The Dils - Dils Dils Dils (Comp from '91, Bacchus Archives)

One of the earliest explicitly political punk bands from California, the Dils in their short lifespan had an impact on the developing punk scenes in both L.A. and San Francisco before splitting in 1980. Despite being very obvious about their world views the Dils did not deliver their message overtop overtly hard-hitting material as one might expect from a political punk band. Instead their material has a strong pop songwriting sensibility, however the vocal delivery remains very much in-your-face, so the attitude prevents them from falling into new wave territory. The Dils are like a more political version of other bands of the time like fellow Californians the Weirdos, the Zeros, and the Urinals or across the country in Boston (Nervous Eaters, DMZ, La Peste).


Much of the early first-wave punk bands who were political instead of arty were usually too ambiguous, nihilistic or inarticulate in their outspokenness, but with the Dils you can hear the early rumblings of a much more focused and progressive political agenda in punk that would later fully develop in the hardcore movement. This comp from 1991 is the best place to start with this band, as everyone from early punk icons like DOA and Dead Kennedys to more modern bands like Dillinger Four have cited the Dils as an obscure but strong influence. This compilation is the best place to go for this band, as it compiles all of their singles and studio tracks such as the terrific "I Hate the Rich" and "Class War" plus a great live set featuring some great songs the band weren't able to record before breaking up and a rip through the Velvet Underground's "What Goes On" as well.

The Pink Fairies - Never Never Land (1971, Polydor)

Along with bands like the Groundhogs, the Fugs, the Monks, and Amon Duul, the Pink Fairies were one of the most radical and free spirited psychedelic rock bands of their era, not just musically but also in their advocation of staging free concerts, unabashed drug use and pre-punk hippie squat culture. Dropping out, indeed. The album even opens with a track entitled "Do It" clearly channeling Jerry Rubin, however limiting the Pink Fairies to being steeped in drug culture doesn't give them enough credit for how radical and later influential they were. When listening to this album it's much more comfortable to place this next to the Stooges than the Dead, and it's certainly less dated than alot of other music of the period. Never Never Land is not only an excellant slab of psychedelic and proto-metal freak outs but the band also occasionally has a certain proto-punk sensibility particularly on the track "Teenage Rebel" which is every bit a foreshadowing of punk as the Stooges in its straight forward angsty approach.

Moss Icon - Lyburnum Wits End Liberation Fly (Vermiform, released 1994 but recorded in '88)

Recently there has been a noticeable amount of underground punk/hardcore acts reuniting for live dates and tours, many of whom during their heyday were either went unappreciated or had too short a lifespan but overtime have developed cult followings since their demise. One of the highlights has been the incredibly obscure but highly influential post-hardcore band Moss Icon who recently reunited for some dates in July. It is a real travesty this band is not as well known as they should be, as I'd definitely consider them on par with other bands of similar ilk like Cap'n Jazz, Nation of Ulysses, and Swing Kids. But what is absolutely jaw-dropping about this band, particularly when listening to this LP, is that this was recorded in 1988! Absolutely nothing about this material makes you think the eighties. Think about it, Fugazi was barely recording 13 songs when this was done. At the same time, it's not surprising the band was so innovative as they feature guitarist Tonie Joy of other seminal acts Born Against and Universal Order of Armageddon in its lineup. Traces of Moss Icon's style, much like Born Against and UOA, can be heard in so much hardcore that followed, but despite endless name dropping of this band by more successful emo acts they still remain relatively unknown. Aside from Joy's excellent guitar work, Jonathan Vance's incredible vocals avoid any faceless shrieking in their delivery, spewing some excellent lyrics that are simultaneously full of self empowerment and seething contempt. Case in point, the short but intense "Mirror" opens the album with fierce energy and continues on the following tracks until the band shifts its dynamic for the lengthy title track showing their range compositionally. Anyone into Ebullition-style hardcore should not pass on getting this album.

