G.R.B.
(Clica aquí para la versión en español)

DISCOGRAPHY Releases G.R.B. tape (Drama del Horror, 1985) ¡ESTOY TAN CONTENTO! EP (1986) CUENTOS Y LEYENDAS LP (PDI, 1988) Reissues 1984-1989 CD (Tralla, 2000 - complete discography) Compilations INCREDIBLE POWER OF DARKNESS LP (Rise & Fall, 1987) "Stupid Politics" INFO Lyrics to G.R.B. Tape - ¡Estoy tan contento! EP - Cuentos y leyendas LP Tralla Records Label from Spain that put out the G.R.B. collection CD.

Discography compiled by Nacho, Band History written by Fernando
G.R.B. started out as a quartet in Barcelona in 1984. Its members were old veterans: the former ÚLTIMO RESORTE rhythm section of Juanito (bass) and Miguel "Mike" (drums); ex-DRAMA DEL HORROR (a band as well as a key fanzine in BCN) guitarist Alberto, and FRENOPATICSS' singer, Ángel (who also used to be in Klan Korrupto, a loutish punk band). They adopted the initials of the Barcelona Restaurateur Association (Gremio de Restauración de Barcelona), whose notices were often seen hanging on the walls of Barcelona's restaurants and bars: "G.R.B." sounded good to them. Sometimes they answered the oft-asked question of "What do the initials stand for?" with flippant answers like, "Scrambled eggs with bacon" (In colloquial Spanish: "Güevos Revueltos con Bacon").

Whereas other pioneering HC bands in BCN limited themselves to playing fast and twanging chords while mouthing predictable political slogans, GRB developed a very elaborate kind of HC, and their lyrics, although initially well stocked with slogans, were much more carefully constructed. From that point onwards, they would forge ahead, ever-evolving until the end.

Their first performance happened on July 1, 1984, along with Sentido Común and R.I.P., opening for Italy's IMPACT, at the Casal dels transformadors; only four songs: Eso es Guerra, Politica Estúpida, Soy and Tortura (respectively: That's War, Stupid Politics, I Am and Torture - the last one is best known as No ha habido Cambio, There's Been No Change). The songs, while relatively simple, showed a very sophisticated slant on HC. The lyrics touched upon the usual topics of politically aware bands of that era (war, politicians...) but were much more elaborate than was usual then in Spanish bands. But the truly surprising song here is Soy, Spain's first "psychological" punk-HC song, boasting a Ramone-like conciseness: "I am / I know how I am, / I know why I am... this way. // Do you? Do you? What do you know... about yourself? // I know / who to thank / and who to blame, / and I know why. // Do you? Do you? What do you know... about yourself?"

Fall, 1984: the band plays at a benefit for the C.S.B. (Barcelona squatter collective), to which several band members belonged (shortly after this gig the first squatter action took place, the first of its kind in the country). Some band members were as well in charge of the Drama del Horror fanzine.

The band's beginnings were hectic; when Alberto was drafted, Strong (ex-ÚLTIMO RESORTE) replaced him on guitar. Soon, this forced switch brought the quartet's transformation into a quintet. With two guitars, the band gained in power and textures. The summer of 1985 saw the release of the G.R.B. tape, released under the "record label" of the Drama del horror fanzine, which, by the way, was calling it quits as such: the band becomes the main thing. The tape came wrapped in a plastic bag with several sheets of paper with the lyrics and collages illustrating each song and made with comic strips. In the cover, a close-up picture of a rat. In those pages, lots of mice and little rats were used to underscore the feel of each song... The mouse would become the band's mascot because of the rat portrayed in the tape's cover.

