Believe it or not, there once was a time–and we realize how crazy this will sound–when a new pop-punk compilation was not released every three days. Really! In fact, at one point in the mid-’90s, you had to wait three or four whole weeks until you could buy another lower-priced collection of 23 bands doing exactly the same thing. And while most of those records were eventually returned to the used-CD store, Lookout! Records’ 1994 round-up Punk USA remains a stand-out, as it hits on every pre-emo “punk” strain possible, from the snot-rock sounds of the Vindictives to the stab-guitar melodrama of Garden Variety:
Scratch Bongowax – Nobody Home [MP3, link expired]
The Vindictives – I’m In Trouble Now [MP3, link expired]
Garden Variety – Pretty Mouth [MP3, link expired]
How did Radio 4 emerge from Garden Variety? I am just asking.
Radio 4? never heard that… Garden Variety is awesome. The world can never have enough bands that sound like American Standard.
What, no Less Than Jake?
Holy crap. I have this CD.
jawbreaker’s sea foam green is on here – this is so worth owning just for that.
yeah. anthony roman from GV went on to start radio 4. i remember him saying years ago that he was starting a rockabilly band. I think maybe he meant radio 4. either that or he was planning on starting a band with lil stevie.