This Is Boston, Not L.A.

This Is Boston, Not L.A.
Compilation album by various artists
Released 1982
Studio Radiobeat
Oak Grove
Newbury Sound
Genre Hardcore punk
Length 36:46
Language English
Label Modern Method
Producer Michel Bastarache
Jimmy Dufour
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]

This Is Boston, Not L.A. is a hardcore punk compilation album released in 1982. It is considered the definitive album from the Boston hardcore scene, as several of the bands that were prominent in that scene appear on the record.

The bands performing included Jerry's Kids, the Proletariat, Groinoids, the F.U.'s, Gang Green, Decadence, and the Freeze.[1]

According to Clif Hanger, vocalist for the Freeze, the song and album title was coined not to insult Los Angeles scene, but to encourage other Boston acts to find their own unique, local sound rather than emulate other bands from other areas. However, Boston audiences often took away a different meaning. They assumed the song asserted Boston's superiority to Los Angeles.


Release

Consisting of only previously unreleased material, This Is Boston, Not L.A. was originally released in 1982 on Modern Method Records,[nb 1] in LP[nb 2][2][3] and Compact Cassette[nb 2][4] formats. Except for the Freeze, the record was also the debut release for all the bands featured on it.

The front cover features a photograph by Phil In Phlash.

Critical reception

In his review for AllMusic, Alex Henderson said:

"... in the late '70s and early '80s. While Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco were famous for their punk scenes, Boston's punk scene didn't enjoy nearly as much publicity. But make no mistake: Boston was a punk hotbed back then, and Modern Method Records tried to spread the word with this obscure but excellent compilation ... This Is Boston, Not L.A. ... paints an impressive picture of the Beantown punks who were active during that era."[1]

Unsafe at Any Speed EP

Unsafe at Any Speed
EP by various artists
Released 1982
Genre Hardcore punk
Length 11:48
Language English
Label Modern Method

A few months after the release of the original LP, Modern Method issued a follow-up 7-inch EP titled Unsafe at Any Speed,[nb 3][5] featuring one unreleased song apiece from six of the bands which had appeared on the original record. The material from this EP later resurfaced in 1995 as the last six songs on the remastered CD release of This Is Boston, Not L.A.[nb 4][6][7]

Track listing

Side A
No. TitleArtist Length
1. "Selfish"  Gang Green 1:44
2. "Empty Skull"  Groinoids 1:18
3. "Voodoo Economics"  The Proletariat 2:51
Side B
No. TitleArtist Length
1. "Machine Gun"  Jerry's Kids 1:17
2. "CETA Suckers"  The F.U.'s 0:57
3. "Refrigerator Heaven"  The Freeze 3:41
Total length:
 11:48

Influence

After the record's release, Boston natives took to mocking the title with T-shirts that proclaimed in large type: "This is L.A. (Lower Allston), not Boston" in reference to Allston, Massachusetts. In the early to mid-1980s, the T-shirt appropriately mimicked the NBA rivalry between the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers.

The Boston-based ska-punk band Big D and the Kids Table printed T-shirts referencing the song and compilation. They featured "L.A" with a strike through it on the front and "This is Boston Not L.A." on the back. South shore pop-punk band A Loss for Words also made shirts that featured a modified version of the Celtics logo and the same saying on the reverse side. This alludes to both the compilation and the Celtics' victory in the 1984 NBA Finals.

The compilation was mentioned by the punk rock band NOFX on their song "We Got Two Jealous Agains" featured on their album The War on Errorism, released in 2003. The lyric reads "But when I saw Christ on Parade, and This is Boston, Not LA, I knew you were the one".

