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Various: Punk Que? Punk 12” (DRO, 1983; fan club, 2025)
First, I wanted to take a moment to mention the passing of SS Decontrol’s Al Barile. I rarely write eulogies in the Sorry State newsletter unless it’s someone I knew personally, but I was really sad to hear Al lost his battle with cancer. Of course I love SSD’s first two records to the moon and back, but what I really admired about Al Barile was the way he was so dedicated to forging his own path and seeing things his way. For a long time, he was a mysterious figure who kept the punk media world at arm’s length, but when he started giving interviews over the past few years, I feel like I really got a sense of who he was as a person. He had this incredible ability to see past the hangups that ensnare so many of us—ego, ambition, vanity, fear of / concern for what others think—and get right to the heart of the matter. Interviews with Al often seemed kind of awkward because he almost never said what you expected him to say. And it’s not like he was being contrary… he was just accessing a level of truth, honesty, and clarity that most of us will never know. Cheers Al, rest in peace.
My pick for this week’s newsletter is this 1983 compilation of Spanish punk rock, Punk Que? Punk, originally released on the Spanish label DRO in 1983 and recently reproduced by (I presume) an enterprising bootlegger. I read about Punk Que? Punk years ago (where and when is lost to the sands of time) and added the record to my want list, so when I saw we were getting in a reissue, I was stoked to check it out. I did not know I would like it as much as I do, though… it’s been on near-constant rotation since it arrived. Like a lot of 80s Spanish punk, the bands on Punk Que? Punk tend to have a potent combination of energy, power, and melody. As longtime readers will know, I’m a huge fan of 70s punk, and for whatever reason, 80s Spanish punk and hardcore seem to have a lot more 70s punk in their DNA than most scenes. Not that they ignored the worldwide trend toward harder and faster sounds, but they kept the melody and the strong songwriting from the original 70s bands.
Punk Que? Punk features two songs each from seven bands, each band delivering one song on each side. I’d only heard a few of the bands before, which is unsurprising since most of them never made records of their own. Madrid’s Espasmódicos released a 7” and a 12” EP and we carried their discography LP on Beat Generation a while back, so I was familiar with their upbeat, slightly arty punk, which would fit nicely on a mix tape full of Dangerhouse Records singles. Seguridad Social is by far the most prolific band on the comp, having released many LPs and EPs in the 80s and continuing to release music into the 2000s. Coincidentally, I had come across their 1982 cassette ¡¡Konsspiracion!! online a couple months before this comp got re-released and had listened to it a bunch. I checked out several of Seguridad Social’s records, but it seems like they drifted away from punk and toward new wave pretty quickly. Their two songs here, though, are pure punk, but with very strong chorus melodies. I particularly like their song on the b-side, “Cuando Llegue A Casa Te Desatare,” which has a bright, major-key chord progression and a memorable vocal melody, but still sounds tough as nails.
Alongside Seguridad Social, the other standout band for me on Punk Que? Punk is KGB. Very much in the melodic, 70s-influenced mode I associate with classic Spanish punk, KGB’s two tracks here remind me of the Dickies in that they’re fast, tight, and powerful, yet still put vocal melody front and center. “Maroto” is my favorite song on the record, with a massive singalong chorus that would have been right at home on Dawn of the Dickies, but their other track, the curiously titled “Agradable Sobremesa Con Una Japonesa” (“A Pleasant After-Dinner Chat with a Japanese Woman”) isn’t too far behind. KGB released a single on DRO in 1983 that I would really like to get my hands on, and there’s also a 2016 compilation LP on Vomitopunkrock Records with additional tracks. I need to investigate that too.
Most of the other bands on Punk Que? Punk only appeared on compilations, but don’t let this deter you as their quality ranges from very good to excellent. Carne De Psiquiatríco have a couple of tracks with a humorous bent (like “Quiero Ser Guitarra De Siniestro Total,” “I Want to Be the Guitar Player in Siniestro Total”) and a heavy Sex Pistols influence. San Sebastian’s No also sounds kind of like a second-wave UK punk band, while Urgente keeps things similarly raw yet song-oriented. Bilbao’s N.634 is the toughest-sounding band on the comp with simple, primal drums and busy bass playing. It’s kind of UK82-sounding, but with a gluebag griminess that makes me think of the first two Chaos UK singles.
So yeah, all killer and no filler on this one. We still have a few copies in stock as of this writing, so grab one if it sounds up your alley. And someone hook me up with a copy of that KGB single!