NUCLEAR Platters ................... ....The Unofficial CONELRAD Sequel

When the folks at CONELRAD put together Atomic Platters collecting the songs from the early Cold War up to about 1965, I was already hankering for a sequel that went up through my childhood and high school years to the end of the Cold War. Atomic Platters includes over 100 novelty numbers, and radio spots, as well as serious religious and secular warnings about the end of the world. There was a kooky euphoria about the Bomb, at least for the few years the US was alone with it. Atomic war fell out of fashion in the early 70s, but came back in a darker way in punk and new wave. The tone of the music changed along with popular attitudes toward nuclear power, losing much of it's lightheartedness (but not all) after Three Mile Island, Reagan, and Chernobyl scared the Breznev out of people. My family evacuated when TMI started melting in 1979 and I grew up with the lingering feeling that a nuclear war was imminent. I wasn't alone.

Atomic Platters covers music of the "Golden Age" of the cold war, that is, before the kids who grew up with the Bomb started writing the music and driving the counterculture. Jeff Nuttall, in his 1968 book Bomb Culture, describes this shift in attitude and the "generation gap," which continued to widen and reach its musical crescendo in the 1980s as the Doomsday Clock ticked closer to Midnight.

What way we made in 1945 and in the following years depended largely on our age, for right at that point, at the point of the dropping of the bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the generations became divided in a very crucial way. 

The people who had passed puberty at the time of the bomb found that they were incapable of conceiving of life without a future. Their patterns of habit had formed, the steady job, the pension, the mortgage, the insurance policy, personal savings, support and respect for the protection of the law, all the paraphernalia of constructive, secure family life. ...To look the danger in the eye might wreck the chances of that ultimate total security their deepest selves had contrived, death by H-bomb. 

The people who had not yet reached puberty at the time of the bomb were incapable of conceiving of life with a future. They might not have had any direct preoccupation with the bomb. This depended largely on their sophistication. But they never knew a sense of future. 

...Dad was a liar. He lied about the war and he lied about sex. He lied about the bomb and he lied about the future. He lived his life on an elaborate system of pretence that had been going on for hun­dreds of years. The so-called 'generation gap' started then and has been increasing ever since.

In Apocalypse Jukebox, David Janssen and Edward Whitelock mark Eve of Destruction as the song that

sucked out any sense of humor--or hope for that matter ... In twenty short years, the popular mood regarding the atom bomb had changed radically. By August 1965, Barry McGuire's song erased both God and hope from the atomic equation. The treatment of atomic power and nuclear weapons in American popular music would hereafter be characterized by mistrust, dread, and fatalism. 

The horrid zombie dancers in McGuire's Hullabaloo video (see below) alone could have inspired a torrent of punk violence. The songs that follow certainly have loads of that mistrust and dread. But many of them bring that old sense of humor back in a blacker, more subtle way. Or, like the Dickies, Eve of De-Ster-Uction, just spoof the whole god-awful mess.

My Nuclear Platters sequel is run through the Tapewrecks filter omitting a many of the big commercial hits and sappier protest songs (and a shitload of metal). The audio tracks included are some of my favorites, out of print, and bands from around my hometown downwind from Three Mile Island, Pennsylvania, and others that are rare, weird, or particularly stupid.

[TMI] denotes a song about or inspired by the Three Mile Island accident. [I've since found hundreds of TMI songs and documented them on Radioactive Releases.]

1963-1967: IT IS 12 MINUTES TO MIDNIGHT

A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall / Talkin' World War III Blues - Bob Dylan (1963)
Fidel Castro - Skatalites (Jamaica 1964)
Eve of Destruction - Barry McGuire (1965)
Kill for Peace - The Fugs
The Russian Spy and I - The Regents (1966)

Commie Lies - Janet Greene 

So the Prophets Say - The Centurys (Lebanon, PA)

That's the Bag I'm In - Fred Neil 

Monk Time - The Monks
I Come and Stand at Every Door - The Byrds
My Little Red Book / Mushroom Clouds - Love
7 and 7 Is - Love
Transparent Radiation - The Red Crayola (1967)
That's the Bag I'm In - The Fabs
War Sucks - The Red Crayola