The tape shows the band's sound at that moment, very fast and hard-hitting (the singer's hoarse and gravelly voice is somewhat reminiscent of Motorhead's Lemmy), but with nuances. The mix of influences -such as MDC, Bad Brains, DRI, Discharge, Italian HC, and of course Último Resorte and Frenopaticss (from whose repertoire GRB took the songs Ineptos and No al servicio militar, respectively: You Inepts and Down With Military Service)- results in an unmistakably personal musical style. There was a strange musicality to them; Soy is one of the best examples of this, the whole song, but more particularly those percussive "Qué-sabes-tú" in the chorus: the traditional harshness of the Spanish language when applied to Rock is turned into an asset (LA POLLA RECORDS also took advantage of this in a similar but different manner). The dense lyrics partake of the simplification inherent to politically minded punk (the exaggerations, the "Us vs. Them" confrontation...) but have well-aimed insights and surprising imagery, while always having a well-centred and concise expression. Good examples are songs like El buen camino (The Good Way), Ellos te quieren (They Want You) or Perseguidos por la ley (Chased by the Law). Some songs retain the virulence that characterised the FRENOPATICSS, like Lucha! (Fight!) and then Nazis... muertos!! (Nazis... Dead!!), in which dictators are threatened with force. (By the way, this title has become a very common graffiti in Spain, through anonymous hands). This violent phase was left behind within a few months, but it is immortalised in this first tape. The road followed by G.R.B. is the opposite of the one followed by, for instance, L'ODI SOCIAL and ANTI/DOGMATIKSS: without submitting to the Crassian orthodoxy prevalent in hardcore circles in 1984, they did not hesitate to broadcast violent messages. From 1985 onwards, however, the ideology espoused by the fanzine Sabotaje (heir to Penetración albeit abandoning Crassian anarchistic pacifism to follow the CONFLICT's ideology of non-pacifist anarchism) starts to prevail, but the band goes the opposite way.

Unlike other bands' lyrics, G.R.B.'s were self-explanatory, weren't exclusive jargon only for the punk ghetto (as Crass would say), they can make everyone with a discerning spirit think. Say, Compra y venta (Buy and Sell), that deals with the consumism world's ideology, while apparently an exaggeration, it plainly shows us the crude reality of our way of life. The same for Cínica justicia (Cynical Justice), the aforementioned and pacifistic Eso es guerra and No al servicio militar, or the environmentalist No interés (No Interest) and Lo que hace el dinero (The Things Money Does). The latter is based upon a poem by 15th century Spanish writer the Arcipreste de Hita (the Archdeacon of Hita), and has a short intro with some kind of medieval music. ¡Úsalo! (Use It!) tells us to think for ourselves, to not follow leaders. Qué queréis (What Do You Want) deals with how society judges rebellious youths and does that in a peculiar way, too. Soy is quite surprising in its simplicity, and it could be outrageous for the punks (and everybody else), much deeper than other songs from the era, like LA POLLA RECORDS' Muy punk (Very Punk).

The tape got a feature in Maximum Rock'n'Roll (#28, Sept. '85). This also brought widespread demand for the tape from foreign countries... Several hundred tapes were sold (thousands, in time), in Spain and in foreign countries... Albeit underground, it was a success. G.R.B. would soon develop a reputation within the international HC community, which would bring them respect and admiration.

But playing gigs and getting promotion was rather difficult (it would never become easy). Important gigs in 1985 were: along with KANGRENA and the Dutch FRITES MODERN (April 8th), with Torino's NEGAZIONE and Parisians LUDWIG VON 88 (July 27th), with LÄRM (Dutch) at the old Zeleste (Oct. 24-25). For a while, that fall, Mike left and was replaced by Xavier "Dimoni" (ex-ATTACK), but a couple of month later Mike came back in. The line-up was stable from this point onwards.

At most of the shows they gave away leaflets with song lyrics and sometimes also featured drawings. GRB's mouse (based on the American Squeak) plays a prominent role, depicted as a fat jolly and naughty mouse, always wearing gloves and giving a wink to his friends; he's impatient (he jiggles his foot), irreverent (he sometimes gives us the finger) and fast! Along with the circled A ("your anarkhy, not mine", was read on some of those leaflets), they started to depict the Happy Face or Smiley. (Before it was appropriated by acid-house, the Smiley was introduced in the HC scene to compensate for the utter seriousness of politicised punk, I guess.)

About this time the band members started growing their hair -just as punk and skinhead hardcore-punks started to proliferate- and wearing faded denims, jackets and trousers covered with pen-made graffiti and slogans; a variant on hardcore's typical aesthetics, but without submitting to clichés like crew-cuts, Indian scarves, skateboards and such, which were fast becoming the obligatory standard of attire.

Like their friends L'ODI SOCIAL, the group went to Pisa (Italy) in the spring of '86 to have their first vinyl pressed, taking advantage of this opportunity to make new friends (C.C.M.) and to play three shows in Pisa (5/86); in the foreclosed Victor Charlie club (legendary site seized by squatters). Most of the better HC bands had played there.

In the first days of June '86, back in Barcelona, they released the Estoy tan contento! (I Am So Happy!) EP, on their own GRB "label". The cover used an old Life magazine's picture of a baby placidly sleeping upon an airbed. Mice were depicted in the record's label and in the lyrics sheet. Seven songs on a 7", just as ULTIMO RESORTE's EP; by the way, it's funny that this record is the one that has some UR-like sound; basically, because of Strong's guitar, filling the record with vibrant lead guitar solos. Musically sepaking, the EP is less violent than the tape and more melodic, even with some catchy parts.

