly with no regard for the punk rocker in the Pitt. Three of the songs are punk, one is reggae. I don't like my reviews to just be lists of song titles followed by descriptions, so I won't tell you what they're called. One has a bouncy ascending bass line but the song isn't very good. Another has lots of reverb on the guitar and is a great fast aggressive skater-punk riff like JFA or Suicidal Tendencies' "Possessed." Another is dark weird reggae that actually gets pretty interesting. And yet another is a really terrific dark pissed off nervous piece of punk rock with an awesome chimy break in the chorus (and SICKENING lurching middle part) that would fit as comfortably onto Worlds Apart as my dick would fit into your ass if I were gay.

So you see, your best bet is to simply purchase the money-saving CD that features both the Rats and Time Flies...But Aeroplanes Crash EPs together again for the very first time. "Labels" and "Rats" are among the top Subhumans songs of all time and live up to the band's Canadian name like a fine wine. However, the other two... Ehh... Well, they have their moments, but nnnnnn..... pbbbbl...... FRAAAAAAPPPPPPPPPPPPPP!!!!!.

Which reminds me - doesn't the term "Frappuccino" sound like somebody just took a dump in your coffee?

Well, that's because I did - hey, YOU'RE the one who said you liked it with "cream"!

Which reminds me - doesn't the name "Robert Fripp" sound like he just took a dump and released it under the title Lizard?

Add your thoughts?

* Worlds Apart - Bluurgh 1985. *
Rating = 10


Oooooh! So there is life after punk!!! This is the creative original post-punk guitar rock that they were trying to do on the last record before they got all bogged down in that "epic," and man is this one unstoppable. Fifteen songs, all of 'em great, from the Van Halen guitar intro "33322" to the Yes-ish acoustic fade-out "33322," all chockfull of great hooks, both musical and vocal...... In short, one HEY of a fantastic visit to Accessibleland. Yes, I admit that it took me several years to fully realize its brilliance (when I first heard it, I was really into high-speed punk, and who the hell wants to hear this fully-developed midtempo crap when they just wanna mosh, dude????), but now I have, and I just want to share it with you, the loyal reader.

These songs are so good. As a unit. As a political, social, and emotional statement. And as an album, too! All of the melodies are smart ("Ex-Teenage Rebel" might be the finest delay-ridden song they ever did, "Carry On Laughing" twists speedpunk into some screwed-up cyclical rhythm whirlwind, "Someone Is Lying" works the reggae skrank thing to a surprisingly dark, almost tear-inducing finale, ah hell, they's all great), and the lyrics ain't no Rolling Stones either. Seriously, the consistency of this album is amazing. Not just the wobbly slab of black goo that the songs are printed on, but the songs themselves are consistently creative, well-arranged, and worthwhile. It's just guitar rock, but the band works incredibly well together to ensure that every song has a reason to be. The bass and guitar don't always play the same things; the drummer doesn't just stay in a 4/4 beat the whole time; they're actually THINKING about what they're doing. But making 'em catchy, too! Just give it a few listens. Some of the songs might seem uneventful at first, but after three or four listens, you will be amazed by how well this record is put together. Have a good time! And say hello to Bill for me!

Reader Comments

JoeBlobs@aol.com
That's the first and I definitely hope the last time I hear the Subhumans compared to Van Halen.

oconnorb@concentric.net
what are you talking about. my first sub's album was worlds apart which is nothing like the day the country died. STILL NO other punk band has EVER written a punk song like "subvert city" (no one can play that disco - punk beat as fast as trotsky. Tell me when did the bassist for DK ever write anything as cool or as funky as the bassline to "nothing i can do". DK was a great band so was Minor Threat and Misfits but as far as punk goes no one can touch the sub's. And i think they did rasta - punk pretty good!

rtheaker@sprint.ca (Robin Graham)
Hello again, I bet you don't remember me but that's ok. I sent you my opinion of your Subhumans albums review, and well I didn't agree with you at first that Worlds Apart was their best album but my opinion has now changed, I love that album now. The changes, the music, the lyric everything is great.. I just thought I'd send ya that let ya know. Not sure why, guess maybe I just felt like sending email :)

tuber@worldnet.att.net (PunkRockKarl)
What do you mean "life AFTER punk" who said punk is over, you? Like you are any fucking authority. Why are you wasting time comparing Dead Kennedys and SUB][HUM][ANS anyway. They are nothing alkie save for the years they were together. You really need to stop doing record reviews.

