Search - Various Artists :: No New York

The finest album of its kind, 4 NY No Wave bands' finest

Chris bct | San Diego, CA USA | 01/13/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This album is legendary. So much so there was a Yes L.A. album about 1981 with X and some other bands on nice clear vinyl. Somehow when Eno produced the music here of all 4 bands he was able to have them make clearly their own music, ie, a good producer who enhances the band's qualities rather than try to contort them for mass consumption or to the producer's musical style.



As with all great punk compilations this is really the equivilent of 4 great eps. There is not a weak song on this comp. If you listen to the entire catalogs of each band I think it's fair to say this is the best stuff each band ever did, although I'm not gonna make a big deal about it particularly because each band also did marvelous other releases. TEENAGE JESUS and the JERKS, DNA and Mars each ended up only doing another half hour to an hour's worth of music, all together on some 12"s and 7"s and, come to think of it, none of the three of them even did one album (not counting the reissue albums of recent years that are a collection of their 7"s, eps, 12"s and compilation trax).



Of course, JAMES CHANCE and the CONTORTIONS/JAMES WHITE and the BLACKS did a number of albums over the years, mainly in the 80's and, if you ask me, the earliest ones were the best.



Sure, this isn't hardcore punk. It's not anything I ever heard come out of England or any other punk producing country either (Spain, Finland, Italy, Brasil, Japan, Australia, Canada and, of course, the U.S. among others). This album is filled with that high falutin' high class, sophisticated attitude. It's a New York thing baby. In punk, as in rock 'n roll before big corporate music companies homogonized the U.S. scene, that is, say the 50's and earlier 60's, individual regions, sometimes even certain big cities, had their own scene and their own sound. In punk Boston had a big straight edge scene, D.C. flowed out of and around the Dischord label, S.F. had the DK's and bands that pushed the artistic envelop of punk, Austin! had a thriving scene that actually ended up sending a number of bands to S.F. - if I'm not mistaken MDC, DRI and some other big punk band. L.A., of course, and, really, even sections of Southern California with it's own little scenes like San Diego and Riverside and so on, had it's own sense and type of bands like BAD RELIGION, CHINA WHITE, X, CIRCLE JERKS, BLACK FLAG and so on. Some cities just produced say one big punk band like Phoenix had, well, JFA and the MEAT PUPPETS, SIN 34 from Tucson right? RHYTHM PIGS from El Paso, the BATTALION OF SAINTS from San Diego, and so on.



Well, I could go on. The point is, New York had this distinct scene that was all big city and these 4 bands got the spirit of the city right and they got their own name for their thing, No Wave.



If you haven't heard these bands it's:

JAMES CHANCE sax and sorta homage to JAMES BROWN time.

TEENAGE JESUS Lydia Lunch's intense vocals and defining grating guitar with tight band.

DNA trio with intense minimalism, harsh guitar and

MARS outdoing DNA and TEENAGE JESUS as the most harsh yet somehow usually riviting nearly industrial piledriving punk ever heard this side of THROBBING GRISTLE without really being industrial, sorta emotional industrial?



Go get it kids. This is a gotta have if you follow what I'm sayin' here. chrisbct@hotmail.com

"

Absolutely seminal

Lovblad | Geneva, Switzerland | 07/10/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"...but difficult. I bought this one on vinyl but a few years after it acme out. While it is rightly recognized as a classic since it documents Brian Eno's production of the more important band of the No Wave scene, it is slightly difficult to listen to at moments."

This record is legendary cuz it's brilliant.

Chris bct | San Diego, CA USA | 12/21/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Let's review. If Eno hadn't produced this album, would it have sounded this good? Dunno, but gotta guess, not. One can assume that he was able to detect the heart of their best sound and get it in the studio onto this record. Thanks man.



DNA is the classic trio with Arto Lindsay who went on to Brasilian Bosa Nova, beautiful male voiced twinge of crazy git-dom, enough to keep making records every 2 years or so. But in DNA he battered his guitar, the Asian gal on bass sang her guts out and R.L. Crutchfield (right?) played drums and did a mean album or so of his own back in the day. Worth finding and hearing. But as a band, DNA only did like two 7"s and a 12". They've recently released a best of CD and had a Japanese CD release of their last CBGB's gig. Almost painful guitar sound but any fan of TEENAGE JESUS and the JERKS would love it. I still do.



Speakin' of which, Lydia Lunch did her best (only?) guitar work with TJatJ's on every song they ever released. They're famed for only doing like five minute gigs. They lived fast and died young (as a band). I've always considered her guitar work with this band to be the ultimate punk guitar sound. Really quite grating but enjoyable, if, well, yer a bit of a nut and like yer music hard but don't have to have it be hardcore.



JAMES CHANCE and the CONTORTIONS (or is he JAMES WHITE and the BLACKS on this album? I forget) does some of his tighest stuff ever on this album and his band is known for bein' super tight. Funk/sax/attitude with Lydia Lunch in the band which only helps (I assume she's in it on this album).



The album is worth it strictly for these three bands. You could stop there. They'd be three perfect 7" releases. But, no, there's more. MARS. Now, talk about a band that's too much to take. These guys go over an edge, they go to a place that you don't realize is a place a band can reside at. Maybe spiritual cousins to THROBBING GRISTLE but NY version. Less industrial, more, what? just maniac.



Together, this album apparently inspired the Yes L.A. response comp with X and other bands, a very nice LP on clear vinyl, one sided. Yup. This thing though, should not be overlooked. It's a total 5 star release if you like adventursome music that's very NY, the definition of No Wave, a moment in time frozen (I guess every album is) but of a time, late 70's and a place, NY, that came together to give us this gem. Of course, an fiend would want the LP. Who wouldn't? Ok, cracks, pops, skips, inevitably soil the darn thing but it's got the size that CD will always lack. And the photo work and graphics are quite nice on this release. Tired of average music, of music that the radio will play. Jump into this. Feet first. You'll be glad you did, assuming you are out on the edge. If yer in the mainstream, pass on this, don't even listen to the web site samples. It might spoil your appetite for predicatable, polite and middle of the road music. It only whets mine... chrisbct@hotmail.com"