Various

Various: This Is Boston, Not L.A.This Is Boston, Not L.A. (1982)
Modern Method

Reviewer Rating: 5

User Rating:

Contributed by: FuckYouOiOiOiFuckYouOiOiOi
(others by this writer | submit your own)
Published on January 16th 2007I first heard of This Is Boston, Not L.A., the classic hardcore punk compilation from the NOFX song "We Got Two Jealous Agains." Recently, I stumbled across it on amazon.com and decided to order it. Little did I know what I was in for... This record punches you in the head and then kicks you in t.

I first heard of This Is Boston, Not L.A., the classic hardcore punk compilation from the NOFX song "We Got Two Jealous Agains." Recently, I stumbled across it on amazon.com and decided to order it. Little did I know what I was in for...

This record punches you in the head and then kicks you in the balls. The first time I listened to it I was slamming around my room, knocking over my light, my guitar, and my garbage can. I was jumping off of my chair and my bed, crashing into walls and giving myself headrushes. At one point (during the Gang Green songs) I kneed myself in the face. It was quite a hard hit so I decided to stay down and take a break. But the next song picked me up and threw me back into the one-man circle pit. At the end of the record, I was out of breath and my room was destroyed. Believe it or not all this is completely true; in fact, I am underexagerrating the truth.

Like the title and album cover suggests, this is a compilation of Boston's seven most prominent hardcore punk bands from back in the early `80s. Those bands are Jerry's Kids, the Proletariat, Groinoids, the F.U.'s, Gang Green, Decadence, and the Freeze. Besides the political, UK-influenced Proletariat, all of these bands play at breakneck speeds and sing with (and about) adolescent rage. My favourite band on the comp is Gang Green. Their seven songs are, as the liner notes describe them, "a god-like punk rock experience."

The CD version comes with the original 30 songs, plus the Unsafe at Any Speed EP released shortly afterwards (which feature one unreleased song by six of the bands). The liner notes feature a very candid description of the Boston scene as well as lyrics to each of the songs.

If you are looking for melodic, musical virtuosos you won't find it here; this is a fucking punk record. But what these bands lack in skill, they more than make up for in speed and sheer chaos. But it's not for everybody -- only listen to it if you're ready for a powerful blast of pure hardcore punk energy.

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Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not respon sible for them in any way. Seriously.

ifgabeldiesiwilldie (January 7, 2009)

Boston is by far the best city for hardcore in the 80s. Not Only the bands (Gang Green, Jerry's Kids, ect.) but for the venues (The Rat, the Channel, ect.) Boston music was the best then. Today not so much...

feeeding5000 (January 22, 2007)

The poser comment was sarcasm...a joke.

Anonymous (January 21, 2007)

X sucks, and the minutemen don't have much to do with punk rock.

Anonymous (January 19, 2007)

"Eh, mass labeling of all simplistic music as "stupid punk" is something people do when they become or try to become "sophisticated" music fans... Most of them are faking it.

-Will"

I know I used to argue with you a lot, Will, but I'm finding myself agreeing with you most of the time now. That couldn't be more spot on.

SilentStorms (January 19, 2007)

Ahahahah I'm a poser. Considering you know NOTHING about me that is kind of a stupid thing to say. But your entitled to your opinion and I'm entitled to mine. I think you're a fucking douchebag.

Anonymous (January 18, 2007)

"punk rock in the 80s, by city

1. los angeles
2. washington d.c.
3. orange county
4. new york
5. boston

yeah that's right, and you know...yeah even Will knows it

Los Angeles kept punk rock alive in the 80s"

1. MINNEAPOLIS!

the replacements and husker du > almost every other band for the entire 80s.

Anonymous (January 18, 2007)

Eh, mass labeling of all simplistic music as "stupid punk" is something people do when they become or try to become "sophisticated" music fans... Most of them are faking it.

-Will

Anonymous (January 18, 2007)

To the guy below, if you think that X and the Minutemen suck you really need to stay 500 yards away from "punk" at all times.

the_other_scott (January 18, 2007)

you think all those bands are crappy?

have you listened to them?

Anonymous (January 18, 2007)

"The Dills"

Ha.

Anonymous (January 18, 2007)

punk is about playing fast and playing hard. this record encompasses that fully.

Anonymous (January 18, 2007)

X, Fear, The Germs, Black Flag, Circle Jerks, The Dickies, Minutemen, The Zeros, The Dills, Bad Religion, Descendents, The Screamers, nofx

need i say more?