Extnrebel@aol.com
Well...I can't say i agree with some of your other reviews but i can agree with you on this one. Worlds Apart is an amazing album the tracks are all divided great. Not so much punk rock as more towards rock blues. You have the great rock of "Apathy with the rock n' roll of "get to work on time" with the slow tunes of "someone is lying. Great Album.

zaanpunk@hotmai.com (Michiel Heinicke)
What where you thinking Dick & the lads????? why did you make this album??? this aint punk anymore! a few nice songs but these aren't the subs i love. id give it a low 7.

MarkyRebel@aol.com
How can you get everything so consistently wrong? Worlds Apart is a musical *nightmare*, and From the Cradle to the Grave is one of the most brilliant things that the punk scene ever spat out! Get your facts straight! And for someone so in favor of the shitty prog-rock displayed on Worlds Apart, you sure are down on their *good* experimentation (the reggae tunes, etc.) I guess you're entitled to your opinions, but I wish you'd stop irritating the rest of us with them

WBinder007@aol.com
This is a wonderful album and all, and definitely their most diverse musically, but it's not as good as From The Cradle To The Grave. Fade Away is definitely their best reggae song, (though Human Error is really close) Heads of State is inexplicably bouncy and fantastic, Can't Hear The Words amazes me every time I listen to it, and... aw, fuck it. This album is mind-blowing up until track 8, Pigman, which is fucking dumber than shit. From there, Can't Hear The Words, Get To Work On Time and the beginning of Ex-Teenage Rebel are great, but the rest are kind of boring. I liked the music from Straightline Thinking a lot better when the Monkees called it Stepping Stone, too.

fabbioclone@hotmail.com
it's awesome that you think worlds apart is the best one. I do as well.

this album is how I get non-punk rockers to admit that punk is good, it works every time, I swear. these kids who are talking shit need to get off their punk rock pedistals and listen to some music. for christs sake I don't want to read reviews by a person who only listens to one type of music. this guy knows what he's doing.

and as much as it makes me un-punk, it bothers me how he sings off key on the day the country died. I mean, as someone who's into music for music's sake, that makes it less fun to listen to.

I think worlds apart is the best punk album ever, and I think the subhumans are the best punk band ever.

so anyhow, all you hardcore punk rockers can go listen to the day the country died, that's cool, it's a good album. I won't listen to it as much as worlds apart.

Add your thoughts?

Split Vision 29:29 - Bluurgh 1985.
Rating = 6


I'm not sure if there's a story behind this record or not, but it sure is weak. Just boring! The songs don't really do anything! Are they outtakes from earlier records? Was the band on the verge of breakup? I don't know, but the brilliance of the last record is nowhere to be seen here. More guitar rock with more of a reggae feel, but not much in the way of melody! A couple of 'em are kinda neat, like "Somebody's Mother," which starts things off on a positive note, but most of 'em are just....ehhh.... Oh well. I've never heard the band Culture Shock, but I have heard Citizen Fish (featuring three former Subhumans) and it's real similar to the stuff on this record. Reggae/ska/pop/guitar rock with good intentions but not tons in the way of innovation or memorable hookage. That's just me talking, though. I love the song "Charity"....

Reader Comments

"chaffey college"@earthlink.com (Carlos Osegueda)
hey dick head. Citizen fish is my favorite band so fuck off. I admire dick's lyrics. He is one of greatest song writers that ever lived. I admire all he work so fuck you.

you sound like a jock to me and not one understands his words. all of dick's lyrics are great. He give a message that no other song writer has done before, and he did not retreat. Go buy some of his latest albums and read his words. They'll kick your ass!

hilld@peak.org (Doug Hill)
SUBHUMANS RULE YOU FAG.

JLDART@aol.com
i think that the subhumans are one of the greatest punk bands that ever existed. They had a lot of great songs. Dick is a great songwriter. The only other person i've heard rip on the government like that is Jello Biafra of the Dead Kennedys.

wjohnson@lightspeed.net
Screw that, 29:29 SPLIT VISION is a bad ass album with killer bass lines that not many could top. The subhumans were one of the greatest bands out there.

smithj@fit.edu (Jaime Smith)
I love Subhumans. Almost as much as I love Crass. Old school punk kicks ass and anyone who doesn't listen to it doesn't know what they're missing out on.

student@ecst.csuchico.edu
Culture Shock is my favorite band. It is very different from Subhumans or Citizen Fish (though I am a very big fan of both). The lyrics in "Onwards and Upwards" kick ass. If you have not heard Culture Shock yet, hear them! And in my opinion Split Vision is a great album and so is EP-LP, you did not give them enough credit. If you think Citizen Fish is boring maybe you did not hear Free Souls in A trapped Environment. There is nothing boring about that album.

