The notorious Albanian bootlegger Merkush Murat is cranking out the goodies at such a rate that I can't even begin to keep up. A package from Tiranasaurus Recs recently arrived at my doorstep. Its contents (CD bootlegs of John Peel sessions from Generation X, the Buzzcocks, The Only Ones, and The Rezillos) made it apparent that my fondness for U.K. '77 punk is public knowledge as far away as Albania. Another package arrived this past week — loaded with even more Rezillos-related audible treats. I realized it was my moral obligation to put aside all other pressing duties and start putting pen to paper. News of Merkush's Rezillos blitzkrieg had to be shared while this stuff was still in print. And so here we are.
Let's begin with the caveat that none of these items are for sale (because, you know, that would be illegal!). But through an innovative distribution deal with Mutant Pop Records, Merkush has allowed these bootleg discs to ride free with sanctioned purchases from the Mutant Pop mail order catalog. It's a very cool arrangement by which purchases of contemporary pop-punk releases entitle you to bonus selections from bands that were fundamental to the genre. And on that note, I can think of few bands that were more fundamental to pop-punk than The Rezillos. If Ramones, Undertones, and Buzzcocks are the holy trinity of first generation pop-punk, The Rezillos in my estimation are the next band in the discussion. If you've worn out your copies of Can't Stand the Rezillos and the band's early singles yet still find yourself wanting more, these bootlegs will be very much to your liking. Selections include These are The Rezillos (a compilation of John Peel Sessions from December 1977 and May 1978), File Under: Lo-Fi Pop-Punk (a fan-recorded live set from 1977 that was widely bootlegged in the '80s), The Last Show (a recording of the band's farewell gig in Glasgow from December 1978), and Some Product: Carri On (audio of interviews with Fay Fife & Eugene Reynolds and Jo Callis). Also in my goodie basket was The Revillos!, an album-length compilation of 1980-81 BBC sessions from Fay and Gene's quite different yet equally awesome post-Rezillos band.
The contents of These are The Rezillos will be familiar to longtime fans: it's the same eight Peel Session recordings that were previously bootlegged under the title Peel Sessions 1977/1978. It includes some of the band's most beloved songs plus a truly bizarre arrangement of "I Can't Stand My Baby." File Under: Lo-Fi Pop-Punk wins no points in the sound quality department but features spirited performances. Leaning heavily on cover songs, this set reinforces the influence that the British Invasion and early rock and roll in general had on The Rezillos' sound. The Last Show is a recording of the same gig (December 23, 1978 at the Apollo Theatre in Glashow) that was previously documented in the official live release Mission Accomplished… but the Beat Goes On. The interview disc will be of particular interest to hardcore Rezillos fans. The Jo Callis interview in particular takes a deep dive into the history of this band we all love (I say "we" because you wouldn't have read this far if you weren't a fan too!). The Revillos! BBC disc weighs in at 11 tracks and includes songs from three different sessions. Featuring smash hits such as "Rock-a-Boom," "Scuba Scuba," and "Snatzomobile," this compilation affirms that Fay and Eugene more than held their own as songwriters after separating from Jo Callis. With The Revillos!, they doubled down on the camp factor and sci-fi/horror obsessions that had made their former band so unique in the punk rock class of '77. I feel as if any Rezillos fan ought to love The Revillos! — just as any B-52's fan ought to love The Revillos!
As was the case with Merkush's Holly box set, this Rezillos bootleg bonanza was made for super-fans by a super-fan. More casual fans will be perfectly content with a copy of Can't Stand The Rezillos: The Almost Complete Rezillos or the more recent Flying Saucer Attack: Complete Recordings 1977-1979. But if you're a total fanatic, you'll want to get your hands on these priceless artifacts of the Rezillos/Revillos! heyday. All the Merkush bootlegs discs are extremely limited, so I would advise moving quickly if you want in on this Rezillos bonanza or any of the other recent offerings (I especially endorse that Only Ones disc which trims the band's Peel Session tracks down to an all killer, no filler affair). Word on the street is that another Revillos! disc (featuring demos from 1979 to 82) and a whole slew of Devo titles were recently shipped from Albania to Mutant Pop headquarters. If you're already a Mutant Pop customer, you know what to do. If not, drop Tim a line at MutantPop@aol.com to arrange your purchases and reservations. The last I heard, Tim had copies of both Lucy and the Rats albums in stock on CD. Also worth considering for purchase are The Radio Buzzkills' Get Lost, As If and Melt My Heart by Norwegian pop-punk sensations Love Hearts, and Vista Blue's seasonal favorite Tricks and Treats. Did Merkush also just bootleg a 1978 Ramones live show from San Francisco? Why, yes he did!
