Hard to believe but Alona’s Dream Records is officially ten years old today. The first release Listen To Me Now b/w Jolly Green Giant by The Ravens (John Belushi’s high school band, icymi) was released 12/26/2011! I never planned to have a label but it worked out pretty well in the end. There have been some crazy highlights over the years and a lot of lessons learned in how to make and sell records. What a trip.
Cool releases coming this year! Can’t wait to share this next batch of releases. News on that front coming soon. Lots of punk on Alona’s Dream, the first full 12” vinyl on our electronic sub label Ordinary Weirdos out early Feb ‘22 and lots of great new punk releases on Violent Pest.
Happy new year and thanks for all the support over the years!!!!!
Alona’s Dream is really excited to offer the following new releases for your consideration:
Assault & Battery
The Complete Session, May 1981
LP / CD
DC hardcore punk legends Assault & Battery featured members of the original lineup of Government Issue, Artificial Peace, Marginal Man and Savage Beliefs.
This first ever official release of their only studio recording – expertly transferred from the original 4-track master – documents a vital group in the first flourishing of the DC scene. It contains the band’s previously bootlegged songs, plus never before heard takes!
Limited Edition 160 gram metallic gold vinyl (500 pressed) in a 20pt board jacket with printed inner sleeve with liner notes by the band.
Evil I
Official Bootleg
LP
First ever official release of 1983 suburban hardcore masterpiece!
These songs were recorded in west suburban Chicago in 1983 by Lombard, Illinois based Evil I. This record perfectly captures the spirit of the first wave of hardcore punk. Cutting vocals, tight rhythm, shredded guitar and a take no prisoners attitude make for a timeless hardcore document. Originally distributed by the band at shows, it remained largely unheard outside the Chicago scene until now.
Mastered from the original tape and pressed into 160 gram green vinyl (500 pressed) in a 20pt board jacket with printed inner sleeve, lyric insert and liner notes by the band.
Various Artists
Punks In Peoria
Making A Scene In The American Heartland
Book / LP / CD
Various Artists Punks In Peoria Making A Scene In The American Heartland
Alona’s Dream Records ADR 12 038 Releases: June 11 2021
14-song document of the DIY punk/alternative scene in Peoria, Illinois, from its hardcore roots in the early 1980s through the late ’90s. The album highlights out-of-print punk rock anthems, unreleased demos and rare studio tracks alongside extensive liner notes, photos and a scene poster.
This compilation is the companion soundtrack to the book Punks In Peoria: Making A Scene In The American Heartland by Jonathan Wright and Dawson Barrett, published by University of Illinois Press.
Punks In Peoria documents the evolution of the DIY punk scene in Peoria, Illinois—from its primal beginnings in the early 1980s to the dawn of the digital era. A lovingly curated collection of long-lost gems and hometown favorites from “Anytown U.S.A.,” it connects the varied work of disaffected youth across nearly two decades and multiple “generations” of Peoria punks, performers and scenesters.
From Midwest hardcore legends Constant Vomit and Caustic Defiance to the inimitable shock rocker Bloody Mess, the Peoria punk scene was built on the DIY spirit from the very beginning. As it grew beyond the rudiments of hardcore, the Peoria scene mirrored the larger slicing and dicing of post-punk into ever-narrower sub-genres—embracing goth, synth, pop, psychedelia, metal, and more.
Amidst the post-Nirvana haze of the early ‘90s, the gritty melodies of Dollface paved the way for a new generation of Peoria youth—some of whom would go on to tour the world in bands like Minsk and Planes Mistaken for Stars. This record is a document of that musical journey.
– Limited-edition 160-gram color vinyl LP – 20pt board jacket – Full-color printed inner sleeve featuring band photos and detailed liner notes – 18” x 24” poster featuring an extensive collection of flyers from the 1980s to the 2000s.
About the Book: Synonymous with American mediocrity, Peoria was fertile ground for the boredom- and anger-fueled fury of punk rock. Jonathan Wright and Dawson Barrett explore the do-it-yourself scene built by Peoria punks, performers, and scenesters in the 1980s and 1990s. … What emerges is a sympathetic portrait of a youth culture in search of entertainment but just as hungry for community—the shared sense of otherness that, even for one night only, could unite outsiders and discontents under the banner of music. A raucous look at a small-city underground, Punks in Peoria takes readers off the beaten track to reveal the punk rock life as lived in Anytown, U.S.A.
