Jerry's Kids

Recently I've been thinking about the serious lack of 80's hardcore on here. Not only is it foundational to everything else on here, but also arguably the best of anything on here (protest away). Early 80's hardcore (especially the DC/Dischord stuff) was basically my gateway into punk/hardcore, and even underground music as a whole. So I think I'll try to post some of the best bands from that era, because that is a legacy that needs to be shared and kept intact, or at least I think so.

To start off, we have Boston's Jerry's Kids, formed in 1981. Right from the get go, they were loud, fast, and dirty. Young and pissed off, with no holds barred once they got going. They first appeared on the now legendary compilation This Is Boston Not LA (which is similar to Dischord's Flex Your Head from earlier that year), along with other noteworthy bands such as Gang Green and The F.U.'s. This made west coast hardcore bands sound almost refined in comparison (maybe with the exception of The Germs, who they probably took influence from). The playing is spastic, the vocals throat-shredding, and they played with an angry desperation that always took the forefront to perfection and cleanliness. After their original singer had to leave the band, bassist Rick Jones took over on vocals, and would continue in that role for the remainder of the band's existence. The band dropped Is This My World? in 1983, which is easily one of the most classic hardcore records from this era (in my opinion second tier only to the obvious ones such as Damaged or Bad Brains' self-titled).  Is This My World? is the sound of a young band finally coming into their own. Every instrument seems to still be rolling over each other in a spastic frenzy, but this chaos is at an intensive peak that is undeniable. They had the songs, some musical talent, and enough passion and energy to demolish a stage (literally).

In 1984, they broke up, but reformed two years later in 1986. They released another album in 1989, entitled Kill Kill Kill, which sounded more like the speed metal sound that was popular at the time rather than their early material. Though they still are distinctly Jerry's Kids, the production is much cleaner, the songs actually manage to hold themselves together, and they feature guitar solos with some real technical capability. Though this is still a solid album, it never got the attention or praise their debut did. A year after the release, they broke up again. They did a reunion show in 1994, and nothing else until 2004, when they reunited (again). They played a few shows between 2004 and 2007, but have been inactive since and released no statement on further activity. This is a classic hardcore band, that I would recommend to anyone already into early 80's punk, or even someone just starting to gain interest in it. If anyone wants more bands from this era, let me know, because I have a ton of stuff from here that I would love to share with anyone interested. Enjoy.

This Is Boston Not L.A. (1982)

1. Jerry's Kids - Straight Jacket

2. Jerry's Kids - Uncontrollable

3. Jerry's Kids - Wired

4. Jerry's Kids - Desperate

5. Jerry's Kids - Pressure

6. Jerry's Kids - I Don't Wanna

7. The Proletariat - Options

8. The Proletariat - Religion Is The Opium Of The Masses

9. The Proletariat - Allegiance

10. The Groinoids - Angel

11. The F.U.'s - Preskool Dropout

12. The F.U.'s - Radio UNIX U.S.A.

13. The F.U.'s - Green Beret

14. The F.U.'s - Time Is Money

15. Gang Green - Snob

16. Gang Green - Lie Lie

17. Gang Green - I Don't Know

18. Gang Green - Rabies

19. Gang Green - Narrow Mind

20. Gang Green - Kill A Commie

21. Gang Green - Have Fun

22. Decadence - Slam

23. The Freeze - Broken Bones

24. The Freeze - Idiots At Happy Hour

25. The Freeze - Now Or Never

26. The Freeze - Sacrifice Not Suicide

27. The Freeze - It's Only Alcohol

28. The Freeze - Trouble If You Hide 

29. The Freeze - Time Bomb

30. The Freeze - This Is Boston Not L.A.

Unreleased EP (1982)

1. Straight Jacket

2. Uncontrollable

3. Why Me

4. I'm Pissed

5. Wired

6. Desperate

7. Pressure

8. I Don't Wanna

9. I Hate You

10. Lysol

11. Machine Gun

12. It's Ok

13. Circus (cut off)

Note: Thanks to Blogged And Quartered for this

Is This My World? (1983)

1. I Don't Belong

2. Cracks In The Wall

3. Tear It Up

4. Crucify Me

5. Break The Mold

6. Raise The Curtain

7. Vietnam Syndrome

8. Build Me A Bomb

9. New World

10. Lost

11. No Time

12. Is This My World?

Kill Kill Kill (1989)

1. Need Some

2. Torn Apart

3. Breathe & Fuck

4. Fire

5. Bad Trip

6. Back Off

7. Rippin' Out Your Tired Eyes

8. Spymaster

9. Right Now

10. Satan's Toy

11. Twisted Brain

12. Machine Gun

13. Reprise