I have to love an album whose title translates as Finally Completely Drunk so you know where Bear And The Milk Boys are coming from, apart from there home town of Hanover that is. Amazingly they also sound a lot like Metal Urbain in places only with female vocals. This collection contains all the songs from the EP and Album they released on No Fun Records back in the early 80's plus some live songs and an outtake or demo or two.
From the opening blast of Jung Kaputt Spart Altersheime they sound like they are the German equivalent of Metal Urbain/Metal Boys and appear to be using the same drum machine as Metal Urbain did, this is a great slice of chant along Punk that I can't believe no one has turned me onto before now.
Muskeln keeps the punk blueprint and Annette Barchen's vocals sound quite deadpan and in tune with the bleak early 80's outlook of despair and impending mutually assured destruction.
Tiefseefisch has a heavy bassline, that the guitars go off from, with Barchens vocals going a bit Stinky Toys, this has an edge to it that the sweeter side of the vocals work against nicely.
DNS (1983) has the sort of riff that might have been ripped off of Eater but the female vocals make it sound like Lene Lovich may have been an influence.
Manager is a slow and sparse message to whoever it is that wants to be there Manager, I'm guessing the lyrics aren't too complimentary as the song breaks out and becomes angrier.
Blutrache has the loud quiet grunge thing going on in an early 80's style and uses it to maximum effect as the loud parts remind me of Pas Poubelle by Metal Urbain.
Fernet seems to be in tribute to downing bottles of Fernet Branca and what that will do to you, as you stagger about, in the same way this tune staggers about, as you try to convince yourself you like the taste of Fernet as much as you like its effects.
Egal sounds pretty angry, no idea what or who Egal was but this seems to skewer Him/her in a spiky punk fashion with shouty vocals and spiky guitars.
Schweinkram fades in as they try to pull us out of the filth they sing about, but it sounds like they might just be wallowing in that filth, certainly the guitars are, as it fades out like you're sinking into the filth and unable to change your ways.
Spass has a spoken word manifesto at the start, for the type of Fun they are seeking to have, good punky pogotastic fun, if only I could figure out what song this reminds me of, either way this sounds like great fun.
Tagebuch sounds like it might have a few rather frightening entries in it, as the guitars get angrier and it seems to fly by, like they are flying on bathtub speed. Pogo Liebt Dich is super speedy mosh pit ready fun and games song to go mad too.
Schnuffel is the first live tune on the album and sounds a lot more low-fi, but like they were having a blast doing it.
Tagebuch/Samen Im Darm is diary revelations and thoughts about how dreadful homophobia is and why you should all just except everyone for whoever they might love. It also has the first male vocals that sing this as a duet with Barchen.
Ich Will Nicht Alter Werden keeps with the Metal Urbain musical footprint but has slightly sweeter vocals.
Drama lives up to its name and all the Drama that was obviously going on in their lives, with some odd percussion and street gang backing vocals ready for another dust up between the Skins and the Anarchos' or whichever groups they are singing about.
Teddyboy sounds like they are doing there best to sound like Chuck Berry while dissing the Teddyboy mentality of the early 80's, that makes this song a good companion for Raggare Is A Motherfucker by The Rude Kids.
Superfrau sounds like it's a diss to the sort of woman who does everything she can to fit into the idealized role of the woman who has everything, a job, a husband, good hobbies etc, where this lot just want to down a dozen steins and have a good time.
Sid K(lebt) is a super brief yowl of pain for dear old Sid and all the glue in his hair. Mottorad comes complete with Barchen
vocalizing the sound of an engine over this sparse tune about cars.
Oh! Has a repeating guitar figure and a slow start that makes you expect an explosion that you know is coming as the vocals come in to explain why you might go Oh!
Luftwaffenoffizier is a live version and would go well with John Cale's Fighter Pilot who would be his adversary, this seems to be built around the bassline and seems to be trying very hard to take off before the end of the runway.
The live version of Je T'aime is every bit as wonky as you might expect with Barchen hamming it up as the guitar plays that indelible figure.
The album closes with the 2021 version of DNS that's sung in English and it sounds like they have lost none of the drunken fury of the past but may have learned how to play there instruments a little bit better than before.
This album is a real revelation and well worth checking out find out more at https://www.tapeterecords.de/artists/baerchen-und-die-milchbubis/
