l.a. punk Archives - Vinyl From The Vault

“Punk 45: Chaos in the City of Angels and Devils”

sfilzen — Thu, 29 Jul 2021 18:32:17 +0000

“Punk 45: Chaos in the City of Angels and Devils” 2016. Soul Jazz Records. Two-LP comp of L.A. area punk bands from ‘77-’81. It’s a fairly comprehensive overview of the scene with some classic tracks and bands I’m quite familiar with and have in the collection like The Germs “Forming,” X “We’re Desperate,” Circle Jerks “What’s Your Problem” and Adolescents “Amoeba.” I am particularly excited about having The Bags’ “Survive” on vinyl now – that single was the only thing they released and finding any Bags is kinda next to impossible and it absolutely rips. There’s also a few less well-known but still familiar (at least to me/stuff I didn’t really listen to back in the day) songs like The Flesh Eaters “Disintegration Nation,” The Weirdos “A Life of Crime,” The Dils “Class War” and T.S.O.L. “World War III.” One curious inclusion is very familiar but a head-scratcher: Iggy and the Stooges “I Got a Right.” While Iggy and the band did spend time in L.A., they are most associated with Detroit and wrote this track back in ‘72 (though it wasn’t widely available until much later). Then there’s stuff that I’ve never heard of before, or have only read about like The Urinals (“Ack Ack Ack Ack” and “I’m White and Middle Class”), Simpletones’ “I Like Drugs,” Eyes’ “TAQN” and The Hollywood Squares’ “Hollywood Square.”

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X “Adult Books”

sfilzen — Thu, 26 Apr 2018 12:18:31 +0000

X “Adult Books” b/w “We’re Desperate” 1978 Billy Zoom Music/Dangerhouse, unofficial reissue on red vinyl. The album Los Angeles, on which both “Adult Books” and “We’re Desperate” appeared, was released on this date, April 26th, 1980; the single released just about 40 years ago (June ‘78). “We’re Desperate” is one of my favorite tracks from the groundbreaking punk album, along with “Johnny Hit and Run Paulene” and the Doors cover “Soul Kitchen.” Allmusic says about Los Angeles “ X’s debut, Los Angeles, is considered by many to be one of punk’s all-time finest recordings, and with good reason. Most punk bands used their musical inability to create their own style, but X actually consisted of some truly gifted musicians, including rockabilly guitarist Billy Zoom, bassist John Doe, and frontwoman Exene Cervenka, who, with Doe, penned poetic lyrics and perfected sweet yet biting vocal harmonies. Los Angeles is prime X, offering such all-time classics as the venomous “Your Phone’s Off the Hook, But You’re Not”…and two of their best anthems (and enduring concert favorites), ”Nausea“ and the title track [“Los Angeles”]. While they were tagged as a punk rock act from the get-go (many felt that this eventually proved a hindrance), X are not easily categorized. Although they utilize elements of punk’s frenzy and electricity, they also add country, ballads, and rockabilly to the mix.”

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