Live At The Starwood, December 3, 1980

Germs, “Live At The Starwood, December 3, 1980” (Rhino Handmade, 2010)
The Germs are among the occupants of the very pinnacle of American punk rock, and this recording – their last show, released in full at last after years of bits and pieces appearing on bootlegs and comps – is perhaps the greatest live recording of any punk band, period. The band is desperate, iron-fisted, alternately wild and violently precise, racing to the limits of their sound and almost beyond music. Darby sings like he knew he’d be dead within the week, which he was.
Picks: 3, 7, 11, 18, 19, 21
4/4/11