reviews |
 Various Artists (from the 415 Records: Still Disturbing the Peace compilation available on Liberation Hall Records) (by Dave Steinfeld)
Over the years, there have been many compilations of the Punk and New Wave scenes that took shape in England and New York City in the late 1970’s and early ’80s — and even a few that focus on Los Angeles. But anthologies of San Francisco Punk and New Wave are significantly harder to find — which makes Liberation Hall’s expanded reissue of 415 Records: Disturbing the Peace all the more welcome. 415 Records was a San Francisco label that was launched in 1978 by music fanatic and jack-of-all-trades Howie Klein. Some of the bands on 415 (such as Romeo Void and Translator) went on to achieve modest commercial success. Neither of those bands is represented on this collection, but that hardly matters. The 21 tracks compiled here are proof positive that the Bay Area had an important and very diverse New Wave scene back in the day. ‘Diverse’ is, in fact, the key word. Still Disturbing the Peace certainly features some bands (The Nuns, Red Rockers, New Math) that were grounded firmly in Punk Rock — at least initially. Red Rockers, four young guys who originally hailed from New Orleans, are represented by two tracks on this compilation: “Guns of Revolution” and “Teenage Underground”. While both songs adhere to Punk’s fast-hard-loud ethos, the Rockers did an about-face a few years later, re-emerging with a totally different sound and scoring a minor hit with the beautiful “China”. Elsewhere on this disc, you’ll find everything from synth-pop (The Units) to ska (The Uptones) to female-fronted pop (Pearl Harbor and the Explosions) to fairly mainstream rock (SVT was led by former Jefferson Airplane bassist Jack Casady!). There are also a couple of New Wave covers guaranteed to bring a smile to your face: Baby Buddha offers a sarcastic, Punky version of the Tammy Wynette classic “Stand by Your Man” while The Pop-O-Pies tackle “Truckin’”. All in all, Disturbing the Peace shines a light on a scene that is too often neglected. Break out your skinny tie and enjoy! (by Dave Steinfeld) Listen and buy the music of 415 Records: Still Disturbing the Peace from AMAZON For more information head over to the Liberation Hall Records website
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
