78-82: Yes L.A.!

Welcome to our series on Los Angeles’ awesome punk, post-punk, and new wave scene circa 1976-1986. This is the best primer on the L.A. scene you’re gonna find this side of the defunct Scavenged Luxury blog (which you should check out). This five-part series features 10+ hours of music as we dig really deep into a scene that more than held its own against NYC. Plenty of usual suspects to be had in the form of X (that’s John Doe and Exene Cervenka pictured above), Germs, The Dream Syndicate, Wall of Voodoo, Descendents, Black Flag, The Blasters, The Motels, Rain Parade, Sparks, The Knack, Circle Jerks, Bad Religion, Bangles, Christian Death, and Devo (yep—they took root in LA for a bit). But we’re gonna wade way into the deep end as well, so ready yourself to hear some real obscuro nuggets. And be sure to flip through all the photos we scanned from old fanzines.

A full tracklist for each part can be found below the players.

Playlist: Part 1

  1. Germs — Lexicon Devil
  2. Plebs — Redhead
  3. Rainy Day — Sloop John B.
  4. The Child Molesters — I’m Gonna Punch You (In The Face)
  5. The Deadbeats — Kill The Hippies
  6. Alisa — I Love An Ape
  7. Outer Circle — Another Moon
  8. Choir Invisible — Hands Of Another
  9. Savage Republic — Next To Nothing
  10. The Egyptian Lover — I Cry (Night After Night)
  11. The Dickies — Got It At The Store
  12. Fender Buddies — Poolside
  13. Holly And The Italians — I Wanna Go Home
  14. Michael C. Ford — Autograph
  15. Tom Recchion — Metallic Bowl
  16. Abecedarians — Smiling Monarchs
  17. The Leaving Trains — She’s Looking At You
  18. Youth Brigade — Sink With California
  19. Peer Group — I Saw That Movie
  20. Null And Void — I Can See What’s Happening
  21. Berlin — Tell Me Why
  22. Iron Curtain — Tarantula Scream
  23. Descendents — Bikeage
  24. S.V.D.B. — Chain Reaction
  25. The Knitters — Poor Little Critter On The Road
  26. fIREHOSE — Chemical Wire
  27. The Zeros — Beat Your Heart Out
  28. Little Girls — The Earthquake Song
  29. D.I. — Reagan Der Fuhrer
  30. 45 Grave — Riboflavin-Flavored Non-Carbonated Polyunsaturated Blood
  31. Doo-Dooettes — Scrapyard
  32. Transport — Isotope Tan
  33. The Three O’Clock — Jet Fighter
  34. Shadow Minstrels — Great Expectations
  35. The Unclaimed — Run From Home
  36. Eddie & The Subtitles — Zombie Drug Killers
  37. The Runaways — Lovers
  38. The Plugz — Wordless
  39. The Brainiacs — Drunk With Funk
  40. Red Wedding — Drums
  41. Nip Drivers — Cindy
  42. Tupelo Chain Sex — America Today
  43. The Knack — Let Me Out
  44. Rik L Rik — Meat House

