Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Partisans - 17 Years of Hell


When in doubt, just turn the clock back a few...decades? For your listening pleasure, we're serving up some absolutely classic original punk rock right here from England's The Partisans; no frills, no nonsense, and no complicated chord progressions to get in the way of the snotty, pissed off attitude. Released in 1982 on No Future Records when the UK82 punk movement was exploding across the country, 17 Years of Hell cemented The Partisans into music history alongside contemporaries such as Special Duties, Blitz, Abrasive Wheels, The Enemy, and more.

Following the success of their first single in 1981, Police Story/Killing Machine, the group quickly dropped this trio of raw, unpolished tracks onto the surging European punk scene in the Spring of 1982. As a young, stubborn, and pessimistic group, The Partisans tackled many of the recycled lyrical topics you'd expect to find, lashing out against government, police, society, and nearly everyone else in England. The title track is one of the band's more memorable offerings, remaining an important piece of the early punk rock timeline, riddled with frustration and anger.

The Partisans actually reformed in the late 90s after breaking up in 1984 (as many similar acts did), and released a new EP (So Neat) in 2001, followed by a full length (Idiot Nation) in 2004. As with most reunited punk bands, the reactions are mixed at best, so stick with their first couple singles and self-titled LP to experience the band at their short lived, but exciting peak.

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