Epitonic Newsletter: Vol. 4, No. 32 'The Classic Edition (A Punk Rock History Lesson)'
09/13/02
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We know that ever since we teased you by promising a "classic edition"
of the Epitonic newsletter "featuring some seminal bands we bet you
never expected to find on Epitonic," you've probably been watiing
impatiently, checking your inbox every ten minutes, and cursing us
for stringing you along. Or maybe not. Well, if we did upset you, we
apologize, and think we'll make up for it with this week's amazing
playlist, which should also cure any Friday the 13th blues you may be having.
The so-called "classic edition" of the newsletter actually turns out
to be a short history lesson in the evolution of punk rock. It is by
no means comprehensive, but it definitely does cover a lot of bases,
including the raw power of proto-punk (MC5, Richard Hell), the harsh
clatter of New York No Wave (Theoretical Girls), the somber rhythms
of English post-punk (Crispy Ambulance), the smoky grooves of punky
reggae (The Terrorists, featuring Lee "Scratch" Perry), the liberation
of free funk (Human Arts Ensemble -- perhaps not punk in sound, but
punk in its spirit of noisy, relentless innovation), the aggression
of proto-hardcore (Bad Brains), the garage-swagger of glam-punk
(Nikki Sudden), the weirdness of Midwestern punk (The Embarrassment,
The Styrenes, Naked Raygun), the jittery excitement of American post-punk (Mission of Burma), the soapbox lyricism of straight-edge punk
(7 Seconds), and the dissonant tunings of art-punk (Sonic Youth).
We've even got a vintage Buzzcocks video for you this week! What's
more, nearly every one of the tunes in this week's playlist is truly
classic -- that is, recorded back in the day. The only exceptions to
this are the Crispy Ambulance tune, which comes from the band's long-awaited new second album Scissorgun, but sounds like it could have
been recorded 20 years ago, and the Mekons song, which appears on
the band's recent 25th anniversary recording OOOH! (we do have an
old Mekons cut on the site though, if you're interested).
Many props to all the great labels who have made an effort to
preserve this amazing music. Chief among them is Neil Cooper's New York-based ROIR,
which started out as a cassette-only label 20 years ago and has
released a truly incredible number of seminal punk, hardcore,
industrial, reggae, and dub albums over the years, many of which
are now happily available on CD, including records by the artists
featured here, the MC5, The Terrorists, The Styrenes, and Bad Brains.
ROIR is indirectly involved with two more of the albums represented
here. Matador has released a terrific two-CD set of recordings from
onetime Voivoid leader Richard Hell, featuring liner notes from the
man himself, the first CD of which is culled primarily from a 1984
ROIR release titled R.I.P. And Acute Records curator Daniel Selzer fell in love
with the Theoretical Girls after listening to ROIR's New York Singles
Scene LP/CD, featuring the seminal No Wave ensemble's song "U.S.
Millie."
Meanwhile San Francisco-based Darla issued the terrific new album
by Crispy Ambulance, the long-awaited follow-up to the one-time
Factory group's 1982 debut. Chicago-based Atavistic has of course
made a habit of unearthing forgotten jazz, experimental, and punk
gems through their "Unheard Music" series, curated by John Corbett,
of which the Luther Thomas/Human Arts Ensemble release is only one
of many. New Jersey-based My Pal God is responsible for reviving the
memory of Wichita post-punk greats The Embarrassment with the
authorized bootleg of Blister Pop. Chicago's Quarterstick has long
been the home of the great English post-punk ensemble the Mekons and
has reissued several of their classic albums, not to mention the
classic second album All Rise by Chicago punk legends Naked Raygun.
Boston's Ace of Hearts has been keeping Boston's underground rock
scene alive ever since the days of Mission of Burma, and recently
remastered and reissued the seminal Rykodisc MOB live CD, The Horrible
Truth about Burma. San Diego's Cargo collected the early seven-inches
of the legendary Reno punk band 7 Seconds on their '95 release
alt.music.hardcore. Bloomington-based Secretly Canadian is in the
midst of an incredibly ambitious 10-album Nikki Sudden reissue campaign spanning from his work with the Jacobites through
his '80s solo albums. And finally, Epitonic faves Sonic Youth will be
giving their early albums the deluxe double-album reissue treatment
through Universal's "Deluxe Edition" series.
OTHER NEWS
There are a number of other cool new tunes up on the Epitonic site,
including a pair of songs from Kill the Moonlight, the new album
from Austin indie rock combo Spoon, who might have taken a few
musical cues from a couple of the artists featured this week. Lisa
Hix contributed this week's great Fishwrap interview with Spoon
frontman Britt Daniel, who talks about making the new album and
his feelings about today's music scene. Spoon has just headed out
on tour (with John Vanderslice and the Natural History), so make
sure to see them if you can.
