He believed in God you stupid fucks. we were punks in the 70's. You did not know him.You are all fake youngass too young to have been a real punk. He was an excellent poet. Anyone talking shit to a friend of Darby is a poseur
0:00 What We Do Is Secret 0:44 Communist Eyes 2:57 Land of Treason 5:08 Richie Dagger's Crime 7:04 Strange Notes 8:57 American Leather 10:08 Lexicon Devil 11:52 Manimal 14:03 Our Way 16:00 We Must Bleed 19:06 Media Blitz 20:35 The Other Newest One 23:24 Let's Pretend 25:58 Dragon Lady 27:37 The Slave 28:40 Shut Down
it's crazy to fathom that Darby, who died so young, saved Keith Morris by grabbing onto his belt loop as he was falling out of a speeding car. Who is amazingly kicking out the jams at 60 something. My point being that Darby continued to contribute to the punk scene long after his death by keeping Keith alive.
@@niceguy5542 yeah as you wouldve probably let him fall and cry like a baby how your friend died knwoing you couldve done something. Darby didnt care about himself one bit but did see the good in others.
0:00 What We Do Is Secret 0:42 Communist Eyes 2:57 Land of Treason 5:07 Richie Dagger's Crime 7:03 Strange Notes 8:57 American Leather 10:08 Lexicon Devil 11:52 Manimal 14:02 Our Way 16:00 We Must Bleed 19:06 Media Blitz 20:35 The Other Newest One 23:24 Let's Pretend 25:58 Dragon Lady 27:37 The Slave 28:40 Shut Down (annihilation man)
Usually I never hear the fucking Bass !! Germs is such an epic band. And, nevertheless; as for what having the drums mixed perfectly should sound like on all Punk Albums, look into the Descendents or Black Flag
I'm the furthest from religious as one can be, BUT Cap't, maybe a disagreement can still be handled with courtesy and respect. He has his belief, you have yours, I have mine, etc...just remember vive la difference (celebrate the differences). worst case scenario, you might learn something and he might too. Think about it
Thanks to Nirvana for making warner brothers reissue this as part of their signing a record deal. In an old 90's interview Grohl states how it was one of the things they asked for in their record deal meeting. The label president literally picked up the phone and told someone to reissue it in a 5 second call, then hung up the phone and said " done." on the spot and it was done just like that. I wanted this album for years and it was out of print and before ebay or Discogs and you just couldn't get it. At some point in the early 90's I remember how stoked and surprised I was to see this at the record store. Until then I only had the Decline soundtrack to listen to the Germs. I also met Lorna on the set of "What We Do is Secret." What a shit movie though.
doubtful this is true, but kurt was always trying to help old bands he liked....reissuing old Slash albums is a bit more complicated. i found it before Nevermind was all the rage at the College Radio station, which was purging an impressive viyl collection in favor of cd's---space limitations score me some serious classics which hadnt been stolen...an original LAMF whhich was horribly mixed for the initial cd's (ironically on Track Records--if you know anything about Johnny Thunders, you get it) talk about a hard to find lp. Lots of AmRep stuff, Unsane, id have never taken things, but they were literally being stolen by shitty people who stole mic's, mixers as they were graduating...i STILL do my show and if you use those Technics turntables...you have to supply your own cartridge...sucks because many indies could barely afford to send a bands 7"...a few of made sure the good ones got played! ive returned a bunch that u was able to score...but glad to save all those MRR Radio Cassettes from the trash!
@@DaveAnchovies there's literally an interview where Grohl mentions this because the record company was trying to please them in order to sign them. Also remember that Courtney Love was friends with Pat Smear, thus how he ended up eventually joining Nirvana.
I understand that Darby inherited a lot of mental problems from his mother. And a couple of years strung out on ACID probably didn't help matters at all either... But damned people, I wish that guy would have hung around longer. The GI album is right up there with Minor Threat's, The Ramones, and The Cro-Mags first album. Simply phenomenal. He's been called a genius and rightfully so. Darby.... Why'd you have to go and blow it all man??? There was so much ahead for you brother.
Don Bolles drove my car to a party in Seattle(after a 45 Grave gig) as I was too drunk to drive and I was more than happy to have Don Bolles drive while wearing his captains hat!...I just blabbed on to him about the Germs the whole time..And RIP Lorna..Huge fan of this album..great drums, bass and guitar playing!!! and Darby got it together just enough..
This is one of the most important pieces of music to ever be released into the world. Absolutely crucial. The countless people it inspired that would go on to inspire others is staggering. This is legit life changing music. Forever in my top 5 records of all time.
Yes, please elaborate, name one decent band from the last 20 years who have sited The Germs as an influence on there work? This new found popularity for the Germs is the result of a bunch of hipster faggot kids who like 4 songs and wear the circle one shirt to be edgy.
Most peeps don't get it....or haven't heard of them....I grew up in LA Punk scene n seen them many times....when this album came out we were all blown away.....we had no idea of the genius of Darby's lyrics.....on stage it was always a drunken garble.....
@@urdad9853 if you were around back then the band Los saicos had the hardcore sound before everyone else. Did you know about them and if so what kind of impact did they have on the la punk scene back then?
