GERMS - (GI) 1979

Another classic that needs to be heard is the debut by the Germs, punk from Los Angeles and originally active from 1976 to 1980. The band's main early lineup consisted of singer Darby Crash, guitarist Pat Smear, bassist Lorna Doom, and drummer Don Bolles. They released only one album (GI) on Slash Records, produced by Joan Jett, and were featured the following year in Penelope Spheeris' documentary film The Decline Of Western Civilization, which chronicled the Los Angeles punk movement. Germs disbanded following Crash's suicide on December 7, 1980. Info from wiki which says everything:

Crash (born Jan Paul Beahm) and Smear (born Georg Ruthenberg) decided to start a band after being kicked out of University High School for antisocial behavior, allegedly for using "mind control" on fellow students. Their original name was "Sophistifuck and the Revlon Spam Queens", but they had to shorten the name as they could not afford that many letters on a T-shirt. The (initially hypothetical) first lineup consisted of Beahm (then known as Bobby Pyn, and later as Darby Crash) on vocals, Ruthenberg (under the name Pat Smear) on guitar, an early member named "Dinky" (Diana Grant) on bass, and Michelle Baer playing drums. This lineup never played in front of a live audience.In April 1976, the band added Lorna Doom (born Teresa Ryan) on bass, with transitional member Dottie Danger (later famous as Belinda Carlisle of the Go-Go's) on drums. Carlisle never actually played with the band, as she was sidelined by a bout of mononucleosis for an extended period. She was replaced by her friend Donna Rhia (Becky Barton), who played three gigs and performed on their first single. Carlisle remained a friend and helper of the band (she can be heard introducing the band on the Germicide: Live @ the Whiskey recording, produced by Kim Fowley), only leaving because her new band, the Go-Go's, were becoming popular and, as she put it, "I was really disturbed by the heroin that was going on". Nickey Beat, of various noteworthy Los Angeles bands including the Weirdos, also sat in on drums for a time.

The band's first live performance was at the Orpheum Theater. Smear recalled: "We made noise. Darby stuck the mic in a jar of peanut butter. It was a dare, we had no songs or anything! Lorna wore her pants inside out, and Darby covered himself in red licorice...we made noise for five minutes until they threw us off". The Germs initially drew musical influences from Iggy Pop, David Bowie, Ramones, the Runaways, Sex Pistols, and New York Dolls. Early on, Smear was the only musically experienced member; Doom survived early performances by sliding a finger up and down the fretboard of her bass while Rhia generally kept a minimal beat on the bass drum, periodically bashing a cymbal. Early performances were usually marked by raucous crowds made up of the band's friends. As a result, their gigs became notorious for being rowdy and usually verged on a riot.

The end of the band came when Crash, who had become increasingly impatient with drummer Bolles' antics, fired him and replaced him with his friend Rob Henley. Shortly after the Germs split, Crash and Smear formed the short-lived Darby Crash Band. Circle Jerks drummer Lucky Lehrer joined the band on the eve of their first (sold-out) live performance, when during soundcheck, Darby kicked out the drummer they'd rehearsed with. The band, described by Smear as "like the Germs, but with worse players", played only a few gigs to lukewarm reaction before splitting up. Shortly after that, Crash contacted Smear about a Germs "reunion" show, claiming it was necessary to "put punk into perspective" for the punks on the scene. However, Smear has said Crash told him privately he wanted to earn money for heroin with which to commit suicide. Since Crash had described this scenario many times in the past, Smear did not take him seriously. On December 3, 1980, an over-sold Starwood hosted a final live show of the reunited Germs, including Bolles. At one point, Crash told the amazed kids in the audience, "We did this show so you new people could see what it was like when we were around. You're not going to see it again".