rvielel@san.rr.com (Robert Viele)
subhumans have given us so much enlightenment on certain political and ethical subjects, how can you talk shit about them. listen to your albums more carefully.

chunli@exit109.com (Brookelynn)
I agree with you I think the SUB-HUM-ANS were one of the greatest punkbands of their time. I wish I could of been the age i am now when they would play. Unfortunatly the so-called "punk rock" today has killed all the messages and ideas that genuine punk rock endeavored to give. But the greatest bands live on, while those shit faced commercial punks continue to expose the scene.

nosfera2@interaccess.com (David Sumers)
I agree with alot of the rest of the comments, but not alot of yours. "now you're older and more mature"? Any real punks wouldnt be under the impression that its something you grow out of. Their lyrics are some of the smartest I've ever read which has always been the appeal behind the best punk bands. Culture Shock are good too-Glad they kept going in some form, sorry I missed seeing them play.

SDTats@yahoo.com (Jay Lopez)
I applaud you for putting up a Subhumans page but do not understand why you did it. You seem to know very little about the band or its music. I have followed them since 1982 when I first heard the EP, Rats. I have seen them perform over 10 times as the Subhumans and 5 or 6 as Citizen Fish. If you listen carefully to the later Subhumans records you can pick up hints of what has become Citizen Fish. As for the fish part..well that has been there from the start. Fish 1,2,3 etc..and if you will look at most records put out on Blurg you will see this on the back of the covers. You will also see it on the "official bootlegs" put out on Spiderleg records. Anyway, if you want to discuss the music and message of any of their incarnations please e-mail me at SDTats@yahoo.com. PS the other members of Subhumans were Phil & Grant. Also Dick, Trotsky and Phil are in Citizen Fish. Thank you

gmasuett@hctc.com (G & M Suetterlein)
Why don't you just get it over with and stick Jello Biafra's dick in your mouth? And what the fuck do you know about Song structures & music in general??? The Subhumans are all around Badasses...... So stick it up your ARSE Prindle!!

bayley@ibm.net (deinet.bayley)
How can people critisize bands like subhumans and exploited. Who knows where punk would be right now if werent for them. so dont bash the subs, you wanker.

preservatives@email.msn.com (Deirdre Fotis)
crass could touch the subs anytime they felt like it

rtheaker@sprint.ca (Robin Graham)
This is funny, there's a lot of people out there pissed off at you, I mean I don't agree with you in some areas too, like where you talk about Split Vision being a failure, have you ever thought about maybe the fact that they were just in a different mind-set. I mean are we always pissed off about the same thing all the time. Are we always in the mood to write or act a certain way. I would like to think that this was just a phase with the writers of this band, that it wasn't a failure to them, maybe a failure to keeping up the image that you hold in your head of them. But it really didn't piss me off that much, I mean you're intitled to your opinion. And I think that this "chaffey college" person who ever you are, I think maybe you should be a little less judgemental and think about what you're saying. Do you really think a jock would smart enough to come up with some of this stuff, or to even find Subhumans nevermind have an opinion of them? I don't think so.

P.S. I have to agree with the guy though that said you might as well just suck Jello's dick heheheheh, you do sort of get off topic and compare them to DK a little too much, I mean different time periods experiences and countries might play a bit of a role in the difference between these two great bands. Which in my opinion are the two best punk bands ever.

FatSkanka@aol.com
just for your information on this subhumans review page, culture shock sounds much like citizen fishes early albums, with the reggea/ska thing, exept the lyrics seem to be more psycological than political. on the one i have onwards and upwards, a few of the songs sound like they came from citizen fish's millenia maddness and the rest sound like more punkish versions of the kind of songs you would find on free souls in a trapped enviroment, of course if you are not knowledgable in the field of citizen fish, you would have no idea what i am talking about, but thats the best explanation i can give

dwhitlow@ix.netcom.com
I think the subhumans are the all around best brit.and punkband alive!!!!If you actually disagrey,WELL GOD BLESS YOU,YOU MUST NOT KNOW A SINGLE THING ABOUT PUNK

plaz138@aol.com
Listen wanker...The Subhumans and the Fish rule !!! I was privileged enough to witness the Subhumans last night (Aug. 28 at the Orange Pavilion,CA) and let me say,anyone who doubts their greatness should see them live.It was one of the most insane shows I've ever been to ! The hundred + people on stage,the pit,the nazis getting stomped.......It was total anarchy.Fun was had by all (except the nazi punks - screw the bastards).

