The Screamers were an American electropunk group founded in 1975. They were among the first wave of the L.A. punk rock scene. The Los Angeles Times applied the label “techno-punk” to the band in 1978. In the documentary Punk: Attitude (2005), the Dead Kennedys cite the Screamers as a key influence on their group and as one of the great unrecorded groups in rock history. (further reading…)
>> return to The Weirdos page >>
This index features only vinyl and includes unofficial releases
B. Unofficial Releases
1. Weirdos – It Means Nothing
Label: Punk Vault
Catalog Number: PV-4
Format: Vinyl, 7″, 45 RPM, Single
Released: 1988
Notes: recording of the bands first demo session, recorded in Hollywood in 1977
Tracklist
A – It Means Nothing
B – Neutron Bomb
2. Weirdos – Ranting In A Rubber Room!!!
Label: None
Catalog Number: None
Format: 2 × Vinyl, 7″, 45 RPM, EP
Released: 1992
Notes: Recording of a Weirdos rehearsal, recorded in Hollywood in 1977.
Tracklist
A1 – Message From The Underworld
A2 – Bad
B1 – Life Of Crime
B2 – Go Kid Hugo
C1 – Scream Baby Scream
C2 – Teenage
D1 – Why Do You Exist?
D2 – Do The Dance
D3 – Destroy All Music
>> return to The Weirdos page >>
This index features only vinyl and includes official releases
A. Releases
1. Weirdos – Destroy All Music
Label: BOMP!
Catalog Number: Bomp 112
Format: Vinyl, 7″, 45 RPM, EP
Released: 1977
Notes: Some copies of the first pressing came with a folded Weirdos Fan Club insert.
Tracklist
A1 – Destroy All Music
B1 – A Life of Crime
B2 – Why Do You Exist?
2. The Weirdos – We Got The Neutron Bomb
Label: Dangerhouse
Catalog Number: SP-1063
Format: Vinyl, 7″, 45 RPM, Single
Released: 1978
Notes: Around 5000 of the pressing made, but only about 2500 sold, the rest were destroyed in a flood.
Tracklist
A – We Got The Neutron Bomb
B – Solitary Confinement
3. Weirdos – Who? What? When? Where? Why?
Label: BOMP!
Catalog Number: BLP-4007
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 33 ⅓ RPM, LP
Released: 1979
Notes: The Weirdos first 12″, a “mini-album”.
Tracklist
A1 – Happy People
A2 – Big Shot (In The Head)
A3 – Jungle Rock
B1 – Hit Man
B2 – Idle Life
B3 – Fort USA
4. The Weirdos – A Life Of Crime
Label: Line Records
Catalog Number: 6.14391
Format: Vinyl, 7″, 45 RPM, Single
Released: 1985
Notes: A re-release of the band’s first single Destroy all Music (BOMP!, 1977).
Tracklist
A – A Life Of Crime
B – Destroy All Music
5. The Weirdos – Message From The Underworld
Label: Insipid Vinyl
Catalog Number: IV-04
Format: Vinyl, 7″, 45 RPM, Single
Released: 1991
Notes: Message from the Underworld Recorded at The Sound Factory, Hollywood, CA in July 1980. Teenage Recorded at Shangri-La, Malibu, CA in July 1978.
Tracklist
A – Message From The Underworld
B – Teenage
6. The Weirdos – Bourbon
Label: Frontier Records
Catalog Number: Boozewax-002
Format: Vinyl, 7″, 45 RPM, Single
Released: November 2015
Notes: Cover art by Jaime Hernandez. Side A recorded in 1977; side B recorded in 1980.
Tracklist
A – We Got The Neutron Bomb
B – Helium Bar
The Germs were an American punk rock band from Los Angeles, originally active from 1976 to 1980. The band’s main early lineup consisted of singer Darby Crash, guitarist Pat Smear, bassist Lorna Doom, and drummer Don Bolles. They released only one album, 1979’s (GI), produced by Joan Jett, and were featured the following year in Penelope Spheeris’ documentary film The Decline of Western Civilization, which chronicled the Los Angeles punk movement.