Bl'ast! - The Power of Expression (1986, reissued SST 1987)

Bl'ast's debut the Power of Expression is one of the more underrated punk releases of the 80s as the band shows a tremendous amount of promise that would fully develop by the time of their second album, It's In My Blood, which came out on Greg Ginn's SST label. Perhaps unfairly, Bl'ast was always constantly compared to Ginn's Black Flag and in particular the early Damaged era sound. However, this comparison was not always a negative thing, because for many in the mid-80s Black Flag's increasingly experimental sound was starting to become either a little too experimental or too slow and Bl'ast definitely expanded on the sound Black Flag had birthed on Damaged. Regardless of how you feel about My War or later Black Flag, for those who felt BF had moved on a little too soon from the sound of their earlier EPs and Damaged, Bl'ast was certainly an outlet to plug into. However, the BF tag comparison is a little overused I feel and doesn't do Bl'ast's music justice. Ginn at the time was mostly championing bands that were if anything quite the opposite of conventional hardcore, so Bl'ast's presence on the label alongside Meat Puppets, Husker Du, Sonic Youth, etc., says alot about the band being more than just a BF clone. Furthermore, It's In My Blood may be a must have punk release of the 80s, don't overlook their strong debut either.

Filth - Shit Split (Lookout!, 1990)

From the same scene that gave birth to everything from Neurosis to Green Day, Filth from Oakland's East Bay Hardcore scene and 924 Gilman St released this classic split with the frankly more mediocre band Blatz in 1990. Filth is notably unique as a crust band in that their guitar riffs are quite melodic and not really that far off from the less harsh bands of that scene like Operation Ivy and Crimpshine, but the vocals are definitely as bowl churning and crusty as the best of them. The band even has a youth crew call-and-response style on songs like "Banned from the Pubs." Thankfully, this classic has seen a couple of rereleases on Life is Abuse and Alternative Tentacles since it was originally released on the Bay Area's Lookout! in 1990. This is really one of the best releases of the early 90s not just for hardcore and crust but punk in general.

Gravedigger V - All Black and Hairy (Voxx, 1984)

While the underground 60s rock revival of the 1980s is mostly known for bands like the Mummies, the Gories, and the L.A. based Paisley Underground bands (the Dream Syndicate, Three O'Clock and the most commercially successful act the Bangles), further south in San Diego was the less known and more garage rock oriented band Gravedigger V. This album, released in 1984 and overlooked, was given a rerelease by garage staple Bomp! records in 1994, and this record displays the band's superb mix of punk attitude, psychedelic freak outs and campy humor. Leighton Kuizumi also has an absolutely infectious vocal style that perfectly matches the music.

Double O - "7 (Dischord, 1983)

The Dischord label has a seemingly endless amount of good material from excellent little bands on its roster but alot of the label's earlier signings unfortunately broke up after producing little material. One of the biggest anomalies is the band Double O, whom are very hard to find any information about. I have also seen listed the title of this record as being "You've Lost EP", but I can't confirm this. Regardless, this little EP shows an enormous amount of promise. Double O have a very unique approach that I find sounds almost like Wire playing D.C. hardcore. Not suprising, as Minor Threat had previously done an excellent cover of Wire's "12 x U."


But it's no wonder the band didn't last long when listening to this record, as they don't fit in with the Minor Threat/Government Issue sound nor really with the Rites of Spring/Embrace style either. While there is definitely some of the conventions of 80s hardcore present, they really have a sound all their own in the context of the scene they were in with tempo shifts, melody and even use of a synthesizer at times. Just as a sidenote, I would also like to point out that the singer of this band (Eric) looks an awful lot like Duff McKagan. Seriously though, with only 5 songs and 12 minutes of music Double O still left quite a mark with this EP.

Dr. Know - Burn 7" EP (Mystic, 1985)

Dr. Know is perhaps best known as the former punk band of child actor Brandon Cruz who played Eddie on "The Courtship of Eddie's Father" which starred Bill Bixby. A shame, because the real talent of the band appears to be held at the songwriting helm of vocalist/guitarist Kyle Toucher who unfortunately was not present when the band recently reunited, instead reforming with the less talented Cruz on vocals. Back in 1983, it was Toucher who took over vocal duties after Cruz left when band infighting came to a head just as they were beginning to record Plug in Jesus, and based on the recordings it payed off for the better musically. Cruz you may also remember as the douche who dared to fill Jello Biafra's shoes in the Dead Kennedys "reunion" shows.


