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-Side 1-
01 - AKA - Tomorrow's Theme
02 - The Cheifs - No Justice
03 - The Cheifs - Riot Squad
04 - Shattered Faith - Discontent
05 - The Suspects - Baby Maybe
06 - The Suspects - I Had Fun
07 - Civil Disobedience - Confused
08 - Political Crap - Rejected
09 - Civil Disobedience - Too Drunk Last Night
-Side 2-
10 - The Suspects - Hollywood Nightmare
11- AKA - Liza Jane
12 - The Cheifs - Scrapped
13 - Shattered Faith - Trilogy
14 - Civil Disobedience - Campaign Promises
15 - The Suspects - Make Me
16 - Shattered Faith - I Love America
17 - Political Crap - On Your Own
18 - Political Crap - Political Crap
I hadn't heard these groups before and most of them play different songs, varying from fast hardcore thrashers to slower mid-tempo tracks. Sometimes they succeed in involving me, other times they are more boring, but at least there a lot of guitar solos... I wonder why these guys, in 1981, decided to try out all the styles of LA punk (Circle One did something similar on Public Service) instead of playing only straight forward thrashers, like the Circle Jerks and other people did since 1980 or even before. I know that I should ask to the members of the bands, but I don't think that I will be able to find them! If anybody as good ideas about it, please let me know!
The sound quality isn't so good (I guess the title refers also to that!) because sometimes the instruments are real low and the voice is too loud and with that nasty echo... I read jokes saying that it was because it was recorded in Compton (a violent and depressed area in LA). Is that true? Were all these bands from Compton?
The Suspects play my favorite track in here: Make Me. It has a quite typical hardcore structure with two slow parts, followed by accelerations with stop'n'go; it seems the most "modern" track of this record. Their other songs aren't so good, but still OK, especially the ending of Baby Maybe is great. I had fun is more in the thrasher form, while Hollywood Nightmere is more complex and has a guitar solo.
Campaign Promises by Civil Disobedience is very similar to Make Me as it has the stop'n'go, it lacks the time changing but the singer has a rougher voice. Confused is a typical thrasher song, while the other tracks are more linked to the '77 sound, but all have a feroucios atmosphere.
Political Crap's theme song is their best track and even if it's mainly "drum noise" it transmits energy. In On your own they face the anthemic style while in Rejected they quite wank with blue chords' bending...
The Chiefs continue in the vein of combining melodic guitar with a rough, feroucious sound... Their best track could be Scrapped which has a faster pace and nice drumming.
The AKA have both songs in the same vein which doesn't seem much affected by hardcore, but still linked to the '77 punk. Tomorrow's Theme is quite in the anthemic form, while Liza Jane is poppy...
Shattered Faith are like the superstars of this record, being the only group that is still remembered after all this time. They don't change their style in the different tracks: the voice is melancholic melody, but their rythm reminds me of some Germs' songs. I didn't find a song that stands above the other, but they seem more skillful players then the other bands and their guitar work is good!
I tried to make this review, but I believe It wasn't an easy record to comment, also because I don't understand its role or importance (if it had any).... Anyway I'll be glad to correct it according to your suggestions