The Germs disbanded following Crash’s suicide on December 7, 1980. Their music was influential to many later punk rock acts. Smear went on to achieve greater fame performing with Nirvana and Foo Fighters. (further reading…)
>> return to The Screamers page >>
This index will attempt to gather show dates and flyers for all appearances
Date: Saturday, May 28, 1977
Venue: Slash store front party on Pico Boulevard
Location: Hollywood
Notes: Photo from the June 1977 issue of Slash Magazine.
Date: Tuesday, June 21, 1977
Venue: Whisky-a-Go-Go
Location: West Hollywood (cancelled)
Notes: with Germs, Zippers, Screamers
Date: Monday, July 4, 1977
Venue: Starwood Club
Location: West Hollywood
Notes: with Shock, Backstage Pass
Date: Thursday-Friday, July 28-29, 1977
Venue: Mabuhay Gardens
Location: San Francisco
Notes: with Avengers (?)
Date: Friday, August 5, 1977
Venue: Larchmont Hall
Location: Hollywood
Notes: with Dils, the Germs
Date: Sunday, August 7, 1977
Venue: “private party”
Location: Malibu
Notes: Screamers perform for Iggy Pop at a private party at his home in Malibu; Iggy calls them “Tomorrow’s Leaders”
Date: Monday-Thursday, August 8-11, 1977
Venue: Whisky-a-Go-Go
Location: West Hollywood
Date: Tuesday-Wednesday, August 16-17, 1977
Venue: Larchmont Hall
Location: Hollywood
Notes: Second Slash Benefit with Dils, The Germs
Date: Friday, December 16, 1977
Venue: Masque
Location: Hollywood
Notes: with The Weirdos, The Skulls
Date: Saturday, December 17, 1977
Venue: Masque
Location: Hollywood
Notes: with The Weirdos, Deadbeats, Bags, The Plugz
Date: Sunday-Monday, December 18-19, 1977
Venue: Mabuhay Gardens
Location: San Francisco
Notes: with Deadbeats
Date: Friday, December 23, 1977
Venue: Masque
Location: Hollywood
Notes: with Eyes, Flesheaters; cancelled
Date: Thursday-Saturday, January 5-7, 1978
Venue: Whisky-a-Go-Go
Location: West Hollywood
Date: Thursday-Sunday, February 16-19, 1978
Venue: Whisky-a-Go-Go
Location: West Hollywood
Notes: with Deadbeats, F-Word
Date: Tuesday, February 21, 1978
Venue: CBGB’s
Location: New York
Date: Friday, February 24, 1978
Venue: Elk’s Building
Location: Los Angeles
Notes: with Zeros, Dils, Germs, Controllers, Bags, Deadbeats
Date: Wednesday, March 15, 1978
Venue: Marquee West
Location: Arcadia
Notes: with X, Alley Cats, Flesheaters
Date: Thursday, March 23, 1978
Venue: State Mental Hospital
Location: Camarillo
Notes: Easter dance for patients of the hospital
Date: Saturday, March 25, 1978
Venue: Straight Ahead Ballroom
Location: San Diego
Notes: with Pop!, Zippers, Gary & The Blind Dates
Date: Saturday, April 8, 1978
Venue: Elks Lodge
Location: Los Angeles
Notes: The annual Artists and Lawyers Ball at the Elks Lodge
Date: Thursday-Saturday, April 13-15, 1978
Venue: Whisky-a-Go-Go
Location: West Hollywood
Notes: with Zeros, F-Word
Date: Sunday, April 30, 1978
Venue: Japanese Hall
Location: Vancouver
Date: Saturday-Sunday, May 13-14, 1978
Venue: Mabuhay Gardens
Location: San Francisco
Notes: Saturday with The Zeros, The Mutants;
Sunday with Screamers, Zippers, Space Trash
Date: Thursday, May 18, 1978
Venue: Beaver Hall
Location: Portland
Date: Friday, May 19, 1978
Venue: Bird (Carpenters Hall)
Location: Seattle
Notes: with Enemy, Telepaths
Date: Saturday, May 20, 1978
Venue: KRAB FM
Location: Seattle
Notes: Live on the radio
Date: Sunday, May 21, 1978
Venue: Dreamland
Location: Seattle
Notes: Live in front window of clothing store
Date: Tuesday, May 23, 1978
Venue: Mabuhay Gardens
Location: San Francisco
Notes: with UXA, The Offs, Sharp
Date: Thursday, June 15, 1978
Venue: Beverly Hills Highschool
Location: Los Angeles
