Dangerous Rhythm

“Stray Cat Blues” + 2

Munster (originally released by Orfeon in 1979)

The first punk record from Mexico? Could be.

I was first hipped to this one maybe seven years ago by the inimitable Johan Kugelberg. Man is a dude of the highest order and his detective, archival, publishing and record label work is second-to-none. Also just a great mentor who lives by example.

Johan compiled the first three volumes of the essential Killed By Death compilation and was the brains behind the original reissue of the Monks’ “Black Monk Time” album. If he only ever did that and nothing else…he would still be tops in my book.

Anyway, this record is PRIMITIVE. He’d floated the idea of doing a NEW “Killed By Death” comp just to include this single on it, but seemingly the Spaniards at Munster were able to track down the band and the tapes and do this legit-style.

The highlight here is the cover of the Stones’ “Stray Cat Blues” which at it’s best moments it sounds like none of the band members are listening together. Inept and endearing in the perfect way.

“No No No” appears accomplished but none more imposing. Like they could’ve fit easily in the LA Dangerhouse/Germs/Masque scene of the late Seventies without raising an eyebrow.

“The Bar” more straightforward, Punk rock with a purposefully capital P.
This record should be part of the canon. Go back and adjust your record collections accordingly.

Side note: after being hipped to this by Johan a few years back, I tracked down what I was lead to believe was an original copy for next to nothing in trade, probably $200-300 worth of stuff. Cut to last year in a conversation with a world-renowned punk expert who has EVERY record where I mention my copy of Dangerous Rhythm and he immediately says “I had one but it turned out to be fake. Is yours one of the fakes?"

Stomach drops.

I ask “What fakes?” and he proceeds to unravel a yarn about some Mexican record dealer who’d made a decent little cottage business of somehow producing fake copies of Dangerous Rhythm, complete with fairly accurate reprints of the labels (there was no picture sleeve with the original release) matched run-out groove etchings (hand done versus machine stamped) and what I ended up interpreting as lacquer/acetate actually rubbing off/dislodging from the disc after minimal needle contact in the grooves.
Well, I got this thing for a song, so I just figured it was fake.

When I got to my copy I started sharing scans and matrix info with the expert who’s tracking down the relevant info amongst his pals across the globe who have both the original and the bootleg. Turns out mine was 100% legit. And expert is now HANKERING for the copy as he was still salty about the bootleg. $2250 later it’s in his collection and I was able to put some dough towards the baby that was due in a few months.

I mean, yeah, this is a killer single, but it ain’t better than $2250.