If there was ever a band that burned out rather than fading away, it was the Germs. One of the most infamous bands to rise from the Los Angeles punk scene in the '70s, the Germs were a group that, even by the edgy standards of punk, left remarkable chaos in their wake, and had a seismic impact on the local scene during their short but memorable run. Punishingly raw and confrontational, the twin centers of the band's sound were the howling vocals and lyrical barrage of singer Darby Crash and the rough-edged but fluid guitar work of Pat Smear, with bassist Lorna Doom and drummer Don Bolles providing the relatively solid foundation that kept their songs from flying off the rails. Initially a strikingly inept band who could barely play (the fact they were willing to release a performance as faulty as "Forming" on their 1977 debut single speaks volumes), the manic energy and human-cannonball theatrics of Crash made them the talk of the Los Angeles scene even when the music wasn't effective. As they matured into a singularly powerful punk band with a surprisingly literate style -- as documented on their 1979 album (GI), produced by Joan Jett -- their music forced the skeptical music press to take them seriously. But the Germs were at the peak of their abilities and reputation when their career came to a screeching halt with the death of Crash in December 1980. The Germs were formed in 1976 by Jan Paul Beahm and Georg Ruthenberg, two friends who attended University High School in West Los Angeles. Beahm and Ruthenberg were fascinated with glam rock (especially David Bowie), while Beahm had a more than academic interest in fascism, cult leaders, mind control techniques, and other esoteric subjects. As they became aware of the burgeoning punk rock phenomenon -- especially British bands such as the Sex Pistols and the Damned, as well as proto-punks like the Stooges, the New York Dolls, and the Runaways -- they decided to form a band, though Ruthenberg was only a rudimentary guitarist at the time and Beahm had no musical experience. Posting flyers inviting "two untalented girls" to join their band, they recruited bassist Diana Grant, aka Dinky, and drummer Michelle Baer, and adopted the name Sophistifuck and the Revlon Spam Queens. However, the expense of putting their name on T-shirts led them to coin a shorter moniker, and they became the Germs. The band had barely practiced before Grant and Baer dropped out, and they recruited a new bassist, Teresa Ryan. The Germs also decided they needed cooler stage names, so Beahm became Bobby Pyn, Ruthenberg became Pat Smear, and Ryan became Lorna Doom. Belinda Carlisle, calling herself Dottie Danger, was brought in to play drums, though she had to drop out before their first show after contracting mononucleosis, and Becky Barton, aka Donna Rhia, filed out the first proper Germs lineup. (Carlisle would have better luck with her next band, the Go-Go's.) The Germs played their first official gig in April 1977, after talking their way onto a bill with local bands the Weirdos and the Zeros. Pyn took the stage wrapped in red licorice, and friends of the band threw spoiled food at the stage as others dumped pounds of sugar over the singer's head while they staggered through the Archies' "Sugar Sugar." Shortly afterward, they recorded a single on a Sony two-track machine in Smear's parents' garage, with the ultra-primitive "Forming" on the A-side and a lo-fi live take of "Sex Boy" on the flip. Released by the tiny What? Records label, the single brought the Germs an unexpected degree of attention, and after Donna Rhia quit, they worked with a succession of short-term drummers, with Nickey Beat of the Weirdos sitting in when they cut a second single for the newly minted Slash Records, an offshoot of L.A.'s leading punk 'zine. 1978's "Lexicon Devil" b/w "Circle One" and "No God" showed the band had improved by leaps and bounds since forming, and the Germs attracted a rabidly loyal following, especially the singer, who had dropped the name Bobby Pyn in favor of the more dangerous-sounding Darby Crash. The Germs' fans were known for being every bit as chaotic as the band, and while Crash careened around the stage under the influence of alcohol and drugs, their audience would react with an early version of slam dancing that turned performances into near riots. The Germs' notoriety had spread far enough that a drummer from Phoenix, Arizona, Jimmy Michael Giorsetti, heard that the band was in need of a percussionist and relocated to California to offer his services. Giorsetti proved to be a solid drummer, and he became the final piece in the definitive Germs lineup. Giorsetti took on the esoteric stage name Don Bolles, after an investigative journalist from Arizona who died when his car was bombed while he was working on a piece about organized crime. By 1979, the Germs found themselves in a paradoxical position -- they finally had a functional lineup and an eager fan base, but their reputation for violent and destructive shows caused them to be banned from most punk-friendly venues, and when filmmaker Penelope Spheeris wanted to film a Germs show for her documentary The Decline … of Western Civilization, she had to hire a soundstage so the band would have a place to play. In late 1979, Slash released the Germs' first album, titled (GI), an abbreviation of "Germs Incognito," a handle the group used to perform at unsuspecting clubs. Produced by Joan Jett, the album was incendiary but presented the songs with an elemental clarity that made it possible to hear how strong the material was in a way their shows did not permit. (GI) received largely favorable reviews, and the Germs made an unlikely fan in filmmaker William Friedkin, who recruited the group to write and record a batch of fresh songs for the soundtrack to his movie Cruising. One of the songs Crash and the band wrote for the film, "Lion's Share," made it onto the film's soundtrack album, giving the Germs a highly unlikely appearance on a major label. However, while early 1980 found the Germs on the cusp of wider notoriety, the band hit a snag when personal differences led Crash to fire Bolles and replace him with his friend Rob Henley. Henley had never played drums before, and he proved to be a very poor fit for Smear and Doom, who had grown past their initial clumsiness. The Germs quietly split in July 1980, and Crash launched a solo project that was poorly received. After a sojourn in England, where he became a major fan of Adam and the Ants and adopted a Mohican hairstyle, Crash returned to Los Angeles and reconciled with the Germs, arranging for them to play a reunion show at the Starwood on December 3, 1980. Fans and critics called the gig one of the Germs' finest performances, but it proved to be the band's final bow. On December 7, 1980, Crash died from a deliberate overdose of heroin at the age of 22; it was said one of the reasons he played the reunion show was to make enough money for a fix that would end his life. The Germs immediately broke up. The Decline … of Western Civilization was released in July 1981, with a photo of Darby Crash writhing on-stage used on the film's poster and the cover of the soundtrack album. The legend of the Germs continued to grow after the band's demise, and various reissues and archival releases appeared in the years that followed, most notably (MIA), a CD compilation that contained nearly everything the group recorded during their career, including the unreleased songs cut for Cruising. In 1996, a Germs tribute album was released, A Small Circle of Friends, which included appearances from the Meat Puppets, L7, Mike Watt and J. Mascis, the Posies, the Melvins, and many more. 2002 saw the publication of Lexicon Devil: The Fast Times and Short Life of Darby Crash and the Germs, an oral history of the group assembled by Brendan Mullen (who opened L.A.'s first important punk venue, the Masque) with Don Bolles and Adam Parfrey. In 2007, a film about the life of Darby Crash, What We Do Is Secret, was released, with actor Shane West playing Crash. At the wrap party for the movie, the surviving members of the Germs played a short set, with West taking Darby's place on vocals. Smear (who had gone on to play with Nirvana and the Foo Fighters), Doom, and Bolles enjoyed it so much that to the surprise of many, they staged a handful of Germs reunion gigs, with West on vocals (sometimes using the name Shane Wreck). While the reunited edition of the Germs made plans to record (performing Germs tunes that were never committed to tape during their original run), no material was ever released, and the next major Germs release was 2010's Live at the Starwood December 3, 1980, a warts-and-all recording of Crash's final show. On January 16, 2019, Teresa Ryan, aka Lorna Doom, died at the age of 61 after a year-long battle with cancer. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
wow!!! Thanks for this summary, it has helped me a lot to know more about this band that I am just getting to know (I came to it through Pat Smear, that is, indirectly from Nirvana).
The thing that amazes me about the Germs is how much they improved in such a short time-- from "Forming", which was clearly a band who had just picked up their instruments, to something like "Richie Dagger's Crime", which shows such a deft ability to write a classic hook. It goes to show that chops is secondary to passion and good songwriting in real rock n roll.
Pat was the only real musician in the beginning I think he even came up with Lornas basslines early on....when they really started getting tight is when Don Bolles came out from AZ to join the Germs b4 that they never had a drummer who could actually play except when Nicky Beat played with them a few gigs....a Germs show was always a disaster disguised as a concert so when the GI album came out we were floored by how good Darbys lyrics were and that he could actually sing on beat...the only Germs gig the actually sounded like the album tragically was the reunion gig at the Starwood....Darby killed himself the next day.
Legendary Pat Smear handling the guitar sections He was into the punk business before Dave Grohl and Kurt Cobain while Kurt and Dave were huge fan of Germs and Minor Threat
Dave grohl's was pretty early into punk for his age. He was the drummer for scream before he was in nirvana and all that. Hes not a 70s punk but he is early 80s and a ligit punk rock dinosaur.
@@dukeofthedance8062Oh, cool. Funny. It’s funny because he’s famous for being both the drummer in nirvana and for forming and being the front man of foo fighters, and you actually knew that, except you’re pretending to not be familiar with any of that for comedic value. Am I right about any of that, because if so, you’re fucking hilarious, man. I mean, who comes up with shit like that? I for one have never seen anything like that? I also had a joke about the drummer for nirvana looking like the front man of Foo Fighters or something like that, and then another one about the drummer of the chili peppers looking like the guy from the movie Elf, because I hadn’t really seen a joke like that before on here, so I wasn’t sure that anyone would actually get it, so I didn’t post it. It’s certainly not as funny as yours though.