Notes: cancelled
Date: Thursday, June 22, 1978
Venue: Rock Corporation
Location: Van Nuys
Date: Monday, June 26, 1978
Venue: Mabuhay Gardens
Location: San Francisco
Notes: with The Mutants, The Offs, DV8, Avant Guarde
Date: Saturday, July 1, 1978
Venue: Whisky-a-Go-Go
Location: West Hollywood
Date: Monday, July 3, 1978
Venue: Stardust Ballroom
Location: Los Angeles
Notes: with the Weirdos, Crime, the Controllers
Date: Monday, July 10, 1978
Venue: Abbey Road
Location: San Diego
Notes: with The Zeros
Date: Saturday-Sunday, July 15-16, 1978
Venue: Mabuhay Gardens
Location: San Francisco
Notes: Saturday with Snot Puppies, The Twitch; Sunday with Snot Puppies, Middle Class
Date: Thursday-Saturday, July 20-22, 1978
Venue: Whisky-a-Go-Go
Location: West Hollywood
Date: Friday, July 28, 1978
Venue: Mabuhay Gardens
Location: San Francisco
Date: Saturday, September 2, 1978
Venue: Mabuhay Gardens
Location: San Francisco
Notes: with Mutants, Dead Kennedys
Date: Thursday-Saturday, September 7-9, 1978
Venue: Whisky-a-Go-Go
Location: West Hollywood
Notes: Saturday with X
Date: Thursday, September 14, 1978
Venue: Whisky-a-Go-Go
Location: West Hollywood
Date: Saturday, September 16, 1978
Venue: Whisky-a-Go-Go
Location: West Hollywood
Date: Friday, October 13, 1978
Venue: Nunzio’s
Location: Lincoln Park
Notes: with Boners, Bored Youth
Date: Tuesday-Wednesday, October 17-18, 1978
Venue: CBGB
Location: New York
Notes: with Terrorists
Date: Tuesday, October 31, 1978
Venue: Horseshoe Tavern
Location: Toronto
Notes: with Drastic Measures, Card Board Brains
Date: Thursday, November 2, 1978
Venue: Hurrah
Location: New York
Notes: Cancelled
Date: Friday, November 3, 1978
Venue: Hurrah
Location: New York
Date: Wednesday, November 8, 1978
Venue: Rat
Location: Boston
Notes: with Marc Thor and The Destroyers
Date: Saturday-Sunday, November 11-12, 1978
Venue: Hotel Nelson
Location: Montreal
Date: Thursday, November 23, 1978
Venue: Hurrah
Location: New York
Date: Thursday-Friday, May 17-19, 1979
Venue: Whisky-a-Go-Go
Location: West Hollywood
Date: Friday, May 25, 1979
Venue: California Hall
Location: San Francisco
Notes: with Units, Tuxedomoon
Date: Thursday-Sunday, July 5-8, 1979
Venue: Hurrah
Location: New York
Notes: with Lounge Lizards on the first and last night
Date: Thursday-Saturday, July 19-21, 1979
Venue: The Roxy Theatre
Location: West Hollywood
Notes: with The Original Biblical Gospel Singers. This three day engagement was the first concert by an unsigned band in the history of the Roxy club.
Date: Thursday-Saturday, July 9-11, 1981
Venue: Whisky-a-Go-Go
Location: West Hollywood
Notes: “Palace of Variety” was the last Screamers concert. It was a multimedia theater piece performed by Tomata and KK
>> return to The Screamers page >>
This index includes unofficial recordings (no official releases exist)
A. Recordings
1. Screamers – Punish Or Be Damned
Label: not on label
Catalog Number: none
Format: Vinyl, 2×7″, 45 RPM, double-Single
Released: 1989
Notes: Recorded live in December 1978 at The Masque in Hollywood.
Tracklist
A – Punish Or Be Damned
B – Vertigo (Let’s Go)
C – Magazine Love
D – Peer Pressure
2. The Screamers – Scuzzy The Death Cone Clown Demos 1978
Label: Death Cone Records
Catalog Number: DC-1
Format: Vinyl, 2×7″, 45 RPM, double-EP
Released: circa 1994
Notes: Collection of demos, alternating between the Screamer’s first demo session in the summer of 1977 and perhaps their last (late 1978): Tracks A, B1, C2: recorded late 1978; Track C2: recorded for film “Population One”; Tracks B2, C1, D: first Screamers demo session, July 7, 1977 recorded on a TEAC 2340 4-Track.