That depends, are you backing or defending my position that LA sucks?
I'll give u Black Flag, some circle jerks, other than that, you got a lot of crappy music there. you don't have to like shitty music because someone told you it's punk.

Anonymous (January 18, 2007)

wow, havent heard the term poser in a while. You can like punk and not this cd. It's actually quite easy, because this cd sucks. I love punk and I'm from Boston, but these people make it sound like this is an amzing and important cd, which is funny.

Anonymous (January 18, 2007)

this review is a fucking poser. i cant even read his misguided,16yr old,dilluded opinion on punk and oi.

feeeding5000 (January 18, 2007)

Actually, it does mean you're not punk. It means that you're a total poser, dude.

SilentStorms (January 18, 2007)

If I don't like this music does that mean I'm not punk? Of course it doesn't, but I'm sure some peeps on here will rag on me for not liking 'true' punk rock. And yes slamdancing in your own room by yourself seems a little ... weird.

FuckYouOiOiOi (January 17, 2007)

i guess somebody should edit that review and take out the 'only' part.

Anonymous (January 17, 2007)

"The first time I listened to this album I was in my room, lying on my bed. After the second song I was up and slam dancing. Trust me, I am not making this up. That's the first and only time an album has inspired me to slam dance."

-Taken from FuckYouOiOiOi's review of Youth of Today - "We're Not In This Alone"

Anonymous (January 17, 2007)

in the words of the minutemen, punk is whatever we want it to be

ilikepunkrock (January 17, 2007)

Best review on this website in a long time. It is too bad every other review this week sucks and there is 1 other punk review. Score is for the review, California Punk, Gang Green, and Budweiser.

the_other_scott (January 17, 2007)

X, Fear, The Germs, Black Flag, Circle Jerks, The Dickies, Minutemen, The Zeros, The Dills, Bad Religion, Descendents, The Screamers, nofx

need i say more?

Anonymous (January 17, 2007)

LA punk sucks......GnFnR's!!!

Ianw (January 17, 2007)

Fuck LA.

DEEEEEETROOOOIT!

FuckYouOiOiOi (January 17, 2007)

according to the liner notes, the album title isn't suggesting that LA is bad, its just encouraging boston bands to find their own sound instead of ripping off LA.

and LA and Bay Area punk is the best.

AphasiacIIC (January 16, 2007)

los angeles punk past and present>>>>>boston

Anonymous (January 16, 2007)

YOU FIRST HEARD OF THIS COMP IN A NOFX SONG THAT CAME OUT LIKE 2 YEARS AGO!!!!???!!!! NIGGA YOU DUMB.

(it's a good fuckin comp though)

Anonymous (January 16, 2007)

European hardcore was definitely around at the same time, if not a little beforehand. Discharge started in 1977 (even though they originally didn't sound as harsh). Early crust (before it was as "epic/ black metal/ thrash metal" influenced) counts as hardcore. Americans were influenced by the Europeans and vice versa. Negative Approach is a good point: perfect example of an American band really influenced by what was going on in the UK at the same time. Also, Poison Idea.

-Will

JayTee (January 16, 2007)

Hey Feeding, not to dog on your list and stuff, but I think if LA and The OC get two seperate categories than certainly Detroit and Chicago can as well. "Midwest" blech.

Anonymous (January 16, 2007)

...Yeah, dudes but Michigan was the birthplace of Punk. MC5 and the Stooges, motherfuckers.

-Ken

P.S... Negative Approach anyone?

Anonymous (January 16, 2007)

JERRY'S KIDS - "Is this My World?" is the greatest hardcore LP of all time. Sorry Flag, Sorry Gauze.

-Ken

feeeding5000 (January 16, 2007)

And FuckYouOiOiOi - do you have ADD? Becaus running around your room seems a little...well, let's say hyperactive. But, I guess it's better hyperactive today than radioactive tomorrow.

feeeding5000 (January 16, 2007)

Oh yeah, UK punk scene doesn't count, because it wasn't "Hardcore" until 85/86, and, from an outsider's perspective 20 years after the fact, it wasn't quite so regional. But I would say that the UK anarcho punk was more entertaining than all of the other scenes mentioned, and Britcore (Heresy, Ripcord, Plasmid) comes in right after Boston. UK crust is an entity unto itself, Oi! fans were skinheads and unrelated, and UK 82 is mostly pretty stupid.

