New from Crypt Records: "VARIOUS ARTISTS The Ikon Records Story: America's #1 Unsung Garage Label: 1964-1966 Double 180-gram LP CRYPT-09629 tracks (22 originals and 7 cover versions) (plus 2 radio adverts) of never reissued 1964-1966 garage punk, surf instros, frat stomp and folk-punk from 20 teenage bands recorded at Sacramento's IKON STUDIO. These 28 cuts, culled from the to-be-simultaneously-released 60-song double CD on the FRANTIC RECORDS label, are the result of FRANTIC RECORDS' Joey D and ACE RECORDS' Alec Palao having spent the last 6 years tracking down every band, every master tape, and (often without luck) the impossible-to-find 7" singles released on Ikon. This vinyl version is housed in a deluxe full-color inside-and-out gatefold jacket crammed with color and b&w photos, label shots, and extensive liner notes.

After 27 years of extensive reissues of 60s garage punk rarities, only ONE Ikon track has ever made it to a reissue - WHY? Because almost NOBODY even owns any of the original Ikon 45s... The sole KNIGHTSMEN copy is in a collection in Seattle, 2 fiends in Petaluma and Australia have 12 or so Ikons, 2 in Connecticut, 4 in NJ... TUFF stuff to find, baby!

Well... prepare yourselves for an ass-whomping BOOM when you drop the needle on any of these 4 sides, baby! MARAUDERS "Surf Jam", SHONDELLS "Something's Got A Hold Of Me", DENNY & KENNY DUO "Meet My Little Sweetie In The Night Time", AVANTIS "Too Much", JOHN ROSASCO QUARTET "The Shift", PROPHETS "It's All Over Now", BRISTOLS "She's Gone Away", KNIGHTSMEN "Daddy Was A Rolling Stone", MADD INC "I'll Be The One", PARISH HALL BLUES QUINTET "I Can Never Say", UNKNOWN GROUP "Searching", SHONDELLS "It's True", PROPHETS "You Wonder Why", MYMES "You Lose Girl", BOBBIES "Orangutang", TOWNSMEN "High Heel Sneakers", MADD INC "Sooperspy", AVANTIS "Countdown", BOBBIES "Truck". RC & THE TAMBOURINES "The Quirk", KNIGHTSMEN "Fever", MYMES "I've Got Better Things To Do", MERGERS "Love, You Funny Thing", TOWNSMEN "Leaving Me", SONS OF SOUND "I'm Coming Home", CAUTIONS "Groovin", SHONDELLS "I Cried Last Night", MADD INC "Batman", KEE-NOTES "St James Infirmary"

Well, I could get used to this. No drive to work, just a wee stroll to the post office and the shops. In and around this I've been trying to do a little promo work on my fathers album of pipe music. This an alien genre to me but a necessary facet of punting "the product". This type of music is even more cut-throat than yer average rock, pop, whatever. It seems to exist on the back of labels that press hundreds upon thousands of cds and sell them to shops for less than 2 quid a pop. We can't compete with that so an alternative means of shifting these units may have to be employed. It's early days though and an infinitley preferable task to that which your man here normally has to undertake. I can do all this to the soundtrack of a Napoleon XIV album which includes the originals, answer records and foreign language versions of "They're Coming To take Me Away". More about this, on the Vampire imprint, in due course.

From Murray Ramone...

::: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE :::



TODOS SOMOS RAMONES RECORD LISTENING PARTY

CBGB's 313 GALLERY, 313 BOWERY ST, NEW YORK, NY

FRIDAY APRIL 8, 2005 7.00-9.00PM ($4.00 Rheingold beer available)

Buenos Aires, Argentina's own Rockaway Records is proud to announce the release of its 59-band, international tribute to the Ramones, the TODOS SOMOS RAMONES: A HOMMAGE double CD. So come on down to CBGB's 313 Gallery on Friday April 8, 2005 between 7.00PM and 9.00OM for special listening party. Copies will be on sale. TODOS SOMOS RAMONES is the first-ever wordwide tribute album of its kind with 90% of the featured acts being direct associates of the band. Songs from all 13 of the band's official albums are featured on this release. The deluxe package contains a 60-page, full-color booklet containing extensive liner notes by Tommy Ramone and Dr. Donna Gaines as well as a host of never-before seen photos by Roberta Bayley, Leland Bobbe and Alan Tannenbaum.

Rockaway records founder, Mariano Asch single-handedly crafted this eclectic, world-class tribute to the greatest band ever to come out of New York City as a labor of love. Not only did he get permission for the various band member's estates, he even got Ramones long-time engineer, Ed Stasium to master the record!

The CD features tracks by local heros, Stop [feat. Joey's brother, Micky Leigh], Furious George, Sonny Vincent, Sylvain Sylvain w/the She Wolves and The Bullys. Also featured are with the individual Ramones collaborating with their favorite bands: Dee Dee w/Youth Gone Mad, Joey w/the Independents and C.J. with Argentina's own, Bien Desocupados.

The CD also contains tracks by veteran 1977 punk legends: The Heartbreakers, Ivan Julian, Stiv Bators, Alternative TV [whose own Mark Perry created the legendary Sniffin' Glue fanzine after hearing the Ramones self-titled debut], The Boys [the Ramones personal favorite] and Airport, feat. Buzzcocks bassist Tony Barber.

Copies of TODOS SOMOS RAMONES will be on sale at the event.

For more information, contact Bryan Swirsky @ 718.855.4504 or bswirsky@mindspring.com. Click HERE for full band listing and ordering information.