Tracklist
A – And The Beat Goes On [s/b I’m A Mensch]
B1 – The Scream
B2 – Magazine Love
C1 – Peer Pressure
C2 – Need A Head-On [s/b Why The World]
D – Punish Or Be Damned
[Tracks A and C2 are incorrectly listed on the record sleeve; correct titles noted above.]
3. Screamers – Demos 1977 Volume One
Label: Stomach Ache Records
Catalog Number: none
Format: Vinyl, 7″, 33 1/3 RPM, EP
Released: 1996
Notes: Sleeve is 2 separate pieces of paper with full-sized artwork on the back. There is another design with a half-sized back, printed on either white paper or pale yellow paper. Product of first Screamers demo session, recorded July 7, 1977 on a TEAC 2340 4-Track.
Tracklist
A1 – I Don’t Want Anything
A2 – Mater Dolores
B – Punish Or Be Damned
4. Screamers – Magazine Love / Cholo Jump
Label: Meeuw Muzak
Catalog Number: mm024
Format: Vinyl, 7″, 45 RPM, Single
Released: 2003
Notes: Tracks recorded live at the Whiskey a Go Go on September 14, 1978. Limited edition of 400 copies.
Tracklist
A – Magazine Love
B – Cholo Jump
5. Screamers – Demos 1977-78
Label: not on label
Catalog Number: SOB 01
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 33 1/3 RPM, LP
Released: 2008
Notes: A demo from summer 1978, recorded “live in the studio” by Geza X. Track A1 originally performed by Sonny & Cher; Track A3 originally performed by Germs.
Tracklist
A1 – The Beat Goes On
A2 – Thru The Flames
A3 – Sex Boy
A4 – If I Can’t Have What I Want (I Don’t Want Anything)
A5 – She’s The Girl
A6 – I Wanna Hurt
A7 – 122 Hours Of Fear (Part 1)
B1 – …122 Hours Of Fear (Part 2)
B2 – Punished Or Be Damned
B3 – Government Love Affair
B4 – Peer Pressure
B5 – In A Better World
B6 – Vertigo
B7 – Magazine Love
B8 – It’s A Violent World
6. Screamers – Pat Garrett Demos 7-7-77
Label: not on label
Catalog Number: none
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 33 1/3 RPM, single-sided LP
Released: 2009
Notes: First pressing limited to 300 numbered copies; second pressing, limited to 500 copies.
Tracklist
A1 – Punish Or Be Damned
A2 – Mater Dolores
A3 – Peer Pressure
A4 – Magazine Love
A5 – Anything
7. Screamers – Assault!
Label: Scream! Rekords
Catalog Number: SCREAM01
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 33 1/3 RPM, LP
Released: 2009
Notes: Tracks A1 to A6 and B8 recorded live at Mabuhay Gardens in San Francisco on September 2, 1978; tracks B1 and B2 are from the Pat Garrett Demos recorded on July 7, 1977; tracks B3 and B4 are from 1978 Demos; tracks B5 to B7 are from Rene Daalder / David Campbell Demos recorded in late 1978. Includes a folded insert reproducing lyrics and a 1979 interview.
Tracklist
A1 – Vertigo
A2 – Last 4 Digits
A3 – Magazine Love
A4 – The Beat Goes On
A5 – Punish Or Be Damned
A6 – In A Better World
B1 – If I Can’t Have What I Want (I Don’t Want Anything)
B2 – Mater Dolores
B3 – Why The World
B4 – The Scream
B5 – I’m A Mensch
B6 – The Scream
B7 – Why The World
B8 – 122 Hours Of Fear
8. Screamers – Strength Through Intimidation
Label: not on label
Catalog Number: none
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 33 1/3 RPM, LP
Released: 2014
Notes: Recorded and engineered by Geza X during the summer of 1978, live to a 4-track cassette tape in one session in Paul Roessler’s garage.