In my opinion Dr. Know released some of the best hardcore records of the 80s with Toucher as vocalist and songwriter. Although well known in the punk and metal underground they never got as much attention as other excellent bands that play a similar style like GBH and Discharge. Unlike those bands however Dr. Know have a much more Sabbath-y feel as well. The band actually originate from a hardcore scene from Oxnard, CA that was dubbed 'Nardcore', which included other acts like Stalag 13 and Ill Repute, most of which released their music on the Mystic Records label (including this release). Dr. Know I think is the best of the pack however and a real highlight of their discography is the scorcher "Watch It Burn" from the Burn EP.

The Zombies - R.I.P. The Lost Album (On CD Imperial Records (JPN), Vinyl Release on Sweet Dandelion)

Unfortunately only released on CD in Japan in 2008, this long lost aborted third album from The Zombies has seen the light of day on a vinyl release as well. Still present are the melancholy lyrics, beautiful melodies, baroque-y harpsichords and mellotrons, etc etc. Previously these songs were available on some extended version releases of the Odyssey and Oracle LP and a compilation called Time of the Zombies from 1974, but never got its own release until recently.

The RIP album was intended for release in 1969 but was never fully realized, as it was recorded in a transition period before the band broke up and later formed as Argent, who If I recall correctly did that 70s rock radio staple "Hold Your Head Up." But alas, this release still sounds like the Zombies at their best. If you're willing to shell out $30 you can also get a copy of it on vinyl which has been released by Sweet Dandelion records. Regardless, if you've played Singles A's + B's and Odyssey and Oracle to death pick up this lost gem.

Dog Faced Hermans - Mental Blocks For All Ages (Mississippi Records, 1991)

A truly unique and extraordinary band featuring members of Holland's equally brilliant The Ex, the Dog Faced Hermans play a radically experimental and socially conscious style of post-punk. This is their hardest-to-find LP from the early 90s, a few years before they eventually found some broader distribution on Jello Biafra's Alternative Tentacles label and then broke up. Despite featuring a trumpet and viola at the forefront of their musical attack, the Dog Faced Hermans pack the same punch as bands like Crass, The Ex, Zounds, Chumbawamba, Flux of Pink Indians, Swans, Subhumans, etc. The minimalism and aesthetic is the same as those anarcho-punks but like the Ex adds elements of the No Wave scene and a folk music influence as well, albeit using some very different instruments. Recommended for squatter punks and pretentious avant-garde people alike!

Public Image Ltd - Commercial Zone (Unofficial Album from 1983)

The recent PiL "reunion" tour warrants a revisiting of the last true incarnation of the band, as the new PiL lineup currently on tour does not include any of the original members besides John Lydon. Instead it features Lydon and a sideshow of hired touring musicians, and absent are all of the more musically talented individuals that played on the band's most groundbreaking albums. The most obvious exclusions are that of guitarist Keith Levene, bassist Jah Wobble and drummer Martin Atkins. Anyone with taste who views footage of the new PiL or even listens to their late-80s albums can tell you the material really suffers without the free form guitar work of Levene. This reunion is not really a reunion at all.


For a little bit of history, the band was forged in 1978 by Lydon, Levene and Wobble. Levene had been an original member of the Clash and like Lydon was disatisfied with the musical direction of punk. Levene found kindred alienated spirits with eclectic musical tastes in Lydon and Wobble, and along with a Spinal Tap cast of drummers (which included Atkins) the three recorded two of the most influential post-punk albums ever. After playing on those first two (and arguably best) albums, Wobble left and went on to become a prolific world music player, occasionally flirting with new age mediocrity. Despite the ceasing of live performances, Wobble's departure, Levene's heroin use, and Lydon's ego, PiL recorded the truly unique 1981 Flowers of Romance album. Lydon and Levene wisely opted not to try and fill Wobble's spot, instead composing a short but brilliant eastern-tinged experimental record which explored minimalist and heavily percussive textures. By 1982, Levene and Lydon attempted to revive the group as a proper band, including getting a new bass player to play shows and record. However this version was short lived, and by 1983 Levene had left. Lydon then formed a new version of PiL which featured a neverending cast of musicians that pushed PiL into a more conventional rock sound with little trace of the bold experimentation of First Issue, Second Edition, and Flowers of Romance. Levene did however manage to salvage the recordings from this period.