In 2012, appeared an unlabeled self-released EP titled This Is Boston and S.J., displaying in its cover art the same photograph and graphic style of the 1982 LP, but instead of it saying "Not L.A.", it's crossed off and says "and S.J.". Hostage and Swamps from Massachusetts share the record with Bad Times Crew, and True Hearted from San Jose, California.[8]

Track listings

In the original LP from 1982, "Straight Jacket" is spelled "Strait Jacket" on the side A disc label[2] and on the inner sleeve, while "I Don't Know" appears as "I Don't Care" on the back cover and on the side B disc label, and "This Is Boston, Not L.A." is spelled "Boston not L.A." on the back cover and on the side B disc label. In the Compact Cassette version, also from 1982, "I Don't Know" appears as "I Don't Care", and "This Is Boston, Not L.A." is spelled "Boston not L.A."[4]

1982 LP and MC release

Side A
No. TitleWriter(s)Artist Length
1. "Straight Jacket"  Rick JonesJerry's Kids 0:27
2. "Uncontrollable"  R. JonesJerry's Kids 0:50
3. "Wired"  R. JonesJerry's Kids 1:22
4. "Desperate"  Bob CenciJerry's Kids 1:15
5. "Pressure"  Dave AronsonJerry's Kids 1:25
6. "I Don't Wanna"  CenciJerry's Kids 1:25
7. "Options"  Richard Brown, The ProletariatThe Proletariat 2:00
8. "Religion Is the Opium of the Masses"  Brown, The ProletariatThe Proletariat 2:14
9. "Allegiance"  Frank Michaels, The ProletariatThe Proletariat 1:39
10. "Angel"  Mongoloid, GroinoidsGroinoids 1:06
11. "Preskool Dropouts"  John Sox, Peter CristofonoThe F.U.'s 1:32
12. "Radio UNIX USA"  Steve GrimesThe F.U.'s 1:01
13. "Green Beret" (version)Robin Moore, Barry SadlerThe F.U.'s 1:39
14. "Time Is Money"  Bob Furapples, GrimesThe F.U.'s 0:20
Side B
No. TitleWriter(s)Artist Length
1. "Snob"  Chris DohertyGang Green 0:26
2. "Lie Lie"  Doherty, Mike DeanGang Green 0:33
3. "I Don't Know"  DohertyGang Green 1:01
4. "Rabies"  Doherty, DeanGang Green 1:26
5. "Narrow Mind"  DohertyGang Green 0:41
6. "Kill a Commie"  Doherty, DeanGang Green 1:07
7. "Have Fun"  DohertyGang Green 0:54
8. "Slam"  Jonathan AnastasDecadence 1:31
9. "Broken Bones"  C. CroceThe Freeze 1:31
10. "Idiots at Happy Hour"  CroceThe Freeze 0:58
11. "Now or Never"  Rob DeCradle, CroceThe Freeze 0:39
12. "Sacrifice Not Suicide"  CroceThe Freeze 1:08
13. "It's Only Alcohol"  DeCradle, CroceThe Freeze 1:24
14. "Trouble If You Hide"  DeCradle, CroceThe Freeze 2:49
15. "Time Bomb"  CroceThe Freeze 1:58
16. "This Is Boston, Not L.A."  CroceThe Freeze 0:25
Total length:
 36:46

1995 remastered CD edition

Track 36 hides an untitled looped version of the last two seconds of track 30: "This is Boston" is heard once, "fuck L.A." is the loop.