Tracklist
A1 – 122 Hours Of Fear I
A2 – 122 Hours Of Fear II
A3 – Through The Flames
A4 – Sex Boy
A5 – If I Can’t Have What I Want, I Don’t Want Anything
A6 – The Girl In The Car With The Glasses And The Gun
A7 – Magazine Love
A8 – Punish Or Be Damned
B1 – The Beat Goes On
B2 – Peer Pressure
B3 – I Wanna Hurt
B4 – Vertigo
B5 – It’s A Violent World
B6 – In A Better World
B7 – Don’t Pay The Whore
The Screamers were an American electropunk group founded in 1975. They were among the first wave of the L.A. punk rock scene. The Los Angeles Times applied the label “techno-punk” to the band in 1978. In the documentary Punk: Attitude (2005), the Dead Kennedys cite the Screamers as a key influence on their group and as one of the great unrecorded groups in rock history.
The Screamers were noted for unusual instrumentation, featuring synthesizer (ARP Odyssey) and electric piano (Fender Rhodes). Additional musicians, including violinists and a female vocalist, were occasionally incorporated into their performances. The group featured a theatrical presentation that centered on manic lead vocalist, Tomata du Plenty. DuPlenty and Tommy Gear, a keyboard player and vocalist, were the band’s principal songwriters.
Show List and Key Dates – This index features show dates, venues, and flyers
Recordings – This index includes unofficial recordings (no official releases exist)
History
The Screamers’ founders Tomata du Plenty (born David Xavier Harrigan) and Tommy Gear first collaborated in Seattle in 1975, where they formed The Tupperwares. The original lineup of the Tupperwares included Tommy Gear (at the time, using the name “Melba Toast”), Tomata du Plenty, and Rio de Janeiro on vocals, backed by Pam Lillig and Ben witz (later of Girls), as well as Bill Rieflin (later of The Blackouts and Ministry) and a teenage Eldon Hoke (later known as “El Duce” of The Mentors).
In late 1976, after legal threats from Tupperware trademark owners, the band’s name was changed to the Screamers. The trio Tomata, Tommy, Rio migrated to Los Angeles, leaving the other band members behind. Shortly after arriving in Los Angeles, Rio de Janeiro left the band due to creative differences and they added David Brown and drummer K. K. Barrett. Brown soon left to found the seminal punk label Dangerhouse Records; he was replaced by Paul Roessler.
The Screamers created a visual presence in the press before they ever played live. Studio photos of the band began to appear in magazines even before a full band had been assembled. Artist Gary Panter’s logo for the band, a stylized cartoon of a screaming head with spiked hair, became one of the most recognizable images to emerge from punk rock.
From 1977 through 1979, the Screamers became a sensation in Los Angeles rock clubs, selling out multiple-night engagements at the Whisky a Go Go. They were the first band without a recording contract to headline the prestigious Roxy on Sunset Boulevard. They also did several short tours during this period, playing in New York, at CBGB and Hurrah, in 1978 and 1979.
Describing a July 1979 performance, music critic Robert Hilburn of the Los Angeles Times focused on “Tomata’s extraordinary power on stage”. According to Hilburn, “Tomata’s hair was greased to stand straight up, giving him the look of a man who had just stuck his finger into an electric socket. His performance reflected the nervous, relentless anxiety of someone whose troubles are even deeper… by the end of the 40-minute set, du Plenty has gone through the same disintegration of the human will that we associate with such books as “1984”. Eventually, the tuxedo jacket, shirt and tie are ripped off, leaving him symbolically naked in his attempt to maintain some dignity and individuality. As if suddenly put in another man’s body, he asks in horror: “Who am I?”
The Screamers never released a single official recording of any kind, although several bootleg recordings have appeared, composed of rehearsals or live tapes. At one point, the group determined they would release their debut album only in video form (a highly unusual approach before MTV existed or VCRs were common), and they devoted time and resources to constructing a small movie studio. Despite some fitful efforts in the early 1980s, the band had effectively dissolved before their video plans were realized. Roessler joined L.A.’s other “synthpunk” band, Nervous Gender. The other band members pursued non-musical careers, though K.K. Barrett reunited with Roessler to perform several Screamers songs live in late 2000, in tribute to Tomata du Plenty, who had recently died in San Francisco in August 2000.
Online Resources
Synthpunk.org – Screamers biography and discography
>> return to The Germs page >>
This index will attempt to gather show dates and flyers for all appearances
Date: April 16, 1977
Venue: The Orpheum Theatre
Location: Los Angeles
Notes: opening for The Weirdos, The Zeros
Date: May, 1977
Venue: The Roxy Theatre
Location: West Hollywood
Notes: Up in Smoke movie shoot. This show is the source for the recording of “Sex Boy,” the B-side to the band’s first single.
