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“CBGB was a place for the dirty people.” - Jimmy Destri of Blondie
“Afterwards, I took off and went crosstown to CBGB’s, the stronghold of the unknown, to be with my own people.” - Patti Smith
In December 1973 Hilly Kristal changed the name of his roots music bar from Hilly’s on the Bowery to CBGB and altered his musical policy to hire mostly rock bands. He was indifferent to many of them (“No one is going to like you guys, but I’ll have you back,” he told Joey Ramone), blissfully unaware of how important his scruffy little club would soon become.
In the span of only 15 months, the five groups that comprise the CBGB’s pantheon all debuted: Television in March 1974, followed by Ramones in August and Blondie in October, then Patti Smith in February 1975 and Talking Heads four months later.
Those five groups all quickly got record deals and became popular enough to outgrow CBGB’s. By the fall of 1977, Smith was the only one who was still playing there. What succeeded the Big Five was an array of new and retro styles, all of which feature here: No Wave (Sonic Youth, Mars, DNA, Bush Tetras), post-punk (Ritual Tension, Unknown Gender, Khmer Rouge), mutant funk and R&B (James Chance & The Contortions, Mink DeVille), art-rock bands (R.L. Crutchfield’s Dark Day, The Revelons, Erasers, Jeff and Jane Hudson) hardcore punk (Minor Threat, Bad Brains, Vatican Commandos, Beastie Boys), and lots of power pop (Sorrows, The dBs, The Rudies, The Miamis, The Paley Brothers) .
The club’s best-known bands are present on this compilation but we’ve also revived interest in dozens of unfairly forgotten acts that, for a moment in time, made an album, EP, 45, or even a demo that crackled with innovation, wit, and joy.
CBGB no longer exists, at least not in the physical plane, but what happened between those soot-filled, beer-stinking walls continues to reverberate around the world.
Tracklist
DISC ONE
1 The Dictators - (I Live For) Cars And Girls
2 The Harlots of 42nd Street - S&M (I Can’t Live Without You)
3 The Magic Tramps - S&M – Leather Queen
4 Patti Smith - Free Money
5 The Brats - Be A Man
6 City Lights - Travelin’ Man
7 The Hounds - Call Me (Previously unreleased on CD)
8 Erasers - It Was So Funny (That Song That They Sung)
9 Ramones - Beat On The Brat
10 Stuart’s Hammer - Everybody’s Depraved (Live at CBGB)
11 The Planets - Come On Up (Previously unreleased)
12 Milk ‘N’ Cookies - Not Enough Girls (In The World)
13 Just Water - They Live By Night
14 Television - See No Evil
15 Mumps - Crocodile Tears
16 The Heartbreakers - Born To Lose
17 Testors - You Don’t Break My Heart
18 The Dead Boys - Ain’t Nothing To Do
19 The Senders - You Really Piss Me Off
20 The Electric Chairs - Fuck Off
21 Marbles - Forgive And Forget
22 Cherry Vanilla - Hard As A Rock
23 Tuff Darts - Fun City
24 Talking Heads - A Clean Break (Let's Work) (Live)
DISC TWO
1 Suicide - Ghost Rider
2 Pure Hell - I Feel Bad
3 Helen Wheels - Room To Rage
4 Blondie - Picture This
5 Mars - Helen Forsdale
6 Come On - Don’t Walk On The Kitchen Floor
7 Mink Deville - “A” Train Lady
8 The Heat - Instant Love (Previously unreleased on CD)
9 Genya Ravan - Aye Co'lorado
10 Theoretical Girls - Lovin’ In The Red
11 Richard Hell & The Voidoids - The Kid With The Replaceable Head
12 The Stillettos - Pink Stillettos
13 The Paley Brothers - Baby, Let’s Stick Together
14 Neon Leon - Rock 'n’ Roll Is Alive (Previously unreleased on CD)
15 Revelons - The Way (You Touch My Hand)
16 New York Ni**ers - Just Like Dresden '45
17 L.O.K. - Fun House (Previously unreleased on CD)
18 Material - O.A.O.
19 The Laughing Dogs - I Need A Million
20 Shrapnel - Combat Love
21 Peroxide - Heart Disease
22 Student Teachers - Christmas Weather
23 Tom Verlaine - Breakin’ In My Heart
24 Richard Lloyd - Number Nine
25 James Chance & The Contortions Jailhouse Rock (Live at CBGB 1978)
DISC THREE
1 The Cramps - Garbage Man
2 The Dots - I Don’t Wanna Dance (With You) (Previously unreleased on CD)
3 The Miamis - We Deliver
4 Model Citizens - Shift The Blame
5 The dB’s - Black And White
6 The Rattlers - On The Beach
7 Love Of Life Orchestra - The Revolution Is Personal
8 Urban Verbs - Next Question (Previously unreleased)
9 Sylvain Sylvain - Teenage News
10 Stimulators - Loud Fast Rules
11 Tot Rocket And The Twins - Reduced
12 The Bongos - Telephoto Lens
13 Outsets - I’m Searchin' For You
14 Sorrows - Teenage Heartbreak
15 The Lounge Lizards - Do The Wrong Thing
16 Nervus Rex - There She Goes
17 The Cosmopolitans - Wild Moose Party
18 Polyrock - Your Dragging Feet
19 Lenny Kaye with The Lone Wolves - Child Bride (Previously unreleased on CD)
20 R.L. Crutchfield’s Dark Day - Arp’s Carpet
21 The Colors - Jealousy
22 TV Toy - (Don’t Blame It On The) Weekend
23 DNA - Blonde Red Head
24 The Rudies- Sherri Goodbye
25 The Raybeats - Tight Turn
26 Phosphenes - Asexual (Previously unreleased on CD)
27 Minor Threat - Straight Edge
DISC FOUR
1 Bush Tetras - Things That Go BOOM In The Night
2 Human Switchboard - (Say No To) Saturday's Girl
3 Disturbed Furniture - Information *
4 The Necessaries - Back To You *
5 Chemicals Made From Dirt - Oriental Television *
6 China Shop - If It's New
7 James Blood Ulmer - Open House
8 Nihilistics - You’re To Blame
9 Beastie Boys - Egg Raid On Mojo
10 The Individuals - My Three Sons (Revolve Around The Earth)
11 Rhys Chatham - Drastic Classicism (edit)
12 Unknown Gender - Boys-Girls (Radio) *
13 Khmer Rouge - Hinterland
14 Bad Brains - Banned In D.C.
15 Heart Attack - English Cunts
16 Outpatients - Fight
17 Vatican Commandos - Housewives On Valium
18 Sonic Youth - The World Looks Red
19 Jeff & Jane Hudson - Operating Instruction
20 Glorious Strangers - Deception *
21 Nona Hendryx - Transformation
22 Reagan Youth - No Class
23 Rat At Rat R - Assassin
24 Ritual Tension - Social Climber
25 The Ordinaires - Grace
* Previously unreleased on CD