I came to the Punk Rock party
late, though I suspect if I had attended it earlier, I would probably have a
record—and not the musical kind. When
Punk Rock originally surfaced I was still very addicted to top 40 radio. I always wondered if there were songs that
didn’t make the list and then a friend handed me my first mix-tape. This form of music sharing was all the rage
in high school and tapes were traded back and forth due to the lack of
diversity on the radio. My proper
education of Punk Rock commenced when I made a tape, for a gal that I liked,
but the album she gave me to dub just sounded like noise. It was almost a year later when this
mix-tape made its way back to me and I finally listened to it. To my delight, the noise was the album “Fresh
Fruit For Rotting Vegetables,” by the Dead Kennedys, and my
education of West Coast Punk commenced.
Even now, the legacy of this band, as well as others, is very strong and
has legions of fans that still come out to see their shows. It’s odd to see Punks in their forties
slamming in a mosh pit. The anthem of
Punk Rock is Anarchy,
tapered with satire, sarcasm and irony of social and political issues. Most of
these bands released their music on their own record labels, as well as a few
independents, so that their music could be heard; way before the concept of DIY
(Do It Yourself). There are too many
subgenres to Punk Rock, let alone West Coast Punk, so here is a link
from Wikipedia that touches on Punk Rock Subgenres.
1. Dead Kennedys-“Soup is Good
Food” (1985)
The Dead Kennedys formed in San
Francisco in 1978 and unleashed a plethora of Punk Rock anthems in the early
eighties. I chose this song from their
most controversial record “Frankenchrist,” because this record inspired
the Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC) to try to ban this type
of music, (along with Fleetwood Mac—Yeah, I know it’s confusing). The PMRC took umbrage with the H.R.
Giger poster, which was included in the record album, titled "Work
219: Landscape XX" (also known as Penis Landscape). You should look up the court case
because it would take too much time to address it here. This song, however,
showcases the group in a more experimental phase of their career. It’s not the hardcore thrash of their
previous releases so the message comes across quite clear with extreme irony
and sarcasm. This was a time when the
nylon curtain of suburbia was pulled back to reveal the ugly side of America.
The ruling class may have viewed us as disposables, but we still had our minds
intact. Our message to the establishment
is that we see what you’re doing, we don’t like it, and if we have anything to
say about it, you’re not going to get away with
it.
2. Black Flag-“TV
Party”(1981/1982)
Formed in 1976 Black Flag
was central to the creation of hardcore punk.
They were innovators in the first wave of American West Coast Punk Rock
and are considered a key influence on punk subculture in the United States and
abroad. This song is off of their album
“Damaged,” and it brings back a lot of memories of watching the boob
tube when I was growing up. It depicts
apathetic youth that define themselves in Prime Time. Is the lost art of conversation lost, or do we need to be
pacified with our bottles (of beer) so that we no longer think for
ourselves. Nowadays, what would happen
if your computer, cell phone, TV, radio, etc…broke down? “What are we gonna
talk about, I don’t know, We’re gonna miss our favorite shows” seems like a sad
commentary on our capacity to just sit back and let the world happen to
us. Wake up and
live.
3. Circle Jerks – “I Just Want
Some Skank”, “Beverly Hills” & “Wasted”(1980)
Believe it or not, these are
three complete songs. Punk Rock is very
potent in its musical message because most of the songs are about a minute or
so, and this group is no exception.
Though a majority of songs from this genre come from a blue-collar point
of view, this band focuses on entitlement that revolves about their suburban
upbringing. I’m not sure if they are
just winy brats or brilliant. These
three songs are from the seminal record, “Group Sex,” which is a good
sampling of their best work. There is a
great party mentality to these songs and I love the upfront and abrupt nature
of the lyrics. There is no riddle to solve
in these songs, and that’s what made them great—straight forward
aggression—Grrr!
4. Minutemen – “My Heart And The
Real World” (1984)
This band is aptly named because
most of their songs are about a minute. They took the short song motif to a
higher level with their double album, “Double Nickels on the Dime,”
(Note: 55m.p.h. on Hwy. 10) which this song is one of forty-five tracks. The
title of the album is a commentary on Sammy Hagar’s song, “I Cant
Drive 55.” The Minutemen decided that driving fast "wasn't
terribly defiant,” and later on bassist Mike Watt was quoted as saying, “Okay,
we'll drive 55, but we'll make crazy
music."
5. D.R.I. “Nursing Home Blues”(1985)
Billed as the fastest punk band,
this song is among 25 other tracks from their record “Dealing With It”
This is the longest song on the release, while most of the other tracks, on the
record, last about a minute. Dirty Rotten Imbeciles (also known as
D.R.I.) is a thrash metal/crossover band that formed in Houston in 1982, but
relocated to San Francisco in the late eighties. If your hearing blinks, listening to this record, you may miss a
song or two. The way to truly enjoy
this band, and to know when they are starting the next song, you have to apply
what I like to call the “Ramones Principle.” To discern when a song starts, with the Ramones, you hear someone
shout out, “1,2,3,4.” With D.R.I, you listen for the drumsticks clicking out
the tempo.
6. Agent
Orange–“BloodStains”(1979)
This is the kind of band that you
suspect still live in their parent’s basement and still go out to skate parks
on the weekends. I didn’t get to see
them live till a few years ago and I have to say they still have all of the
veracity intact. All I can remember
about this show was being soaked in beer and coming home with bruises on my
arms.
7. Fear “I Love Livin’ In The
City”(1978)
This is a song that I always come
back to when I think about West Coat Punk rock origins. It was their only hit, and after the release
of this song the band went though a myriad of personnel changes with only Lee
Ving - vocals, rhythm guitar, as its constant member. This band is credited as being an influence of dozens of bands,
which includes, Lard, Guns N' Roses, A Perfect Circle, and Soundgarden.
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