+Alan Young Don really is a great drummer. I used to hang out with The Castration Squad, I dated Tiffany Kennedys sister, and met Don a couple times since he was dating Dinah Cancer. I really had a lot of respect for him.
I remember I was in a car with my dad on the way to Walmart and he popped this cassette in and I was like who is this. He explained all of it and I was amazed. One of my favorite albums to this day
Almost 40 years later and they're still bringing change to the game! what a beautiful group. Amazing! My friend's band has some stuff that sounds JUST like GERMS with some little twists! I enjoy every moment of it. Especially when they tip their hat to the GERMS!
They were the most punk punk band. Darby died his hair blue as an experiment, the whole hardcore scene was basically a generic version of the germs who may play hardcore, but it's straightforward punk and predates hardcore
They still heavily influence LA punk bands, swear every backyard gig in East LA you see the blue circle patches on every jacket, you hear Pat Smear’s guitar in every band, Lorna Doom’s base too, and there’s always a self destructive singer pouring his soul out in front of us, I think about those nights so often and smile
If you ever had a issue with drugs or anything else that just grabs a hold of you then you know that there are no truer words out there. WE MUST BLEED! All of us if you have to ask what it means you'll never understand!
Man... the bad brains self titled record is one hell of a record, but who cares what got him into punk as long as he’s into it, that’s all that matters
Best US punk record from the time. Absolutely incredible for balls the wall swagger. It’s a shame it all ended how it did, but this band wee never going to make a second record.
Check out Is This Real? By the Wipers (1st lineup). I think it stands up to GI tho I like them for completely different reasons. Ironically Greg Sage came down to LA to do the final mix and I think we went to the Germs show at Hong Kong Cafe...
Keith Morris got me into the Germs in 1985 - anyone remember Pen pals? no cause you were born in 1987. I wrote a a lot of bands back in the 80's they WROTE BACK! - with flyers, stickers, shirts - I think I have a bullet someone sent - good times.
Fuck my life, she died this year. It's been a couple years since I listened to a Germs, so I had no goddamn clue. Last I checked on the old roster she was alive. Stupid cancer. :(
I finally discovered The Germs when a friend of mine at work was playing them. I was getting a major rush to go nuts & work harder. So, I now enjoy their badassness and all its glory.
cadillacbluez haha there's a kid at a concert right now who's thinking man people are going to have no idea how amazing this was! and then in 15 years he'll comment on one of their videos- man nothing now is like that was.
Except the Germs and the entire scene at that time was uniquely amazing. I mean what boring sondalike bs could a kid today compare the Germs to.... Beber?
Imenant fear breeds societal reactions like Punk Rock. Slow brooding fear breeds the kind of lacklustre, apathetic, anti-excitement bullshit we live in in 2017. Everywhere I look, I see ppl slapping euphemisms on their fear. "I'm shy", "I'm modest". "I don't think thats appropriate". When all around you there are WARS being fought over the right to drive your car around, and we've all been convinces somehow that one person CANT do , or CHANGE ANYTHING WAKE UP !!! The ONLY person in the world in the world that can do ANYTHING IS YOU !!! The ozone is falling apart, and we still back politicians that outlaw emition free vehicles like skateboards! Theres still a lot of pissed off ppl out there, but not enough of em willing to do something about it!! DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT !!!
miloesalazar eh, i absolute respect joan. but it's been said by many of the people there (pat, joan herself) that she didn't do much in the way of actually recording the band. (yes i'm aware that she was instrumental in getting them there and all that though) but the actual sonic recording, not so much
+Darrien Day I realize the drums really are something special after my musical knowledge having some growth. I remember a line the Don Bolles character says in the film when confronted about the new hardcore bands playing faster and harder, "They"re cheating. They play polka beats!" A really good point, Don was like a much faster Keith Moon. His drumming added depth and nuance to the simple chord progressions while still being aggressive and fast.
I was in a old punk bend in Rockford IL back in the 80' and we used to drink and listen to the Germs and other bands until we were drunk and go practice. Man the early days. I miss them.
@@TehGav I will check them out. Thanks. I'm a old school punk. I'm no into the Rancid and Green Day watered down punk. I'm more into Bad Brains and Dead Kennedys.
I love 99% of Old-School LA Punk. I just never liked or 'got' The Germs. I listened to the album once back in the 80's. I gave it to a friend a few weeks later.He didn't like it either! Wonder where that album ever landed...
I remember my first time seeing the Germs; it was approaching my 19th birthday and I was seriously ill with pneumonia and sitting home watching Decline of Western Civilization. I was loving it, and then The Germs came on. I thought "these guys are absolutely fucking terrible! And who is this drunken clown singing?!" But there was something about them that I kind of liked. Then I remembered that Lexicon Devil was on the soundtrack for GTA5, played on one of the radio stations (which is hosted by Keith Morris, I might add). So then I started listening to this album, and flash forward about a year and a half... and I am a HUGE Germs fan. I've just started playing guitar, and they're a huge inspiration to me. Even if you can barely play your instrument, you can still make great music! If I ever meet Pat Smear or Don Bolles (more likely Don, since Pat is busy with everybody's favourite mom-rock band) I'm gonna ask for a Germs burn. LONG LIVE THE GERMS!!
One of the greatest punk bands out of LA. I am SO proud of being Californian! It has produced some of the most cutting edge sounds in the history of Rock & Roll. From the Doors to the Germs. Absolutely BRILLIANT!! It's TRUE - DON BOLLES was underrated. Still one of my favorite drummers of my lifetime. This is one of the albums that started the Punk/Desert Rock scene in Palm Springs we have today! - Alfredo Hernandez
I didn’t know what the Decline of Western Civilization was - googled it & added it to my watchlist - but came back to say I grew up loving punk because, among many things, my mom was obsesseddddd with the Repo Man soundtrack lol.
I love this band! I don't know how I am just listening to it for the first time. I've heard lexicon devil all my life and loved it but i never thought of there being just as AWESOME songs by them! I've been a punk music fan since i was little listening to the Ramones and just kept getting into more weird stuff like Pistols, Misfits, Brainiac, Stooges etc. but this is by far one of my favorite punk albums! I love how the bass is mixed and the drums are incredible! I wish there was more like it. R.I.P. Darby and Lorna I hope you guys saw how much you've inspired other people.
Derby Crash was one of the weirdest fucking people,and no singing style with style!being a heroin addict,I can relate to his anguish,PUNKS are NEVER DEAD!! THE GERMS WERE THE SHIT!!HELLYEAH!
I wish I had the album , a real rare diamond of Punk music. Lexicon Devil and Richie Dagger's Crime are , IMO , two of the best Punk songs ever recorded.
This was an incredible and magic time, This band was part of the magic in 1980's. anybody who was not alive at this time and part of this scene of this can never understand how great this time and scene was. It can never repeat unfortunately.
it still has that ferocious edge that many bands today don't seem really up to getting at though they try to bless their hearts. this shit is filthy fucking bad ass rock and roll. untouchable.
Grew up on this and I still love it like I love to breathe. O.C./Hollywood/Hell. Have the Woofer Blasting the Bass and Don Bolles hammering away and Pat Smears Guitar is so great. We must bleed.