1968: IT IS 7 MINUTES TO MIDNIGHT

Last Day on Earth - The Velvet Haze (1968)
Draft Morning - The Byrds

1969-1971: IT IS 10 MINUTES TO MIDNIGHT

Running Gun Blues - David Bowie (1970)
Apeman - The Kinks
O Apocalipse - The Pop's (Brazil 1971)

1972-1973: IT IS 12 MINUTES TO MIDNIGHT

Political Science - Randy Neuman (1972)
Search and Destroy - Iggy & the Stooges (1973)

1974-1980: IT IS 9 MINUTES TO MIDNIGHT

Final Solution / 30 Seconds Over Tokyo / Search and Destroy - Rocket from the Tombs (1974)
Cyclotron - The Electric Eels (1975)
Geiger Counter / Radio-Activity - Kraftwerk
Final Solution / 30 Seconds Over Tokyo - Pere Ubu (1976)
Rocket U.S.A. - Suicide

Holidays in the Sun - Sex Pistols 

Chinese Radiation - Pere Ubu (1977)
Havana Affair/Commando - Ramones
Cold Wars - The Rezillos
Eve of Destruction - The Feelies
Contact in Red Square - Blondie 

Hiroshima Mon Amour - Ultravox
Flamethrower Love - The Dead Boys
Love and Peace (H-Bomb) - Eater
We Got the Neutron Bomb - The Weirdos (1978)
No Nuclear War - Peter Tosh
Bomb Scare - The H-Bombs
Armagideon Time - Willi Williams
Eve of Destruction - The Dickies

Your Love Is Like A Nuclear Waste - Tuff Darts
I Wanna Start a War - The Warm Jets (Philadelphia)

The Dead Dreams of a Cold War Kid - Hawklords
War Zone - The Dead Boys
Panic in the World - Be-Bop Deluxe
'A' Bomb in Wardour Street - The Jam
The A-Bomb Woke Me Up - The Swimming Pool Q's (1979)
I Found That Essence Rare - Gang of Four
Atomic - Blondie
Kill the Poor - Dead Kennedys 

Nuclear Device - The Stranglers
Yellowcake uf6 - The Stranglers
Secret Agent Man - Devo
Atom Age - Bill Nelson's Red Noise

Top Secret Man / Peace - Plastics (Japan)

Life During Wartime - Talking Heads
Save For the Sky - The Dead Milkmen
(Potter County Was Made By the Hand of God, But the Devil Made) Three Mile Island - Al Shade (Potter Co., PA)TMI
Three Mile Island - Joseph Aronesty TMI
Three Mile Island - The Tyme-Aires (Etters, PA)TMI
Radiation - Richie Gerber TMI
Three Mile Island - Fred Small TMI
Radiation Funk - Maxwell (PA)TMI
Face the Fire - Dan Fogelberg TMI
Three Mile Smile - Aerosmith TMI
Three Mile Island Blues - Alan Fox TMI
Goodbye T.M.I. - Gary Punch & the Outriders (York Co., PA)TMI
No More Nukes - Roger Matura & the Niss Puk Band (Germany)TMI
London Calling / Clampdown - The Clash TMI
Shut 'Em Down - Gil Scott Heron TMI
The Meltdown - Root Boy Slim & the Sex Change Band TMI

1980: IT IS 7 MINUTES TO MIDNIGHT

World War III - Root Boy Slim & the Sex Change Band (DC)
Atomic Love - The Late Teens (Carlisle, PA)TMI
Three Mile Island / Call to Arms - Arcade (central PA)TMI
Who Will Close Pandora's Box - Fred & the Jupiter Gypsies TMI
Critical Mass / System Failure - The Nuclear Regulatory Commission TMI
Three Mile Island - Jorge Santana TMI
TMI - Reesa & the Rooters (Philadelphia)TMI
Who's Gonna Win the War? b/w Nuclear Toy - Hawkwind TMI
Paranoid Chant / Joe MacArthy's Ghost - Minutemen 

Generals and Majors / Living Through Another Cuba - XTC
Man at C&A - The Specials

