Much like Legs McNeil's "Please Kill Me", this here's an embed from right in the middle of the action, courtesy of Eric Davidson from New Bomb Turks. The Turks were probably my entre into this world of grimy yet tuneful punk rock 'n' roll, having first heard them on their third LP, "Scared Straight". Along with the noisy stuff coming out on AmRep and Man's Ruin, this is what I heard every weekend when I'd drive into Baltimore to visit Reptilian Records to buy music. It was so different from the mall punk then playing on the radio, and the crust and political hardcore my friends and I had been listening to.
The book itself is such a wonderful survey of those years leading up to 9/11, when, simultaneous with America losing her shit, people started paying attention to stripped down rock again. It pays proper homage to Tim Warren and Crypt Records. As much as anyone/thing, they served as the key influence to so many bands from this scene. It's also one of the first times I remember seeing anyone discuss and interview an (inter)national scene. While you could argue that the garage rock revival sprung from the Midwest, by 2000, you listen to similar bands from Osaka to Fagersta to Memphis.
Anyhow, please enjoy the downloadable comp that came with the first printing. There aren't many names missing that I would have added, and an awful lot that, if you've never heard them before, you should check out. I'd never really listened to Oblivians, Clone Defects or Thee Headcoats before buying this; now it's some of my favorite stuff.
Click here to download.
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