So, the tape… it starts off with (I think) Billy Burke, another WCAU DJ at the time, doing a short, live aircheck. Then is a lengthy set with Terry Young that I’m thinking is from late-summer 1985. To quote myself:

[Terry Young] managed to come out of Dead Or Alive’s “You Spin Me Round (Like a Record),” give a full weather report for the area, and do an intro to the next song all during the opening bars of DeBarge’s “Who’s Holding Donna Now?”

Also funny is his suggestive squeal as he leads into the sappy “I Miss You” by Klymaxx.

Side two is interesting for different reasons. It starts off with a recording I made during Mrs. White’s (fourth grade?) music class. The class, as a whole, wrote a poem. Then, we broke into groups and were supposed to perform musical interpretations of the poem using (mostly percussion) instruments that none of us knew how to play. The poem?:

Loud atomic blast,
[something] has a heartbeat,
Far out middle space.

My group even named itself (“The Educated 5″ – gee, could that be showing my UTFO influence?) and I did a couple of cocky-sounding intros. I remember instructing everyone in the class to ham it up and break into wild applause when my group’s third performance was done. I also remember everyone looking confused at the one group that went off and wrote their own poem, not realizing they were supposed to use the same poem as the rest of us.

The rest of side two is music from WCAU (includes the awful “Honeymooner’s Rap,” Madonna, Huey Lewis, and The Hooters). Unfortunately, I cut off most of the DJ chatter between songs. I think this was a recorded during a weekly countdown hosted by Bill O’Brien.

Side two ends with an odd little home recording I had no recollection of. It’s me (~10 years old) and my sister (~6 years old) watching “TV 29,” which would later become the local FOX affiliate. Some 976 ads are heard as my sister says, “I’m getting hungry!” and I respond, like a loving brother should, “Oh, come ON, Stace!” Then, an ad for Bela Lugosi’s “My Son the Vampire” comes on and my sister says, “I’m going to get nightmares from this.” It ends with a bit of an episode of Batman.

The quality on this recording is terrible and full of hiss. But enjoy it anyway.

(Terry Young fans should be sure to also check this excellent 1982 aircheck.)

A.I.D.S. was made up of bassist/vocalist/partime guitarist “Sanchez” (perhaps Ramon Rodriguez, who was the group’s contact at 1108 North Ave, Elizabeth, NJ), guitarist John, and drummer Nelson. While Ramon Rodriguez is a common name, he may now be a realtor in North Arlington, NJ, just 10 miles from where A.I.D.S. received their mail (wrong guy – see comments).

This demo, made up of songs written between 1985 and 1987, was recorded at JMM Studios in NJ in August of 1987. It was engineered by Jerry Manno (currently a popular professor at DeVry). The cover a mixture of a hand-drawn logo and typewriter text, photocopied on standard weight paper. The cassette is a normal bias Radio Shack Supertape LN-60 with a typewritten sticker. The recording tabs are still in tact.

As is typical with demo bands, A.I.D.S. included a “no thanx” section in the liner notes. It read: “No thanx: Those of you who never took the time to listen or even tried to understand. You’re all uninformed!” They also offer “A Mighty F.O.A.D. [Fuck Off And Die, I assume?] to Peter Tursha and all at Billy O’s!” Billy O’s was apparently a venue in NJ. Please note, lastly, that “Unauthorized Reproduction [is] Prohibited. (But it makes us a hell of a lot bigger!).” I guess I’m helping to make them bigger by posting this?

In terms of the music, I’m not all that well versed in punk history. While this was recorded well after punk’s early 80′s heyday, it still sounds good and has some good tracks. I’m particularly fond of “Fuck the Cops,” which could easily be the motto of any punk band, ever. Here’s a link to the full album and a one song preview:

Download A.I.D.S.: 1987 Demo