Me and Darby used to throw rocks at cars and we would steal beer as young teens. This was before he was really “punk”. He actually wore bell bottoms in junior high and loved The Bee Gees. And we also shopped at hot topic together when he started becoming a punk.
0:00 What We Eat Is Secret 0:44 Hungry Eyes 2:57 Land of Truffles 5:08 Richie Dagger's Creme Brulee 7:04 Strange Nachos 8:57 American Linguine 10:08 Lexicon Deviled Eggs 11:52 Manwichimal 14:03 Have It Your Way (At Burger King) 16:00 We Must Beef 19:06 Media Biscuits 20:35 The Other Chewiest One 23:24 Let's Preheat 25:58 Spicy Dragon Roll 27:37 The Slaw 28:40 Shut Down Due To Health Code Violations
I used to hide my weed in this cassette!! Good memories!!
great album to hide the ganja in!
hahaha that's fuckin priceless. good one
where do u hide it now?
+zargmatt I'd go butthole-surfing for some free weed.
He believed in God you stupid fucks. we were punks in the 70's. You did not know him.You are all fake youngass too young to have been a real punk. He was an excellent poet. Anyone talking shit to a friend of Darby is a poseur
0:00 What We Do Is Secret
0:44 Communist Eyes
2:57 Land of Treason
5:08 Richie Dagger's Crime
7:04 Strange Notes
8:57 American Leather
10:08 Lexicon Devil
11:52 Manimal
14:03 Our Way
16:00 We Must Bleed
19:06 Media Blitz
20:35 The Other Newest One
23:24 Let's Pretend
25:58 Dragon Lady
27:37 The Slave
28:40 Shut Down
Judicial Review
+David Sandoval
In the flesh
Thanks for the track run JR
bump cause well need the set list.. duh
+Jimby Hahaha Health Code Violations. Too many Germs.
it's crazy to fathom that Darby, who died so young, saved Keith Morris by grabbing onto his belt loop as he was falling out of a speeding car. Who is amazingly kicking out the jams at 60 something. My point being that Darby continued to contribute to the punk scene long after his death by keeping Keith alive.
CRAZY TO FATHOM HE WOULD REACH OUT AND SAVE HIS FRIEND FROM FALLING OUT OF A CAR? WHY DO YOU THINK THAT IS SO UNUSUAL OR PROFOUND? IT ISN'T.
@@niceguy5542 yeah as you wouldve probably let him fall and cry like a baby how your friend died knwoing you couldve done something. Darby didnt care about himself one bit but did see the good in others.
That is pretty awesome, man. He also helped create Pat Smear who went on to do killer guitar work touring with Nirvana and Foo Fighters.
DUUUUUDE I just heard an "off" song where Keith sings something about darby crash saving his life
@@niceguy5542 hes simply observing how a guy died real young but contributed to the scene after death by saving Keith while alive.
0:00 What We Do Is Secret
0:42 Communist Eyes
2:57 Land of Treason
5:07 Richie Dagger's Crime
7:03 Strange Notes
8:57 American Leather
10:08 Lexicon Devil
11:52 Manimal
14:02 Our Way
16:00 We Must Bleed
19:06 Media Blitz
20:35 The Other Newest One
23:24 Let's Pretend
25:58 Dragon Lady
27:37 The Slave
28:40 Shut Down (annihilation man)
thx man
Land of Treason, +all
Legend
Thx
Thank you
The bass is mixed perfectly, this is how all punk albums should sound like
Dan If every record sounded the same, shit would get boring, but I agree on your other point, I love the raw edgy production and mixing on this album
The bass does sound really cool and I usually don't notice it
Usually I never hear the fucking Bass !! Germs is such an epic band. And, nevertheless; as for what having the drums mixed perfectly should sound like on all Punk Albums, look into the Descendents or Black Flag
RIP Lorna Doom!
I’m always drawn to the bass in songs , especially this album
I was friends with Darby Crash. He was a great poet, soul and had a lot of problems, just as we all did back then. God bless him.
sure u liar
he was such a tortured soul. but most of the best song writers did. do you have a germs burn?
shut up, liar
I'm the furthest from religious as one can be, BUT Cap't, maybe a disagreement can still be handled with courtesy and respect. He has his belief, you have yours, I have mine, etc...just remember vive la difference (celebrate the differences).
worst case scenario, you might learn something and he might too.
Think about it
Darby was the best part of The Decline...along with Eugene.
Sounds so futuristic and primitive at the same time, so perfect
Nice way to put it!! It does
Thanks to Nirvana for making warner brothers reissue this as part of their signing a record deal. In an old 90's interview Grohl states how it was one of the things they asked for in their record deal meeting. The label president literally picked up the phone and told someone to reissue it in a 5 second call, then hung up the phone and said " done." on the spot and it was done just like that. I wanted this album for years and it was out of print and before ebay or Discogs and you just couldn't get it. At some point in the early 90's I remember how stoked and surprised I was to see this at the record store. Until then I only had the Decline soundtrack to listen to the Germs. I also met Lorna on the set of "What We Do is Secret." What a shit movie though.
awesome story!
U can tell someone who knows punk
doubtful this is true, but kurt was always trying to help old bands he liked....reissuing old Slash albums is a bit more complicated. i found it before Nevermind was all the rage at the College Radio station, which was purging an impressive viyl collection in favor of cd's---space limitations score me some serious classics which hadnt been stolen...an original LAMF whhich was horribly mixed for the initial cd's (ironically on Track Records--if you know anything about Johnny Thunders, you get it) talk about a hard to find lp. Lots of AmRep stuff, Unsane, id have never taken things, but they were literally being stolen by shitty people who stole mic's, mixers as they were graduating...i STILL do my show and if you use those Technics turntables...you have to supply your own cartridge...sucks because many indies could barely afford to send a bands 7"...a few of made sure the good ones got played! ive returned a bunch that u was able to score...but glad to save all those MRR Radio Cassettes from the trash!
@@DaveAnchovies there's literally an interview where Grohl mentions this because the record company was trying to please them in order to sign them. Also remember that Courtney Love was friends with Pat Smear, thus how he ended up eventually joining Nirvana.
How incredible! I had no idea that this was how a reissue was arranged. That kicks ass.
I want you all to know that Joan Jett produced this album
Well she did a great job on it!
Joan Jett is akin to Midas,everything she touches turns to gold....I tell you what...
we already know....even though she actually did nothing but nod out all day on the couch in the control room
mastergmoore no wayyyy?
Joan Jett used to make piss popsicles for the straight men who tried to pick up on her girlfriends.
RIP Darby Crash (1958 - 1980) and Lorna Doom (1958 - 2019)
lol it has 69 likes
I understand that Darby inherited a lot of mental problems from his mother. And a couple of years strung out on ACID probably didn't help matters at all either... But damned people, I wish that guy would have hung around longer. The GI album is right up there with Minor Threat's, The Ramones, and The Cro-Mags first album. Simply phenomenal.
He's been called a genius and rightfully so.
Darby.... Why'd you have to go and blow it all man??? There was so much ahead for you brother.