Date: June 21, 1977
Venue: Whisky a Go-Go
Location: West Hollywood
Notes: with Screamers, Zippers
Date: August 5, 1977
Venue: Larchmont Hall
Location: Los Angeles
Notes: Slash benefit with Screamers, Dils
Date: September 4, 1977
Venue: The Masque
Location: Hollywood
Notes: with Skulls, Alley Cats, Needles & Pins
Date: September 25, 1977
Venue: Whisky a Go-Go
Location: West Hollywood
Notes: with The Weirdos, The Bags
Date: October 1977
Venue: Whisky a Go-Go
Location: West Hollywood
Notes: with Blondie, Devo
Date: October 7-8, 1977
Venue: Mabuhay Gardens
Location: San Francisco
Notes: with The Weirdos
Date: November 23, 1977
Venue: The Masque
Location: Hollywood
Notes: with Skulls, Eyes, Waxx, Naughty Women
Date: Friday, December 2, 1977
Venue: The Masque
Location: Hollywood
Notes: with Skulls, Controllers, Hitmakers, LA Shakers, Rubber City Rebels
Date: Saturday, December 3, 1977
Venue: The Masque
Location: Hollywood
Notes: with Controllers, Hitmakers, LA Shakers, Rubber City Rebels, Front Bottom Rear & Fidel
Date: Friday, February 24, 1978
Venue: Elks Building (Park Plaza Hotel)
Location: Los Angeles
Notes: Masque benefit with Zeros, Dils, Eyes, Screamers, Controllers, Bags, Deadbeats
Date: Friday, March 10, 1978
Venue: Elks Building (Park Plaza Hotel)
Location: Los Angeles
Notes: with Needles & Pins
Date: Friday, April 21, 1978
Venue: Larchmont Hall
Location: Hollywood
Notes: with Bags, Controllers, Middle Class
Date: Tuesday, May 23, 1978
Venue: Whisky a Go-Go
Location: West Hollywood
Notes: Lobotomy Night #2 with Bags, Stitches
Date: Friday-Saturday, July 14-15, 1978
Venue: Whisky a Go-Go
Location: West Hollywood
Notes: Lobotomy Night #3 with Red Lights
Date: Wednesday, September 6, 1978
Venue: The Rock Corporation
Location: Van Nuys
Notes: with The Simpletones, Brainiacs
Date: Tuesday, October 31, 1978
Venue: Roosevelt Hotel
Location: Hollywood
Notes: with The Go-Go’s, Mau-Mau’s, Hal Negro and the Satin Tones
Date: Saturday, November 4, 1978
Venue: Mabuhay Gardens
Location: San Francisco
Notes: with Dead Kennedys, The Red Products
Date: Tuesday, December 19, 1978
Venue: 1317 W. 7th
Location: Los Angeles
Notes: with Controllers, Bags, Middle Class
Date: Friday, January 12, 1979
Venue: The (other) Masque
Location: Hollywood
Notes: with Dead Kennedys, Rhino 39
Date: Saturday, January 13, 1979
Venue: The (other) Masque
Location: Hollywood
Notes: with Dead Kennedys, Rotters
Date: Saturday, February 24, 1979
Venue: The (other) Masque
Location: Hollywood
Notes: with Cramps, Dead Boys, Pure Hell, Wall of Voodoo, Extremes
Date: Saturday, March 3, 1979
Venue: Deaf Club
Location: San Francisco
Notes: with Dead Kennedys
Date: Tuesday, March 13, 1979
Venue: Squeeze
Location: Riverside
Notes: with X, Rhino 39
Date: Saturday, May 26, 1979
Venue: Club 88
Location: Los Angeles
Notes: with Alley Cats, Dred Scott
Date: Tuesday, July 17, 1979
Venue: Hong Kong Café
Location: Los Angeles
Notes: with Extreme, the Adaptors
Date: Wednesday, August 15, 1979
Venue: Hong Kong Café
Location: Los Angeles
Notes: with B-People, Vs
Date: Saturday, September 22, 1979
Venue: Hong Kong Café
Location: Los Angeles
Notes: with Middle Class, Black Flag
Date: Wednesday, October 31, 1979
Venue: Hong Kong Café
Location: Los Angeles
Notes: with Fear, Black Flag, Catholic Discipline, Chinas Comidas
Date: December 14, 1979
Venue: Hope Street Hall
Location: Los Angeles
Notes: with X, Suburban Lawns
Date: December 23, 1979
Venue: Whisky a Go-Go
Location: Hollywood
Notes: Masque Xmas party with Arthur J. and the Gold Cups
Date: December 31, 1979
Venue: Hong Kong Café
Location: Los Angeles
Notes: with Johanna Went
Date: January 29, 1980
Venue: The Great Gatsby
Location: Redondo Beach Pier
Notes: with Black Flag, Descendents, Eddie and the Subtitles
Date: February 17, 1980
Venue: Kings Palace
Location:Hollywood
Notes: Youth Party Benefit with X, Circle Jerks, Top Jimmy, UXA, Gestapo, Lost Souls, the Men.