Stop the World - The Clash
Armagideon Time - The Clash
Nagasaki Nightmare - Crass 

Cold War - Devo
Ivan Meets GI Joe / Washington Bullets / Charlie Don't Surf - The Clash
Enola Gay - OMD

1981-1983: IT IS 4 MINUTES TO MIDNIGHT

If the World is Coming to an End - The Dead Milkmen (1981)
She's a Bomb - The Dead Milkmen
A Minute Closer to Death - The Dead Milkmen
What Future? - The Proteens
Susquehanna Meltdown - Fly By Night TMI
Beautiful World - Devo
Los fusilitos - Los Torogoces de Morazan (El Salvador Libre)
Some Other Time - X
Radio Free Europe - REM
The Third World War / Nuclear Spy - S.I.B. (Italy)
World War 9 - Billy Synth (Harrisburg, PA)
Nuclear War - Sun Ra (1982)
European War - The Cleaners from Venus
Radioactive Kid - The Meteors
Sleeping Snakes - Translator
Der Kommissar - Falco
Straight To Hell / Atom Tan  - The Clash
Kill a Commie - Gang Green
Nuclear War - The Bodies (Lancaster PA)

Radioactive Chocolate - MDC (1983)TMI
Radioactive Baby - The Turn Ups (Harrisburg, PA)TMI
Deadly Skies - Husker Du
Dream Told By Moto - Minutemen
Radio Activity - Royal Cash
Central Nuclear - Vulpes
Before You Push the Button - Joe Jack Talcum (Philadelphia)

Nagasaki Neuter - Slickee Boys 

A Sense of Belonging - Television Personalities
Two Tribes - Frankie Goes to Hollywood 

You'll Never Know - Primitons

1984-1987: IT IS 3 MINUTES TO MIDNIGHT

Dancing With Tears In My Eyes - Ultravox (1984)
Three Mile Island - Pinkard and Bowden TMI
This World Over - XTC
I Hope You Get Drafted - The Dicks
Hopeless - Briggs Beall (Lancaster, PA)
Doomsday - Discharge
Vietnam / West Germany / Untitled Song for Latin America - Minutemen
Eve of Destruction - Johnny Thunders
Hallowed Ground - The Violent Femmes
Kinky Sex Makes the World Go Round - Dead Kennedys
100 Million People Dead - Butthole Surfers
World War III - Grandmaster Melle Mel
Nucular Rat - Kenny Gross (Lancaster, PA)
Hammer to Fall - Queen

Headin' for Armageddon - Joey Welz (Lancaster, PA)
Two Minutes to Midnight - Iron Maiden
Uranium Rock - The Cramps

World Destruction - Time Zone
Caustic Future / Khadafy's No Worse Than Reagan - Combat Hamsters (Lancaster, PA 1985)
Reagan Blues - Hasil Adkins
Song No. 15 - Ornamental Wigwam (Philadelphia)
Party at Ground Zero - Fishbone
Violence Is Golden / Bells Are Ringing - The Real Gone (Lancaster, PA)
Right Wing Pigeons - The Dead Milkmen (Philadelphia)
The Viet Cong Live Next Door - The Left
Emergency - Nobody's Fools (Lancaster, PA)
Nuclear War / Radiation Sickness / Mr. Softee Theme - Nuclear Assault (1986)
Christmas at Ground Zero - Weird Al Yankovic
MAD - Tons of Nuns (Philadelphia)

Flamethrower Love - Kirk & the Jerks (Lancaster, PA)
Bombs Aren't Cool - Li'l Rodney C and KK Rockwell
The Future's So Bright I Gotta Wear Shades - Timbuk 3 

Atom Bomb Baby - The Scientists
How I Learned to Love the Bomb - Television Personalities
Binded World Radiation - Hellsent (Lancaster, PA)
It's the End of the World as We Know It (and I Feel Fine) - REM (1987)

1988-1990: IT IS 6 MINUTES TO MIDNIGHT

Geiger Counter - The Legendary Stardust Cowboy (1989)
End of the World - The Original Sins
Sweathearts - Camper Van Beethoven

1991-1994: IT IS 6 MINUTES TO MIDNIGHT

Atomic Power - Uncle Tupelo (1992)

...