“One of the strongest legacies of the hardcore punk movement in America was its emphasis on the local and the seeding of the country with self-supporting scenes. Every town has a story to tell itself about itself and Punks in Peoria explores this in magnificent detail for the hardcore scene in Peoria, Illinois. While more storied scenes from bigger cities may get the most ink, this book shows how the ideals and power of the music penetrated every corner of the land, but was only ever sustained by the grit and ingenuity of the people involved on the ground level. We need a book like this for everywhere.” –Guy Picciotto of Fugazi
”Punks in Peoria isn’t just a deep, heartfelt dive into the punk subculture of America’s quintessential small city. It’s an exquisite map of how music flows through social structures and between generations. Essential reading for anyone interested in how art impacts life.” –Jason Heller, author of Strange Stars: David Bowie, Pop Music, and the Decade Sci-fi Exploded
”Punks in Peoria is free of jargon, centers the stories of the people who actually helped build the scene, and speaks to the experiences of the small cities and towns that have been the lifeblood of punk rock in the United States. It is a model for good research on punk.” –Zack Furness, author/editor of Punkademics: The Basement Show in the Ivory Tower
About the Authors: Jonathan Wright is a writer, editor, musician, and longtime veteran of the Peoria music scene. He is editor in chief at Peoria Magazines. Dawson Barrett is an associate professor of history at Del Mar College. His books include The Defiant: Protest Movements in Post-Liberal America.
Please note: If you would like to preorder this record for LOCAL purchase and pick-up in the Peoria, IL area, it can be purchased directly via Lit. On Fire Books. Please see this link for more information: www.litonfirepia.com/punks-in-peoria
Mid-1980’s suburban Chicago (Naperville!) punk. 13 song LP includes the band’s hard to find 7” alongside unreleased studio tracks, demos & live cuts. Naperville’s Protagonists formed in the wake of the first wave of Chicago hardcore punk. Instead of being inspired by the first generation weirdo Chicago punks like Silver Abuse and Tutu & The Pirates or the hardcore legion that followed (AOF, ROTA, Negative Element, etc.), Protagonists drew their motivation from sources as diverse as punk icons Buzzcocks, The Dickies and The Damned to prime era 50’s and 60’s teen anthems (Buddy Holly, Dell Shannon, and The Monkees). The group formed in a Naperville high school, played local talent shows and teen dance parties, and hooked up with older kids (Reaction Formation) who helped them get radio gigs and put out a tape recorded by Phil Bonnet, influential recording engineer and long time friend. The band followed up with a 7” for Reaction Formation’s label Nova which garnered positive reviews but they were shortly after pulled apart by the usual strains on the end of adolescent trajectories.
This compilation gathers their original tape, unheard outside of the suburban Chicago teen punk scene, and pairs it with the songs from their hard-to-find 7” EP (originally pressed in 1000 copies in 1985). The b-side features basement demos of original songs recorded by the band as well some great covers which show they could rock as a punk dance band.
Limited Edition 160 gram blue vinyl (500 pressed) in a 20pt board jacket with full color printed inner sleeve featuring (lots of) previously unseen photos of the band and detailed liner notes.
THE CONTENTS ARE – Live Davenport, Iowa 1968
NOW SHIPPING ON LP AND CD!
Previously unreleased live recording featuring unheard originals from 1960’s psychedelic legends The Contents Are. “Until recently, The Contents Are were one of the great forgotten bands of the late 1960’s midwestern psychedelic scene. After their masterpiece LP “Through You” was recorded the band went through their first evolution, switching out bass players Larry Smith for Mick Orton. While honing their new group by hosting a series of live shows in their native Davenport, IA (they were one of the area’s leading draws by this point), Craig was recording the band’s sets using his Ampex two track tape recorder. This album is the result of those recordings. Drawn from his archive of live recordings, they represent the band not only finding their footing after adding a new member but also recording a series of live demos which were then shopped to various producers in the hopes of landing a recording deal and wound up being the catalyst that brought them to Jerry Milam’s Golden Voice Recording Co in South Pekin, IL. It was there they would record their second major album “Four Each Other” which sat unreleased in the band’s archive until it was released via Golden Voice & Alona’s Dream in 2017, to much acclaim!
