London ’77

A sloppy, disgusting, glorious mess, and the first documentation of the London punk scene, the great The Roxy London W.C.2 (Jan.-Apr. ’77) live compilation beats you over the head with the earliest Buzzcocks (‘Breakdown,” “Love Battery”), Wire (“1.2.X.U.,” “Lowdown”), X-Ray Spex (“Oh Bondage! Up Yours!”), The Adverts (“Bored Teenagers”), and Eater (“Don’t Need It,” “15”).

The raw, unapologetic awfulness of it all is bracing – the bands can barely play but they have something to say and they say it with boundless energy and certitude. You can smell the piss, stale beer, sweat and the magic of a scene coming together.