Blank Generation - A Story Of Us/Canadian Punk And Its Aftershocks 1975-1981 (Book Set)

リチャード・ヘルのエポック・メイキングなアンセムにちなんで銘打たれた、アメリカ、カナダのパンク・ロック黎明期を広義に捉えたコンピレーション・アルバム『BLANK GENERATION』が5CDボックス・リリース!

ニューヨークからPATTI SMITH GROUP、THE RAMONES、TELEVISION、BLONDIE、THE VOIDOIDS、クリーヴランドからPERE UBU 、THE DEAD BOYS、サンフランシスコからDEAD KENNEDYS、CRIME、アクロンからDEVO、L.A.からTHE GERMSにTHE WEIRDOSなどなど、全米各地からシーンのパイオニアをセレクト。更にはSUICIDE、THE CRAMPS、THE RESIDENTS、CHROMEといった奇抜なアクト、そしてSNEAKERS、CHRIS STAMEY & THE DB'Sパワーポップ勢も収録。更にさらにX、THE REPLACEMENTS、THE FEELIES、REDD KROSS、THE DREAM SYNDICATE、THE GUN CLUB、そしてMINOR THREATなど、1980年代に突入し多様性溢れる進化を遂げたUSパンクロックの進化もしっかりと押さえています。

Blank Generation: A Story of U.S./Canadian Punk & Its Aftershocks 1975-1981 is a thrill ride that twists and turns over five discs worth of bumps, thumps, chills, and spills. Spanning the six years between the time when punk sprang to life and when it shattered and mutated into a hundred different things, the set is endlessly exciting and interesting in equal amounts. Many of the usual suspects are here, from the Ramones to X, but there are numerous side trips that take the listener down blind paths, forsaken alleyways, and dirty back roads, all in pursuit of a sound that was far to the left of the same old thing. From the beginning, the very best punk could be pretty much anything as long as it was reasonably abrasive, happily weird, and not too concerned with making fancy friends. To that end, the art punk of Television sits nicely next to the innocent rock & roll of the Modern Lovers, the jittery bellowing of Pere Ubu plays well with the squirmy power pop of Sneakers, and the desperate sounds of Suicide slot in perfectly with the mirrored girl group style of Blondie. The first disc of the set chronicles the loose beginnings of what came to be known as punk, and the rest tracks the tendrils that snaked through the underground over the next few years, whether it was new wave, art rock, post-punk, paisley underground, or power pop. The choices are very good, mixing in favorite artists like the Patti Smith Group, Devo, the Germs, and the Replacements with mid-tier legends like the Bags, Pointed Sticks, and the Dickies, with a whole bunch of oddball obscurities only a true punk devotee would recognize. As with any compilation like this, sometimes the latter type of songs turn out to be the best things about it. Thats definitely the case here; some of the deep-cut highlights are the Jetsons goofy novelty "Genetically Stupid," Rhino 39s hyped-up rocker "Prolixin Stomp," the Twinkeyzs very weird slice of outsider rock "Aliens in Our Midst," Crash Course in Sciences pulsing example of synth punk "Cardboard Lamb," and John Berenzy Groups "Vice Verses," which sounds like it was recorded while the bandmembers were riding motorcycles around the Lower East Side. Added to these are tracks by bands that are super important to the history of the punk sound in the U.S. who dont always get talked about, like the Pagans, whose "Street Where Nobody Lives" does away with niceties like fidelity or mixing and just delivers a cold hard slap, and songs that point the way to the sounds that were soon to come, namely Minor Threats "Minor Threat," which basically kick-started hardcore. It all plays out like a loud, gnarly, and exciting history lesson that is fun from start to finish. There might be a band or two (or ten) missing -- Black Flag, Bad Brains, and the Wipers are three omissions that, as the liner notes state, are down to licensing issues -- but its really hard to argue with what is included. Blank Generation is pretty much an essential text for anyone who wants a warts-and-all education about the early days of punk in the U.S. and Canada. ~ Tim Sendra