PS - To the guy who compared the Subs to the Exploited.....go piss off !!! The Exploited-Nazi-Fucks can't come close to Dick & the lads.

klherdeg@quicklink.com (Kay Herdeg)
Really fucking good critism, you jerk-off. Mayube you should listen to fucking album once before brazenly ripping it apart. And it comes with lyrics, you illiterate troglydite! Suck on sweatty nuts for that shitty review!

JonnyMotel@aol.com (Clay)
Isnt it wonderful reviewing punk rock? When you have something funny or cynical to say about some kids favorite band (like my man Carlos at the top of the page or anyone else who calls you a "fag" or "subhumans rule dude, uh, what thuh fuck") they freak out. These kids need to read books instead of Dicks lyrics. yeah, he can write some AMAZING songs, but shit man. Hes just a guy like us. No reason to emmulate him and I for one, SEE the DK Subhumans thing. Punk fans are the reason I dont go to many shows or even think about calling myself a punk. Most have no roots or taste to, kiss my tookus. Go paint yr jacket and figure out how society is killing you.

Peptobmsl@aol.com (Nick Leu)
A message to Kay Herdeg: Your post made me laugh almost as much as the "Hungarian AC/DC fun man" guy who posted on the AC/DC page. You call someone an "illiterate troglodite", but spell "troglodite", "maybe", "criticism", and "sweaty" wrong, and use the phrase, "listen to fucking album". Ahh the many joys of the internet.....

I saw the Subhumans a couple weeks ago, and it was good, but it's one o' those things that's already been elaborated upon by previous posters. Citizen Fish are also good, by the by, but that's already been discussed by others here (albeit in a less than eloquent manner).

centerm@ul.com
I took Dick's advice from "dehumanization" (29:29 split vision) Iwanted to stay alive, so I joined the police. I often wonder if I'm the only cop in America (or Europe) that has seen the subhumans, and still goes to shows?

zaanpunk@hotmai.com (Michiel Heinicke)
No no no Prindle, this album is the subs' return to punk, they do the catchy riffs thing again on this one. Too bad they had to split up. I like this album, i would give it a nine.

You might want to look for a new Subhumans release called Unfinished Business, with previously unreleased songs (ive been searching for it for a while, i had a chance to buy it at their reunion tour where i saw em, but i was out of cash!), i think it's also out on Bluurg records.

JeLLoVoLcoM1@aol.com
Subhumans are the second best fucking band, Dead Kennedys being #1

KRosell@email.msn.com
i dissagree with jellovolcom, subhumans are the best there are much more aggressive and get the point out of what they dont liek and why they dont. the dead kennedys do that as well but the subhumans are just better

WBinder007@aol.com
The big problem with this EP is that it is an incredibly pretentious collection of outtakes. Well, sort of. Some of the songs are obviously outtakes, and bad ones at that, and while some of the songs are really good, as a whole, there's only one word for it- pretentious.

Sure, you can argue that the title track on From The Cradle To The Grave was pretentious because of its length, (shit, there's entire full-length Zeke albums that are shorter) but that song attempted to tell the story of an individual's entire life and how he gets fucked by the system at every turn. It succeeded, though, and ultimately, didn't seem all too pretentious, but rather, good-natured and ambitious. The fact that it was written during the time when they wrote The Day The Country Died makes it that much more impressive, mostly because of the musical limitations on The Day The Country Died. (I mean,Christ, just how many songs are based around the chords A, Bb, B, and C in the Subhumans' catalogue? There's at least a dozen, and more that half of that particular album. Still, though, it's a great album.)

Worlds Apart, on the other hand, was a pretentious album. They basically decided to all but abandon the speedy punk tunes that they built their careers on, choosing instead to focus on the more experimental tunes that appeared maybe once or twice on almost each of their releases to date.

Problem is, that kind of approach tends to have a polarizing effect- either the songs are really good, or they fucking suck. Fortunately, with Worlds Apart, (about which I was partially wrong- Straightline Thinking is E-G-A, not A-C-D, so forget the Monkees comment, and I was also wrong about Ex-Teenage Rebel, which is basically a condensed song along the lines of From The Cradle To The Grave,and very, very cool) the bands creativity was at an all-time high, and the resulting album was a masterpiece with only one or two missteps, namely the retarded Pigman and the well-meaning but boring Powergames. (As an album, I still like From The Cradle to the Grave more, though, but that point's moot.)