Top 5 punk album
Don Bolles drove my car to a party in Seattle(after a 45 Grave gig) as I was too drunk to drive and I was more than happy to have Don Bolles drive while wearing his captains hat!...I just blabbed on to him about the Germs the whole time..And RIP Lorna..Huge fan of this album..great drums, bass and guitar playing!!! and Darby got it together just enough..
This is one of the most important pieces of music to ever be released into the world. Absolutely crucial. The countless people it inspired that would go on to inspire others is staggering. This is legit life changing music. Forever in my top 5 records of all time.
Can you elaborate please
Yes, please elaborate, name one decent band from the last 20 years who have sited The Germs as an influence on there work? This new found popularity for the Germs is the result of a bunch of hipster faggot kids who like 4 songs and wear the circle one shirt to be edgy.
it helped catapult the California punk rock scene...
Most peeps don't get it....or haven't heard of them....I grew up in LA Punk scene n seen them many times....when this album came out we were all blown away.....we had no idea of the genius of Darby's lyrics.....on stage it was always a drunken garble.....
@@urdad9853 if you were around back then the band Los saicos had the hardcore sound before everyone else. Did you know about them and if so what kind of impact did they have on the la punk scene back then?
Didn't expect this album to be so tight and musical,extremely original and one of the best punk records of all time Darby crash was the real deal!
But it is tight and musical dude! yeesh
Too bad he never sang in the mic live
@@The_Judge_222 Sure he did... GIMME GIMME THIS GIMME GIMME THAAAHAAAAAAAAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!
@@yeaaasonido yeah..no shit..ive seen the videos and the documentaries...I even watched the movie..which was not totally accurate...bye Wannabe 👋
@@The_Judge_222 LMAO you are too cool for me!
If there was ever a band that burned out rather than fading away, it was the Germs. One of the most infamous bands to rise from the Los Angeles punk scene in the '70s, the Germs were a group that, even by the edgy standards of punk, left remarkable chaos in their wake, and had a seismic impact on the local scene during their short but memorable run. Punishingly raw and confrontational, the twin centers of the band's sound were the howling vocals and lyrical barrage of singer Darby Crash and the rough-edged but fluid guitar work of Pat Smear, with bassist Lorna Doom and drummer Don Bolles providing the relatively solid foundation that kept their songs from flying off the rails. Initially a strikingly inept band who could barely play (the fact they were willing to release a performance as faulty as "Forming" on their 1977 debut single speaks volumes), the manic energy and human-cannonball theatrics of Crash made them the talk of the Los Angeles scene even when the music wasn't effective. As they matured into a singularly powerful punk band with a surprisingly literate style -- as documented on their 1979 album (GI), produced by Joan Jett -- their music forced the skeptical music press to take them seriously. But the Germs were at the peak of their abilities and reputation when their career came to a screeching halt with the death of Crash in December 1980.
The Germs were formed in 1976 by Jan Paul Beahm and Georg Ruthenberg, two friends who attended University High School in West Los Angeles. Beahm and Ruthenberg were fascinated with glam rock (especially David Bowie), while Beahm had a more than academic interest in fascism, cult leaders, mind control techniques, and other esoteric subjects. As they became aware of the burgeoning punk rock phenomenon -- especially British bands such as the Sex Pistols and the Damned, as well as proto-punks like the Stooges, the New York Dolls, and the Runaways -- they decided to form a band, though Ruthenberg was only a rudimentary guitarist at the time and Beahm had no musical experience. Posting flyers inviting "two untalented girls" to join their band, they recruited bassist Diana Grant, aka Dinky, and drummer Michelle Baer, and adopted the name Sophistifuck and the Revlon Spam Queens. However, the expense of putting their name on T-shirts led them to coin a shorter moniker, and they became the Germs. The band had barely practiced before Grant and Baer dropped out, and they recruited a new bassist, Teresa Ryan. The Germs also decided they needed cooler stage names, so Beahm became Bobby Pyn, Ruthenberg became Pat Smear, and Ryan became Lorna Doom. Belinda Carlisle, calling herself Dottie Danger, was brought in to play drums, though she had to drop out before their first show after contracting mononucleosis, and Becky Barton, aka Donna Rhia, filed out the first proper Germs lineup. (Carlisle would have better luck with her next band, the Go-Go's.)
The Germs played their first official gig in April 1977, after talking their way onto a bill with local bands the Weirdos and the Zeros. Pyn took the stage wrapped in red licorice, and friends of the band threw spoiled food at the stage as others dumped pounds of sugar over the singer's head while they staggered through the Archies' "Sugar Sugar." Shortly afterward, they recorded a single on a Sony two-track machine in Smear's parents' garage, with the ultra-primitive "Forming" on the A-side and a lo-fi live take of "Sex Boy" on the flip. Released by the tiny What? Records label, the single brought the Germs an unexpected degree of attention, and after Donna Rhia quit, they worked with a succession of short-term drummers, with Nickey Beat of the Weirdos sitting in when they cut a second single for the newly minted Slash Records, an offshoot of L.A.'s leading punk 'zine. 1978's "Lexicon Devil" b/w "Circle One" and "No God" showed the band had improved by leaps and bounds since forming, and the Germs attracted a rabidly loyal following, especially the singer, who had dropped the name Bobby Pyn in favor of the more dangerous-sounding Darby Crash. The Germs' fans were known for being every bit as chaotic as the band, and while Crash careened around the stage under the influence of alcohol and drugs, their audience would react with an early version of slam dancing that turned performances into near riots.
The Germs' notoriety had spread far enough that a drummer from Phoenix, Arizona, Jimmy Michael Giorsetti, heard that the band was in need of a percussionist and relocated to California to offer his services. Giorsetti proved to be a solid drummer, and he became the final piece in the definitive Germs lineup. Giorsetti took on the esoteric stage name Don Bolles, after an investigative journalist from Arizona who died when his car was bombed while he was working on a piece about organized crime. By 1979, the Germs found themselves in a paradoxical position -- they finally had a functional lineup and an eager fan base, but their reputation for violent and destructive shows caused them to be banned from most punk-friendly venues, and when filmmaker Penelope Spheeris wanted to film a Germs show for her documentary The Decline … of Western Civilization, she had to hire a soundstage so the band would have a place to play. In late 1979, Slash released the Germs' first album, titled (GI), an abbreviation of "Germs Incognito," a handle the group used to perform at unsuspecting clubs. Produced by Joan Jett, the album was incendiary but presented the songs with an elemental clarity that made it possible to hear how strong the material was in a way their shows did not permit. (GI) received largely favorable reviews, and the Germs made an unlikely fan in filmmaker William Friedkin, who recruited the group to write and record a batch of fresh songs for the soundtrack to his movie Cruising. One of the songs Crash and the band wrote for the film, "Lion's Share," made it onto the film's soundtrack album, giving the Germs a highly unlikely appearance on a major label.
However, while early 1980 found the Germs on the cusp of wider notoriety, the band hit a snag when personal differences led Crash to fire Bolles and replace him with his friend Rob Henley. Henley had never played drums before, and he proved to be a very poor fit for Smear and Doom, who had grown past their initial clumsiness. The Germs quietly split in July 1980, and Crash launched a solo project that was poorly received. After a sojourn in England, where he became a major fan of Adam and the Ants and adopted a Mohican hairstyle, Crash returned to Los Angeles and reconciled with the Germs, arranging for them to play a reunion show at the Starwood on December 3, 1980. Fans and critics called the gig one of the Germs' finest performances, but it proved to be the band's final bow. On December 7, 1980, Crash died from a deliberate overdose of heroin at the age of 22; it was said one of the reasons he played the reunion show was to make enough money for a fix that would end his life. The Germs immediately broke up. The Decline … of Western Civilization was released in July 1981, with a photo of Darby Crash writhing on-stage used on the film's poster and the cover of the soundtrack album.
