Search - La Peste :: Peste

Worthy Document of Legendary Boston Punkers

Eric M. Van | Watertown, MA USA | 08/23/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"People think of Mission of Burma, Big Star, etc., as obscure and legendary bands. What, then, of LaPeste, a band of comparable caliber with perhaps one-hundredth the notoriety? In their heyday ('77-'79) in Boston, you could drop their name into the same sentence as the Ramones, the Clash, and the Buzzcocks, and no one would bat an eyelash. They had it all: amazing stage presence, a repertoire of forty semi-catchy pop-punk songs with larger-than-life lyrics, a rip-your-skull-off attack led by blistering drumming from the late Roger Tripp. Above all, they had smarts, style, and ambition -- an American punk version of the Who. They released one 45 but couldn't land a major label deal; when singer / guitarist Peter Dayton left to go solo, the magic left, too.This album includes the 45 and a handful of half-successful studio tracks, but the bulk of it is drawn from their runner-up performance at WBCN's very first Rock 'n' Roll Rumble (battle of the bands) at the Rat in July of '79. Unfortunately, only the second of their two sets was recorded, and audio problems wiped out their opening number / theme song "Pop Rock Polls." But what was captured on tape is pretty amazing. If you don't jump out of your seat when Dayton blasts into the opening riff of "Don't Wanna Die in My Sleep Tonite," with its squealing, clanging harmonics, you may be dead yourself."

Original Vintage Boston Punk

Eric M. Van | 05/28/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"These guys are THE Original - true, gritty, authentic. Raw and alive energy. Boston Punk era live recordings from WBCN and studio recordings that don't mess with the reality of this cd. Never before released great songs - a must for the punk/new wave enthusiast. If you missed 'em in 1979, you can hear 'em now as if you were there. Green Day are a mere shadow of what these guys were FOR REAL!"

The Greatest Punk Rock n Roll band of all time!

Eric M. Van | 03/23/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I would recommend this albumn to all those who love rock n roll. Spin the LP until you are blue in the face cos it doesn't get much better than this. Raw and amazing songs styripped down to the bearest essentials with hooky solos and lyrics that are witty and sophisticated. Also check out The Stitches from Orange County, California they cover the song "better off dead", a definite crowd pleaser. So if you like punk and new wave, circa 1977-82 then you will love this. The albumn consists of live tracks and some studio tracks recorded on and around the 4th of July 1979. I don't know anything else about the band. I can't find anything about them anywhere, a real mystery, but this band is great and these tracks are here for the taking so don't miss out, you can't go wrong with La Peste"