But, there's a problem. Songs like Powergames and Ex-Teenage Rebel are very complex in the sense that they have many different parts musically, but overall, the quality varies. (Powergames = shit, Ex-Teenage Rebel = awesome) It's really quite interesting, because some of their best songs are the ones where they just ride one or two (or maybe, just maybe, three) riffs the whole time, like "Word Factory," "Human Error," "Subvert City" (which has an acoustically finger-picked intro, not exactly expected), "Us Fish Must Swim Together" (which also has an acoustically finger-picked intro, not exactly an argument against artistic stagnation), "No," "Waste Of Breath," "Forget," etc.

It's almost as if they sat back and listened to "From The Cradle To The Grave" (the song, not the whole album) and really liked the way they were able to fit so many song parts into just one song. The approach worked with that seventeen-minute song. It doesn't work so well with a four or five minute song.

Which brings me (finally) to this release. Many of these songs are along the lines ofthe "mini-operas" I just mentioned. Once again, the quality varies."Somebody's Mother" is definitely one of the ten best songs they've ever done, with a mind-blowingly cool main riff that, sadly, disappears for most of the middle of the song. Much of the song has no lyrics, and the few verses contained within aren't exactly Dick's best work. This is somewhat surprising considering that Dick's lyrics, more that anything else, are what sets the Subhumans apart from many other early 80's punk bands.

Unfortunately, there are also several other songs on the album. I realize that seems a bit pessimistic, but if you've actually heard this album then you know what I mean. "Heroes" is a nice little ditty, and the guitar solo portion seems to be kind of a swipe at Led Zeppelin, (think "Whole Lotta Love" and you'll understand) perhaps meaning the entire song is about those worthless heroin-addled fourteen-year-old-fucking coke-snorting over-rated purveyors of massively overrated crap. Or not. The logic's a bit loose, I'll admit.

"Walls Of Silence," despite a Subhumans-by-the-numbers guitar part, has a nice enough bassline and lyrics to stick out. And it's also short, like under two-minutes, so that's a plus as well, especially on this album, which is only about five minutes shorter than The Day The Country Died, despite containing only half the songs.

The rest of the album can fuck off. Just like the in-no-way-shape-or-form-deserving-a-nine-from-Prindle Time Flies EP, the lyrics are fantastic. The music, on the other hand, to borrow two of Prindle's phrases, sucks Shakespearian trained Jm. J. Bullock's big ol' peen.

The songs "Worlds Apart," "New Boy" and "Time Flies But Aeroplanes Crash," are, in my opinion, the three worst songs this band ever recorded. Since they make up over a half of this album's length, it just compounds the misery.

"Worlds Apart," in particular, represents the pretentious feeling that oozes through this record. Look at the lyrics- "Then they dropped their goddamn bomb / Just like we'd predicted / Just like we wrote the songs about." What the fuck?! Like you guys are fucking martyrs or something!

Despite this unabashed arrogance, the overlong song does have some great lyrics, notably "Ignorance and innocence go together / Peace and harmony flowers and trees / Your peace of mind only comes in pints / There are other worlds apart from these."

Too bad the music is some God-fucking-awful jazz experiment that would make Miles Davis roll over in his grave. Or at least rot in it, to paraphrase Spinal Tap's Derek Smalls.

I'm going out on the cliff of presumption when I presume this, but I think the two songs with titles of other Subhumans albums were outtakes from those sessions. (Actually, that's probably not all that presumptuous after all.) Just think if "Worlds Apart" appeared on Worlds Apart. Guarantee, Prindle wouldn't have awarded it a ten. “Time Flies But Aeroplanes Crash," however, would have fit in perfectly on its intended release, because it sucks so fucking bad. Bad melody, no discernible guitar hook, etc, etc, jeez does it suck.

I won't even comment on "New Boy."

Overall, though, the three good songs range from amazing to very good, and counter out the other five almost enough to warrant a purchase. Not quite, though. Overall, I give it a four, and this post is way too fucking long. Fin.

fabbioclone@hotmail.com
I don't know dude, heroes was an awesome song.

heroes was as good as the songs on worlds apart, which was my favorite one.

to everybody talking bad about worlds apart, it's ok for bands to make experimental albums.

the first punk album (whatever it was) was an experimental album.

experimenting is how we make new things.

please listen to worlds apart. I mean really, take off your spikey leather jackets and listen to it. it's good I promise.

Add your thoughts?

Unfinished Business EP - Bluurg 1998.
Rating = 9


A sexxxcellent idea sexxxecuted sexxxpecially sexxgood. I wish somebody had told me it was only 12 and a half minutes before I bought it, but life continues at a whirlwind pace of which we can only speculate the reasons wherefore. This is seven Subhumans songs that most people have never heard -- including those people that own this EP!!!!!

