Customer Reviews

D.I.Y.: The Blank Generation - The New York Scene (1975-78)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The score card: 13 songs, 10 groups, 5 chords, 0 notes on key. But it's hard to imagine anything more visceral, fun, and rebellious. The thing you get most here is the humour: "Born to Lose" and "Sheena is a Punk Rocker" are good examples. Some say the English dropped the bomb that shook up rock and roll, but I believe the Ramones and Television (being one of the prime movers of U2) are every bit as important. After all, it was the American record scene that was most bloated, and hence most needed the kick. Sure, there are omissions (Talking Heads?) but the remaining give a pretty fair assessment of New York Punk. "Blank Generation" indeed!

Okay, if you're a fan of punk and new wave, you've probably got at least 6 or 7 of the 19 songs here scattered around your collection already, on Blondie, Ramones, and Television records. But if you're like me and have never heard the Dictators, the Heartbreakers, and several of the other less-famous bands here, you're in for a treat. And Patti Smith, who never appealed to me much, comes across well in the context of like-minded bands.

If you know nothing about the mid-seventies NYC scene, then you owe it to yourself to check this out, especially if you're a fan of more recent styles of punk. Along with the Velvet Underground and the Stooges, the New York bands were touchstones for everything else that followed. Other DIY volumes are out of print, by the way, so you might want to grab this one while you can.

Of all the punk comps floating around out there (there are zillions - buyer beware), this is one of the absolute best, documenting one of the more vital up-from-the-underground DIY scenes with crystalline precision.

The better known bits are still great to have here, and some of the more obscure or otherwise uncollected items, like Johnny Thunders' great and ominous "Chinese Rocks," or The Mumps garage/camp single "Crocodile Tears" are priceless.

Not a dud in the bunch - about the only conspicuous absences are Talking Heads and Pere Ubu - "Thank You For Sending Me An Angel" or "Final Solution" would've fit in very well here.

But this still is a 5-star example of how great New York's underground once was.

-David Alston

When cds first emerged in the early 90's, Rhino records beat everybody to the punch by compiling the best and most relevant punk and new wave songs and digitally re-record ing onto cd. Thats practically ancient history today but, back then, I was pretty psyched to have this [at the time] obscure stuff finally available on cd. Rhino interestingly categorized the music by cities/countries of origin.

Because of the atmosphere of New York, the area was a catharsis for so much art...in all different forms. Back in the 60's and early 70's, the area drew creative types from all over the country, all over the world. The artists that sequed into punk/new wave and avante garde, were, in my opinion, more talented than the more primal driven artists on the West Coast or from across the Atlantic.

There are no standouts on this compilation because it is a collection of standouts. There are some crucial omissions but that would be from obvious licensing issues (Hence, explaining why the amazingly talented Talking Heads, and Lou Reed & Velvet Underground related artists are not included.

I enjoy punk and new wave however, the differece between these artists and the others is that these New York-related artists had a more enduring quality. Patti Smith, Ramones, Johnny Thunders, Blondie...these artists made a lot of great music.

This compilation is so strong that you do not need to be an avid collector to enjoy this excellent sampling of the best of new wave and punk. This is so much more creative and intellectual than the silliness that came out of Los Angeles or the derivative music out of Boston.