Customer Reviews

Curse of Zounds

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Zounds is one of the few bands from the Crass era and label to strike out on their own, instead of being another Crass rip-off. I'm hard pressed to pigeon hole Zounds because they hit so many different bases. Always anarcho lyrics, but not always the fierce sonic assault of other Crass era bands. Truly underappreciated anarcho pioneers

Zounds were noticably different than the rest of the Crass circuit, yet had the same punk ideals, and a depressed, driving jangly, new-wavish sound to boot. All the songs on this record form a block of strong central themes and it flows with a great concept. The songs are catchy, and make the whole record worth listening to, and the cover is one of my favorites that I've seen. The "fear is a bum thing, a silly and a dumb thing, but it can be the one thing that kicks us in the dark" sticks long after the album is over. They claimed that "there's a new band every week," and it remains true decades later, but Zounds were not just another band. These guys counted for something, and this excellent record is proof. I say give it a listen.

To pigeonhole Zounds as merely 'punk' doesn't do them justice.
They were unafraid to experiment at a time when punk was beginning to stagnate.They wore their hearts on their sleeves, lyrically and artistically.More subtle than Crass, but just as powerful, this album has been an 'underground' classic for almost 25 years.Just buy the damn thing will ya!!

I found punk rock in an unlikely place at an unlikely time. The early 1990s in rural north western Pennsylvania saw an explosion of angry garage bands and $3 all ages fire hall punk rock shows. In that environment (this is before the dominance of the internet, mind you) I started to be exposed to the kinds of punk rock I'd never heard of. Mixed tapes were like currency and if you weren't trading them you were out of the loop.

I had always been into the brute force and anger of the hardcore brand of punk rock (which was what was generally favored by bands in my area), but unlike a lot of my compatriots I never really gave up on pop music. While I loved to listen to music that supported and reinforced my anger and reflected my ethics, I also recognized that music in its best function is meant to complement your life as you live it. You just can't embrace bombastic rage and righteousness at every moment of the day. And then I was given a tape that included "Can't Cheat Karma." About a month later I had this record and my ideas about what could be done with punk rock were changed for good.

Punk rock had always had balls. By the time I got into it punk rock had developed an intellectual contingency that gave it a brain. When The Curse of Zounds hit me punk rock suddenly got the personality of people I would actually hang out with. And when you think about it, what could be more ballsy than being from an established scene with fans and expectations and doing something that wasn't just completely different, but at times pretty and always approachable?

This record is genius on so many levels that it never ceases to impress me. Buy it. Listen to it a thousand times.

This album is ahead of it's time realy. Do we say Punk, New Wave, Alternative? I think all of these apply to Zounds. From the same tribe as Crass,Sub-hum-ans & The Mob. Can't cheat karma is one of those songs you will want to play your friends after hearing it. The rest of the album has great moments. Little stories wrapped in song. Worth buying just for the cover!

YOU HAVE TO LOOK AT THE BACK COVER TO GET THE JOKE !!

This is a semi-discography cd compiling all of the Zounds material from the 80's including their full length and EP's. Zounds have come out with 2 EP's in the 00'S that are not included on here. With that said, the Zounds fell under the punk umbrella with their political lyrics however they are much more talented than your average punk band. Their witty lyrics, twangy guitars and Steve Lake's unique vocals made them stand out. It is much easier to describe the Zounds by what they are not. For those who have never heard the Zounds, they are not fast or loud. So if you're looking for a Crass "feeding of the 5000", this is not it. I would say being this is a semi discography the Zounds started to go pop and new wavey on the later tracks. Still great music and lyrics just headed in a different direction. This is a must have!

I meet alot of people who just say punk rock is awful and never even listen to it. These are the same people who listen to U2 and REM. I think this album is the a work of art that even the punk rock haters of the world could enjoy maybe even learn to love so buy this album now... right this instant... I mean it! This is one of my favorite albums and I like to think I have pretty eclectic musical tastes.