Album Review
Anyone who wasn’t heavily into the British punk-rock scene, during its early days in the late 1970s, probably wouldn’t associate Bristol with that era at all. However, this new compilation album from Bristol Archive Records proves not only that there was a punk scene at that time, but also that it was thriving. Although many of the names on this CD would not have previously sprung to mind when thinking about that particular period of music, it seems that these bands were not just relevant but were actually really good. Old school punk rockers may be familiar with the likes of Vice Squad, Chaos UK, Disorder and Chaotic Dischord.
The album kicks off with ‘Defiant Pose’ from the original Bristol punks The Cortinas, which features one of the best guitar riffs on the CD. These guys were one of the first bands to appear during the early days of the scene and were around at the same time as some of the better known acts. They even recorded a session for John Peel and their guitarist Nick Sheppard went on to join The Clash (that’s right, The Clash) for a brief period.
Elsewhere on the album, you can find a diverse range of music that all fits within the boundaries of the punk-rock genre. There are some great melodies from Social Security and The Primates; some fantastic bass-lines from The Pigs and The Media; and some good, solid punk rock from Vice Squad and Court Martial. There’s even a chilled dub/reggae tune by the X-Certs. The last few tracks on the CD are reserved for several fast and furious, moshpit-friendly hardcore tunes.
This album contains more than an hour of quality music to rival the likes of ‘The Best Punk Album In The World Ever’ or any other punk compilation that you may have in your CD collection. For those that are already big fans of the Bristol punk scene, seven of these twenty tracks have never previously been released. There are enough good songs here to satisfy most Sex Pistols fans, so get this album, then go and track down everything else that these bands have recorded. You won’t be sorry.