The legend of the Germs continued to grow after the band's demise, and various reissues and archival releases appeared in the years that followed, most notably (MIA), a CD compilation that contained nearly everything the group recorded during their career, including the unreleased songs cut for Cruising. In 1996, a Germs tribute album was released, A Small Circle of Friends, which included appearances from the Meat Puppets, L7, Mike Watt and J. Mascis, the Posies, the Melvins, and many more. 2002 saw the publication of Lexicon Devil: The Fast Times and Short Life of Darby Crash and the Germs, an oral history of the group assembled by Brendan Mullen (who opened L.A.'s first important punk venue, the Masque) with Don Bolles and Adam Parfrey. In 2007, a film about the life of Darby Crash, What We Do Is Secret, was released, with actor Shane West playing Crash. At the wrap party for the movie, the surviving members of the Germs played a short set, with West taking Darby's place on vocals. Smear (who had gone on to play with Nirvana and the Foo Fighters), Doom, and Bolles enjoyed it so much that to the surprise of many, they staged a handful of Germs reunion gigs, with West on vocals (sometimes using the name Shane Wreck). While the reunited edition of the Germs made plans to record (performing Germs tunes that were never committed to tape during their original run), no material was ever released, and the next major Germs release was 2010's Live at the Starwood December 3, 1980, a warts-and-all recording of Crash's final show. On January 16, 2019, Teresa Ryan, aka Lorna Doom, died at the age of 61 after a year-long battle with cancer. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
wow!!! Thanks for this summary, it has helped me a lot to know more about this band that I am just getting to know (I came to it through Pat Smear, that is, indirectly from Nirvana).
@@thaieloise4703 np 😉
Real punks don't read
@@pulledtrigger umm ok 🙄
@@thaieloise4703 lol they completely copied and pasted this from the bands info on Spotify
This was my “The bar is closed… get the f$@k out” album. Especially on pop/ hip-hop nights.
Hahahaha nice
i do the same thing at parties. it ALWAYS works lol
What did you do if Hip-Hop fans also liked the Germs???
Fuck yeah I do the same at the restaurant I work at but I put on butchered at birth by cannibal corpse 😂
LOL
NEVERMIND THE SEX PISTOLS
here's the GERMS
Best comment
Damn right.
Corny Corn
Waaaaay more filthy sound. C'mon now! Where's YOUR germs tattoo
Both great
best artwork ever
Originally, Slash Records wanted to do a cover that spelled out GERMS in candy and rotting meat. Thank the fates they got talked out of that.
@@markdeming6224 thats sounds sick
that circle meant a lot to Darby. look into it if you don't already know.
@@TheLarryburns84 Can you explain? I'm new to the music of The Germs, and I'm curious what the significance is behind the artwork on this album.
@@Germs19 Darby always thought of the logo as representing a circle of life, and it's blue because that's what color his eyes were
Came here from Fleas interwiew in hot ones.
Same.
The thing that amazes me about the Germs is how much they improved in such a short time-- from "Forming", which was clearly a band who had just picked up their instruments, to something like "Richie Dagger's Crime", which shows such a deft ability to write a classic hook. It goes to show that chops is secondary to passion and good songwriting in real rock n roll.
Pat was the only real musician in the beginning I think he even came up with Lornas basslines early on....when they really started getting tight is when Don Bolles came out from AZ to join the Germs b4 that they never had a drummer who could actually play except when Nicky Beat played with them a few gigs....a Germs show was always a disaster disguised as a concert so when the GI album came out we were floored by how good Darbys lyrics were and that he could actually sing on beat...the only Germs gig the actually sounded like the album tragically was the reunion gig at the Starwood....Darby killed himself the next day.
Absolutely.
Legendary Pat Smear handling the guitar sections
He was into the punk business before Dave Grohl and Kurt Cobain while Kurt and Dave were huge fan of Germs and Minor Threat
Dave grohl's was pretty early into punk for his age. He was the drummer for scream before he was in nirvana and all that. Hes not a 70s punk but he is early 80s and a ligit punk rock dinosaur.
It still is super strange to me that Pat played in nirvana.
Wicked fukkin weird; punk rock is small world AFTER ALL
@@dukeofthedance8062Oh, cool. Funny. It’s funny because he’s famous for being both the drummer in nirvana and for forming and being the front man of foo fighters, and you actually knew that, except you’re pretending to not be familiar with any of that for comedic value. Am I right about any of that, because if so, you’re fucking hilarious, man. I mean, who comes up with shit like that? I for one have never seen anything like that? I also had a joke about the drummer for nirvana looking like the front man of Foo Fighters or something like that, and then another one about the drummer of the chili peppers looking like the guy from the movie Elf, because I hadn’t really seen a joke like that before on here, so I wasn’t sure that anyone would actually get it, so I didn’t post it. It’s certainly not as funny as yours though.
Don Bolles is a seriously underrated drummer.
Said no one ever
Alan Young Every time I saw Bolles play, I'd come away realizing I'd seen a truly remarkable drummer.
+Alan Young Don really is a great drummer. I used to hang out with The Castration Squad, I dated Tiffany Kennedys sister, and met Don a couple times since he was dating Dinah Cancer. I really had a lot of respect for him.
correct.....f
So is that dude from black flag robo
I remember I was in a car with my dad on the way to Walmart and he popped this cassette in and I was like who is this. He explained all of it and I was amazed. One of my favorite albums to this day
Your Dad is an OG Punker and a badass
Elite parenting.
@@DemonSlide that's what they say! Ha🧷🖤🕷️💋
U got a cool dad man!
This is quite possibly my new favorite Punk album. This shit is just fucking great.
+Rafael Grossl its darby crashes birth day today
Jacob malakian
This episode of "cringy comments from the past"
+Beagle Oneism cool some one who likes the germs and death grips
It would be alright if it weren't for the vocals. But even the instruments are pretty bad.
+downwiththemaster HAHAHA
Almost 40 years later and they're still bringing change to the game! what a beautiful group. Amazing! My friend's band has some stuff that sounds JUST like GERMS with some little twists! I enjoy every moment of it. Especially when they tip their hat to the GERMS!
Whats the band's name?
the blueprint for hardcore, timeless and essential, no one was half this nasty in 1979.
*****
fucking legendary. the bass is incredible too. why do all the awesome artists die so soon?
Eric Elias Lorna was sick with the bass
BECAUSE THEY MAKE REALLY STUPID DECISIONS, I.E., TO SHOOT HERION. CAUSE AND EFFECT.
yeah some of them just fall into the path of self destruction.....
Some came close...the Germs were the blue print though.