Playlist: Part 2

  1. The Plimsouls — How Long Will It Take
  2. The Zippers — Lock On My Heart
  3. Ill Repute — Clean-Cut American Kid
  4. Zoogz Rift — Island Of Living Puke
  5. Suicidal Tendencies — I Shot The Devil
  6. Johanna Went — Slave Beyond The Grave
  7. Slow Children — Staring At The Ceiling
  8. The Weirdos — A Life Of Crime
  9. Marina Swingers — I’m A Swinger
  10. Bone Cabal — I O Betulah
  11. Repetition Repetition — Over & Over, Pt. 8
  12. John Doe — That Day Comes When
  13. 17 Pygmies — Suit Of Nails
  14. The Eyes Of Mind — Alice
  15. Standard Of Living — So Hard
  16. The Flesh Eaters — See You In The Boneyard
  17. Rhino 39 — Prolixin Stomp
  18. Levi & The Rockats — Room To Rock
  19. U.X.A. — Tragedies
  20. Overkill — Burn The School
  21. Human Hands — Jubilee
  22. Screamin’ Sirens — Your Good Girl’s Gonna Go Bad
  23. Danny & The Doorknobs (Trotsky Icepick) — Poison Summer
  24. Agent Orange — Everything Turns Gray
  25. Monitor — Beak
  26. Earle Mankey — Crazy
  27. Cipher — Harmonic 33
  28. Party Boys — Jim Jones
  29. Middle Class — Mosque
  30. Dr. Know — Fist Fun
  31. Slovenly — Now
  32. If-Then-Else — The Wedge
  33. Eddie Call — Gimme A Break
  34. Green On Red — Black Night
  35. The Hollywood Squares — Hillside Strangler
  36. Code Blue — Whisper/Touch
  37. Oingo Boingo — Controller
  38. Trees — India
  39. Marina La Palma — Mi Ni Parolas
  40. League Of Nations — Index Of Motion
  41. The Pandoras — I Want Him
  42. The Balancing Act — Zig Zag Wanderer
  43. Randoms — Let’s Get Rid of New York
  44. The Crowd — Trix Are For Kids
  45. Action Now — Try

Playlist: Part 3

  1. Black Flag — Gimmie Gimmie Gimmie
  2. The Gun Club — Fire Spirit
  3. The Blasters — Barefoot Rock
  4. The Rotters — Sit On My Face Stevie Nicks
  5. Nervous Gender — Nothing To Hide
  6. Zolar X — Science
  7. David Roback — Dinnertime Blues
  8. Subjects — Augie
  9. 100 Flowers — Horizontal
  10. Painted Willie — My Fellow Americans
  11. Würm — Modern Man
  12. The Fibonaccis — Tumor
  13. Invisible Zoo — Synthesizer Man
  14. Kommunity FK — The Vision And The Voice
  15. Concrete Blonde — Still In Hollywood
  16. Mood Of Defiance — The Divided States of America
  17. Angry Samoans — Tuna Taco
  18. The Pop — Legal Tender Love
  19. Surf Punks — Beer Can Beach
  20. Modern Warfare — Dayglo
  21. Stains — Sick And Crazy
  22. Phast Phreddie — Zombies In Chinatown
  23. Rikk Agnew — 10
  24. Dogma Probe — Thirteen
  25. Psi-Com — Psi-Com (Theme)
  26. Jane Bond & the Undercovermen — I Made Love To A Communist
  27. The Quick — Playtime
  28. Bangles — The Real World
  29. The Dream Syndicate — That’s What You Always Say
  30. Carl Stone — Wave Heat
  31. Tex & The Horseheads — Chicken Bounty Hunter
  32. American Gorilla — Forsaking All Others
  33. CH3 (Channel 3) — You Make Me Feel Cheap
  34. The Alley Cats — Nothing Means Nothing Anymore
  35. The Last — She Don’t Know Why I’m Here
  36. Howard Werth — Obsolete
  37. The Consumers — Teen Love Song
  38. Wall Of Voodoo — Ring Of Fire
  39. Randall Kennedy — Enorma Jones
  40. Suburban Lawns — Janitor
  41. T.S.O.L. — Abolish Government / Silent Majority
  42. Eyes — Disneyland
  43. Vivabeat — Man From China
  44. Unit 3 With Venus — B.O.Y.S.

