California Punk On Record

Germs : Manimal

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In October of 1979 the LA-based Germs released (GI), "Germs Incognito", often considered the first hardcore punk album. Produced by Joan Jett, the album consists of 15 songs written by the self destructive, Scientology-reared, closeted homosexual Darby Crash along with future Nirvana and Foo Fighters guitarist Pat Smear. Smear's riffs set the standard for hardcore. Crash's lyrics are smarter and sharper than you'd ever guess upon first listening to the album. Crash may have cemented the legend of he Germs with his intentional suicide in December of 1980.

Avengers : Corpus Christi

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Meanwhile in San Francisco, Penelope Houston's seminal punk band, The Avengers released a self titled four song EP on the White Noise label. Among the first female fronted punk bands in the US, The Avengers played more than 100 shows and supported the Sex Pistols at the band's legendary final show at Winterland. Some even claim the Avengers blew the Sex Pistols off the stage!

Visit Penelope's website and you'll see how the artists has grown without dismissing her adventurous side. 

Gimme Gimme Your Minds

The Germs : Lexicon Devil

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In May of 1978 the LA based punk band, The Germs,  released a three song EP highlighted by "Lexicon Devil". It was the first release by a nascent Slash Records. The Germs, led by the short lived singer Darby Crash and guitarist Pat Smear,  has already achieved punk immortality at a gig in which they smeared themselves and each other with peanut butter.  Bullied in school, Crash was fascinated with the idea of mind control and anarchy. 

That's why "Lexicon Devil" may be the band's ultimate statement:

I'm a Lexicon devil with a battered brain 
Searching for a future the world's my aim 
So gimme gimme your hands gimme gimme your minds 
Gimme gimme your hands gimme gimme your minds
Gimme gimme this gimme gimme that

On December 6, 1980 Crash committed suicide by overdosing on hundreds of dollars worth of heroin. His body was found a day before John Lennon's murder. After playing with Nirvana on tour, Smear is a member of the Foo Fighters.