This band always reminded me of the epitome of l.a. / hollywood punk rock. Definitely had a different sound and style then the rest of the world
They were the most punk punk band. Darby died his hair blue as an experiment, the whole hardcore scene was basically a generic version of the germs who may play hardcore, but it's straightforward punk and predates hardcore
I am a punk fan and never really listened to the germs but I can clearly see where they fit in with LA punk like DK, FEAR, Adolescents etc
They still heavily influence LA punk bands, swear every backyard gig in East LA you see the blue circle patches on every jacket, you hear Pat Smear’s guitar in every band, Lorna Doom’s base too, and there’s always a self destructive singer pouring his soul out in front of us, I think about those nights so often and smile
What about The Gun Club?
A true punkrock masterpiece rest in peace forever darby crash and lorna doom you will not be forgotten
SO, SO, overlooked.. loved these guys since Decline of Western Civ... Darby... incredible!
Been listening to this since about '80.It always gave my rescue cats the zoomies.Damn,I miss L.A.sometimes.I'll always love you,Lorna.
Evolution is a process to slow to save my soul but I got this creature on my back just wont let go!!
If you ever had a issue with drugs or anything else that just grabs a hold of you then you know that there are no truer words out there. WE MUST BLEED! All of us if you have to ask what it means you'll never understand!
this was the album that made me love punk.
please no. go and hear bad brains
+ULTRAS X holy shit that record kicks ass I'm lucky to have it on vinyl
i listened to them can u explain u don't like the germs
this album is the first punk album I listened to and it's what got me into it
Man... the bad brains self titled record is one hell of a record, but who cares what got him into punk as long as he’s into it, that’s all that matters
One of the best punk albums ever end of discussion .
This is number 1 and bad brains debut is number 2, sorry east coast.
De donde? De U.S.A. o U.K.
Best US punk record from the time. Absolutely incredible for balls the wall swagger. It’s a shame it all ended how it did, but this band wee never going to make a second record.
Check out Is This Real? By the Wipers (1st lineup). I think it stands up to GI tho I like them for completely different reasons. Ironically Greg Sage came down to LA to do the final mix and I think we went to the Germs show at Hong Kong Cafe...
Nobody played the drums like Don, love his crashy style
Keith Morris got me into the Germs in 1985 - anyone remember Pen pals? no cause you were born in 1987. I wrote a a lot of bands back in the 80's they WROTE BACK! - with flyers, stickers, shirts - I think I have a bullet someone sent - good times.
I got in touch with Chuck Dukowski on messenger and asked him a few questions
Safety pin =stamp
The whole european HC-punk scene was built up that way. People wrote each other, swapped records and zines, played at each others gigs.
Before UA-cam the was tape trading
@@michaelwerse3668 why wouldn’t you fix your comment so it made sense? Lazy.
I came into this worldddddddddddddd like a puzzled pantherrrrrrrrr waiting to be caged
But something stood in the wayyyyyyyy
I was never qqqqqqqquite tamed
One of the most essential punk rock albums
RIP Lorna Doom
Fuck didnt know she left us,,,,the music lives on
Fuck my life, she died this year. It's been a couple years since I listened to a Germs, so I had no goddamn clue. Last I checked on the old roster she was alive. Stupid cancer. :(
RIP
I will always love Lorna !
Came here for par smear, stayed for the whole band.
that.....f
The Guttermouth song "23 things that rhyme with Darby Crash" led me here. Now I see their influence. Legendary shit, especially in 79!
WHI IS PAR SMEAR?
LOL.
Hong Kong Cafe daze...we'll always remember......!!!! Some of us are still alive and remember!
Probably the most important and relevant (after 40 years ) punk records ever made.
important definitely yes. relevant sadly not as much. I mean to some of us its quite relevant.
I haven't listened to this album in 20 years. It's amazing how great this album is and that I still remember all the lyrics.
Pat Smear has to be one tough and passionate son of a bitch to lose Darby, Kurt, and Taylor and still want to keep rockin
Gets deeper and more amazing with every listen
I finally discovered The Germs when a friend of mine at work was playing them. I was getting a major rush to go nuts & work harder. So, I now enjoy their badassness and all its glory.
One of the greatest albums of American punk rock, and one of my favorite albums ever.
+ivanafterfive punk rock in general. it was the germs they are the definition of punk rock.
"You ain't neva lie!!!!"
Boy am I glad I was there for this... There is simply nothing even close today.
cadillacbluez haha there's a kid at a concert right now who's thinking man people are going to have no idea how amazing this was! and then in 15 years he'll comment on one of their videos- man nothing now is like that was.
Except the Germs and the entire scene at that time was uniquely amazing. I mean what boring sondalike bs could a kid today compare the Germs to.... Beber?
Imenant fear breeds societal reactions like Punk Rock. Slow brooding fear breeds the kind of lacklustre, apathetic, anti-excitement bullshit we live in in 2017. Everywhere I look, I see ppl slapping euphemisms on their fear. "I'm shy", "I'm modest". "I don't think thats appropriate". When all around you there are WARS being fought over the right to drive your car around, and we've all been convinces somehow that one person CANT do , or CHANGE ANYTHING WAKE UP !!! The ONLY person in the world in the world that can do ANYTHING IS YOU !!! The ozone is falling apart, and we still back politicians that outlaw emition free vehicles like skateboards! Theres still a lot of pissed off ppl out there, but not enough of em willing to do something about it!! DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT !!!
F* yeah if your music doesn't F* someone up, it doesn't need to exist. :)
holy shit, the drums sound so fucking huge. great production on these tunes. such a legendary band
miloesalazar eh, i absolute respect joan. but it's been said by many of the people there (pat, joan herself) that she didn't do much in the way of actually recording the band. (yes i'm aware that she was instrumental in getting them there and all that though) but the actual sonic recording, not so much
+Darrien Day Seent the movie? She's asleep on the couch in a passing shot. hahaha
Feather E. yep! haha them in the studio (plus all the shows) were some of my fav scenes
+Darrien Day I realize the drums really are something special after my musical knowledge having some growth.
I remember a line the Don Bolles character says in the film when confronted about the new hardcore bands playing faster and harder, "They"re cheating. They play polka beats!" A really good point, Don was like a much faster Keith Moon. His drumming added depth and nuance to the simple chord progressions while still being aggressive and fast.
This is about 4th time I've seen you in the comment section on totally different genre related videos.
Lexicon Devil is probably the greatest LA punk song along with Black Flag's My war
You fucking said it man although IMO
I'd throw in X-Los Angeles :)
Rise above?
Thirsty and miserable
Depression was Black Flags best song, period.
My War is great but I much prefer other songs
I was in a old punk bend in Rockford IL back in the 80' and we used to drink and listen to the Germs and other bands until we were drunk and go practice. Man the early days. I miss them.
Listen to the Zero Boys album. They totally hiked the production on (GI), and I got Paul Z to admit it.
@@TehGav I will check them out. Thanks. I'm a old school punk. I'm no into the Rancid and Green Day watered down punk. I'm more into Bad Brains and Dead Kennedys.
@@biggerbehindthetrigger2814 They were from Indianapolis, and their album came out in 1982.
ua-cam.com/video/sXPaupjFxoI/v-deo.html
Fkn love the Germs！Loved them as a youngster and still do at 40 yo. And gawddamn do I need this album this morning🤘☠️😈💘🩸🧨🔪
The more and more I listen to this album the better it gets!
