I've seen that someone requested this record on Down Underground.
I Refuse It! was one of those Italian bands that pushed the borders of punk. They added sax, harmonica and sometimes keyboards to their sound.
The 1st release is the split tape with CCM that was later released (minus some songs) as a split LP on C.O.R. Records in the UK. Next release is a 3-track 7" on Totò Alle Prese Coi Dischi, a sublabel of Attack Punk Records.
The 'M' 12" is the band's 3rd release. Recorded in 1984/1985 but released in 1986 on Belfagor Records (CCM, Lanciafamme, Chain Reaction, Putrid Fever & Declino).
After this one came the 'Mind The Gap' 12" in 1989 but released one year earlier as a split LP with UK band Ultima Thule (with the drummer of Stazione Suicida) which you can find here.
There's a discography CD 'Cronache Del Videotopo' released in 2005 on Wide Records but I don't know if it's easy to get these days.
I tried my best to clean up the record but you'll still hear some noise, especially in the beginning of each side. The record looks clean but there's lots of crackling on my copy.
Eclectic and offbeat hard-driving punk. The Italian Butthole Surfers? Definitely outside stuff without losing the power.
-Tim Yohannon (from Maximum Rock'n'Roll #34, March 1986)
01. M
02. Agguato
03. Frecce Avvelenate Sul Comitati Disastri
04. Ricatti!
05. Questo E L'Inferno... Questa E L'Eleusi
M
9 comments:
You just can't go wrong with Italian HC! It's amazing how many great and unique bands were coming out of there at the time.
I like this band and I forget to post this record. But my record is very old too and the sound is bad.
Maybe all copies sound bad? I don't see any damage on the vinyl but it cracks like hell.
Thanks a lot! IRI! is one of my favourite Italian bands (my fave, depending on days)! I have the 2005 CD but everything's remixed there and I definitely prefer the original vinyl mixes... and the comp wasn't complete at all. Only a song from the 1982 demo (previous to P. Scar) appeared there (Fuggi fuggi), some tracks from "Mind The Gap" were missing too and well, I wonder if the versions of "Agguato" and "Frecce" here are the same ones as the used there (supposed to be from the Senza Tregua tape but with heavy remixing).
Thanks again, ciao
Fernando :)
That thing is somewhat sickening for those who love that band.Well, I do hope that you might record the good one.
I put out the 'Mind The Gap' split LP on my label Inward Collapse (Newport, Wales) - Russell Wilks.
I Refuse It played a split tour of the U.K with Ultima Thule. I loved both bands.
Oct 1986 Stow Hill Labour Club Newport, Wales. I Refuse It played (so did Ultima Thule??)
I'd been corresponding with Steffano Bettini the singer of I Refuse It for a couple of months.
After the show I asked Steffano if they wanted to record an album.
November 1986 we went to Arkentide Studios Islington, London. Where we recorded this (about 4 or 5 days each side??). Arkentide was half way up Liverpool Road in a hidden mews/ courtyard.
I was 18. Making all manner of Production decisions. My favourite bit was recording the farmyard like animals of which I am one...
It was a great experience making this. I felt both bands really deserved to be recorded properly. They were excellent musically and good people too.
The studio was the band's choice (a good one). Owned by Rick Buckler and Bruce Foxton of the Jam. Who were in the studio for some of the recording and playback.
I was laughing when they said how much they liked the tracks...They were in the legendary 'The Jam'.
And there they were genuinely getting excited by what was being done.
The Ultima Thule side was recorded early 87. The engineer Mike was a boon - really did a good job and was very helpful.
Took me a year to earn the rest of the money (working as an electrician's mate and a building site labourer) to put this out on my label Inward Collapse in 1988.
I gave the 1/2 inch mastertapes to the guys at Belfagor. That was my way of paying them. So they could use the recording.
There was only 500 of the black and white sleeves.
However Belfagor put this out in Italy etc with the original Chinese Soldier Artwork that IRI had wanted to use.
I couldn't afford to print the great Chinese Soldier artwork.
Hence why the black and white cover by my friend Paul Daly - who a few years later went mad (not because I kept asking him to do artwork).
And I gave a wadge of about 50 or so LPs to Stuart of Ultima Thule at his squat in Stockwell as their payment.
I still have a box of about 30 of these Records on Pristine Vinyl. The original recordings sound much better. It's a great LP.
After this I Refuse It/ Ultima Thule split Lp I funded the first Nerve Rack (Leeds) album in 1989.
But didn't have the money to put it out so gave the recording to the band (again an excellent band worthy of better things).
Glad somebody appreciates that these were excellent bands.
email me if you'd like: youractionthisday *at* gmail.com
I put out the 'Mind The Gap' split LP on my label Inward Collapse (Newport, Wales) - Russell Wilks.
I Refuse It played a split tour of the U.K with Ultima Thule. I loved both bands.
Oct 1986 Stow Hill Labour Club Newport, Wales. I Refuse It played (so did Ultima Thule??)
I'd been corresponding with Steffano Bettini the singer of I Refuse It for a couple of months.
After the show I asked Steffano if they wanted to record an album.
November 1986 we went to Arkentide Studios Islington, London. Where we recorded this (about 4 or 5 days each side??). Arkentide was half way up Liverpool Road in a hidden mews/ courtyard.
I was 18. Making all manner of Production decisions. My favourite bit was recording the farmyard like animals of which I am one...
It was a great experience making this. I felt both bands really deserved to be recorded properly. They were excellent musically and good people too.
The studio was the band's choice (a good one). Owned by Rick Buckler and Bruce Foxton of the Jam. Who were in the studio for some of the recording and playback.
I was laughing when they said how much they liked the tracks...They were in the legendary 'The Jam'.
And there they were genuinely getting excited by what was being done.
The Ultima Thule side was recorded early 87. The engineer Mike was a boon - really did a good job and was very helpful.
Took me a year to earn the rest of the money (working as an electrician's mate and a building site labourer) to put this out on my label Inward Collapse in 1988.
I gave the 1/2 inch mastertapes to the guys at Belfagor. That was my way of paying them. So they could use the recording.
There was only 500 of the black and white sleeves.
However Belfagor put this out in Italy etc with the original Chinese Soldier Artwork that IRI had wanted to use.
I couldn't afford to print the great Chinese Soldier artwork.
Hence why the black and white cover by my friend Paul Daly - who a few years later went mad (not because I kept asking him to do artwork).
And I gave a wadge of about 50 or so LPs to Stuart of Ultima Thule at his squat in Stockwell as their payment.
I still have a box of about 30 of these Records on Pristine Vinyl. The original recordings sound much better. It's a great LP.
After this I Refuse It/ Ultima Thule split Lp I funded the first Nerve Rack (Leeds) album in 1989.
But didn't have the money to put it out so gave the recording to the band (again an excellent band worthy of better things).
Glad somebody appreciates that these were excellent bands.
email me if you'd like: youractionthisday *at* gmail.com
Sorry Duplicate posting...
Wanted to say what was great about I Refuse It was they had a lot in common with Scratch Acid and other Texan 'noise-rock' punk/ postpunk bands.
The way Steffano used his voice as an instrument was excellent.
Ultima Thule were a clever, connected unit who wrote really catchy excellent songs.
Both these bands would be massive nowadays
Thanks for the comment Russell. Found the album you released on a record fair years ago. I was really impressed by both bands. I already knew I Refuse It but never heard Ultima Thule before.
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