Red Zebra

Red Zebra: One of the most iconic Punk/New Wave bands from Belgium. 

1978 - Punk has already passed its peak in the UK but The Sex Pistols and co have finally made it to Flanders. This delay is not surprising if you consider there was no MTV, Studio Brussel or internet. The Punk virus also spreads to Bruges, probably imported by British tourists looking for liqueur pralines. Four young local lads without any musical background founded The Bungalows, a nod to the weird Beatles song ‘The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill’. First they cover ‘Mongoloid’ by DEVO but soon after they play their own songs with titles such as ‘No Kojaks in Belgium’ and ‘Mixomatose girl’. When Punk starts to fade into the background, the baton is passed on to New Wave which suits the group better. The name is changed to Red Zebra, which in turn is a nod to the ‘Red Brigades’ in Italy, they are The Cure's support act and the group makes it to the final of ‘Humo’s Rock Rally’ in 1980. Here they released a new song: ‘I Can’t Live In A Living Room’, a title with which singer Peter Slabbynck perfectly captures the zeitgeist, supported by a riff of guitarist Geert Maertens that sticks in your head. And the rest is history. The group is picked up abroad and even John Peel plays them. But the real high point comes in 1981 when Red Zebra released the mini-album ‘Bastogne’. 5 of some of the best new wave songs ever to be produced in Belgium. The rest is a story of falling over and starting afresh, including a number of strong songs on the album ‘Maquis’ in 1983. The group stayed active for another two decades and released a handful of studio and live albums but Red Zebra's momentum is clearly in the extremely creative early eighties, a period which produced a huge amount of adventurous music which is still very enjoyable.

I Can't Live In A Living Room 7'' (1980)

01 - I Can't Live In A Living Room
02 - Innocent People
03 - Graveyard Shuffle

Bastogne (1981)

01 - Bastogne
02 - Shadows Of Doubt
03 - The Ultimate Stranger
04 - The Art Of Conversation
05 - Man Comes From Ape

Maquis (1983)

01 - Polar Club
02 - Search Party
03 - The Beauty Of The Beast
04 - Beirut By Night
05 - Saint With A Gun
06 - Lust
07 - Paradise Lost
08 - Mice And Men
09 - Celebrity City
10 - Montenegro
11 - Alone With Everybody

A Red Zebra Is Not A Dead Zebra (1992)

01 - Intro
02 - Polar Club
03 - Small Talk
04 - The Ultimate Stranger
05 - This Man For Hire
06 - The Beauty Of The Beast
07 - I'm Falling Apart
08 - Paradise Lost
09 - Shadows Of Doubt
10 - TV Activity
11 - Mice And Men
12 - Man Comes From Ape
13 - The Art Of Conversation
14 - The Isle Of White
15 - I Can't Live In A Living Room
16 - Bastogne
17 - Transmission
18 - Innocent People

From Ape To Zebra (1992)

01 - I Can't Live In A Living Room
02 - Innocent People
03 - TV Activity
04 - I'm Falling Apart
05 - Bastogne
06 - Ultimate Stranger
07 - Shadows Of Doubt
08 - Art Of Conversation
09 - Man Comes From Ape
10 - Lust
11 - The Beauty Of The Beast
12 - Polar Club
13 - Beirut By Night
14 - Mice And Men
15 - Paradise Lost
16 - Small Talk
17 - This Man For Hire
18 - Always
19 - True Poseurs
20 - Behind Bars

Mimicry (1997)

01 - Mimicry
02 - John Wayne
03 - Don't Ease My Pain
04 - Apollo 451
05 - Kill Me Before I Kill Again
06 - Infinity
07 - Pony Girl Punishment
08 - Hand 'Em Over
09 - Sanitized For Your Protection
10 - Iceman
11 - First Day Out
12 - Call Me Up

Last Band Standing (Acoustic) (2001)