Lyrics: Estoy tan contento! satirises the narrow criticism which acts like a straitjacket: "It makes me happier and happier / to be surrounded by such perfect beings" La fiesta, with lyrics by UR's Silvia, deals with feminism (an unusual subject for Spanish bands at that moment). Cristianos! touches upon many Christians' hypocrisy: "False goodness in Christmas / and a bastard the rest of the year" for instance, but this is not just a religion-bashing lyric; a true consistent Christian could accept this lyric without feeling insulted in his faith. Locura de juventud contemplates those who go through a rebellious stage in their youth, and later tend to accept what they had always rejected, aand then lead normal lives (a common phenomenon, ain't it?). La Historia tells us of empires and slaughters, a subject dealt with widerly in Cadena de odio (also written by Silvia), which is a pacifist song aimed not only at State violence as such (war, police...) but also at an all-too-human tendency that affects us all. This song is another wake-up call and does not simplistically divide the world between good and evil anymore.

The leaflet that came with the first record raised many more points: "(...) we do not believe the problem lies in the way the world is; after all, the world is the way it is because this is the way we have made it, or ...the way we have allowed it to be made.

Convenience makes us see things most advantageous for us. We hold on tightly to a set of values and symbols, all of them trite and ambiguous, and we adjust them to our state of mind. How can violent fighting be concealed behind the symbol of peace? How can we pretend to impose any attitude while standing behind a shield with an encircled "A" painted on it? - It's hard to admit that the root of all of our troubles lies within us all. It's hard to admit that the fighting must begin as a fight against our own prejudices. How hard it is to admit a mistake. How much easier it is to dress it up as "good deed".

In just one year, G.R.B. evolved in much the same way the late CRASS did (although they were unaware of this parallel at the moment), digging deeper into the problems posed by the anarcho-pacifist movement, and researching into the individual, this free and thinking being who lies at the root of things like, say, anarchism. The goal is to find worthy ideals and ways to face problems. The "revolution", in its violent sense, is something which Crass had rejected (in their classic song Bloody Revolutions, for instance); in Spain, bands like ANTI/DOGMATIKSS, on their first tape (11/84), were clear examples of the (brief) Crass-oriented phase in the country. However, in the U.K. (after the demise of Crass, CONFLICT kind of replaced them in their role as a band with strong ideology: their motto was "from protest to resistance") as well as in the U.S. and even in Spain (Rock Radical Vasco, mainly) people again chose to stand up for violence, the very same violence they had been denying some months earlier, being one of the main charges made against the system... In Crass' anarcho-pacifistic terms, it was argued that refusing violence (the way Martin Luther King or Gandhi did) was the only alternative to the failure of the revolutions or the mechanics of hatred -the chain that hangs around all our necks-. All of a sudden, most anarchopunks chose the way of tantrum and stone throwing, and molotov cocktails. G.R.B., exactly the same way as CRASS or FLUX OF PINK INDIANS (without direct relation, though - and this is of significance), tried to follow a more logical and coherent road. One of their stickers from this period depicted a swastika on a pedestal, with a rat burrowing through it, and the motto read: "Without violence - with patience".

This affair becomes more momentous in 1985, with the arrival of the Rock Radikal Vasco (Basque Radikal Rock), the Sabotaje 'zine and the rest; that was the time to speak clearly and GRB did that, exposing the affair in its rawness: The forementioned leaflet text is an example of this; the two questions within the text were the seed of an even tougher and deeper lyric: Jim "el Pacifista", which I recommend reading. This song brought on some peculiar attitudes within the small Barcelona HC circle; some people were terribly offended by it, and started to level accusations at G.R.B., usually personal (for instance accusing them of being far too conceited) without addressing the issues at hand or trying to discuss it. Too much, too human... On the other hand, G.R.B. made it very clear that they would not follow RRV's (Rock Radikal Vasco) path, even though it was all the rage for a while, to the point of having trendies and rich kids singing along to songs by bands like KORTATU or LA POLLA RECORDS. All of a sudden Euzkadi's punk had become big business, with the support of some record label and a certain political party. A gig in Roquetas (Barcelona) (June 4th, 1986) along with ESKORBUTO was revealing: Eskorbuto only played half their set (because of the rain), but they got paid their whole fee (which was a very nice sum); the opening bands (G.R.B. and ANTI-MANGUIS) not only played their complete sets, but also lent a hand setting up the stage gear and again helped to remove it after the show, and yet didn't get a dime out of the whole deal. My aim here is showing how things worked; I'll say in defence of ESKORBUTO that probably they weren't aware of this affair, and, secondly, that this band had precisely jumped off the RRV wagon when everybody else was trying to climb aboard; they had become stars by association regardless.