Date: February 17, 1980
Venue: Kings Palace
Location:Hollywood
Notes: with Circle Jerks, Mau Mau’s
Date: Tuesday, February 26, 1980
Venue: The Great Gatsby
Location: Redondo Beach
Notes: with Circle Jerks, Cheifs, Crowd, Eddie and the Subtitles
Date: March 13, 1980
Venue: Fleetwood
Location: Redondo Beach
Notes: with Middle Class
Date: April 26, 1980
Venue: Fleetwood
Location: Redondo Beach
Notes: with Middle Class, Adolsecents, der Stab
Date: December 3, 1980
Venue: Starwood
Location:
Notes: Reunion show with Middle Class, the Screws
>> return to The Germs page >>
This index features only vinyl and includes unofficial releases; this index will not include re-pressings of official releases unless they’re significantly different or contain different tracks.
B. Unofficial Releases
1. Germs – Cruising Studio Sessions
Label: Bandwagon Records
Catalog Number: none
Format: Vinyl, 7″, 33 1/3 RPM, EP
Released: 1980
Notes: Officially unreleased tracks produced by Jack Nitzsche. Limited to 500 copies.
Tracklist
A1 – Throw It Away
A2 – Not All Right
B1 – Now I Hear The Laughter
B2 – Going Down
2. The Germs – What God Means To Me…
Label: not on label
Catalog Number: none
Format: Vinyl, 7″, 45 RPM, Single
Released: 1991
Notes: Four apparent versions of this bootleg were issued: tan colored cover with light blue labels, light blue colored cover with blue labels, light blue colored cover with red labels, and light blue colored cover with white labels.
Tracklist
A – No God
B – Lion’s Share
3. The Germs – What We Do Is Bootleg!
Label: Ghost O’Darb Records
Catalog Number: none
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album
Released: 1992
Notes: Side A is studio recordings, side B consists of excerpts from the film “The Decline Of Western Civilization”, as well as their last live show at Starwood.
Tracklist
A1 – My Tunnel
A2 – Throw It Away
A3 – Not All Right
A4 – Now I Hear The Laughter
A5 – Going Down
A6 – Lions Share
A7 – Caught In My Eye
A8 – Round And Round
B1 – Nicole (Germs’ Manager) Speaks
B2 – Manimal
B3 – Public Image
B4 – Strange Notes
B5 – Shutdown
B6 – Richie Dagger’s Crime
4. The Germs (GI) – The Germs (GI)
Label: CRASH! Records
Catalog Number: CRASH! 001
Format: Vinyl, 7″, 45 RPM, EP
Released: 1992
Notes: Collects the ‘Tooth & Nail’ comp LP tracks. Numbered edition of 500 [?].
Tracklist
A – Manimal
B1 – Dragon Lady
B2 – Strange Notes
5. The Germs – At The Masque
Label: not on label
Catalog Number: none
Format: Vinyl, 7″, 45 RPM, EP
Released: 1998
Notes: Recorded Live at The Masque in Los Angeles on February 24, 1978. Limited to 200 numbered copies.
Tracklist
A1 – Let’s Pretend
A2 – No God
A3 – The Slave
B1 – Shutdown
B2 – Hang On To Yourself
B3 – Forming
>> return to The Germs page >>
This index features only vinyl and includes official releases
A. Releases
1. The Germs – Forming
Label: What Records?