I love 99% of Old-School LA Punk. I just never liked or 'got' The Germs. I listened to the album once back in the 80's. I gave it to a friend a few weeks later.He didn't like it either! Wonder where that album ever landed...
It's a tough listen.
Fun fact: Did you know both albums were produced by JOAN JETT?
I remember my first time seeing the Germs; it was approaching my 19th birthday and I was seriously ill with pneumonia and sitting home watching Decline of Western Civilization. I was loving it, and then The Germs came on. I thought "these guys are absolutely fucking terrible! And who is this drunken clown singing?!" But there was something about them that I kind of liked. Then I remembered that Lexicon Devil was on the soundtrack for GTA5, played on one of the radio stations (which is hosted by Keith Morris, I might add).
So then I started listening to this album, and flash forward about a year and a half... and I am a HUGE Germs fan. I've just started playing guitar, and they're a huge inspiration to me. Even if you can barely play your instrument, you can still make great music!
If I ever meet Pat Smear or Don Bolles (more likely Don, since Pat is busy with everybody's favourite mom-rock band) I'm gonna ask for a Germs burn. LONG LIVE THE GERMS!!
odličan album,šteta što je jedini,RIP darby.
Saw him on Little Santa Monica Bvld. A few days before he died.
Contender for the best punk album ever, surely.
If i could even come close to getting that bass sound in a recording with my band i would die happy
Lorna Doom was a BEAST with her bass!
Can't get sick of the Germs!
I am from argentina very like this band and punk .. Germs, Flema
The older I get the more I feel I relate to this record
Still can't get enough...!!! Germs!!!
RIP Lorna and may you and Darby reunite.
chEErs,
93
418
A lot of thrash bands have these guys as influences. :)
This is badass! As much have heard how influential the Germs were I never listened to them. till now.
hard to believe this came out in 79, way ahead of its time
Remains firmly in the Top 10 Punk Albums of ALL TIME!!
The whole Thing is Pure Energy!!!!!!
One of the greatest punk bands out of LA. I am SO proud of being Californian! It has produced some of the most cutting edge sounds in the history of Rock & Roll. From the Doors to the Germs. Absolutely BRILLIANT!!
It's TRUE - DON BOLLES was underrated. Still one of my favorite drummers of my lifetime. This is one of the albums that started the Punk/Desert Rock scene in Palm Springs we have today! - Alfredo Hernandez
I’m proud of being Californian too! This shit means business
Dead Kennedys >>>>
Yea californias where its at. Surf punk 4 life. Jesus saves
too bad it sucks now
This album always puts me in a good mood
Thank you Rafael Gross for putting this on here. Have to do till I can track this down on vinyl. Classic punk never gets old!!! 👹👹👹R.I.P Darby👹👹👹
That's the best part. Feel like I'm on a game show.Lol!! N8knox c'mon down your the next contestant on, The price is right!!!!
had this on vinyl back in the day when it came out😊
SUPER hard to get a copy - good luck!
just found one last week for only 7$ from the 80s
Nate Brenneman
Timeless element of music! 🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘
This is what really got me into punk rock.
This album and The Decline of Western Civilization.
I believe they were also on the very commercial movie soundtrack oh fuck I can't remember the goddamn name uh maybe Times Square?
I didn’t know what the Decline of Western Civilization was - googled it & added it to my watchlist - but came back to say I grew up loving punk because, among many things, my mom was obsesseddddd with the Repo Man soundtrack lol.
Perfect transition from punkrock to hardcore! Classic and essential stuff!
yes great comment
One of the greatest punk records ever made.
Darby had only 20 when he wrote this stuff..this is heavy lyrics for someone who was that young.
I love this band! I don't know how I am just listening to it for the first time. I've heard lexicon devil all my life and loved it but i never thought of there being just as AWESOME songs by them! I've been a punk music fan since i was little listening to the Ramones and just kept getting into more weird stuff like Pistols, Misfits, Brainiac, Stooges etc. but this is by far one of my favorite punk albums! I love how the bass is mixed and the drums are incredible! I wish there was more like it.
R.I.P. Darby and Lorna I hope you guys saw how much you've inspired other people.
Derby Crash was one of the weirdest fucking people,and no singing style with style!being a heroin addict,I can relate to his anguish,PUNKS are NEVER DEAD!! THE GERMS WERE THE SHIT!!HELLYEAH!
This album is Banger after Banger of punk excellence ! Pat is a guitar god on this beast !
It takes a few listens but yeah definitely grows on one
when the youth connects to immortality as long as we r in humanity. rebellion is an expression that cant be untamed.
This is so cool, 2 tracks in i can see why this band became legendary!!
I wish I had the album , a real rare diamond of Punk music.
Lexicon Devil and Richie Dagger's Crime are , IMO , two of the best Punk songs ever recorded.
Yes they are
This was an incredible and magic time, This band was part of the magic in 1980's. anybody who was not alive at this time and part of this scene of this can never understand how great this time and scene was. It can never repeat unfortunately.
Joan Joan Jet, Passed out, during the recording of G.I., produced it in her dreams.
I love all of you
it still has that ferocious edge that many bands today don't seem really up to getting at though they try to bless their hearts. this shit is filthy fucking bad ass rock and roll. untouchable.
Grew up on this and I still love it like I love to breathe. O.C./Hollywood/Hell. Have the Woofer Blasting the Bass and Don Bolles hammering away and Pat Smears Guitar is so great. We must bleed.
What is this song about? I luv Darby. I meant dragon Lady. What is dragon lady about?
Long live Darby Crash!
you want this I can do this
My 53 year old mom LOVES the Germs!
that's pretty amazing!
Makes sense since she was alive when they were active, it's more weird that she didn't know them before you.
ohhh i see the germs in Italy...fantastic show....love...x.tsol.germs.black flag.,45 grave........plasmatics....👊💣👊👊👊👊
they never went to Italy
Anyone hear after Flea being on hot ones?
rip on your bassist and respect you are a real punk band for ever
Me and Darby used to throw rocks at cars and we would steal beer as young teens. This was before he was really “punk”. He actually wore bell bottoms in junior high and loved The Bee Gees. And we also shopped at hot topic together when he started becoming a punk.
Hot Topic was founded almost 10 years after Darby died.
@@embassy1010 dumb nonsense jokes aren’t your strong suit I guess.
@@embassy1010 did you know that? Or look it up?
@@bobbythompson4268 Touché, you’re definitely better than me at writing dumb nonsense.
@@embassy1010 ha, you prob meant that as an insult, but i love dumb nonsense.
0:00 What We Eat Is Secret
0:44 Hungry Eyes
2:57 Land of Truffles
5:08 Richie Dagger's Creme Brulee
7:04 Strange Nachos
8:57 American Linguine
10:08 Lexicon Deviled Eggs
11:52 Manwichimal
14:03 Have It Your Way (At Burger King)
16:00 We Must Beef
19:06 Media Biscuits
20:35 The Other Chewiest One
23:24 Let's Preheat
25:58 Spicy Dragon Roll
27:37 The Slaw
28:40 Shut Down Due To Health Code Violations
it's not good write..
Brilliant, haha.
Jimby some body's hungry hahaha
lol how long did that take you
I'm on my skateboard in my mind every time this album is played
Absolutely fantastic!
So great to know that there is a film about Darby.