Thanks to contributions from Tom Casetta, Ed Whitelock, Scott Lubic, Bryan Rutt, Mic Rage, Christian Dayton Osgood, and Rustle Noonetwisting

Tom Casetta's Listen Up! radio program on G-Town Radio. Tom's interview with Ed Whitelock is essential, as is Janssen and Whitelock's book, Apocalypse Jukebox: The End of the World in American Popular Music.

CONELRAD
NUCLEAR WAR and Lancaster County - Tapewrecks
Radioactive Releases...The Music of Three Mile Island - Tapewrecks
Garage Hangover
Freedom Has No Bounds
Vinyl Meltdown on York, PA's Bona Fide Records
On Jeff Nuttall's Bomb Culture - The Generalist
In the 80's: Songs About Nuclear War
Bulletin of Atomic Scientists: Doomsday Clock timeline

2012-2014: IT IS 5 MINUTES TO MIDNIGHT

"Oh Come All Ye Mindless..." ......... .......Free Speech Carols (Berkeley 1964)

Garage sale-ing in the Bay Area could be ideological. You always had a good chance of finding some leftist literature or protest music from aging radicals. And they might say "Ah, I remember that...." as a way of saying goodbye and thanking you for taking it off to a good home... or they might just be glad to unload their crap. In any case, this little 7-inch record is a remarkable and funny collection of carols by members of the Free Speech Movement. Merry fucking Christmas.

Oski Dolls
We Three Deans 
UC Administration 
Hail to IBM 
It Belongs to the University 
Silent Night 
Call Out the Deans 
Masters of Sproul Hall 
God Rest Ye, Free Speech 
O Come All Ye Mindless 
Joy To UC 

In the spirit of farce, and of Christmas, these songs were written and sung. We of the FSM are serious, but we hope we are still able to laugh at ourselves, as well as those who would restrict our Constitutional freedoms.

Mario Savio sings Hail to IBM at a speech to the California Federation of Teachers.

Free Speech Movement Chronology

Free Speech Movement Digital Archives
FSM-A Archives
The Free Speech Movement - Miscellaneous Sound Recordings

Los Torogoces de Morazán....... .........Combat Rock (El Salvador 1981)

In 1995 I picked up a hand-copied cassette of Los Torogoces de Morazán from a street vendor in San Salvador who was scraping by, like many Saladorans, in the informal economy. Just 3 years earlier, after 70,000 dead in 12 years of war, government death squads and military massacres, the Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front (FMLN) signed peace accords with the US-backed government and transitioned from guerrilla insurgency to political party.

Los Torogoces  

Is that Paul Simonon on the right?

Around 1981, when Los Torogoces recorded the songs on this tape, the Clash was recording Combat Rock and Rock the Casbah was soon to be all over commercial radio in North America. The tropical guerilla dreamscape of that record lacked the punch and political message of earlier records (that I hadn't heard yet). A product code "FMLN 2" was on the sleeve (their previous record Sandinista! was "FSLN 1"), but their revolution was superficial. The only specific reference to any real-world clashes came from Allen Ginsburg's spacey side-babble in Ghetto Defendant: "...Guatemala, Honduras, Poland, 100 Years War ... TV re-run invasion, death squad El Salvador...."

Toda Centroamérica  (All Central America)

Still, I believe (Joe Strummer at least) they probably felt some earnest solidarity with people struggling for justice, or equality, or respect, or a voice -- be they union workers, guerrilla fighters, or bored suburban kids. So I have to give them some credit for subliminally raising my 13-year old consciousness to issues outside of my little world. Let's be honest, I didn't even know El Salvador existed at that point.

Combat Rock sounded cool, but I had little notion of what a real armed revolution meant, and I really had no idea a band like Los Torogoces de Morazán was living their struggle, broadcasting the resiliency of the Salvadoran people from a liberated mountainside:

"...June, 1981 in the most difficult time living in our country, El Salvador. Twins were born in the mountains of Morazán: LOS TOROGOCES DE MORARZAN AND RADIO VENCEREMOS. Arisen out of a need to solve two serious problems: One, how to keep not only the fighters but the entire population informed about the situation of the war.  Two, how to raise the morale of the fighters and to demoralize the enemy...."

