Despite the surplus of bands pilfering the Clockwork Orange theme these days, I've always felt that punk rock and Nadsat debauchery went together pretty well when done right, and Major Accident, founded in 1977, was one of the first bands to string together such an association.

The tracks presented on The Clockwork Demos are actually Major Accident's first recorded material, a warm-up of sorts before their studio debut that chronicle the energetic punk band fine-tuning their form on originals like "Sidelines" and "Self-Appointed Hero." Though "Terrorist Gang" seems like it would be another "Clockwork Orange" reference, the blunt lyrics of "Terrorist gang blow up everything in sight / Terrorist gang kill all day kill all night / Terrorist gang think they're just like you and me / Terrorist gang that's not what we want to be" suggest otherwise.

Reflecting the popular punk climate of the time, The Clockwork Demos are also peppered with covers of staple tunes by bands like the Ramones ("Blitzkrieg Bop" and "Suzy Is a Headbanger"), the Clash ("Garageland" and "White Riot"), Stiff Little Fingers ("Wasted Life" and "Alternative Ulster") and Sham 69 ("Borstal Breakout"). None of the renditions are far from the original styles, but they are played at a much faster tempo in Major Accident's `77/Oi!/power-pop style that sounds like they may have a had a hand in influence for modern bands like the Briefs and the Exploding Hearts.

While certainly not as revolutionary as any of the bands they cover in their pre-recording session, Major Accident's The Clockwork Demos provide just enough old-school bite to satiate anyone looking for some fun, fast-paced punk rock from the good old days (plus, it comes on limited color vinyl).