Catalog Number: WHAT 01
Format: Vinyl, 7″, 45 RPM, , Single
Released: July 1977
Notes: The untitled live song on side-B (The Germs Live) is “Sex Boy”, recorded at the second Germs live show, at the Roxy; made during the filming of the first Cheech and Chong movie Up in Smoke. This is regarded as the first punk rock single to come out of LA, released just 16 months after the landmark first album by the Ramones came out on the east coast.
Tracklist
A – Forming
B – [untitled]
2. The Germs – Lexicon Devil
Label: Slash Records
Catalog Number: Scam 101
Format: Vinyl, 7″, 45 RPM, EP
Released: May 1978
Notes: Bandmembers named without role on back sleeve, “Nicky Beat on drums (courtesy of The Weirdos)” credited on inner gatefold (bottom); sleeve variations for this first pressing include red, pink, goldenrod, and yellow.
Tracklist
A – Lexicon Devil
B1 – Circle One
B2 – No God
Label: Slash Records4. Germs – What We Do Is Secret
Label: Slash
Catalog Number: SREP-108
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM, EP
Released: August 1981
Notes: Two jacket variations exist in the same way they exist for (GI): one pressing in pasteboard-style sleeve (brown cardboard-colored inside) and another which is white inside. Track A1 recorded in 1977 by What Records; Tracks A2, A3 & B1 recorded in 1978 and previously released as the Lexicon Devil 7″ EP in May 1978; Track A4 recorded in 1979 by Slash Records and is an outtake from the (GI) LP studio sessions; Track B2 is not listed on back cover but on label; Tracks B3 & B4 recorded live on December 3rd, 1980 at the Starwood, Hollywood.
Tracklist
A1 – Round And Round
A2 – Lexicon Devil
A3 – Circle One
A4 – Caught In My Eye
B1 – No God
B2 – Dialogue From Last Show
B3 – The Other Newest One
B4 – My Tunnel
5. The Germs – Germicide
Label: Mohawk Records
Catalog Number: SCALP-001
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album
Released: June 1981
Notes: Recorded live at The Whisky – June 1977 (the first-ever Germs performance, according to the label).
Tracklist
A1 – Forming
A2 – Sex Boy
A3 – Victim
A4 – Street Dreams
A5 – Let’s Pretend
B1 – Get A Grip
B2 – Suicide Machine
B3 – Sugar Sugar
B4 – Teenage Clone (Wild Baby)
B5 – Grand Old Flag
6. Germs – Rock N’ Rule
Label: XES Records
Catalog Number: F-506
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album
Released: 1986
Notes: Recorded live at The Masque Christmas Party in December 1979 at the Whiskey A-Go-Go in Hollywood.
Tracklist
A1 – Lion’s Share
A2 – Let’s Pretend
A3 – Richie Dagger’s Crime
A4 – What We Do Is Secret
A5 – Art
A6 – Communist Eyes
A7 – Caught In My Eye
A8 – Media Blitz
B1 – Lexicon Devil
B2 – Manimal
B3 – Our Way
B4 – False Start
B5 – Shutdown
7. Germs – (DCC)
Label: Rockville / Gasatanka Records
Catalog Number: ROCK-6094-7 / JC-9026
Format: Vinyl, 7″, 45 RPM, EP
Released: 1992
Notes: Issued on blue, black, clear, green, and light blue vinyl. Side A: recorded live at the Fleetwood on May 6, 1980; Side B: recorded during (GI) rehearsals at the Canterbury in 1979.
Tracklist
A – Communist Eyes
B1 – Forming
B2 – What We Do Is Secret
8. Germs – Forming (Version 2)
Label: Alive Records
Catalog Number: ALIVE 0056
Format: Vinyl, 7″, 45 RPM, Single
Released: 2004
Notes: Released in black, purple, and white vinyl versions. The credits stated on this reissue are exactly the same as on the 1977 version of Forming.
Tracklist
A – ‘Round And ‘Round
B – Forming (Version 2)
9. The Germs – Lexicon Devil (Version 2)
Label: Anarchy Music
Catalog Number: ARY 8079
Format: Vinyl, 7″, 45 RPM, EP
Released: 2007
Notes: Limited to 500 numbered copies; recorded live at the Whisky in 1979.
Tracklist
A – Lexicon Devil
B1 – What We Do Is Secret
B2 – Sex Boy