Compiled by esteemed writer/ journalist Jon Savage, 'Black Hole' is an extensive 26-track collection celebrating the feverish first wave of Californian Punk.
Parts of it have previously appeared under one roof on Rhino's long-deleted 'We're Desperate' compilation, although bands inhabiting the poppier end of the late 70s Californian spectrum like The Motels, The Quick and The Pop miss out this time round. That's fair enough bearing in mind 'Black Hole' is a record where furious insurrection is primarily the order of the day.
If you're familiar with your Stateside dissenters, you'll probably know some of these firebrands already. THE DEAD KENNEDYS' 'California Uber Alles' remains as staggering as ever. THE GERMS featured future Nirvana/ Foo Fighters guitarist Pat Smear and the late - and none more nihilistic - Darby Crash on vocals. Their track 'Forming' is a ruthlessly basic call to Punk arms and remains inchoate but crucial. Their other contribution 'Media Blitz' is perhaps less historically important, but actually the much better track with the band having tightened up enormously between times. X were built around former husband and wife team Exene Cervenka and John Doe and the B-side to their first single 'We're Desperate' shows just how great they already were two years before their debut album 'Los Angeles' arrived.
Further anti-establishment fury is generated by THE DILS, THE WEIRDOS and THE MIDDLE CLASS. The Dils' savage 'I Hate the Rich' ("I hate the rich and I want their money!") is disarmingly short on grey areas and gloriously souped up to boot. The Middle Class hailed from Santa Ana and allegedly began playing the hard-line 'hardcore' Punk before Black Flag. Their track 'Situations' shows just how uncompromising they were. THE WEIRDOS bequeathed us the stunning 'We Got the Neutron Bomb!' single which sadly doesn't make the cut here, though its' lacerating B-side 'Solitary Confinement' is hardly a poor replacement.
Then there are a clutch of bands I'd never clapped lugs on before and several of them are brilliant. THE AURORA PUSHUPS' 'Victims of Terrorism' was apparently the B-side of a single they released on the obscure Pop Up! Label in 1978, but its' subject matter couldn't be more contemporary, especially its' creepy chorus of "victims of terrorism...someday we all may be!" BLACK RANDY & THE METRO SQUAD featured future Dils guitarist Pat Garrett, but their bizarre, anti-Police rant 'Trouble at the Cup' sounds more like low rent Devo than Black Flag. Even Wikipedia can't help with either THE CONSUMERS or THE RANDOMS though. The former weigh in with 'Anti, Anti, Anti',a stinging anti-materialism rant, while The Randoms' Glam-my 'ABCD' could almost be Slaughter & The Dogs if you squint hard enough.
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It's a compilation, so inevitably there are a few duffers. I doubt I'd lose sleep if I couldn't hear THE SCREAMERS, THE OFFS or THE SCREAMERS again, but some glorious short, sharp shocks like THE AVENGERS' anthemic two-fingers 'The American In Me' ("ask not what you can do for your country, but what you country's doing to you!"ÂÂ) and a later Dils track 'The Sound of the Rain' (lush, chiming power pop anyone?) are more than enough to make up for it.
There are a few glaring omissions. There's no sign of the pre-Rollins Black Flag or everyone's favourite idiot savants The Dickies and I'd personally choose 'Hotwire My Heart' over 'Murder By Guitar' by Crime any day of the week, but ultimately that's just nitpicking. 'Black Hole' smoulders, burns and hurts real good. Crank it up, slap on some factor 100 and work on your tan in the warm California scum.
Pre-order Black Hole here
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