Playlist: Part 4

  1. X — We’re Desperate
  2. Twisted Roots — The Yellow One
  3. Simpletones — I Like Drugs
  4. Kent State — Radio Moscow
  5. Wet Picnic — Cocktailed Sky
  6. Fourwaycross — Apologize
  7. Red Hot Chili Peppers — Police Helicopter
  8. Henry Rollins — Henry
  9. The F-Beat — Sharin
  10. Josie Cotton — Johnny Are You Queer?
  11. Red Cross — Kill Someone You Hate
  12. Afterimage — Relapse
  13. Urinals — I Am White And Middle Class
  14. The Mau Maus — (I’m) Psychotic
  15. Artless Entanglements — Dildos, Bondage, And Toys
  16. Slivers — Sport
  17. The Vandals — The Legend Of Pat Brown
  18. Blood on the Saddle — I Wish I Was A Single Girl (Again)
  19. The Long Ryders — I Had A Dream
  20. Wild Kingdom — Roma / Destiny
  21. Saccharine Trust — Longing For Ether
  22. The Bags — Survive
  23. Sparks — Mickey Mouse
  24. Hilary — Drop Your Pants
  25. Cathedral Of Tears — Calm Storm
  26. Minutemen — Sell Or Be Sold
  27. Stepmothers — Let Her Dance
  28. Adolescents — Rip It Up
  29. Vox Pop — You’re My Favorite
  30. Kaos — Alcoholiday
  31. The Signals — Gotta Let Go
  32. Points Of Friction — Midnight Globe
  33. Life After Death — Isn’t It Time
  34. Psychobud — Yellow Fog
  35. The Motels — Art Fails
  36. Stiv Bators — Make Up Your Mind
  37. The Vidiots — Laurie’s Lament
  38. Alex Gibson — Grey Turns To Black
  39. The Miller Bros. — Dog Shit Bay
  40. The Cramps — Don’t Eat Stuff Off The Sidewalk
  41. The Untold Fables — Rockhead
  42. The Dils — I Hate The Rich
  43. Flyboys — I Couldn’t Tell
  44. The Nerves — Give Me Some Time
  45. Rain Parade — Blue

Playlist: Part 5

  1. Devo — The Day My Baby Gave Me A Surprize
  2. IQ Zero — Zero Gravity
  3. Wasted Youth — Fuck Authority
  4. Red Scare — Streetlife
  5. Christian Death — Sleepwalk
  6. Social Distortion — The Creeps (I Just Wanna Give You)
  7. The Brat — Attitudes
  8. Eleven Pond — Watching Trees
  9. Radio Music — Johnny Angel / New Dance
  10. Chas Smith — October ’68
  11. The Romans — Runway
  12. Bay Of Pigs — Wife Swapping In Granada Hills
  13. Battery Farley — Flag Waving Idiots
  14. Stukas Over Bedrock — Life Like Yogi
  15. Circle Jerks — World Up My Ass
  16. BPeople — Weather To Worry
  17. Gleaming Spires — Are You Ready For The Sex Girls?
  18. John Trubee — Angelic Overview
  19. Food And Shelter — I Like Smog
  20. Wednesday Week — I Hate Lying To Mom
  21. Go-Go’s — You Can’t Walk in Your Sleep (If You Can’t Sleep)
  22. Gary Valentine — The First One
  23. 20/20 — Cheri
  24. Dramarama — Scenario
  25. Bad Religion — Latch Key Kids
  26. Cheifs — The Lonelys
  27. Fear — New York’s Alright if You Like Saxophones
  28. Controllers — Electric Church
  29. Divine Horsemen — My Sin
  30. Missing Persons — Walking In L.A.
  31. Animal Dance — Fake
  32. New Marines — I Like Baseball
  33. Geza X — We Need More Power
  34. Black Randy & His Elite Metro Squad — Idi Amin
  35. Bakersfield Boogie Boys — Okie From Muskogee
  36. VOM — I’m In Love With Your Mom
  37. Artistic Decline — Fallen In Love
  38. Earth Dies Burning — Bored Teenager
  39. White Flag — Psycho Cop
  40. The Reactors — It’s Hard To Be A Rebel
  41. The Unknowns — Not My Memory
  42. Saigon — Annihilation
  43. The Screamers — The Beat Goes On (demo)
  44. The Gears — Hard Rock
  45. Systems of Romance — Girls Want Thrills
  46. The Halibuts — Mr. Mysterioso
  47. The Beat — Rock N Roll Girl