Meanwhile, GRB's prestige continued to grow in the international HC community; they were featured once again in MRR (#39, 8/86), in an interview made during their stay in Italy and a review of the record that was mostly positive (I guess this mere 'mostly' has a lot to do with the weak sound and the evident hurry with which it was recorded, as they did not have the budget to put in more recording hours in a decent studio). At the same time, the notorius German 'zine Trust (#2, 9/86), pronounced G.R.B. as "The best Spanish combo". Once, M.D.C.'s Dave Dictor said that G.R.B. were one of their favourite European bands; apparently they also received mail from Jello Biafra... Not everybody can flaunt such fans. Furthermore, at around this time several offers arrived for touring Europe and even the U.S. (in 1988), which came to nothing for lack of funds.

PHOTO: PEP RASTA

The band played gig with PARÁSITOS in Zaragoza, Oct. 10, 1986, and between '86 and '87 they played several shows in casales (youth centers) and small bars, charging ridiculously small ticket prices (100 pts. -about $0.6- or even for free sometimes), quite often playing with SUBTERRANEAN KIDS, with whom they shared rehearsing place in "El Chino" in downtown Barcelona. On stage, they often got out of control, and the sound was seldom acceptable, but attending their shows was GREAT. In July 7th, 1987 they played at the KGB, a relatively important venue in Barcelona, to raise funds to record an LP, charging a little more than usual for the ticket: 300pts. (About $1.5, and a pittance compared to the "Basque" prices in vogue back then.) As a rule, the policy of low prices extended to most bands in Barcelona.

The LP, titled Cuentos y leyendas (Tales and Legends), finished up in August that year, wasn't released until six months later (Blau, 1/88). With this record, the noisy rats from the basement went up through the ceiling. In 1984 they were the best and fastest hardcore band in Barcelona - by 1987 they were so good they were in another world. Freed from any influence save their own evolution, they made no concessions to standard HC rules, to politicised punk, to the narrowness of the punk/HC ghetto (the band don't care about the audience's acquiescence - they shoot to kill, farther and deeper each time) nor to practically anything else. Hard, thrilling riffs abound (just listen to the start of songs like La caza -The Hunt-, El Chino, Entre nosotros -Between Us-, or the title track Cuentos y leyendas...), rhythm changes, merciless bass lines (Temor -Fear), sonic hits to the body that, combined with the lyrics, can make you cry. I mean it. Personally I believe for the second time around they didn't manage to reproduce their real sound; but the songwriting shows the degree of maturity achieved by the band, anyway. This record is a world in itself -you can see it in the gaze of the crafty gnome depicted on the cover-.

The songs most closely tied to previous phases are Jim el pacifista (musically speaking, a chaotic whirlwind of a song, which was poorly recorded), Luis Ricardo Mediavida (Luis Ricardo Half-life) -about the quintessential Spanish barfly, complaining and whining all the time-, or the irresistible Día tras día (Day after Day), which deals with everyday routine, work, family, and the cruel irony of putting all your hopes and lust for life on a lottery ticket... El Chino is all about slums' ethics, the underworld in the borderlines of the system. Tres entre tantos (Three Amongst So Many) tells us about the police, but from the inside, dealing with the reasons someone might have chosen to work there - in most of punk songs about police, policeman's human condition was always denied offhand. Likewise, ¡Chilla la fiera! (The Beast Screams!) chooses an usual topic for a punk/HC Spanish band: bullfighting, but without sloganeering, it delves deep into its inner workings: how can such a bloody spectacle be entertaining? "Their daily cowardice, the unconfronted fear. Man would rather see his pain inflicted upon another's flesh..." A painful point of view.