Released by Levene after his exit from PiL, Commercial Zone is the unfinished '82/'83 recordings and original concept of the album that was later rerecorded by Lydon, Atkins and faceless players as "This Is What You Want, This Is What You Get". Shortly after, Atkins left and went on to play a large role in the industrial and experimental rock scene as Pigface, amongst other projects. Levene sadly drifted into unproductive obscurity, but his self-release of Commercial Zone (which had only one pressing before being halted by Virgin Records), shows that before his exit the band's material was starting to recall the danceable sound of Second Edition. Additionally, the version of "This Is Not a Love Song" that became a hit for the band is actually the version on this album, not the version released by Lydon. I really quite enjoy both versions of the album, but the overlooked Commercial Zone is slightly superior and worth a revisiting from PiL fans who enjoy the band's earlier material.

Before Dinosaur Jr: Deep Wound - s/t 7"

I am truly shocked by how many Dinosaur Jr fans there are that know little of the true origins of the band. Dinosaur on SST was not the first music of J Mascis and Lou Barlow nor was it the first good music they had put out. Prior to forming Dinosaur Jr. with drummer Murph, Mascis and Barlow's hardcore unit Deep Wound released one really amazing 7", foreshadowing the brilliance of Dinosaur Jr who are a band I've never been able to get enough of.


Just like so many other SST artists, Dinosaur Jr were musicians who were once key players in the hardcore scene and helped initiate the outgrowth of hardcore to alt-rock in their formation following Deep Wound's breakup. But Deep Wound is more than just the band Mascis and Barlow were in before Dinosaur Jr . This is a truly seminal hardcore record that deserves more attention. Hard to believe just a few years later they'd be playing the eclectic material of 1984's Dinosaur. To truly appreciate and understand Dinosaur Jr's music get your hands on Deep Wound's self titled 7" or a comp of their material, you'll definitely do more than satisfy curiosity.

Corrupted/Noothgrush Split 12"

Holy shit. This is THE most unutterably morbid and HEAVY shit out there. Intensely crushing at a mindfucking slow pace, Corrupted and Noothgrush defy any subgenre classification like doom and transcend heavy music in general. Corrupted I think are in a league of their own and this record provides plenty of evidence why the Japanese band is considered an essential sludge group. Noothgrush from California whom I've also always enjoyed is only a notch down and contribute an excellent couple of dirging tracks on the flipside of this split from 1997. For those unfamiliar, Corrupted's stomach churning growls of political injustice are also surprisingly usually in Spanish despite being a Japanese band. The band also do not allow press photographs. Thankfully the band do on occasion drop in from Japan to the states and play a few shows at venues like Northern California's 924 Gilman St. For truly boundary pushing, jaw dropping slowwwwwww brutality look no further than this split.

Robin Crutchfield's Dark Day - Exterminating Angel

After leaving New York No Wave band DNA, keyboardist Robin Crutchfield soldiered on and formed his own outfit Dark Day. For those who listen to DNA's early recordings on the No New York compilation and wonder what happened to the keyboards afterward, listen to the incredibly unappreciated genius of Dark Day's Exterminating Angel (1980). The music is definitely not as free form or minimalist as DNA but is equally as challenging, taking the chilling electronics of Suicide and Tuxedomoon more than free jazz or Captain Beefheart.

