OK, no real news, just an update to my progress:

I've worked night and day on the book during the past 2 weeks, and I have finished 62% of the re-writing. It feels good to see at least some slow progress, but I guess it will take me way into Feb/Mar 07 until I'm finished.
I also wrote about 200 new reviews. I got a huge pile of rare KBD 7"s on CDR, so I was able to clear quite a few records from my wanted list. It's still way too long, so please help if you can and send me MP3s.

all for now, I'll continue writing.

I have been working on the book all weekend.
I have re-translated about 40% of the old book, and I have written about 1150 new reviews.
I am concentrating on KBD stuff right now, check out some of the titles I have reviewed this weekend:

Defex - psycho surfer / machine gun love 7"
Epicycle - you're not gonna get it 7"
Reactors - seduction center / i want sex 7"
Alcoholics – s/t 7"
Destry Hampton And The Wolves From Hell – s/t 7"
Jackie Shark & The Beach Butchers 7"
The Now - i'm eating off a fashion plate 7"
Peer Pressure – s/t 7"
O. Rex – s/t 7"
Sick And The Lame - ate days a week 7"
Hammer Damage - automatic lips / laugh 7"
Corpsicles - now you're gonna leave me 7"

etc... well, you get the idea.
It's midnight and I'm going to stop now.

I was on vacation for a while, that should explain the long silence.
But I'm back and went straight back to work on the book.
As far as the re-working of the book is concerned, I have just finished letters D and E which means about 37% are completed. Well, what can I say, I won't give up.
I also did some new reviews, the last 8 being
Senseless Death – comp. LP
The Shaved Pigs - breakfast is served LP
Neomort – xoxox LP
Night Soil Man – s/t LP
No Fraud – hard to the core 12"
Not for Sale (NFS) - s/t LP
The Not – what's the reason 12"
Well, as you can see, I'm not just dealing with KBD and hardcore classics here... unfortunately. But hey, who's gonna review all the crap if it's not me? btw, the 1984 Not 12" is pretty good; power pop but in a good way.

By request, here's my "B Category" wants.
Please remember, I don't need records, just recordings or reviews.
Please use this address again:
mp3.50.flexblog@spamgourmet.com

**Abuse - No Money 6" flexi
**Baloneyheads - I'm A Drunk 7“
**Broncs - Tele-k-killing 7“
**Chain Gang - Deuce Pack 2x7"
**Cheetah Chrome - Still Wanna Die 7“ (1979)
**Child Molesters - Diary Of Madness 7“
**Chinas Comidas - Peasant-Slave 7“ (4 track version)
**Chronic Disorder - Blood And Honor 7"
**Chuck Wagon - Rock`n'Roll Won't Go Away 7“
**Crap Detectors - Police State 7“, I Wanna Survive The Nuclear War 7“, Victims Of The Media LP
**Dead Boys - Return Of The Living Dead Boys LP, Younger, Louder And Snottier LP
**DEPROGRAMMER- Discipline 7"
**Detention - Detention LP
**Epicycle - Depend On You 7", Residential Area 7“, Colleen 7“, LP
**Fang - Landshark 12"
**Features - Floozie Of The Neighborhood 7"
**Funeral - Funeral 12" (Azra)
**GG Allin - Bored To Death 7", Cheri Love Affair 7", Gimme Some Head 7", No Rules 7", Hard Candy Cock 7", Eat My Fuc 12", Gonna Rape You 7" 7", Biggest Tits 7", Out For Blood 7"
**Gizmos - Amerika First 7"
**Gynecologists - Kinder Gentler Nation 7"
**Hey Taxi! - I Hate Dogs 7“
**Jack Tragic - I Kill Hippies 7"
**Malcolm Tent & Unnatural Axe - Airplay 7"
**Man-Ka-Zam - Spankathon 7"
**Mechanics - No Brakes 7"
**Mentally Ill - Sex Cells 7"
**Molls - White Stains 7"
**Now - I'm Eating Off A Fashion Plate 7"
**Nubs - I Don't Need You 7"
**Peer Pressure - That's Why They Call 'em Moms
**Pere Ubu - 30 Seconds Over Tokyo 7“, Final Solution 7“, Streetwaves 7“, The Modern Dance 7", Datapanik In The Year Zero 12", The Modern Dance LP
**Public Disturbance - S&M 7", Public Disturbance LP
**Reactors - Seduction Center 7", Half Life LP
**Reactors / Derislandz – split 7“
**RF7 - Acts Of Defiance 7"
**Rhino 39 - Rhino 39 LP
**Rocket From The Tombs - Ain't It Fun 7", Life Stinks LP+7"
**Rubber City Rebels - Young & Dumb 7", Bluer Than Blue promo 7", Surprise Surprise 7", split LP with Bizarros
**Seizure - Cuties Wrong Now 7“
**Shrapnel - Combat Love 7", Go Cruisin' 7", Shrapnel 12"
**Sick And The Lame - Ate Days A Week 7“
**SKUNKS - Can't Get Loose 7“, Gimme Some 7“, Cheap Girl 7“,The Skunks LP
**Tot Rocket & The Twins - Reduced 7", Eviction 7"
**Tru Fax & The Insaniacs - Washingtron 7", Mental Decay 12"
**VA - Cleveland Confidential LP
**Vectors - Death To Disco 7", Black Pills 12“, Death To Disco LP
**Victims - Help Me Baby 7", Real Wild Child 7"
**White Pigs - Victims 7"
**Youth Gone Mad - Oki Dogs 7" (1982)

Since I am trying to fill in many gaps in FLEX as possible, there are some records I urgently need.