Crash committed suicide on December 7, 1980, at age 22. Unreported at the time, Crash had overdosed on heroin in a suicide pact with close friend Casey "Cola" Hopkins, who ended up surviving. She later insisted that he did not intend for her to live, nor did he change his mind at the last minute and intend for himself to live. According to Spin, apocryphal lore has Crash attempting to write "Here lies Darby Crash" on the wall as he lay dying, but not finishing. In reality, he wrote a short note to David "Bosco" Danford that stated, "My life, my leather, my love goes to Bosco". Outside the world of the Germs' fans, news of Crash's death was largely overshadowed by the murder of John Lennon the next day. A local news station mistakenly reported that Crash had died from taking too many sleeping pills.

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GERMS - What We Do Is Secret 12'' 1981

Just a year after Crash’s suicide came this little legacy by the Germs, one of the best American Hardcore/Punk bands, via Slash Records and this delicate mini-album features all three songs from the Lexicon Devil EP, a Chuck Berry cover, an studio outtake plus two impressive live tracks which were recorded on December 3, 1980 at LA’s Starwood (four days before Darby's passing). Well there's not much to say, a fantastic record that depicts the band as they were: loud, messy and extremely overheated. After just a few minutes of pogo you're gasping for air and sight and you need something to drink right away or the show is over for you, and who wants to drop out after fifteen minutes? And if you need a decent encore, I recommend their only exclamation mark from 1979, but enter at own risk!

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BAGS - Survive 7'' 1978

The Bags (also known as the Bags or Alice Bag Band) were an American band formed in 1977, one of the first generation of Punk combos to emerge from Los Angeles. Formed by Alicia Armendariz & Patricia Morrison, who had met while waiting in line to see Elton John guest on Cher. The two became fast friends and eventually decided to form a band called Femme Fatale. Kim Fowley heard about their band and asked the members to audition for Venus & The Razorblades, Fowley's next attempt at creating a band after the Runaways had left him. Femme Fatale eventually morphed into a new band, which became Bags. They took the band's name and their stage names "Alice Bag" and "Pat Bag" from a gimmick that the band used during early performances where they performed with grocery bags over their heads (the practice did not last, in part due to an incident where Darby Crash of the Germs got on stage and ripped the bag off Alice's head). Alice Bag was the vocalist and Pat Bag played bass, and the rest of the band comprised guitar players Craig Lee and Rob Ritter, and Terry Graham on drums. The Bags played their first concert at The Masque on September 10, 1977. Their concerts were often accompanied by disorderly scenes, including altercations with celebrities, such as one between singer Tom Waits and drummer Nicky Beat at The Troubadour. In 1978, they released their only record, a single called 'Survive' which was released by independent record label Dangerhouse Records. 'We Don't Need The English' was included on the Yes L.A. Compilation (1979) released by the same label.

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ZERO BOYS - Vicious Circle 1982

I'm in a hurry so I don't talk much but use the information I have: the Zero Boys are a hardcore punk quartet from Indianapolis, Indiana fronted by Paul Mahern. Other members include bassist Scott Kellogg, drummer Mark Cutsinger and guitarist Dave Lawson. When he walked into Keystone Recording in Indianapolis on August 18, 1981, Zero Boys singer Paul Mahern told producer/engineer John Helms he wanted his band's debut LP to "sound like the Germs' GI," released two years prior. "He really nailed it!" laughed Mahern recently. Much agreed: Few records have ever sounded this whizbang buzzing. And whereas GI transformed an appallingly shambolic L.A. band into a shocking powerhouse, Vicious Circle merely snared a smokin' Indiana band that'd been rehearsing five hours a day — so tight they spun this corker out in just two days, by recording live together.

It still bursts out of your speaker on CD as it did off a needle when released on Nimrod records 19 years ago. Terry Hollywood's razor-zinging guitar and Tufty Clough's Speedy Gonzalez' bing-bing-bing bass playing (fastest fingers in the Midwest) burn like blowtorches, and drummer Mark Cutsinger plays like he IV'ed amphetamines. Mahern sings like a hurrying rabbit, rapid-firing words about assassinations/celebrity-shootings, anti-nostalgia, having a "high time," and, well, doing speed. Whereas other records of the new hardcore scene tried to sound tough, this was like Johnny Thunders, Sex Pistols, Ramones, Dictators, and S.L.F. on 45, smiling like dopes. Reissued with two bonus tracks from the same session, Vicious Circle remains a vicious pleasure of frenzied attitude, chops, speed, tight playing, and rocket-launching zeal. (Jack Rabid)