Void - Potion For Bad Dreams (Unreleased LP from 1983/84)

The few people I've met who have heard this unreleased album have conflicting views. I myself had not heard this until recently when I stumbled upon a copy online. As amazing as the split with the Faith and the Condensed Flesh 7" recordings are, they definitely leave a desire for more Void so I was eager to give the album a listen and also satisfy my curiosity as to why it wasn't released. Most of the critics of this album allege that it sounds like mediocre heavy metal. It's important to look at the direction alot of hardcore was taking at the time when this was recorded which I think helps put the album in perspective. These songs might initially shock Void fans expecting the pure hardcore of Condensed Flesh and Void/Faith. Indeed they show Void moving in a heavily metal-influenced direction, but I think it's obvious to anyone who looks at this era of hardcore it's understandable why. Everyone from Gang Green to SSD to Discharge were all moving in a metallic direction whether it be slowing down or taking on a full thrash metal sound which had been influenced by hardcore to begin with. If you're also a fan of metal this didn't necessarily equate bad material, but some hardcore bands did undeniably suffer going in this direction. By the 90s the metallic influence on hardcore and crossover was full blown, but that's another discussion entirely. I think the reason why Potion for Bad Dreams met such strong backlash was that a metallic turn in sound was least expected from a band on a label like Dischord or a band that so perfectly embodied hardcore as Void. This 'metallic' version of Void I find to be actually quite good, and I find it to actually be more akin to Rudimentary Peni than any 'butt metal.' As a matter of fact, it's hypocrisy for this album to be unreleased when Dischord put Scream's later albums out which sound alot more 'butt metal' than anything on Potion of Bad Dreams. There's definitely some shredding going on but a song like "Bloodlust" is right up there with "Organized Sports" or "Who Are You?" as far as I'm concerned. Maybe if Void had released a proper full length hardcore LP of their signature sound fans would be more satisfied and be open to the different sound of this album. Either way I'm possibly in the minority on this one but I'd reccomend this album if you can find a copy!

Weakling - Dead as Dreams

It seems that the best black metal tends to revel in obscurity. Why else would they want their logos to be so unreadable? Kidding aside, a better way of putting is that usually quality black metal tends to have the same feeling that only so-called ''outsider music" tends to capture. If it's going to be fulfilling musical pretensions and rival GG Allin or Man is the Bastard for the top spot in the scariest-music-ever category, it certainly doesn't hurt to sound like a bunch of murderers with a four track. That may sound like image over music, but the reality is that the musical quality tends to go hand in hand with the crafted or un-crafted mystery of the bands. It's a fiercely uncompromising genre when its at its best and that goes for the music as well as the image. San Francisco's Weakling followed in the footsteps of the second-wave Scandinavian bands in terms of being totally uncompromising did without the corpse paint, church burnings and fascism. With Weakling its about music and music alone in the purest sense and Dead as Dreams is wonderfully frightening music indeed. In fact, they opted for not having an image at all, much like Japan's equally punk doom-metallers Corrupted. Fenriz of Darkthrone would argue at the heart of black metal is punk ethics, anyway. The band even supposedly got their name from a song by the Swans. Weakling unfortunately vanished very quickly, but not before releasing one album of utterly harrowing metallic brutality. Much more than a black metal band, Weakling were a crossover hybrid of hardcore and black metal, and with Nation of Ulysses's Tim Green at the mixing board helm it certainly enhanced that element of their music. Very subtle traces of arty-hardcore is definitely in Weakling's incredibly dense and sprawling compositions, which is sure to please fans of the Gravity and Dischord rosters. Perhaps more directly they take the keyboard atmospherics of Emperor but ditch In the Nightside Eclipse's 'clean' production in favor of the less produced aesthetics of black metal classics like Transilvanian Hunger, De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas, and Filosofem. There is also certainly elements of droning doom metal, and one of the band's members later even surfaced in the band Asunder. Dead as Dreams came out in 2000 (recorded in '98) and far under the radar, at a time when cheesy bands like Cradle of Filth were getting put on the Ozzfest tour and the meaning of black metal to the mainstream music consciousness became a mall-goth mutation. Amongst the metal scene there is plenty of overproduced formulaic crap that gets passed as 'true black metal.' But in the early 90s this genre meant something different in Norway, and ten years before that it meant the punk and Motorhead influenced Venom and Celtic Frost. Weakling to a certain extent contribute to keeping that "outsider music" element of black metal alive, certainly along with Darkthrone who don't even tour (Weakling never did either). Furthermore, the epic progressive element to their black metal with 20 minute songs certainly takes a queue from Burzum and Ulver in that regard. John Gossard's anguishing screams over the shredding and blast beats sound like his soul is being ripped out of him, Thankfully, for those of you who listen and still want more of this, there are excellant bands like Wolves in the Throne Room that got ahold of this sound and have expanded on it, creating a whole legion of proggy ambient lo-fi black metal bands. However it's unlikely any of them willl be able to truly recapture the frightening beauty of this groundbreaking album, released on Tumult Records (2000).