Since many of these records are rare and expensive I don't want the actual records, just a decent recording/copy (or a review if you want to write one). A scan of the cover would also be nice, but it's not necessary. Please note that I need FULL records, not just a song or two.

It would be perfect if you could send me MP3s by email, or if you have more of them, CD-Rs (MP3 CDs or Audio CDs) by snail mail. I can pay for the postage, or we could trade.

If you think you can help me please send me an email by clicking on this link (or send one here: mp3.50.flexblog@spamgourmet.com).

OK, here's the list of my most urgent wants:
(the complete list is much much longer, send a mail and I will send it):

***Absentees - Tryin To Mess With Me 7"
***Dogs - Rot`n'Roll 7", Teen Slime LP
***Endtables - Process Of Elimination 7"
***FORT WORTH CATS - Go Blank 7“,Earthquake At The OK Coral LP
***Grim/Klone Band - No Excuse! 7"
***Hammer Damage - Automatic Lips 7", Keep My Eye On You 12“
***Maggots - Tammy Wynette 7“
***Nervous Eaters - Loretta 7", No Sleep Tonite 7"
***Opus - The Atrocity / Good Procedures 7"
***REJECTS- E.E.G. 7"
***Shit Dogs - History Of Cheese 7", Dog Style LP
***Suicide Commandos - Commandos Commit Suicide Dance Concert LP
***Unnatural Axe - They Saved Hitler's Brain 7"
***Village Pistols - Big Money 7", Big Money LP
***Violators - NY Ripper 7"

OK, I just finished 33% of the rewriting of the book... one third!
Seems like I will eventually finish this sucker.

Today, I photographed about 500 record sleeves. It was not as bad as I thought, I have a pretty good setup with a tripod and a infrared remote control for my camera, so i can shoot pictures at 5 second intervals... put up next record... shoot... next record... shoot...
And since I am using a defined frame for the record position it's really easy to automate the cropping in Photoshop. At least for the LPs, they're all pretty much the same size, it's harder with the 7"s because they differ more in size.
I also finally figured out how to manually set the white balance in my camera, so I won't have to adjust colors in Photoshop. I just adjust levels/contrast a bit and that's it.
I guess it will take me much much longer to (re)name the picture files than to shoot the actual photos.

Well, don't know if anyone is interested in this, but this blog is here to give you an idea of what i'm doing, so here you go.

OK, here's a little update on the situation.

I am still working on rewriting the book; I have now finished letters A-D; I am currently stuck at Effigies... Egg Hunt... ; I have finished approximately 28% now.

It's a brain splitting job, I can tell you that. Re-translating is quite easy, but re-researching most of the records for (CD) reissues, pressing info etc. is hell, not because there is no info, rather because there is TOO MUCH info these days. Where do you stop?
Oh well. I have calculated it's going to take me around 300 more hours to finish this.

On the reviewing front, things go well, too.
Some records I recently reviewed, in case you're interested:
Dead Boys – night of the living dead boys LP
Writing-On-Stone – comp. LP
Make the Collector Nerd Sweat – comp. 10"
Posh Hits vol.1 – comp. LP
Septic Death – victim of a thought crime 2x10"
Foundation – voyage LP
Saigon – s/t 7"
Autistics - turn up the volts 12"
BP (Belching Penguins) – draft beer… not me LP
Black Market Baby - america's youth / crimes of passion 7"
Chainsaw – polaride picture / popular boy 7"
Chain Gang – my fly / cannibal him 7”
Dot Vaeth Group – white collar worker / armed robbery 7“
etc etc etc...

more updates soon.

come on, cheer me up.

Hi, I decided to create this blog so you can follow my work in creating the next Flex Book. That's right, I am currently working on a third volume!

What's new?

• 1000-2000 new reviews (I have written almost 900 new reviews already, and I intend to write at least 500 more)

• My main focus for new reviews is old stuff from 1975 to 1989. For this book, I want to be as complete as possible and at least include the important records of that era that have been missing in the past. A lot of KBD, early punk and early hardcore classics will be added.

• I am completely rewriting the existing book. I have added a lot of new info and corrected many mistakes, but most importantly, I am re-translating most of the reviews to English. The old ones tend to be very short and inaccurate, so I felt I had to make that right.

• I am also adding some reissue information, especially about CDs. This is not 100% consistent, but I try to at least check Amazon or GEMM for rereleases for many reviews.

I'm not entirely sure where this blog will be headed, and I won't have too much time to waste on writing entries, but I will try to keep you informed and also use it to occasionally ask for information or MP3s.

There is no fixed timeline for the book yet, but I suppose the translating part will cost me at least 3 more months if I keep working on that on a daily basis (we are talking about almost 6000 reviews!!).

My past experience with layout and page breaks suggests that that will take another 1-2 months, and then I want to include a ton of new reviews, too.

So I suppose it will be early 2007 before I can seriously think about the printing and distribution part.

Let's just see what happens, enjoy...