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THE NITWITZ - The Scorched Earth Policy 12'' 1981

Amsterdam's youngest punk band were formed in 1978. They released several singles, a mini album and a split LP with Götterflies. Here's a short look at their biography: "In the press they got less attention. And when they got some, they got negative critics. The English press called them imitators of English bands. New Musical Express about their first single: "Too late for the Pistols, or even Sham 69, they take their lead from the likes of the Rejects and the UK Subs. Do I need to go any further?". The lyrics of The Nitwitz were not political at all in the beginning. It was about girls, Wickie the Viking and get beaten up by disco-visitors. In March 1979 they played in Paradiso (The Netherlands) with the anarcho band Crass from England. Crass decided to sabotage the set of The Nitwitz by turning of the soundinstallation. After all, The Nitwitz were sexists. This shows how narrowminded the free-thinkers from Crass really were. In 1981 The Nitwitz discovered new music like bands as Weirdos, Germs and Dils and the LP Group Sex from the Circle Jerks. The Nitwitz broke up in march 1982. Eric quit and started the band Outrageous. The others go on with on the vocals the 17 year old singer René van de Meer, formerly Dustman. With the new singer B.G.K. (Balthazar Gerards Kommando) was formed. 1996, the Nitwitz played together with the original members since may 1982." You can read the full Biography here. For me they are a fantastic punk band with their own sound and this little album here proves that a lot. 9 Songs in 15 minutes, snotty guitars blew me away, excellent tempo and very consistent too. The Nitwitz are cool and I can listen to them at any time.

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THE EXPLOITED - Troops Of Tomorrow 1982

Continue with the next classic on wdthtc. The protagonists are Wattie (vocals), Big John (guitars), Gary (bass), Danny (drums) and Steve (drums on two songs) or simply The Exploited. This is their second album on Secret Records and what I meant by Slaughter is with this record completely the other way around. Sure, Punx Not Dead is a great album but this is far better. On the one hand the sound is much cleaner and more powerful than the debut and the songs are much harder and more catchy, the four have developed further and then to name the album after a Vibrators song (to be found on V2) and to cover it excellently is a brilliant move. ' Fuckin' USA' is the hymn par excellence and my favorite song of the Scots, other classics 'Sid Vicious', 'UK82', 'So Tragic' or 'Germs', shine with dynamic hardness and are pure punk. The boys from Edinburgh been never better than here. There's one more record, War Now 12'', in the Blog but I can't find the file, DAMN FUCK! Anyway, now I'll have to buy some more Mythos and I know I'll get the 12'' soon. And now enjoy the noise making, chaos causing, government hating, rule breaking, unrelenting punkrock sound of the fantastic Four!

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RF7 - All You Can Eat 1995

This one's from the Wanted-List and I'm happy to have this finally. This CD is a compilation from early records and it's called Volume 1 (Details in the file). A litte info from wikipedia: "RF7 is a long-lived, southern California punk rock band that began in 1979 by Felix Alanis and small time child star of the Sheriff John show Nick Lamagna. Felix also began the record label Smoke Seven Records and signed his band and many others who were ignored by the big labels then, such as Bad Religion, JFA, Crank Shaft, Sin 34, Youth Gone Mad, etc. From the beginning, the RF7 sound was not clearly punk but really what would be called today hardcore punk. Felix Alanis has always mixed middle class virtues with strange religious imagery in his lyrics. Nick Lamagna added guitar and music that had a twist more "rock" than some punks preferred. Walt Phelan added a drummer's drumming, and the bass player seemed to always change, with Robert Armstrong perhaps being the most solid recorded bass man from 1980–83, and again on 1990's classic Traditional Values album." And a review: "Musically to the point is absolute no melodic here, not Orange County or stuff like this, rather coarse HC/punk sound à la Germs. Music from a time when punk rock, especially destruction was ("Punk then what about taking speed, waiting in line, bumming change, drinking, and if all went well, a really big fight," said Nick LaMagna of RF7) and songs, which was titled "Violence" and just sounded." More in an interview can be read here. I say, this sound is fuckin' delicious at a boring day.