Killing Joke's Influence: From Crust to Shoegaze

Thirty years after the release of their self titled debut and its equally good follow-up What's This For, despite being cited as an influence by everyone from Big Black to (old) Metallica, most would associate post-punk band Killing Joke and the influence they had being most prominently traceable in industrial rock acts. However in the mid to late eighties two excellent bands from vastly disparate genres took Killing Joke's aesthetic to new places, Legendary crust punks Amebix and psychedelic shoegazers Loop were musically worlds apart in the eighties and probably weren't even aware of each others existence but they definitely would've been able to share some records, namely Killing Joke's excellent first two albums.

The Locust - Peel Sessions (free download!)

San Diego experimental hardcore legends The Locust have just made available their Peel Sessions recorded in 2001 and are available for free download here:

http://www.mediafire.com/?0yg2yanyyrz

This is the Locust at their peak in my opinion and these recordings are very interesting versions of their best material, including "Moth-Eaten Deer Head", "Get Off the Cross the Wood is Needed", etc. This release will definitely please their avid fanbase who have been awaiting new material amid the band's hiatus and will also remind them of how good the band were especially during this period.

Terrorizer & Repulsion

These two early American grindcore acts have more in common besides remaining in the historical shadows of their British genre counterparts Napalm Death and Carcass. Sadly, the discographies from both Repulsion and Terrorizer in their heyday are limited to one LP each as they both drifted into obscurity and met similar fate before the grindcore/death metal wave really took off. Back when grindcore still had an emphasis on CORE, its roots in hardcore punk and old school thrash, these bands produced some of the most viscerally brutal recordings ever. Terrorizer is more in the vein of Napalm Death, complete with the politically charged lyrics and apocalyptic imagery while Repulsion is a progenitor of the gorey Carcass fare. Repulsion vocalist Scott Carlson doesn't cookie monster growl, instead opting for a possessed snarl akin to Slowly We Rot-era Obituary. If you're looking for blast beats sans any drum triggers, thrashy tremolo riffs, and raw production then look no further than picking up Repulsion's Horrified and Terrorizer's World Downfall, both released in 1989.

Simply Saucer - Cyborgs Revisited

Simply Saucer is a criminally overlooked Canadian proto-punk band from the early-1970s. Their sole post-humously released recording, Cyborgs Revisited, didn't see the light of day until over a decade after their demise. The record is not really a proper album, as it is mostly made up of cuts from their brief recording session with a young Daniel Lanois (yes, that Daniel Lanois) and a recorded live show. These recordings deserve to be held in as high a regard as Modern Lovers s/t, Easter Everywhere and Funhouse and the more I listen to them I realize how much of a shame it is I stumbled upon this band long after playing those albums to death. Simply Saucer's brand of blistering garage rock is like a more ambitious 13th Floor Elevators and shifts from passages of extended metal-tinged psychedelic jamming to flashes of new-wave weirdness. Somewhere in between that lies "Bullet Proof Nothing", where the band calms down a bit for a cynical ballad of sorts. The song's sardonic lyrics and vocal delivery heavily resonates Jonathan Richman or "Who Loves the Sun?" and leaves one scratching their head about the lack of success of the band. And yes, echoing those revered icons can be said about an infinite number of bands, except Simply Saucer were doing it in the same era as a band like the Modern Lovers and never got much credit for it. Despite considerable retrospective acclaim of this album amongst a devoted underground, I still find quite a few people who are still playing their Stooges Dictators and Roky Erickson albums repeatedly and have not heard of Simply Saucer. I urge you, do not pass on this gem.