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Pressed in an ultra limited number of 200 back in 1980. Ervin Berlin was the work of Ervin Shuemake (a late 20's acid rocker) and two young punks named Jeff and Tom The Bomb. Ervin had cut his teeth playing guitar on the crazy TERRY BROOKS "STRANGE"- Translucent World LP back in 1973 and spent the remainder of the 70s in various acid, hard, and prog rock bands throughout Central Florida. He met the younger punk duo of Jeff and "The Bomb" at end of 79/ beginning of 80 and decided to take a stab at the punk craze with his two new acquaintances. Soon the trio was at a country and western studio in Winter Haven recording the Ervin Berlin single between sessions for possible Bellamy Brothers tracks.
The blending of Ervin's acid rock chops and Jeff and Tom's thuggish punk approach resulted in this KBD space punk stomper. Equal parts Blue Cheer, Debris, Sacramento's Ozzie, and late 70's Hawkind. The 7" was pressed, a few house parties were played, and all parties went separate ways. 42 years later we are kicking off TOTAL PUNK ARCHIVES with a reissue of this lost Orlando classic. 100% TOTAL PUNK
Our take: Total Punk resurrects this super obscure Killed by Death-era punk single from their old stomping grounds of Florida. This is bound to whet the record collector’s appetite, since the original pressing was only 200 copies and it has never been reissued or comped as far as I can tell… it’s basically an unknown record. Both songs are strong and have everything I love about KBD punk, including bargain basement production (courtesy a local country and western studio) and a twinge of goofiness (see the a-side’s title, “Junior’s Got Brain Damage”). Ervin Berlin was an experienced musician in his late 20s who was dabbling in the punk world, and these two tracks have a punksploitation feel that reminds me of the corkers compiled on the great Who’s a Punk Compilation. The thing I love about punksploitation—experienced musicians doing cheap cash-in records to capitalize on the punk “trend”—is that it’s often capable musicians and songwriters working fast and loose, which gives those records a feel that’s different from the labored-over aesthetic of most studio recordings you hear, punk included. That’s on display in spades here, and I’m thankful Total Punk has brought this obscurity to a wider audience.
The blending of Ervin's acid rock chops and Jeff and Tom's thuggish punk approach resulted in this KBD space punk stomper. Equal parts Blue Cheer, Debris, Sacramento's Ozzie, and late 70's Hawkind. The 7" was pressed, a few house parties were played, and all parties went separate ways. 42 years later we are kicking off TOTAL PUNK ARCHIVES with a reissue of this lost Orlando classic. 100% TOTAL PUNK
Our take: Total Punk resurrects this super obscure Killed by Death-era punk single from their old stomping grounds of Florida. This is bound to whet the record collector’s appetite, since the original pressing was only 200 copies and it has never been reissued or comped as far as I can tell… it’s basically an unknown record. Both songs are strong and have everything I love about KBD punk, including bargain basement production (courtesy a local country and western studio) and a twinge of goofiness (see the a-side’s title, “Junior’s Got Brain Damage”). Ervin Berlin was an experienced musician in his late 20s who was dabbling in the punk world, and these two tracks have a punksploitation feel that reminds me of the corkers compiled on the great Who’s a Punk Compilation. The thing I love about punksploitation—experienced musicians doing cheap cash-in records to capitalize on the punk “trend”—is that it’s often capable musicians and songwriters working fast and loose, which gives those records a feel that’s different from the labored-over aesthetic of most studio recordings you hear, punk included. That’s on display in spades here, and I’m thankful Total Punk has brought this obscurity to a wider audience.