Album of the Day

The Germs emerged from the Hollywood club scene with a string of shows legendary for their chaos, in which food, broken glass or performers threatened to fly off the stage at any moment. Naturally they got banned at a lot of places; the quartet used the pseudonym GI (for “Germs Incognito”) to skirt the ban - and as the title of their debut album. The 1979 Slash Records collection was produced by former Runaway Joan Jett, who brings enough discipline to the proceedings that distinctive songs and performances emerge from the intense rush of sound. These 16 tracks, including “Richie Dagger's Crime" and the classic “Lexicon Devil,” show frontman Darby Crash to be a visionary lyricist, and future Foo Fighter Pat Smear to be a forceful guitarist. Smear celebrates a birthday today, and in his honor, we'll crank up the L.A. hardcore punk landmark GI.