Nasty Facts

NASTY FACTS

Drive My Car 7" EP

1981

"Formed in Brooklyn, New York 79/80. They were previously called Pandemonium but soon changed to the catchier Nasty Facts when Cherl Boyze joined. Miss Boyze (a/k/a Boyce) was the tom-boy bass-guitarist and vocalist/songwriter in this highly underated outfit. In 1981 they released their only vinyl output, the catchy 3 track 45 'Drive my Car' b/w 'Gotta Get To You' / 'Crazy Bout You' out on Jimboco Records of New York City. It's quality didn't gain 'em much attention outside the big apple but it wasn't long before it travelled across the ocean where it got licensed and turned up on the tiny Dudley based 5th Column Record label in the UK. John Peel on Radio One often played them on his radio show too, but sadly that was the last we heard from 'em as the Nasty Facts." [Women In Punk.]

"Nasty Facts made quite an impact on the NY punk/new wave scene, especially considering that they only released one single, and were just teenagers at the time. They appeared regularly at Max's Kansas City, CBGB, and most of the other hot spots of the time. Their success culminated in the release of a 3 song 7" ep on Jimboco Records, produced by Ramona Jan (Dizzy and the Romilars, Comateens). The single was very well received, and has become a highly sought after collectable."

This one took a minute to grow on me, a bit too pop for my usual tastes. It remains a popular record among collectors which provides me with reason enough to re-examine it.

Man-Ka-Zam

MAN-KA-ZAM

Spank-A-Thon 7" EP

1978

The second incarnation of NYC's Alan Milman Sect, who blessed us with one killer 7" (to be posted later) before morphing into the less fortunately titled "Man-Ka-Zam." Despite the awful name, this record kicks ass, and it remains unclear to me why this isn't a favorite on fellow collector's lists. Still readily available on the cheap.

Snatch

SNATCH

Stanley / I.R.T. 7"

1977

These girls (Patti Palladin & Judy Nylon) put together nothin' but gems during their run together from around 1974 to 1983? Patti, in my opinion, was quite the looker, hence the featured scan coming from her side of the picture sleeve. I believe she dated Mr. Johnny Thunders for a bit and put out a record of mostly covers with said bloke entitled "Copy Cats."

"You and Johnny have similar backgrounds, what was it like growing up in New York?"

" ...to survive in that sort of environment, it's essential to develop your 'attitude' at a very early age. Although I grew up in Brooklyn and Johnny grew up in Queens, the similarity of our backgrounds is strong -- the basic 'neighbourhood mentality'. The neighbourhood was sliced into 'gang-governed territories'; my neighbourhood was more or less shared by The Phantom Lords and The Hell Burners, Jerry [Nolan] was a 'Young Lord'. The letters D.L.A.M.F. (Down Like A Mother Fucker) and D.T.K. (Down To Kill) were a common at one-way signs. Yet, STYLE, not violence was the main motive... your main concern was really your profile. Mind you, there was a fair amount of bloodshed over who had more style -- violence was merely the result of too much style and too much attitude. I can't erase all that, and I'm sure Johnny and Jerry can't either."

Excerpt from an interview with Patti Palladin lifted from the Snatch website. This record was recorded at Judy's flat in 1976 and has most certainly been covered before, but there are still those to count among the uninitiated, which is indeed quite a shame.

The Brats

THE BRATS

Be A Man / Quaalude Queen 7"

1974

"When the proto-punk glitter rock project called The New York Dolls coalesced in the Fall of 1971, Rick Rivets and Arthur Kane turned up the speed and the attitude. Other guys joined: Johnny Thunders, [Billy] Murcia, and after a couple of months, a singer named David Johansen. Rivets was the first one to float out, replaced by Syl Sylvain. The classic New York Dolls lineup then emerged into history, while Rick Rivets formed The Brats to vie for attention. Although the Brats didn’t break through, they didn’t break up, like the Dolls did."

[Goldmine Mag.]

Rave-Up Records reissued some Brats stuff a while back but that too

is now out of print, so enjoy this while you can.