Hey - I'm not here to make you happy, or even to make sense. I'm here to ramble on and on and on about the Dead Kennedys so everyone can call me an asshole. But I'm not an asshole. I'm just a sillygoose. Doesn't the world love a sillygoose any more? If not, why? If yes, rimjob?

This is seven songs -- all punk, no ska, all great, no bad! Two are rare studio tracks from 82-83, one is a smashingly fun, messily confusing live track from 81 and the remaining four are newly recorded versions of old songs "re-learnt from old gig tapes"!!! That's commitment for you! For ME! After all these slow ska Citizen Fish albums (of which I've only heard the first two, so for all I know they play grindcore now), to return to the studio to bash out well-produced, hyperactive, catchy as HELL old school punk rock tunes like this - just GREAT WORK, GUYS!!!!

Don't be fearing you'll be buying ska, in other words, if you don't like ska. This is classic, classic Subhumans punk rock. Just like the EP-LP stuff. Mean guitar tones, angry British yob vocals about oh this and that, one would assume. In this day and age of kickass hardcore GODS like Blink 182 and Green Day, there is absolutely no reason that we should have had to wait so many years to hear this great material. Much like cotton.

By the way, everybody who says negative things about me on this page is a fag. One big collective fag with about forty heads, all sucking Puerto Rican cock.

Reader Comments

Zombywoof109@aol.com
WHEN I STARTED LISTENING TO PUNK IN THE EARLY 80'S THERE WAS NO WAY TO KNOW WHO WAS WHO, WHAT WAS WHAT & WHO OR WHAT SUCKED OR DIDN'T SUCK SINCE RADIO PLAYED NONE OF THIS MUSIC. THE WAY THE MAJORITY OF MY RECORD COLLECTION WAS BUILT WAS BY GOING TO THE LOCAL RECORD STORES & GOING THROUGH THEIR BINS OF INDIE / IMPORT BINS FOR HOURS ON END, LOOKING AT THE ALBUMS, READING THE LIST OF SONGS & IF EVERYTHING LOOKED LIKE IT WOULD BE GOOD I'D BUY IT. THIS IS HOW I FOUND THE SUBHUMANS. I SAW "THE DAY THE COUNTRY DIED" AND BOUGHT IT, AND FOR THE NEXT NUMBER OF YEARS COLLECTED ALL I COULD BY THE BAND. WITH THIS SYSTEM I ALSO "FOUND" TO MANY OTHER BANDS TO LIST, "CHAOTIC DISCHORD" A BRITISH HARDCORE BAND, HEAVIER THAN THE SUBS AND IMPOSSIBLE TO UNDERSTAND, IN THE ALBUM THEIR IS NO LYRIC SHEET & TO THIS DAY 20 YEARS LATER I UNDERSTAND ONLY 5% OF THE VOCALISTS RANTINGS, BUT NEVER THE LESS A GREAT FIND. ANOTHER BAND I "FOUND" WHICH AS IT TURNS OUT WAS NOT FAR FROM MY DETROIT AREA HOME IS THE "CRUCIFUCKS". THIS SYSTEM WORKED UP UNTIL THE 90'S WHEN IN ORDER TO GAIN AN AUDIENCE ANY GROUP OFBUTT-FUCK WITH A GUITAR CALLED THEMSELVES PUNK. BUT WHEN YOU GO INTO A NEVER EXPLORED GENRE HOW ARE YOU SUPPOSED TO KNOW? I "FOUND" MORE GOOD MUSIC THAN BAD THIS WAY.

SUB HUM ANS ROCK!

UltraVegetaxXxXx@aol.com
Fuck the Subhumans. Most everything Ive heard by them sucks the cock. They are not even close to being the best Brit punk band, never mind the best punk band. If you want the best brit punk- go the originals- the Sex Pistols! They could write a good political song (Anarchy in the UK, God Save the Queen) but didnt take themselves so seriously! They wrote fun little songs like "Submission" which seems to be about performing oral sex on a woman, and "Body" which is about abortion! And they are all great little songs- they outdo everything by this band- and with only one alblum! If you want the best straight up punk . . . thats hard but certainly the Ramones, The Germs, the Misfits, Flipper, Richard Hell, Television, and yes the DKs are much more entertaining and/or talented than these guys.

benalto@benalto.com (Rocket Robin Hood)
The Canuck Subhumans were WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY better. "Slave To My Dick" is a classic which belongs on any punk rock mix tape. Ditto with "Oh Canaduh". Wake up and smell the back bacon, Prindle!

Add your thoughts?

