BOXSET REVIEW: CBGB: A New York City Soundtrack 1975-1986 (Cherry Red Records)
CBGBs was the sleazy club on Manhattan’s Bowery which was the birthplace of American punk rock and underground music in the 1970s and became the most famous venue in the world.
Known for its dive-bar feel, graffiti-covered walls and notorious toilets, under owner Hilly Kristal it hosted early shows by up and coming bands like Blondie, Television, Talking Heads, Ramones and Patti Smith.
The ‘big five’ all went on to much greater things, and of course they’re represented on this 101-track retrospective, which is spread over four CDs. Two songs are previously unreleased, with a dozen more appearing on CD for the first time.
It’s the cast of lesser-known bands who will attract most people to buy this set, whether they’ve heard of them or not. Cherry Red are the masters at this kind of compilation, and have tried to include dozens of long-forgotten forgotten acts who also graced the CBGBs stage.
They encompass the full gamut of alternative music, from proto-punk to post-punk, through new wave and power pop, to no wave and hardcore, and any other odd genres you can think of.
Some of the names will be familiar: The Dictators, who kick off the set with (I Live For) Cars And Girls, The Heartbreakers, whose Born To Lose is a bona fide NYC punk classic, and bands like The Dead Boys, Suicide, Richard Hell and the Voidoids, and The Cramps, all of whose influence has been felt by countless bands.
Then there’s outliers like Mink De Ville and Bush Tetras, and bands who would go on to become big in their own scenes, like Reagan Youth, Minor Threat, Bad Brains, Sonic Youth and Beastie Boys (who found worldwide fame after switching from hardcore to hip-hop).
The real joy is finding gems which had previously passed you by; songs like The Senders’ You Really Piss Me Off, Cherry Vanilla’s saucy Hard As A Rock, Shrapnel’s Combat Love, Stimulators’ Loud Fast Rules, Sorrows’ Teenage Heartbreak and Pure Hell’s I Feel Bad, to name just a handful.
I found it odd the New York Dolls weren’t included, until a quick Google revealed they were basically done by the time CBs was in its heyday, and didn’t play there until its penultimate show in 2006. Sylvain Sylvain (as a solo artist), Johnny Thunders and Jerry Nolan (with The Heartbreakers) are represented, as is original member Rick Rivets (with Brats), so their legacy is noted.
Of course there’s tracks you’ll listen to once and then always skip, but if you can’t find plenty to enjoy here you mustn’t really like music, so, in the words of The Electric Chairs, Fuck Off. 8.5/10.
