Within Range - 2 LP's

I believe that, in my very first post, I promised that I'll upload some of my own LP rips. This is the first batch, & I chose Within Range so as to exacerbate a couple of things.

For those not in the know, Within Range hailed from Norway & were active between 1988 & 1992. In that time period, they managed to record two albums - a self-titled debut (1989, X-Port Plater) & "Take Care" (1990, Knall Syndikatet). Their association with the legendary X-Port Plater is no accident, either, seeing as their drummer Stian was a member of Kafka Prosess. (Now, I honestly don't intend to put any punk-rocker down for not having kept track of all the great bands that came out of Norway, as the type of self-loathing such petty attitudes induce are best handled by oberelitists instead of by yours truly; nevertheless, do consider doing yourselves a favor by getting a copy of Kafka Prosess' discography available from Skuld.) Both records were recorded in Amsterdam, in April '89 & April '90, respectively, at a place called ADM's Koeienverhuurbedrijf (which translates into 'Adam's Cow Renting Co.' - ha... grapje...). I don't know what's so particular about Amsterdam in April (I'd have to say not much - it rains less than during the summer, it's less cold than in the winter, & that's about it); unfortunately, I never came across ADM's studio either, which is particularly unlucky as I need more info on this band (most norwegian sources online credit them as 'the norwegian Motörhead,' which is not all that enlightening). On the other hand, I did come across the Endart gallery/studio recently & did nothing (question for anyone from Berlin: do they even have opening hours?), so that's a pretty poor excuse for anything.

Well: I first came across them through Σιχ's show (see previous posts, if you have to) sometime in '93-'94, but at that time I couldn't tell apart day from night, as far as music (& most all other things, too) goes, so it stayed at that. I rediscovered them half a decade ago or so, when I exhumed the bunch of Radio Utopia tapes I described in my first post; Σιχ - or rather a guest of that particular show called Στελλάκης - played 'When Peace Is War' from their then-new album, & what a track that was! (Still my favorite Within Range track, in fact - well done, Στελλάκη.) I looked for their records left & right, but to no avail; unixpunx's ftp server had no Within Range material either. Eventually, I tracked down mp3's of "Take Care" through soulseek (they later proved to be only part of the record); & a few years later, I came across a dirt-cheap copy of their first record in Skuld's distro, which I proceeded to get immediately together with other consumer goods of the same type. (Remember Skuld? Yes, it's that label which has been putting out great music for decades & which every shithead - occasionally even those owning a Tragedy T-shirt - had an opinion on when they stopped being able to pay their bills a few years ago. Which goes to show that no good deed goes unpunished, as far as Kleister & Oliver are concerned, plus another few disgusting things, as far as the punk-rock crowd is concerned.) At any rate, I was a bit taken aback (even disappointed) that this was not the same record with 'When Peace Is War' in it; I didn't even know they had put out multiple records, after all. A year & a half ago, I finally tracked down "Take Care," together with some other great records (including Gulag's "Στην Αυλή Των Θεαμάτων") in Utrecht, again for a great price - which goes to show that, if you absolutely have to be scum of the earth in the form of a record collector, at least do it right: buy records outside their country of origin; they're cheaper, as there's no hype surrounding them, so that you can respect the band's wish (often explicitly expressed in the back cover) to not turn them into collector's items.

That's it. I won't finish with admonitions concerning the norwegian scene - info on bands of that particular scene is acceptably abundant in the world-wide web (nowdays even for people who don't speak norwegian), plus nobody reads lengthy tirades (much less follows advice) so what's the point? I trust that all 10 people who have been looking for this will enjoy it, while the rest will either pass, compulsively download, or simply steal (not from me - from the artist) the beautiful front cover art to adorn some deep thoughts they felt obliged to post on their blog accompanied by a picture they didn't draw themselves (to boot!). Needless to say, my sympathies lie with the 10 people (including irishdave); after all, had I wished to be smothered by virtual kisses, I'd simply had uploaded some obscure Napalm Death 7", as a good friend pointed out recently.

P.S.: Greek visitors, especially, will notice Naytia in the first record's thank list (Naytia played in Oslo in 1988, after all, as their live demo tape "Sex, Drugs And Greek Salad... "documents); what are the chances that Στελλάκης was NaytiaStateless In The Universe's Στέλλιος?

Tracklist (S/T)

A01. You Think You're Tough
A02. Falseness
A03. Livin' In A Microwave
A04. What A Man!
A05. Pumpin' Iron
A06. Rock 'N Roll Inq.
A07. Fuckin Scout
B01. Don't Forget
B02. Warning
B03. Not Just A Dream
B04. National Feelings
B05. When
B06. Ty Musiš Rozumět!
B07. Get Out!

Tracklist ("Take Care")

A01. Take Care
A02. Tied Up
A03. Television
A04. Like A Clown
A05. Zombies
A06. When Peace Is War
A07. The Crutch
B01. N.W.C.
B02. This Time
B03. Ain't My Funeral
B04. Unchained
B05. Statens Menn
B06. You've Got The Right
B07. Testtube

(S/T)
"Take Care"