Personnel

Jerry's Kids
  • Bryan Jones - vocals
  • Bob Cenci – guitar
  • Dave Aronson - guitar
  • Rick Jones – bass
  • Brian Betzger - drums
The Proletariat
  • Richard Brown - vocals
  • Frank Michaels - guitar
  • Peter Bevilacqua - bass, backing vocals
  • Tom McKnight - drums
Groinoids
  • Mongoloid - vocals
  • Rico Petroleum - guitar
  • Fetuchini (aka Cheesely) - bass
  • Red-Squirts (aka Big Daddy) - drums, horn
The F.U.'s
  • John Sox - vocals
  • Steve Grimes - guitar, vocals
  • Joe Rockhead - bass
  • Bob Furapples - drums
  • The John Wayne Memorial "Lick-the-Big-C" Boys' Choir - choir in "Green Beret"
Gang Green
  • Chris Doherty - guitar, vocals
  • Bill Manley - bass, vocals
  • Mike Dean - drums
Decadence
  • Eric Wilkinson - vocals
  • Glenn Norton - guitar
  • Jon Anastas - bass
  • Wright Manley - drums
The Freeze
  • Cliff "Hanger" Croce - vocals
  • Rob DeCradle - guitar
  • Rick Andrews - bass
  • Lou Cataldo - drums
Production
  • Michel Bastarache (pka Mr. B) - production (tracks A1 to A6, B1 to B7)
  • Jimmy Dufour - production (A7, A8), co-production (A9, A11 to A14), engineering (A1 to A10, B1 to B7)[nb 5]
  • The Freeze - production (B9 to B16)
  • Lou Giordano - co-production (A9), engineering (A1 to A6, A11 to A14, B1 to B7)[nb 5]
  • Frank Michaels - co-production (A9)
  • Jay Snow - co-production (A10)
  • Groinoids - co-production (A10)
  • The F.U.'s - co-production (A11 to A14)
  • Nasty - co-production (B8)
  • Grub the Great - co-production (B8)
  • Emir Galevi - engineering (B9)[nb 6]
  • Ken Kanavous - engineering (B10 to B16)[nb 7]
  • Phil In Phlash - photography
Additional production (1995 remastered CD edition)
  • Mark McKay - editing
  • Sean Sweeney - editing
  • Henk Kooistra - remastering[nb 8]
  • Joe Cuneo - remastering (assistance)
  • Michel Bastarache (pka Mr. B) - technical assistance, artwork (flyers), liner notes
  • Rachel Kieserman - artwork (assistance)
  • Jack Kelly - artwork (flyers)
  • Mike Gitter (from xXx Fanzine) - liner notes

Notes

  1. ↑ Modern Method was an offshoot of Newbury Comics, a New England–based music retailer, which also shared ownership with Boston Rock, the local music scene's largest circulation publication.
  2. 1 2 Modern Method #MM 012
  3. ↑ Modern Method #MM 014
  4. ↑ Wicked Disc #WIC 1001-2
  5. 1 2 At Radiobeat Studios in Boston, Massachusetts.
  6. ↑ At Oak Grove Studio in Malden, Massachusetts.
  7. ↑ At Newbury Sound in Boston, Massachusetts.
  8. ↑ At 9 West Mastering in Marlborough, Massachusetts.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Henderson, Alex. "This Is Boston, Not L.A.: AllMusic Review by Alex Henderson". allmusic.com. Retrieved February 15, 2016.
  2. 1 2 This Is Boston, Not L.A., 1982 LP release cover art. recordcollectorsoftheworldunite.com. Retrieved February 15, 2016.
  3. ↑ This Is Boston, Not L.A., 1982 LP repressing cover art. recordcollectorsoftheworldunite.com. Retrieved February 15, 2016.
  4. 1 2 This Is Boston, Not L.A., 1982 MC release cover art. recordcollectorsoftheworldunite.com. Retrieved February 15, 2016.
  5. ↑ Unsafe at Any Speed, 1982 7" EP release cover art. recordcollectorsoftheworldunite.com. Retrieved February 16, 2016.
  6. ↑ FuckYouOiOiOi (January 16, 2007). "Various: This Is Boston, Not L.A. (1982)". punknews.org. Retrieved February 12, 2016.
  7. ↑ This Is Boston, Not L.A., 1995 CD edition cover art. recordcollectorsoftheworldunite.com. Retrieved February 15, 2016.
  8. ↑ Various artists, This Is Boston and S.J., 2012 CD EP, FLAC and MP3 files release review. idioteq.com. Retrieved March 9, 2016.

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