(GI)
GERMS
(1979)
A1: WHAT WE DO IS SECRET (0:41); A2: COMMUNIST EYES (2:21); A3: LAND OF TREASON (2:02); A4: RICHIE DAGGER’S CRIME (1:53); A5: STRANGE NOTES (1:49); A6: AMERICAN LEATHER (1:08); A7: LEXICON DEVIL (1:39); A8: MANIMAL (2:08); A9: OUR WAY (1:54); A10: WE MUST BLEED (2:48).
B1: MEDIA BLITZ (1:28); B2: THE OTHER NEWEST ONE (2:44); B3: LET’S PRETEND (2:27); B4: DRAGON LADY (1:35); B5: THE SLAVE (0:57); B6: SHUT DOWN (9:03).
CATEGORY: PUNK | DURATION: 39 MINUTES
The US punk scene offered up its first evolutionary opus, the debut album by LA band Germs; produced by ex-Runaway Joan Jett – whose own 1979 single track “I Love Rock’n’Roll”, recorded with Steve Jones of the Sex Pistols, remains a classic of mutant Glitterbeat – (GI) harks back musically to a number of UK bands who were only truly relevant two years previously, but also points forward to the emergence of the first unfiltered “punk” music – American hardcore – in the speed and brevity of its main attack. The album ends with an obverse, 9-minute studio jam during which singer Darby Crash denigrates the “English scene”. He was dead a year later.
THIS BOOK IS DEDICATED TO THE MEMORY OF ROBERT YOUNG (1964-2014)
“ÆTERNUM VORTICE LACRIMARUM SOMNIAT”