LA Punk 1976 - 1982

Finished John Doe and Tom DaSavia's Under the Big Black Sun book the other day and decided to compile a playlist of punk, post-punk, new wave, rockabilly, Cowpunk, Paisley Underground, etc from Los Angeles for the years examined in the chapters. I found punk itself to be too confining so included other genres as well. My only rule was no more than four tracks per LP. In the book, a different writer relates his/her personal experiences for the time period in a chapter and it reminded me how great music from the City of Angels used to be. There is a sequel which came out this year called More Fun in the New World which is just as good. Anyway, here's what I came up with:

1976
1. Cherry Bomb - Runaways
2. Hanging on the Telephone - Nerves
3. When You Find Out - Nerves
4. Younger Point of View - Dogs
1977
5. Neon Angels on the Road to Ruin - Runaways
6. Forming - Germs
7. I Hate the Rich - Dils
8. A Life of Crime - Weirdos
9. You're So Strange - Zippers
10. Down the Boulevard - The Pop
12. Trouble at the Cup - Black Randy/Metrosquad
13. Don't Push Me Around - The Zeros
1978
13. She Don't Know Why I'm Here (7" version) - The Last
14. Pretty Please - The Quick
15. Mr. Big - Dils
16. Paranoid - Dickies
17. Hideous - Dickies
18. Giving it All - 20/20
19. Nothing Means Nothing Anymore - Alley Cats
20. Adult Books - X
21. We're Desperate - X
22. Lexicon Devil - Germs
23. Wild Weekend - Zeros
24. LA Explosion - The Last
25. El Canelo (Son Jarocho) - Los Lobos
26. Give it Back - Dickies
27. We Got the Neutron Bomb - Weirdos
29. Out of Vogue - Middle Class
30. Survive - Bags
1979
31. Nervous Breakdown - Black Flag
32. Wasted - Black Flag
33. La Bamba - Plugz
34. Banana Splits - Dickies
35. Los Angeles - X
36. Yellow Pills - 20/20
37. I'm a Bug - Urinals
38. TAQN -Eyes
39. My Sharona - Knack
40. Let's Go to the Beach - Gears
41. Fan Mail - Dickies
42. Manny, Moe & Jack - Dickies
43. Down at the Laundrymat - Black Randy/Metrosquad
44. Richie Dagger's Crime - Germs
45. We Must Bleed - Germs
1980
46. Danger - Motels
47. Your Phone's Off the Hook But You're Not - X
48. Johnny Hit and Run Pauline - X
49. Sex and Dying in High Society - X
50. Unheard Music - X
51. Definitions - Minutemen
52. Starry Night - The Brat
53. High School - The Brat
54. Leave Me Alone - The Brat
55. Hot Cars - Angry Samoans
56. Right Side of My Mind - Angry Samoans
57. Get off the Air - Angry Samoans
58. Sleeping Sickness - Flesh Eaters
59. Zero Hour - Plimsouls
60. Hypnotized - Plimsouls
61. Mental Hopscotch - Missing Persons
62. Real Rock Drive - Blasters
63. She Ain't Got the Beat - Blasters
64. Flat Top Joint - Blasters
65. Bloodstains - Agent Orange
66. Jealous Again - Black Flag
67. White Minority - Black Flag
68. White Girl - X
69. Beverly Hills - Circle Jerks
70. World Up My Ass - Circle Jerks
71. Don't Care - Circle Jerks
72. Group Sex - Circle Jerks
73. I Can Never Tell - Crawdaddys
74. Baby Runaround - Gears
75. Don't Be Afraid to Pogo - Gears
76. Wasting Time - Gears
77. Bad Repuation - Joan Jett
78. Do You Wanna Touch Me - Joan Jett
1981
79. Johnny Are You Queer - Josie Cotton
80. Little Girls - Oingo Boingo
81. On the Outside - Oingo Boingo
82. Only a Lad - Oingo Boingo
83. Back in Flesh - Wall of Voodoo
84. Marie Marie - Blasters
85. I'm Shakin' - Blasters
86. Border Radio - Blasters
87. American Music - Blasters
88. Superficial Love - TSOL
89. I Hate Children - Adolescents
90. LA Girl - Adolescents
91. Amoeba - Adolescents
92. See You in the Boneyard - Flesh Eaters
93. Everyday Things - Plimsouls
94. Everything Turns Grey - Agent Orange
95. The Once Over Twice - X
96. I'm Coming Over - X
97. In This House That I Call Home - X
98. Hold On to Something - Great Buildings
99. Search - Minutemen
100. Tension - Minutemen
101. Bad Religion - Bad Religion
102. Six Pack - Black Flag
103. I Like Food - Descendents
104. Weinerschnitzel - Descendents
105. Sound of Laughter - TSOL
106. Code Blue - TSOL
107. Dance with Me - TSOL
108. El Clavo y la Cruz - Plugz
109. Sex Beat - Gun Club
110. She's Like Heroin to Me - Gun Club
111. Ghost on the Highway - Gun Club
112. F**k Authority - Wasted Youth
113. Our Lips are Sealed - Go-Gos
114. How Much More - Go-Gos
115. This Town - Go-Gos
116. We Got the Beat - Go-Gos
117. Rise Above - Black Flag
118. TV Party - Blag Flag
119. Gimme Gimme Gimme - Black Flag
120. The Creeps - Social Distortion
121. Telling Them - Social Distortion
122. Mommy's Little Monster - Social Distortion
123. I Love Rock 'n' Roll - Joan Jett/Blackhearts
1982
124. A Million Miles Away - Plimsouls
125. Myage - Descendents
126. Parents - Descendents
127. I'm Not a Punk - Descendents
128. Suburban Home - Descendents
129. Amanda Ruth - Rank & File
130. Glad I'm Not In Love - Rank & File
131. I Don't Go Out Much Anymore - Rank & File
132. Coyote - Rank & File
133. Goodbye to You - Scandal
134. He Could Be the One - Josie Cotton
135. The Hungry Wolf - X
136. Motel Room in My Bed - X
137. Under the Big Black Sun - X
138. Blue Spark - X
139. Vacation - Go-Gos
140. Gas Chamber - Angry Samoans
141. The Todd Killings - Angry Samoans
142. Lights Out - Angry Samoans
143. High School Confidential - Blasters
144. Mexican Radio - Wall of Voodoo
145. Wild in the Streets - Circle Jerks
146. Leave Me Alone - Circle Jerks
147. She Turns to Flowers - Salvation Army
148. Thoughts of Yesterday - TSOL
149. Let's Have a War - Fear
150. I Love Living in the City - Fear
151. I Don't Care About You - Fear
152. Gimme Some Action - Fear
153. Death and Angels - Green on Red
154. With a Cantaloupe Girlfriend - Three O'Clock
155. I Go Wild - Three O'Clock
156. Sorry - Three O'Clock
157. Grey Matter - Oingo Boingo
158. Private Life - Oingo Boingo
159. Wild Sex in the Working Class - Oingo Boingo
160. Urban Struggle - Vandals
161. Take the L - Motels
162. Only the Lonely - Motels
163. We're Only Gonna Die - Bad Religion
164. F**k Armageddon This is Hell - Bad Religion
165. Tell Me When it's Over - Dream Syndicate
166. Destination Unknown - Missing Persons
167. Walking in LA - Missing Persons
168. Bob Dylan Wrote Propaganda Songs - Minutemen
169. Fake Contest - Minutemen
170. The Anchor - Minutemen
171. Blown Away - Youth Brigade
172. What will the Revolution Change - Youth Brigade