01 - I Can't Live In A Living Room
02 - Beirut By Night
03 - Fisheye
04 - Montenegro
05 - Silly Things
06 - Mice And Men
07 - Winning
08 - Hand Them Over
09 - Confess
10 - First Day Out
11 - Her Unhappy Head
12 - I'm Falling Apart
13 - Graveyard Shuffle
14 - Innocent People

Don't Put Your Head In A Bucket (2002)

01 - Don't Put Your Head In A Bucket
02 - You Suffocate Me
03 - A Truth For A Lie
04 - Blue Nothing Day
05 - Too Far West
06 - Burn Camp
07 - I Know A Girl, I Know A Boy
08 - Mr. President
09 - Punks Don't Have Barbecues
10 - Stuck Song
11 - Remember December

The Art Of Conservation: 1980-2002 (2002)

01 - Innocent People
02 - I Can't Live In A Living Room
03 - Graveyard Shuffle
04 - TV Activity
05 - I'm Falling Apart
06 - Bastogne
07 - The Art Of Conversation
08 - Man Comes From Ape
09 - The Beauty Of The Beast
10 - Polar Club
11 - King Without Country
12 - John Wayne
13 - Apollo 451
14 - Pony Girl Punishment
15 - Beirut By Night (Live Version)
16 - Hand Them Over
17 - Don't Put Your Head In A Bucket
18 - Mr. President
19 - Blue Nothing Day

Kookaburra (2004)

01 - I Got The Microphone
02 - Now Is The Time
03 - Spit On The City
04 - Everything Comes And Goes
05 - The Beaver
06 - Kookaburra Bird

Eighties (2008)

01 - Innocent People
02 - Graveyard Shuffle
03 - I Can't Live In A Living Room
04 - TV Activity
05 - I'm Falling Apart
06 - Shadows Of Doubt
07 - The Ultimate Stranger
08 - The Art Of Conversation
09 - Paradise Lost
10 - Mice And Men
11 - Search Party
12 - Beirut By Night
13 - The Beauty Of The Beast
14 - Polar Club

Live In Front Of A Nation (2008)

01 - Agent Orange
02 - The Ultimate Stranger
03 - You Suffocate Me
04 - Punks Don't Have Barbecues
05 - Winning
06 - I'm Falling Apart
07 - I Can't Live In A Living Room
08 - Don't Put Your Head In A Bucket
09 - I Got The Microphone
10 - The Art Of Conversation
11 - John Wayne
12 - Spit On The City
13 - God Is Not A DJ
14 - Borstal Breakout (Sham 69)

The Beauties Of The Beast (The Best Of Red Zebra 1980-1983) (2016)

01 - I Can't Live In A Living Room
02 - Innocent People
03 - Graveyard Shuffle
04 - Crimes Of Passion
05 - I'm Falling Apart
06 - TV Activity
07 - Bastogne
08 - Shadows Of Doubt
09 - The Ultimate Stranger
10 - The Art Of Conversation
11 - Man Comes From Ape
12 - Lust
13 - The Beauty Of The Beast
14 - Polar Club
15 - Beirut By Night
16 - Mice And Men
17 - Paradise Lost
18 - Search Party
19 - Transmission
20 - KOLK: I Can't Live In A Living Room - StuBru Sessie

Songs And Stripes (1980-2020) (2020)

01 - I Can't Live In A Living Room
02 - Innocent People
03 - Graveyard Shuffle
04 - T.V. Activity (Live)
05 - I'm Falling Apart (Live)
06 - Bastogne
07 - Shadows Of Doubt
08 - The Ultimate Stranger
09 - Man Comes From Ape
10 - The Art Of Conversation
11 - Polar Club
12 - Search Party
13 - Paradise Lost (Live)
14 - The Beauty Of The Beast
15 - Beirut By Night
16 - Kill Me Before I Kill Again
17 - John Wayne
18 - Pony Girl Punishment
19 - Don't Put Your Head In A Bucket
20 - Spit On The City
21 - My Boss, The Robot

pass: freepunk77