Search - Various Artists :: D.I.Y.: The Blank Generation - The New York Scene (1975-78)

Simply Brilliant

06/22/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The score card: 13 songs, 10 groups, 5 chords, 0 notes on key. But it's hard to imagine anything more visceral, fun, and rebellious. The thing you get most here is the humour: "Born to Lose" and "Sheena is a Punk Rocker" are good examples. Some say the English dropped the bomb that shook up rock and roll, but I believe the Ramones and Television (being one of the prime movers of U2) are every bit as important. After all, it was the American record scene that was most bloated, and hence most needed the kick. Sure, there are omissions (Talking Heads?) but the remaining give a pretty fair assessment of New York Punk. "Blank Generation" indeed!"

Lots of fun!

M.R. | San Francisco, CA | 08/31/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Okay, if you're a fan of punk and new wave, you've probably got at least 6 or 7 of the 19 songs here scattered around your collection already, on Blondie, Ramones, and Television records. But if you're like me and have never heard the Dictators, the Heartbreakers, and several of the other less-famous bands here, you're in for a treat. And Patti Smith, who never appealed to me much, comes across well in the context of like-minded bands. If you know nothing about the mid-seventies NYC scene, then you owe it to yourself to check this out, especially if you're a fan of more recent styles of punk. Along with the Velvet Underground and the Stooges, the New York bands were touchstones for everything else that followed. Other DIY volumes are out of print, by the way, so you might want to grab this one while you can."

Down At The Rock-N-Roll Club...

David Alston | Chapel Hill, NC, USA | 09/18/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Of all the punk comps floating around out there (there are zillions - buyer beware), this is one of the absolute best, documenting one of the more vital up-from-the-underground DIY scenes with crystalline precision.



The better known bits are still great to have here, and some of the more obscure or otherwise uncollected items, like Johnny Thunders' great and ominous "Chinese Rocks," or The Mumps garage/camp single "Crocodile Tears" are priceless.



Not a dud in the bunch - about the only conspicuous absences are Talking Heads and Pere Ubu - "Thank You For Sending Me An Angel" or "Final Solution" would've fit in very well here.



But this still is a 5-star example of how great New York's underground once was.



-David Alston"