Anonymous (January 16, 2007)

santa: the man, the myth, the slamdancer.

Anonymous (January 16, 2007)

there was a comercial that used to come on mtv in the mid 90s around christmas that has a cartoon santa drawn into a mosh pit while "slam" by decadence was playing. swear to god.

Anonymous (January 16, 2007)

Chicago owns brother...

"punk rock in the 80s, by city

1. los angeles
2. washington d.c.
3. orange county
4. new york
5. boston

yeah that's right, and you know...yeah even Will knows it

Los Angeles kept punk rock alive in the 80s"

Anonymous (January 16, 2007)

bow to THE PROLETARIAT
-Janelle

Anonymous (January 16, 2007)

Classic comp

BlankTV (January 16, 2007)

Seven way split:
Gang Green
The Freeze
The F.U.'s
Jerry's Kids
Decadence
The Proletariat
Groinoids

ashtraymonument (January 16, 2007)

you know who i dont like? blood for blood...

BlankTV (January 16, 2007)

"I'm gonna choose my victim
I have to sneak up...from behind
Gonna hit him...in the head
Gonna rip his Rock Lobster shirt

Decadence - "Slam"

Still one of my favorite albums, twenty-some-odd years later.

miff (January 16, 2007)

so basically its a five way split cd?

miff (January 16, 2007)

what about the UK punk scene in the 80s?
or does that not count cos its outside of america?

feeeding5000 (January 16, 2007)

Ahem! Best punk scenes from the '80's, based on my biased and incomplete bullshit ideas.
DC
Boston
The Midwest (Chicago, Detroit, etc.)
San Francisco
Vancouver
LA
Orange County
New York
Feel free to give me a virtual kick in the balls.

strangenotes (January 16, 2007)

All these bands fucking rule. The review is spot-on in terms of self-inflicted punk damage. A

the_other_scott (January 16, 2007)

down below forgot San Fran

but yeah that shit's legit

lushj (January 16, 2007)

This is one of the best punk comps of the 1980s, no kidding. The Freeze are perfect on this, but all of the bands put out pretty fucking awesome performances too. Ab Fab.

Anonymous (January 16, 2007)

punk rock in the 80s, by city

1. los angeles
2. washington d.c.
3. orange county
4. new york
5. boston

yeah that's right, and you know...yeah even Will knows it

Los Angeles kept punk rock alive in the 80s

FuckYouOiOiOi (January 16, 2007)

This record reminded me of why i listen to punk.

Anonymous (January 16, 2007)

One of the first punk albums I ever owned. I actually found this record with a pile of a few other punk classics at a hotel I was staying at in 1996. It was like finding a holy grail for a 14 year old kid just getting into punk. I'm not sure if I'd go to nuts over it if I heard it now for the first time, but this definately made it's way on to my turntable many, many times over the years.

Anonymous (January 16, 2007)

one of the most classic comps of the 80's. its about fucking time this gets reviewed

Anonymous (January 16, 2007)

Gang Green added me on Myspace, and yes they still tour, and yes, they seem kind of lame these days.

-Will

ahoitherr (January 16, 2007)

Do Gang Green still tour? I havn't heard anything since the Boston Invasion your a year or two ago.

rubyx (January 16, 2007)

score is for Boston

joeg (January 16, 2007)

boston fucking bringin it to the table. ultra-fast, pissed off, no bullshit, breakdown free hardcore. love it.

Anonymous (January 16, 2007)

"At the end of the record, I was out of breath and my room was destroyed."

NO ALLOWANCE FOR TWO WEEKS, YOUNG MAN!

This record RULEZ. Obviously missing the Boston Crew bands, but still fun as hell.

-Will

Phantom_Maggot (January 16, 2007)

"We Got Two Jealous Agains", is a great fucking song. I'm going to say I will call it damn romantic as well. Also, any time I cannot think of anything to buy I try to snag an album that I don't already own which is mentioned on that track. Great shit.

Godfather (January 16, 2007)

since when did fuckyou become so pc?....more vulgarity, goddamnit!

Anonymous (January 16, 2007)

im in agreement with the guy below..............

GlassPipeMurder (January 16, 2007)

and it's at the bottom because it's not a recent release.

GlassPipeMurder (January 16, 2007)

want this so bad...i love Gang Green.

Anonymous (January 16, 2007)

score is for a review of an actual punk cd being posted... too bad it's at the bottom of the list.