- Extra Special Thx to Reinhard -

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POISEN IDEA - Official Bootleg EP 1991

Proper release by Vinyl Solution/American Leather Records and this four track EP is damn cool and I think most of you know this combo because they released a couple of awesome records. I take over the bio from discogs: Poison Idea was started in 1980 in Portland, Oregon, by vocalist Jerry A. (Lang). Within a year, the band had a solid line-up with drummer Dean Johnson, guitarist Tom Roberts (aka Pig Champion), and bassist Glen Estes. The band was motivated by the Germs and Black Flag, and took their musical cues from bands such as Discharge and SOA. Pushing the speed limits of contemporary punk rock, they played raw and angry hardcore the likes of which had rarely been heard before (or since). Their 1983 debut EP, Pick Your King, is a classic and arguably the best hardcore record ever released. Its subsequent followup, Record Collectors are Pretentious Assholes (featuring Pig Champion's substantial collection on the cover), saw Chris "Tense" replacing Glen on bass. Both were put out on the Fatal Erection label, run by Pig Champion and Malcom Conover from Eugene, Oregon. 

In 1986, Poison Idea released the aptly titled Kings Of Punk album on Pushead's Pusmort label. By this time, the band's sound had changed from manic, breakneck thrash, to a more driving, Motörhead-influenced attack - losing none of their intensity, anger, or nihilism. In the next few years, Poison Idea's lineup (mainly the rhythm section) changed several times. 1987's War All the Time was somewhat of a misstep - nowhere near as powerful as their previous output - although the two EPs released the next year both had good material. 

By 1989, Poison Idea seemed to pull it together; after trouble with record companies and distributors in the past, they started their own label, American Leather, and began by reissuing their 1982 demo. The band recorded the excellent Discontent 7" and also found their most stable lineup in years: Jerry A., Pig Champion, Myrtle Tickner, and Thee Slayer Hippie (although the second guitarist seemed to switch between "Mondo" and Aldine Strichnine). In 1990 they released the classic Feel The Darkness album, successfully combining (where so, so many others had failed) the best elements of hardcore and hard rock for a dark, powerful sound. In the next three years they put out several more records - two more full-lengths, a string of 7"s, and an LP collection of all covers. When Pig Champion decided to leave the band in 1993, Poison Idea called it quits. However, a few years later in 1996, the band briefly reformed and recorded a 7" for Taang!, who also reissued (again) most of their early catalog. An aborted tour in 1997 saw another breakup, but the band is currently back together again playing local shows, and has recently toured the US and Europe. 

Song facts: Tracks 1 and 2 recorded and mixed 5-6-89, both previously released as the 'Plastic Bomb/We Got The Beat' cassette single in 1989.  Tracks 3 and 4 recorded 6-15-90. Mixed 12-4-90.

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THE ZEROS - Don't Push Me Around 1977

  

The Zeros are a four piece from Chula Vista/California, founded 1976 and this little fucker combines seventeen rare and unreleased classics from 1977, seasoned by Javier (vocals/guitars), Robert (guitars), Hector (bass), Baba (drums). They released three 7Inches in the late seventies, early eighties and the band was considered as pioneers of punkrock on the West Coast and they infamous for playing an entire set consisting of eight replays of "Beat Your Heart Out" in San Francisco. They played their first major gig in Los Angeles at the Orpheum. Opening the show was the first performance by the Germs, followed by the Zeros and then the Weirdos. In 1980, after they recorded their third single, the band fizzled out. In 1995, the four resurfaced with a new album, Knockin' Me Dead. More recently, the Zeros reunited to tour in Spain in early 2007. All four members reunited again for a short West Coast tour that began in San Diego in June 2009. In October 2010, The Zeros embarked on a short tour of the East Coast and been active ever since, I think. This nugget was released via BOMP! Records in 1991 and shines with huge melodic biscuits, five of them live.

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