Back In the Day, 1976

Various artists

Live At CBGB's DBL LP

(Atlantic)

This subcultural period document hit shelves in 1976. Also that year, the Ramones issued their maiden wax on Sire.  (Epic had released Bronx metallic proto-Punks the Dictators' debut LP in March of the previous year, which helped trigger the DIY onslaught.) 

The burgeoning New York City Punk uprising featured groups of diverse natures, their sole shared trait being defiant reaction against the tedium of the era's mainstream Rock product. That stylistic dissimilarity distinguishes Live At CBGB's, though with sometimes worthwhile/other instances dismissable result.

In the liner notes, CBGB owner Hilly Kristol claimed "This record album is an anthology of what I believe to be the most exciting 'live performances' captured, from a selection of important bands who have been playing CBGB's in 1975 and 1976." 

His hyperbole is understandable, given that he had a record to sell. But the LP contained no Dead Boys, Blondie, or Richard Hell and the Voidoids -- acts that gained considerable notice and were identified with the momentous scene.  (All would shortly release discs of their own.) Considering the triviality of some bands featured, it appears Kristol had scraped the barrel's bottom.

The major plus is the inclusion of three Tuff Darts mini-classics that portray the band when Robert Gordon was its singer. As the Darts would demonstrate on their 1978 Sire album (recorded after Gordon had begun a successful solo career and Tommy Frenzy had assumed lead vocal duties), it was among the more colorful and proficient of the CBGB class.

Several other Big Apple combos contributed significant entries. Their roles in that storied time merit recognition. Issued in CD format in 2007, Live At CBGB's certainly has recommendable factors, both as a snapshot of that New York epoch and time-capsule preserving important works. But it is hardly free of shortcomings. Know that going in.

Recommended: "All For the Love Of Rock'n'Roll" (Tuff Darts), "I Need a Million" (Laughing Dogs), "Let Me Dream If I Want To" (Mink DeVille), "Head Over Heels" (Tuff Darts), "We Deliver" (The Miamis), "It Feels Alright Tonight" (Laughing Dogs), "Slash" (Tuff Darts)

Video: All tracks

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