Circle Jerks “Wild in the Streets” 1982/2022. Limited deluxe edition on orange and white striped vinyl. Trust Records. This past weekend was Keith Morris’ birthday (b. 1955) and I’m finally getting around to writing about Wild in the Streets which celebrated its 40th anniversary this past March. The special reissue comes with a super-high quality booklet and live bonus tracks which were recorded at The Elite Club in San Francisco in April ’82. The band recorded the studio tracks in one day (in a room next to another studio where Mötley Crüe were recording) and mixed it in three “in Herb Alpert’s private studio, Studio D. It was his private room.” “I was setting up the drums and this guy comes up to me and starts asking, ‘Where did you start to play?’ It was like, ‘Buddy, we’re gonna be here for a few hours and then we’re done. I really haven’t got so much patience to answer all these questions.’ Later on one of the techs says, ‘You know, that was Herb Alpert you were talking to.’ It was ironic because I was a huge fan of Nick Ceroli who was Herb’s drummer.” (Lucky, CJ’s drummer, from the LP booklet)

The lead/title track, one of CJ’s best-known songs and an 80’s punk anthem, “Wild in the Streets” is a cover of a ’73 single by Garland Jeffereys. CJ first recorded it in ’80 for Posh Boy Records and it appeared on the comp Rodney on the ROQ. There are two other cover songs on Wild in the Streets: “Just Like Me” (Paul Revere & the Raiders – one of my favorite 60’s songs ever) and Jackie DeShannon‘s “Put a Little Love in Your Heart” which is kinda hilarious as a hardcore punk song. Other notable tracks from the original album are, for me, “Question Authority” and “Moral Majority.” The bonus live tracks include fast and raw versions of “Letter Bomb,” “Wild in the Streets” and “Stars and Stripes.”

I finally got a chance to see Circle Jerks last year in Las Vegas where they headlined the second night of Punk Rock Bowling. Their performance of “Wild in the Streets” was a definite highlight of the weekend.