The most surprising and amazing in the LP however, are the songs about life itself, about people, about us. Seguir viviendo (To Keep On Living) deals with survival, a message that takes us to the most basic and vital matters, in these pessimistic and nihilistic times, the boredom and ennui of living: issues that gave birth to punk back in '77, but were forgotten covered with political preaching. Ganar o perder (To Win Or Lose) deals with the same subject -life- viewed in terms of gambling, betting and throwing dice. Far more insightful are those lyrics which delve deep into a person. The title track invites us to look inwards, to look at our pain, our inner fears, the inner barriers we have raised to protect ourselves and which end up hiding us from ourselves -dwarves hidden beneath an armour, a wall, a maze. A dwarf who "don't want anybody to find them, don't want anybody to beat him up". But Ángel (who wrote most of the lyrics) starts shooting at that wall, and gives the "dwarf" a different kind of beating, similar to those recommended by Baudelaire when he wrote "Let us beat up the poor!" (This text was used by Crass in their last recording 10 Notes on a Summer's Day -another coincidence.) See the lyrics to Demuéstramelo (Prove It To Me), or the songs that dwell on human relationships, like the raw Entre nosotros or Tiempo para amar (Time for Loving) (this title was taken from a book by noted sci-fi writer Robert A. Heinlein, Time Enough for Love), which are expressed in startlingly novel terms. La caza depicts an ambivalent love-hate, domination-bondage, concord-discord relationship: a monster, a prey, a struggle. And the music, partly sensual, partly violent, disturbing... and perfect. The subject of angst and existential doubts, common to '77 punk, but all but forgotten in latter years, is unearthed for a track called Temor. All of these songs make us think about life, about ourselves, divesting us of all the means of protection which we have acquired, even that of political credos, no matter how hardcore or punk they were.

Bands like Minor Threat, Rites of Spring, Negazione, CCM, Rollins-era Black Flag sometimes, etc. (and the Sub. Kids in BCN) had already written songs about personal matters, relationships, friendship, love and all that kind of things, but nobody had reached as deep. Furthermore, those bands were portraying some sort of picture of pain, while G.R.B.'s point of view is clearly belligerent. That's why the punches are so hard to take. They are not giving lessons or scolding us (the band does not get away scot-free: they are human), but we get a few shoves... up against that "I am what I am and can't do anything about it". And, somehow, they were political songs, too, since they delve into the hidden motives of human behaviour, both psychological and individual, beyond 'Us vs. Them'.

This record broke the hearts of most of those who listened it. Back then, its contents implied an amazing revolving and renovation potential. CRASS ended up reducing politics down to the individual, and breaking up the them/us dichotomy: "there is no authority but yourself" was their last word: G.R.B. dug deep into that "self", and, from my point of view, this was the logical next step after Crass' Yes Sir, I Will; and, starting from there, there could have been a deep revision of political ideas. That was the direction in some of the forementioned bands, at least partly, but, in any case, this was not the prevailing stance.

Anyway, within its limited range, the LP left a mark, even beyond the HC/punk small circle. Some critics from the music press raised their hats to them. In the Rock de Lux magazine (# 39, 3/88), the reviewer (R. Surio) praised their record unreservedly, and it placed at #13 in their monthly list of best albums, which was unheard then of a record arising from the punk underworld. In the mag Ruta 66 (# 26, 2/88), they were interviewed, and the record was labelled, both music and lyrics, as "excellent". H.C. music had started to gain widespread media recognition by 1985-1986, and began by getting recognition to bands like Hüsker Dü (in their mildest phase) and then Black Flag, and it was increasingly accepted by followers of styles like cult rock or garage rock. Funnily enough, Spanish HC, which had existed since 1984, was all but unknown in its country, and this was the first time GRB appeared on the official music press.

But, following a series of troubles, first losing their rehearsal place and then suffering a nearly fatal car traffic accident on the return trip from a mini-tour in the Basque Country, the band split up in early '89, citing the usual "personality clashes" reason. So one of the of the most innovative and promising bands disappeared, just as BCN's HC had started to get attention from a wider spectrum of the public.

After the split, the former members kept on doing things; Alberto and Mike played with THE LOADS, a rock band with a penchant for the rockin' 77; Mike then went on to STARFUCKERS and other bands. Ángel achieved more success with his band EL SUEÑO ETERNO, who played urban hard rock, with strong punk and heavy rock roots. They released 2 albums for the PDI label: 1991's Hierro a fondo (Steel through and through), and 1993's Generación (Generation). Juanito was with GRAN PÁNICO SUR for a time. Strong got into electronic experimentation with ALIEN MAR. And so on... Meanwhile, G.R.B.'s name still reverberates: they were, for so many reasons, the best HC band in Barcelona, and the whole country. Their tape has been reissued countless times, and finally in year 2000 their legacy was reissued in a CD.

This is a short version, and with some changes, of the inside booklet of the "1984-1989" CD, the author being myself. Dedicated to GRB. Lo spirito continua.

English translation by Fernando + Farsa's Wagon.

---

KILL FROM THE HEART Home