Tuesday, January 25, 2011

U-BOATS -- Government Rip Off

Crow Records -- Tampa -- 1982

Government Ripoff
Break Out Tonight

Mike Nelson -- vocals
Jay Jetmore -- guitar
Bob Widenhofer -- bass
Hitler -- drums

The charming German motif (there's both a Hitler and a Widenhofer in this band) fills out this 1982 throwaway classic outta Tampa. However, their teutonic rhythm section was ditched for the U-Boat second 7". They have an LP still later but I've never heard it.
Both songs here are solid hardcore-informed midtempo punk. The stand-out track here is "Break Out Tonight" which they brazenly annexed from the equally obscure Commandos from Massachusetts who had originally titled the track "Stay Out Tonight" on their first 1978 7". There is no indication the song is a cover and given that they changed the words and name, the U-Boats clearly intended to steal it. Yes, that's right, this is a genuine punk rock record. The chorus of the A-side, "We're all into anarchy, the government's ripping off me," confirms it.

Widenhofer, also known as Bobby Skullfucker, also played in Tampa's Jehovah's Sicknesses if memory serves. He later moved to Austin, Texas, and played with the Convulsions in the 1990s.

7 comments:

  1. kool record thanks

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  2. I live near and work with mike nelson. Hendersonville NC

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  3. Jay Jetmore lives in Zephyrhills and still plays killer strings. I should know, I'm his brother. And they did make another album

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  4. The second album was "Dead and Desperate"

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  5. Tony Peters aka Hitler didn't play on this 45. I did and Chris Agora played bass on it. We recorded it at the old Morris Sound studio in Tampa. Not that it matters after almost 33 years.

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    1. It matters, Floyd. You will be answering for this before Almighty God one day. He does not think 33 years is a long time.

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    2. It matters, Floyd. You will be answering for this before Almighty God one day. He does not think 33 years is a long time.

      Delete