Also make sure to get tickets to see the 6th annual RESFEST when
it comes to your city. If your city happens to be San Francisco,
get tickets now, because the festival arrives next Wednesday. This
year the five-day event will feature seven programs of film shorts,
the features Breath Control and Fulltime Killer, an exploration of
the work of acclaimed filmmaker Chris Cunningham, the popular
electronic video music program Cinema Electronica, and a new
rock video program Videos That Rock!
This year's RESPASS, which gets you in to all five days, is an
unbeatable deal at $130, so pick one up at resfest.com.
You can also purchase tickets for the New York and Los Angeles
editions of RESFEST, both of which take place next month.
"Sister Ann"
by
MC5
The Motor City Five took their native Detroit and the rest of America by storm during the late '60s with a propulsive and frenzied brand of blues-based garage rock that incorporated the far-left politics, anger, and excitement of the era, laying the groundwork for the birth of punk rock a decade later.
"Don't Die"
by
Richard Hell
Richard Hell was one of the most pivotal figures in the '70s New York rock underground, playing bass in no fewer than three seminal groups, Television, the Heartbreakers, and his own band, the Voidoids. Later in life Hell became an accomplished poet and author.
"Lovin in the Red"
by
Theoretical Girls
One of the most significant but least recorded bands of the late '70s New York no wave scene, the Theoretical Girls were a confrontational blitzkrieg of harsh atonal rhythms, abrasive pure noise, rendered with oblique humor. The band launched the careers of experimental composer Glenn Branca and acclaimed producer Wharton Tiers.
"Loupgarou"
by
Crispy Ambulance
Less celebrated but no less excellent than some of their Factory Records post-punk label mates of the early '80s, Crispy Ambulance has come out of retirement in the new millennium to offer more of the same engagingly dark and rough-hued rhythmic guitar rock that distinguished them the first time round.
"Guerrilla Priest"
by
Terrorists
New York City's Terrorists offered one of the first instances of the hybridization of punk and reggae, teaming up with Lee "Scratch" Perry and Roland Alphonso of the Skatalites to create loose organic grooves that seemed to capture the essence of two different islands -- Manhattan and Jamaica.
"Una New York"
by
Luther Thomas/Human Arts Ensemble
This obscure '70s outfit combined massive funk rhythms with adventurous free jazz to produce an indescribably vital, marvelous, rich sound. Unbelievably, these recordings have never before seen the light of day. If you're a fan of jazz, funk, or anything avant-garde -- hell, if you're a fan of music -- you've got to check them out. This stuff cooks.
"Pay To Cum"
by
Bad Brains
Hardcore spawned from punk rock in the early '80s as a more violent and more aggressive form of the underground, and DC's Bad Brains were among the most influential and pioneering hardcore groups ever, mixing reggae with their lightning fast bursts of rage.
"Drano In Your Veins"
by
The Styrenes
The Styrenes have been making f*cked-up records since 1971. If you've never had the pleasure of hearing them, imagine Pere Ubu backing Syd Barrett and check it out.
"Faith Healer"
by
The Embarrassment
One of the most sadly overlooked group's in all of rock music's sordid history, the Embarrassment (aka "The Embos") did post-punk Wichita, Kansas style and the ensuing chaos was truly glorious to behold.
"Dancing In The Head"
by
Mekons
From angular anarchic post-punk to lonesome countrified rambling to disco-driven synth pop, the Mekons have made a lot of different kinds of music very well. No matter what genre or style they're working in, their songs are touched by a loose, carefree warmth and acute, poignant lyricism that are undeniably Mekons.
"Chelsea Embankment"
by
Nikki Sudden
From his early days with the post-punk greats the Swell Maps, the rambling, shambling Nikki Sudden has been one of underground rock's most prolific artists, influencing numerous bands with a diverse brand of music that runs the gamut from raw punk to raunchy garage to silly glam to jangle-pop to country-rock, yet always bears the indelible stamp of Nikki Sudden.
"Peking Spring (Live)"
by
Mission Of Burma
By all accounts, Mission of Burma was one of the best American punk bands ever to set foot on a stage or inside a recording studio. They paved the way for multitudes of post-punk bands with brilliantly nervous, declamatory rock that's bound to bump up your heart rate a bit.
"Metastasis"
by
Naked Raygun
Chicago's finest offering to the world of punk rock, Naked Raygun inspired an almost religious fervor in its fans. This is powerful, anthemic music from one of the late, great punk bands.
"We're Gonna Fight"
by
7 Seconds
7 Seconds produced epic straight-talking straight-edge punk rock during early '80s. With D.C.'s Minor Threat, they founded and led a new movement of intelligent and moral punk rock that continues to flourish today.
"Schizophrenia"
by
Sonic Youth
One of the most important and beloved bands of the past twenty years, Sonic Youth is almost singularly responsible for the acceptance of avant-garde forms by underground rock audiences. The albums in their remarkable discography possess the unique ability to appeal to passions both visceral and cerebral. If you've never explored this band's amazing contribution to rock, now is a perfect time to start.
