415 Records: Disturbing The Peace (Various Artists)

Product Description

415 Records was a force in the 70s/early 80s, offering punk, new wave, synthpop/electrorock music from its based in SF, CA. The label primarily featured music from San Francisco bands although as the label grew, they signed bands from other cities as well. The label name 415 is a reference both to the telephone area code for the San Francisco area and to the police code for ”disturbing the peace.” TRACK LIST: The Nuns – Suicide Child Mutants – Insect Lounge Pearl Harbor and the Explosions – Drivin' SVT – Always Come Back VKTMS – No Long Goodbyes The Offs – Everyone's A Bigot Red Rockers – Guns of Revolution New Math – They Walk Among You Pop-O-Pies – The Catholics Are Attacking Baby Buddha – Stand By Your Man The Units – High Pressure Days The Uptones – K.U.S.A. The Readymades – 415 Music The Nuns – Savage Red Rockers – Teenage Underground Renegades – Recognitions Pop-O-Pies – Truckin' The Symptoms – Simple Sabotage The Imposters – Don't Get Mad The Units – Warm Moving Bodies Monkey Rhythm – This Must Be the Place

Review

While the bands on 415 all belonged to an '80s rock underground, Klein favored accessible, fun new wave bands over the hard-core punk or thrash metal bands that often played the same clubs. Joel Selvin –San Francisco ChronicleA lot of people didn't even think it was punk… Jack Boulware –Gimme Something Better; The Profound, ProgressiveWhen punk rock was exploding as a pop-culture phenomenon and upending the dynamics of rock music as we understood it, the major ”scenes” were London (the Clash, the Sex Pistols, the Damned) and New York (the Ramones, the Heartbreakers, the Voidoids). Eventually a very different scene evolved in Los Angeles this one drew on elements of country (X) and Latinx traditions (the Plugz), and after that it was Katy bar the door: punk came to Boston, Washington DC, San Francisco, and pretty much every other major urban center in the US. The Bay Area's scene has, for some reason, never garnered as much attention as L.A.'s, even though it was arguably more fertile. The revival of the 415 label (named for San Francisco's area code and also for the police code for ”disturbing the peace”) aims to rectify that oversight, and those interested should start with this generous compilation of vintage recordings from the punk and new-wave years by bands you may have heard of (Pop-O-Pies, Red Rockers) and some you almost certainly haven't (VKTMS, Baby Buddha). There are moments of charming amateurism but also some startlingly accomplished and advanced performances in styles that range from hard-edged punk to clicky power-pop and even some ska and an avant-garde synth-punk rendition of ”Stand By Your Man.” This collection would make a great choice for any library with a collecting interest in the history of pop music. Rick Anderson –CD HotList – January 2021