Live In A Dive - Fat Wreck Chords 2004
Rating = 9


The Subhumans are back? What happened to Citizen Fish, the ska band featuring 3/4ths of the Subhumans? What happened to all of their great reggae and ska songs that I've never heard? I'll always miss not having heard them. Or to be more exact, I used to own a couple of their CDs but most of the songs were so nondescript that the only one I remember at all is "Charity," with its awesome descending bass line and hilarious Kate Bush part. But the Subhumans were GREAT! Their nearly ska-free catalog was made up largely of (1) speedy simple British punk blasts of catchy anger and (b) dark psychotic ruminations of midtempo fear and discomfort. And they sound just as great now as they did when I was 16 (400 years ago).

This is a NEW live recording, recorded in 2003 but consisting almost entirely of classic material (one track each from Time Flies, But Aeroplanes Crash, Evolution, Reason For Existence, 29:29 Split Vision and Rats, two from Religious Wars, four each from Demolition War, From The Cradle To The Grave and Worlds Apart and a goodly SIX from The Day The Country Died). The sole new track, "This Year's War," takes Bush and Major to task over a fast, muted descending hook of untrustworthiness. And I don't mean the band Bush and some guy's College Major!!! Heh hehe heh.

I mean a short green leafy tree and a happy-sounding musical chord.

The song selection is perfect (no reggae or ska!), the sound quality is excellent for a live recording and the guitar tone is as shiny and thick as it was in the mid-80s. Plus it's a treat to hear a middle-aged, lower-voiced Dick give a go at stuff like "Parasites" that was originally recorded when his voice was younger than a fruitfly and higher than a penis that's been shot up with cocaine.

Oh I forgot - here's my "punk guy": SELLOUTS!!! Fuckin' putting out a record on Fat Wreck Chords just to make a million dollars! I'm keepin' the tradition of the PINS alive! Fight war not wars! Spare some change?

Reader Comments

warminstrel@hotmail.com (Warren Dancey)
A 37 year old ex-teenage rebel and Wessex Anarchsit, local to Subhumans, Culture Shock and Citizen Fish, currently residing in Warminster, (Un-Official home of The Subhumans) formerly lived in Melksham, (home of Bluurg records) contemporary, freind, co-anarchist to Dick and crew and the other wessex punk bands (Check out: The A-Heads, Smart Pils, The Cult Maniax, Organised Chaos, The Amebix, The Resserected and the Lumps Of Merde all of varying style and/or quality)

To fully understand the music and vibe i think it helps to actually "be" there; In the west of England the punks found a new home at the Stonehenge Free Festival, injecting a new energy of pro-activeness along with the Peace and Anti war feelings shared by both New age Hippys and Punks alike. This was from about 1980 onwards, bands like Crass playing alongside Ozeric Tentacles etc.

In 1985 Maggie Thatcher decied as she had beaten the Unions, Coal miners etc she would start on her next enemy, namely Punks, Hippys...basicaly anyone with an alternative lifestyle...The Criminal Justice Bill was passed, making all festivals, gatherings illegal. This all culminated in the "Battel Of The Beanfield" at Stonehenge where hundreds of Tavellers, Punks etc had thier homes (busses) trashed and were beaten with truncheons by unforgiving policemen.

This happend about the time of the forming of Culture Shock who took it upon themselves to support the cause playing free gigs all over the west country in the years that passed untill the Rave generation took over the free festival scene in the late 80's.

In all I am very proud to have been part of it, am still an anarchist and still find the writing of reviews, comparing quality of music with others and generally making a frace of punk rock an abhoration of all that punk stands for.

Do some research, check out Dicks subhumans site and make your own minds up, thats what its all about and I'm not about to cast scathing remarks about anyone ideals or beliefs. As for hating a bands tunes because they dare to pay a bit of ska or reggae is a bit narrow minded and again stands against all that is REALY punk (Totskys a big Led Zepplin fan you know).

These days my 15 year stepson Sam (who is incidently the son of Culture Shock drummer Bill Marlkey) buys his guitars, strings and amps from a shop in Warminster called Acre Music, owned by 'Humans Guitarist Bruce Treasure. If any Punks in the US want to hear it from the horses mouth then look up Pete The Roadie in Oakland, USA, roadie to Subhumans. Anyways, keep it real, without prejudice and do your own thang. Be pro-active, find your energy, onward and upwards.

Warminstrel, Techno-Pagen and Wessex Anarchist.

michielh@nl.demon.net (Michiel Heinicke)
Yes I realised I hate punks as well, a week ago I saw this bum with a mowhawk dive deep into a garbage can. I never dived in a garbage can when I was punk.

