(2020) VA – We Were Living In Cincinnati
Review:
We Were Living In Cincinnati a “Killed By Death’ or “Bloodstains’ style compilation covering the golden era of Cincinnati, OH punk and underground music from Southwest Ohio 1975-82. It is the culmination of a long-idealized project from Peter Aaron of the Chrome Cranks, who amassed a large collection of Cincinnati-area records and demo tapes from the 70s & 80s, lots of which have never been comped before, and several of which are presented here for the first time anywhere. While the more famous punk parties were going full swing in Warholian New York, press-savvy London, glittery LA, and other big towns, the early scenes in Ohio’s cities were toughing it out on their own. Instead of being courted with major-label deals, their handfuls of brave bands were mostly ignored, ridiculed, and physically threatened within their surrounding hostile environments. And although the pioneering activities in Cleveland and Akron have been well documented through several compilations, the early action in southern Ohio’s largest city has not—until now. Tirelessly compiled, annotated, researched, and produced by punk historian, author, and musician Peter Aaron (the Chrome Cranks, Young Skulls) and co-released by HoZac Records and Shake It! Records’ Music from Ohio series, We Were Living in Cincinnati rounds up rare, raw tracks by 21 of the town’s toughest, coolest punk and new wave outfits, several of them sourced from unheard tapes by acts who never released records in their day. Surveying the period from 1975 through 1982, We Were Living in Cincinnati encompasses a stunningly diverse range of stylistic shades for a smaller, out-of-the way scene. Here’s everything from garage/rockabilly rave-ups (the Customs) and Ubu-ish art-skronk (BPA) through thuggish thrashing (the Ed Davis Band), melodic power pop (the Rockers), Dada-driven No wave (11,000 Switches), snotty teen brattiness (Beef, the Verbs), synth-propelled, Screamers-style mania (the Dents), Dead Boys-esque aggression (the Rave-N’s), scraping ska punk (the Erector Set), postpunk Anglophilia (Dream 286), glammy garage (Dennis the Menace), unhinged noise (Teddy & the Frat Girls), MC5-damaged protopunk (Bitter Blood), and more—all of it remastered straight from scarce singles and long-lost cassettes. Included is a tri-fold poster insert with meticulous liner notes and track annotations, rare photos and flier images, and a family tree of early Cincinnati bands, as well as a free download. God save the Queen City. A sharply packaged rock ’n’ roll revelation, We Were Living in Cincinnati unearths one of American punk’s unjustly forgotten and most interesting early scenes.
Tracklist:
1. 11,000 Switches – Drinking Elvis Wine (1982) [04:18]
2. Dennis The Menace – Working Girls (1980) [02:39]
3. Ed Davis Band – Asshole (1978) [03:50]
4. The Customs – Let’s Get It On (1979) [02:12]
5. The Rockers – Blonde Debbie (1980) [03:06]
6. BEEF – Nosedive (1978) [02:06]
7. Qi-Zz – New Baby (1980) [02:00]
8. Bitter Blood – Picnic (1975) [02:26]
9. The Verbs – Little In Doubt (1979) [02:49]
10. BPA – Dead Boy (1982) [02:50]
11. News – Stop (1980) [02:29]
12. Squelch – I Can’t Stand You (1982) [02:07]
13. Erector Set – Inside Out (1980) [03:30]
14. The Dents – Sleeping Around (1979) [02:46]
15. Rave-N’s – I Feel So Suicidal (1979) [03:20]
16. Dream 286 – Scars (1982) [02:25]
17. The Customs – Long Gone (1980) [02:24]
18. Teddy & The Frat Girls – Clubnite (1980) [01:34]
Media Report:
Genre: new wave, post-punk
Format: FLAC
Format/Info: Free Lossless Audio Codec, 16-bit PCM
Bit rate mode: Variable
Channel(s): 2 channels
Sampling rate: 44.1 KHz
Bit depth: 16 bits
