Darby Crash Rides Again: The Early Years (2024 Remastered)

Southern Lord's comprehensive reissue of Poison Idea's entire recorded output begins with this remarkably thorough 29-song trawl through the Portland, Oregon hardcore heroes' earliest recordings (named in deference, incidentally, to doomed Germs frontman Darby Crash, whose influence on P.I. vocalist Jerry A. cannot be overstated). First up is the previously unreleased Boner's Kitchen demo from 1981, which, thanks to digital remastering, frankly wouldn't sound much like a demo anymore, were it not for the band's intentionally shambolic performances and ad hoc chatter in-between songs. Interestingly, these first six tracks showcase the playing of original Poison Idea guitarist, Chris Tense, who exited long enough to make way for the arrival of legendary Tom "Pig Champion" Roberts, before rejoining the band on bass. Next up is an expanded version of 1982's Darby Crash Rides Again demo, which arguably sounds even more caustic and crude, but packs plenty of raw power to go with the emergence of better structured songs like "All Right," "Pure Hate," etc. The only way to top this is with a venomous and belligerent live set, and so that's what the listener is treated to, by way of a live on-the-air session captured at a 1983 benefit show for Portland's KBOO, which sees Poison Idea verbally castigating the charitable public amid spirited performances of "Typical" (dedicated to all of the "masculine punks" in the audience), the Ronald Reagan-bashing "Spy," and the similarly truculent "Ugly American." A few outtakes from the Record Collectors Are Pretentious Assholes EP sessions round out this package with a double salute to Poison Idea's punk influences (the intro to "Town Hall" apes the Sex Pistols' "Anarchy in the U.K.") and future dalliances with heavy metal (a cover of "Motorhead" by, errr…Motorhead), pointing the way forward. So too does this impressive collection, one hopes, and concerns about the subsequent items in Southern Lord's Poison Idea reissue series can be laid to rest; fans will no doubt anticipate the next disc with bated breath. ~ Eduardo Rivadavia