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Internal Riot - Bluurg 2007
Rating = 8


I already posted this as a MySpace bulletin, but I know that most of my Malaysian readers can't afford accounts, so I'll reprint it here:

Date: Nov 13, 2007 11:03 AM

Subject: I'm seeing Van Halen LIVE 2nite!!!

Body: I can't wait because I've been a Gary Cherone fan since I was a little kid. It's gonna kick so much ass hearing him up there wailin' away at such timeless VH classics as "Once," "From Afar" and "Ballot Or The Bullet." I hope they don't waste time with their shitty early material like "Right Now" and "I Can't Stop Loving You" because they really only reached their peak with their third album, Van Halen III.

And if I know Mike Anthony, his bass solo is gonna tear the roof off the place!

I'll let you know all about it on my blog tomorrow! And on my Facebook!

So you see, tonight's a big deal for me and my pigeons. My pigeons especially, because pigeons don't live very long and they thought they'd never get to see Gary Cherone's Van Halen perform in a live context.

One thing that offends me personally is that people often accuse my pigeons of being somehow less than, or "sub-", human. To this accusation, I retort, "So what? The Subhumans rule ass!" I don't actually have pigeons, but if I did, everything stated here would be true so this is still non-fiction; if you're a librarian, file it in that section.

Considering that they're all 9 billion years old and a bunch of reggae fans now, it is profoundly inspiring to hear so many creative rock, punk and hardcore riffs on this brand new Subhumans album. Dick's voice is of course lower than it used to be, but otherwise the only sign of age is (even more) improved musicianship! Though Bruce's guitar riffs are mostly chord-based, he inserts lots of melodic guitar breaks and solos, bassist Phil is busy as a bee playing about ten different notes for every chord, and the whole unit sounds impressively tight, smart and tough.

Sticking their middle finger up in defiance of expectations, The Subhumans have granted us a brand new album that sits proudly alongside their top-selling releases of two decades ago. There are definitely a few weak moments of two-chord predictable simplicity (hence the 8, not 9), but on a CD of 13 tracks, it is astonishing how many of these chord changes are either (a) odd, interesting and slightly twisted, or (b) total ASS-KICKERS! If you're into the numbers racket, I'd qualify the content as such:

Upset Troubled-Punk - 3
Happy Pop-Punk - 3
Midtempo Psycho-Rock - 2
High-Speed Hardcore - 2
Reggae/Hardcore - 1
Hit Single Written All Over It - 1
All Over The Fucking Place - 1

If you're into the specifics racket, here are some additional qualities you might find herein:

- Palm muting
- A rewrite of an old God Bullies lyric ("A war against terror/A war on crime/A war against anyone/Any time!")
- A surprisingly gorgeous vocal harmony ("Fractured")
- A song that sounds like early Ramones ("This Is Not An Advert")
- A song that sounds like late Ramones ("Fractured")(Again)
- A great Thin Lizzy-style harmony guitar solo ("Supermarket Forces")
- A song that should be a radio hit. I mean, they all should in a perfect world, but even in this world, "Process" has all the ingredients of a great radio single.
- An old-style high-speed hardcore rush of adrenaline... about a mosquito. ("Mosquitoes")
- A slow eerie dark lead guitar section ("Never-Ending War Song")
- A metallic Motorhead-meets-Subhumans section ("Never-Ending War Song")
- An up-n-down hardcore section ("Never-Ending War Song")
- A downbeat circular-chord section that sounds like a song they already recorded years ago ("Never-Ending War Song")
- A brooding midtempo bass/guitar note part ("Never-Ending War Song")
- A punk-speed part with four cool anxious chords ("Never-Ending War Song")
- A dissonant chord and descending bass part ("Never-Ending War Song")
- A syncopated bitter part with cool lead guitar at its breaks ("Never-Ending War Song")
- A backwards acoustic guitar section ("Never-Ending War Song")
- An emotional ending with great vocals ("Never-Ending War Song")

The crazy thing is that "Never-Ending War Song" is only TWO SECONDS LONG!!!!!

No hang on I misread my handwriting - 9:29. No "From The Cradle To The Grave" maybe, but a car fry (far cry) from "Drugs Of Youth"!

Thanks for stopping by. Remember to ask me about the Van Halen concert tomorrow! You know what would be really cool? For them to let Eddie play a solo! I'm not counting on it though; the concert's only 2 1/2 hours long.

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Click here to buy Subhumans CDs. Click on the album covers to access CHEAP USED CD prices. Otherwise it's your fun, Eral. (if your name's Eral)

Someone cried out "Prin-dle!" And the web site all went cold.