These are more than just a collection of demos; they represent a band in between making an early psychedelic folk classic in their first album and an expansive acid rock evolution on their second album, with many original songs that were only ever played live. The listener can also hear a band who could keep a dancehall moving, a group as capable of being the evening’s entertainers as well as storytellers and poets in the studio.” These recordings were restored, carefully mastered and pressed into 160 gram vinyl. Housed in a heavy-duty classic style tip-on jacket including previously unseen pictures and informative liner notes. A rare nine song document of The Contents Are’s expansive live sound. Intense jams for the psychedelic dancehall circa 1968 from these true legends of midwestern rock ’n roll.
-Limited edition of 500 black 160 gram 12” vinyl LPs. Housed in a heavy-duty classic style tip-on jacket including pictures and informative liner notes.
-Limited edition of 300 professionally replicated compact discs housed in Digipak style jackets including pictures and informative liner notes.
The Only Ones – Live In Chicago 1979 Sunday Morning Nightmare Series Vol. 1 – LP / CD / Digital
*** LIMITED PREORDER ONLY EDITION includes fan club pack with: hand screened & numbered Sunday Morning Nightmare outer wrap, stickers, poster, postcards & more.*** . PRE ORDER ONLY EXTRAS! SHIPS 12/13/2019
PREORDER NOW – SHIPS 12/13/2019
Alona’s Dream Records and Regressive Films present: the Only Ones Live in Chicago 1979 – Sunday Morning Nightmare Vol 1. This live release documents Chicago performances of the Only Ones as originally aired on Chicago punk DJ Terry Nelson’s Sunday Morning Nightmare radio show in 1979. This no nonsense set was recorded by legendary mobile recording guru Timothy Powell of Metro Mobile Recording. This previously unreleased show finds the Only Ones at the peak of their early career. The set features a solid list of future classics drawn from their first three studio albums, deep cuts and influential hit singles.
The Only Ones were not a typical UK punk band. They evolved out of the pubrock scene and had a rich history in the UK music scene in general. Members previously played with classic groups including Spooky Tooth and Beatstalkers as well as, Peter Perrett’s now classic ‘Englands Glory’. Their UK chart single ‘Another Girl, Another Planet’, set the Only Ones apart from the new wave of English rock bands swarming out of the late ’70’s. They had the complexity, range, soul, and songwriting skills lacking in most of their punkier peers. They would cut three essential LPs in the late 1970s and are still considered one of the UKs foremost rock acts. Today they are praised by critics and fans alike for their enduring influence.
Terry Nelson’s Sunday Morning Nightmare Radio was a show devoted to punk rock on WZRD. It was the one radio program for Chicago punk in the early 80s.
Red vinyl pressing of 500 on 160g vinyl. Artwork features live photography from their Chicago shows by Brain Shanley and Neil & Bruce Dinsmor. Printed inner sleeve with liner notes by DJ Terry Nelson of Sunday Morning Nightmare.
Recorded & mixed in Chicago in 1979. Mastered, pressed and released in Chicago in 2019. Enjoy!
End Result‘s 1982 masterpiece The Seven Year Locust Returns on vinyl for the first time!
This album was originally dubbed on cassette and distributed among friends in the Chicago punk scene. TSYLR represents End Result at their most formative stage. The recordings presented here contain the brutal roots of what would come later on their excellent, David Riley (Big Black, Savage Beliefs) produced, Ward 12″.
From The Chicago Punk Database: “End Result first rehearsed in July 1979 in a basement near Pill Hill on the south side. They were (ARE!) a well respected experimental / nowave band that had a changing lineup throughout the 1980s. Their style was much different than their “hardcore” peers and featured a style that couldn’t really be categorized by normal punk conventions.”
