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THE AVENGERS
The Avengers Died For Your Sins (Lookout)
Reviewed by Shaun Dale
Although their entire performing career lasted a scant two years and their recorded output added up to one full length release that contained nearly everything they laid down on a handful of singles and EPs, the Avengers were one of the tightest, toughest and ultimately most influential punk acts to come out of the west coast scene in the 70s. One way to measure that influence is found on an insert provided with this new collection that lists the bill from every gig the band ever played. Among the names that shared stages with the Avengers are the Dils, the Dead Kennedys, the Sex Pistols, Missing Persons, Blondie, Devo, Tuxedomoon, Roy Loney and the Talking Heads. Impressive company. And the Avengers stole more than their share of the spotlight on most of those bills.
Most of The Avengers Died For Your Sins is made up of live tracks from audience tapers collected by lead singer Penelope Houston (more recently known as a noted Bay Area folk rocker!). Along with these rare live performances, there are three new versions of old songs recorded by the Scavengers, featuring Houston and original Avengers guitarist Greg Westermark with a new rhythm section. It was either that, or lose these songs to the tides of time. I'm glad the songs won out.
This is a vivid snapshot of one of the great, if not the greatest, periods of punk history by one of the top acts of that and any time. There are necessarily compromises in fidelity, but there's no compromise in energy, and the music here is of far more than historical interest. Thanks to the vision of those tapers, and the efforts of Penelope Houston, the live music of the Avengers lives on. If this dies, the sin is on your hands.
Track List: Teenage Rebel * Friends Of Mine * White Nigger * The Good, The Bad & The Kowalskis * I Want In (Scavengers) * Crazy Homocide (Scavengers) * The End Of The World (Scavengers) * Fools Or Hippies (spoken intro) * The American In Me * Get Up! (spoken intro) * Open Your Eyes * Car Crash * Tiny Pink Noise * Fuck You * Jokers Wild * Something's Wrong * Wrong Town (spoken intro) * Desperation * I Believe In Me * Money * We Are The One
© 1999 - Shaun Dale