Venceremos  (We Will Overcome)

"...The radio director saw a bird perched on a branch and asked what bird it was. 'It's a Torogoz' he said.... 'We liked the name because we identified with the Torogoz,' says Sebastian ... 'it's a bird that takes care of its family, helps its partner and their young until they grow. So are we....'"

 Soy combatiente del FMLN (I'm a Fighter in the FMLN)

"...In times of peace, and in the midst of impending war, Los Torogoces held guerrilla dances and took the opportunity to record their songs in the primitive studio of the radio, located in the town of Perquin, Santiago (the main transmitter of Radio Venceremos)...."

 Los fusilitos (Little Rifles)

"...Little things were born... from the hearts of the people and the need for revolutionary action...." 

El beso de sapo (Kiss of the Frog)





Andrés Mejía Barrera (Arturo)
Benito Chica Argueta (Sebastian)
Cristóbal Chica Argueta
Carlos Enrique Consalvi (Santiago)
Ricardo Ventura (Caramel)
Esteban Álvaro 

"...Los Torogoces de Morazán performed during the twelve years of war uplifting and accompanying the fighters not only in times of relative tranquility, but also in combat, thus four of the singers gave their lives in combat...."

Las casas quemadas (Burned Houses)
 

A government soldier poses after the reoccupation of Morazán

Sebastian still performs the music of Los Torogoces de Morazán.
The FMLN candidate Mauricio Funes won the presidency in 2009.
........So far, no Washington Bullets.


Thanks to Los Torogoces Facebook page and Amherst College's Experience of War Project for the quotes and photos in this post.

There's more on Radio Venceremos there, as well as at at Retazos de Memoria Histórica.

The music is from Canto Nuevo Para Todos (I lost my copy of the tape a long time ago).

De Tlatelolco a Tlatelolco ............. (y Tunéz, Egipto, Bahrein, Yemen, Libia, Marruecos, Siria....)

In 1968, as the eyes of the world focused on Mexico City in anticipation of the summer Olympics just weeks away, students marched peacefully calling for democracy and revolution. Thousands had been arrested. By October the 2nd, some ten thousand crowded the Plaza de Tres Culturas in Tlatelolco, surrounded by police and army and helicopters and tanks. Shots were heard, fired by government agitators at the troops to justify the suppression of the protests. Troops opened fire on the crowds and rampaged through the night. By dawn dozens or hundreds were dead. By noon, the plaza was scrubbed clean and the Olympics started on schedule a few days later.

I know very little about this record. Just that it was performed and recorded in 1979 by Teatro Mascarones de Cuernavaca to keep the memory of the massacre alive. I picked it up at a garage sale in San Francisco in the mid-90's, only vaguely familiar with the events of 1968. The musical pieces included here are in the nueva cancion folk, protest style. The first two are sung by members of Teatro Mascarones and the last one is by Angel Parra, of the first-family of Chilean nueva cancion. The performance picks up the continuum of oppression from the Spanish Conquest, to Mexico 1968, to the ongoing suppression of the truth by the ruling PRI party, which remained in power until 2001.

1. Un lugar - Javier Sánchez
2. 2 de octubre - Víctor Sanen
3. Mexico '68: Homenaje a los estudiantes mexicanos - Angel Parra

Para que nunca se olviden

las gloriosas olimpiadas

mandó a matar el gobierno

cuatrocientos camaradas....

...Pero esas manchas no salen

ni con jabón, ni con agua....

So you never forget
the glorious Olympics,
the government ordered the killing
of four-hundred comrades....

...But these spots will not wash with soap, nor with water....

Los Mascarones - De Tlatelolco a Tlatelolco

More info here: Mexico '68: A Movement, A Massacre, and the 40-Year Search for Truth - Radio Diaries
Massacre in Mexico by Elena Poniatowska

And here: Al Jazeera