I include some power pop and MTV new wave hits that I remembered even though those acts/songs were never mentioned in the book. I also left out bands like the Screamers and Top Jimmy, since they never released anything while they were a band. It plays real well as an MP3 or data disc.

 

Very nice. Especially 1976-1980.
Kudos on picking the right version of "She Don't Know Why I'm Here", still one of the most earth shaking singles to come out of the era.

 

I got most of the '70s stuff from various Rhino compilations. I tried to use Fear's 1978 mix of "I Love Livin in the City" which Rhino listed on one of their punk box sets. Only it was the exact same recording on the 1982 album. I'd love to get that on CD.

 

There was a DMZ in LA too? The one I know of that was active in this era was from Boston.

Anyway, this covers the waterfront pretty widely, although I'd say some Rain Parade and Red Cross (or maybe Redd Kross) is called for too. Cut out some of that Salvation Army/Three O'Clock and squeeze 'em in.

 

Are those Oingo Boingo any good?

 

Nope, you're right. Don't see how I missed that. I'll have to take that out.

 

That's weird...the version from the No Thanks! box matches the version on the 1985 More Beer album and not the debut. Are you referring to a different Rhino box? The debut has a yet different version.

 

No, that's the one. They sounded the exact same to me. I was going by the CD of their debut. I'd love to think the one on No Thanks is the actual 45. Are you sure?

 

I was going top mention the lack of anything by The Screamers, but, as you said, they never had an official release while they were together. Too bad, great band, and there are comps out there that are very much worth having. But you did include the Urinals, so it's cool.

 

Those Rhino "DIY" comps in that series of CDs (of which the LA volume you utilized) they released are seriously ace collections.

 

I'm listening to it now. More Beer and the No Thanks version are the same yet sound very different due to the mastering. The version on The Record is almost 10 seconds shorter and very obviously a different recording.

 

Cut out "With A Cantaloupe Girlfriend"? I take umbrage, sir.

 

OMG, I got so much from Rhino. The DIY discs, the No Thanks and Left of the Dial boxes, the Just Can't Get Enough: New Wave Hits of the Eighies set, etc. I think used stuff from the Children of Nuggets box too.

 

Okay, I'll go back tonight and listen again. I don't recall it being shorter either.

 

I recommend considering "Jesus Loves You" by RF7 for the year 1982.

 

Well, it seems that Emergency Third Rail Power Trip came out a year too late to make the cut here. And the likes of "Cover Band" and "Standing In front of Poseur" from Red Cross would take up almost no time at all, so I guess Ms. Cantaloupe and all her friends are safe...

 

There is some truly great music there. Why does nobody ever talk about “The Last”? What a great record “LA Explosion “ is

 

Now if you really want to take umbrage: I suggest getting the Screamers in by proxy by including "One Foot Out the Door" by popular LA combo Van Halen. IMHO this was directly influenced by the Screamers, who David Lee Roth would've been familiar with thanks to his hanging out on the punk scene and being friendly with Tomata du Plenty.

 

Good album, but that re-cut version of this song doesn't come close to the original. Is this the one on the DIY comp?

 

I met Joe Nolte some years back. Sweet guy. Bought him a drink and told him how much I loved his music.

 

The synth and drums, sure. But not the guitar. Screamers didn't need one.
The Screamers - Vertigo (Live at Mabuhay Gardens, 1978)

 

NO, strictly an ingrown LA thing

 

Agreed.

 

Do you mean like a toe nail?

 

The only reason I know anything about 45 Grave is because Paul B. Cutler was later in The Dream Syndicate, but how about this single from 1980. Pat Smear on the B-side.