The best preserved copy of End Result’s hand-dubbed The Seven Year Locust Returns cassette was located in the archive of Chicago experimental institution ONO. It was subsequently and expertly transferred and mastered by Carl Saff. Pressed into vinyl and placed inside a cardboard sleeve for you to buy, rip open and enjoy.
Limited white vinyl version: recorded, mastered and pressed in Chicago. Includes printed inner sleeve with rare photos and excellent liner notes.
Alona’s Dream Records and Alternative Tentacles Records present the first ever official reissue of Articles of Faith’s first two 7” EPs: What We Want Is Free and Wait. What We Want Is Free and Wait were released during the first wave of American hardcore punk. Original pressings of these records are still sought after and held in high esteem by punk fans today. Alona’s Dream has teamed up with legendary punk label Alternative Tentacles to make faithful official reproductions of these essential 7”s available for the first time ever. These are the original mixes of the EPs, transferred and mastered by Jason Livermore at The Blasting Room in 2018 and are pressed in black vinyl with careful reproductions of the original jackets and inserts.
Both records are released in a one time only edition of 666. What We Want Is Free will be in 222 red jackets, 222 white jackets and 222 blue jackets, to reflect the three different colors of jackets on the original pressings of that record.
ALONA’S DREAM RECORDS presents a limited archival vinyl reissue of an ultra-rare late 1966 Chicago garage-punk-fuzz screamer! Only 100 copies of this gem were pressed in 1966 and originals are almost impossible to find today! Alona’s Dream has worked with the band to officially bring back this teen beat masterpiece on 45! Limited edition 7″ vinyl reissue includes an insert with a written history of the band as well as previously unseen group shots.
FROM played local shows and teen dances on the north side of Chicago in the mid-1960’s. Their one shot in the studio resulted in two unique cuts of 1960’s garage rock. 8:00 to 5:69 is a straight-up ode to the band’s late night lifestyle. Chase Me Up A Rhubarb Tree is a break up / put down song with a twist (rhubarbs don’t grow on trees!). Available on vinyl for a limited time!
45 RPM, big hole, black vinyl, two sided insert, envelope style jacket.
———————————————————— First full length vinyl from Kansas City’s new wave pioneers compiles their early singles along with previously unreleased songs! Compression molded into either black or (limited) pink vinyl for your listening pleasure! ————————————————————
DuChamp played devolved post punk with a funky backbone and a distinctly midwestern art rock vibe. Psychedelic synths and tense drums mix with sweaty, suggestive lyrics and melodies. This compilation collects the group’s first formal forays into Kansas City’s Chapman Recording Studio in early 1980. It features all three of DuChamp’s hard to find garage-wave singles remastered from the original tapes. As well as three songs recorded alongside the original singles and unreleased until now. Includes insert with rare photos and liner notes by the band.
BONUS: CD and download versions include DuChamp’s hard to find 1982 eight song cassette-only album Change.
*Exclusive online only bonus: The first 100 LP copies include a limited edition cassette reproduction of DuChamp’s hard to find 1982 eight song cassette-only album Change.
Eight bursts of unheard first wave Chicago street punk. Primal rock ’n roll recorded in early ’78 and unreleased until 2018.
Banned From Chicago formed in Chicago’s nascent punk scene circa 1977. Not content with their hometown, they decamped for NYC in early 1978. But before they departed Chicago, they recorded a set at a studio on the south side. The eight songs sat unreleased until rediscovered in 2017.
Banned From Chicago is twin guitars, throbbing bass, heavy drums and a unique take on punk’s early sound.
These songs are mastered from the original tape and released officially for the first time in 2018 on CD, LP and Digital.
Unreleased pop-psych masterpiece from Morton, Illinois’ Thanatopsis
This album was recorded c. 1968 at Golden Voice Recording by Jerry Milam and unheard until 2018. Thanatopsis treats us to everything from baroque pop to psychedelic teenbeat garage.
This release contains the first and only official reissue of the songs from their sought-after Golden Voice 45 as well as 10 other cuts, ranging from Mothers Of Invention inspired wackiness to sincere late ’60’s teen pop. Thantaopsis pushed the limits of the freshly built four-track studio with new sounds and experimentation.
LP / CD / Digital include insert with rare photos of the group and detailed liner notes.
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