The Turn Ups
Turn Up
LP
(Cracked Records, 1980)
One of the cool things about punk rock is finding gems from tiny, local scenes, especially in smaller areas. Harrisburg, PA's best-known musical export, sadly, is Poison, who emulated Hagerstown, MD's Kix, then moved to LA and made it big. The next biggest may be Billy Synth, but don't hold me to that. Please. Billy recorded two LPs backed by also locals The Turn Ups. I bought the second one, 1983's Disorderly Conduct, ages ago and it rocked.
When I found two LPs done by The Turn Ups on their own, I snapped 'em up, of course. Minus Billy's synth and decidedly odd vocal stylings, The Turn Ups sound kinda like Harrisburg's answer to The Suicide Commandos, from Minneapolis, MN. Both played speedy, hook-filled punk rock with a bit of a nod to power pop. This song is from their first album; the second was Urban Blight, and was also released on Cracked. Both are keepers.
Oh, yeah, the first Billy Synth and The Turn Ups LP was Off the Deep End. It, too, was on Cracked Records, in an addition of 300 copies. I have no information on the size of the press runs of the other LPs.
2 biased opinions:
I think I used to see this record in a local store and pass over it every time because of the way it looks.. but this is really cool.
i actually enjoyed the cover, trying to see if i knew who everyone was, i didn't. but the song, yeah just didn't happen with me.
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