Esteemed critic Jon Savage has compiled a new collection of Californian punk rock titled 'Black Hole'.
Punk came. Punk saw. Punk spent the next thirty years evolving into ever more strange and wonderful shapes. Amongst the most fevered hot beds of punk rock was California, an area while will be celebrated on a new compilation.
Relatively affluent, sunny California was a strange place for punk rock to catch hold. Yet the West Coast boasted a rich and diverse scene almost from the beginning, spawning groups such as Dead Kennedys.
Inspiring more groups to form, the area was soon awash with unusual new bands. The arrival of Black Flag heralded the hardcore era, with the label SST to have an enduring influence on American music.
Compiled by Jon Savage, 'Black Hole' aims to shed light on the origins of the scene. Released through Domino, the new compilation opens with The Germs classic cut 'Forming' before including some extremely rare material.
Savage early punk group Crime are represented by 'Murder By Guitar' while The Randoms cut 'A-B-C-D' gets unearthed. However the area's biggest groups are not ignored, with X gaining pride of place.
Including some 26 tracks, the compilation finishes with 'Los Gatos' by lost punk heroes The Sleepers.
As ever, Jon Savage adds some insightful sleeve notes. One of Britain's leading cultural writers, Savage wrote 'England's Dreaming' a now classic text focussing on the rise of punk in Britain.
A stunning work, he is also closely associated with Joy Division and Factory Records and helped to produce an award winning 2007 film on the band. Fresh from publishing his new tome 'Teenage: The Creation of Youth 1875–1945'.
A vital and still thrilling era of rock music, the new compilation is an insightful primer into the world of Californian punk.
'Black Hole' is set to be released on November 15th. Tracklisting:
1 – The Germs - Forming
2 – The Dils - I Hate The Rich
3 – The Screamers - Peer Pressure
4 – Crime - Murder By Guitar
5 – The Zeros – WIMP
6 – The Avengers - We Are The One
7 – The Consumers - Anti Anti Anti
8 – The Randoms - A-B-C-D
9 – Black Randy and the Metro Squad - Trouble at the Cup
10 – The Alleycats - Nothing Means Nothing Anymore
11 – The Weirdos - Solitary Confinement
12 – The Zeros – Beat Your Heart Out
13 – X – We’re Desperate
14 – The Offs – 624803
15 – The Sleepers – Seventh World
16 – The Middle Class – Situations
17 – The Bags – Survive
18 – The Germs – Media Blitz
19 – The Middle Class – Love Is Just a Tool
20 – The Flesheaters – Pony Dress
21 – Urinals – Black Hole
22 – The Aurora Pushups – Victims of Terrorism
23 – The Avengers – The American In Me
24 - The Dead Kennedys – California Uber Alles
25 – The Dils – The Sound of the Rain
26 – The Sleepers – Los Gatos