V/a / Local Anesthetic

Smooch

In 1981, Wax Trax Records co-owner Duane Davis formed the in-store label Local Anesthetic and released the debut single by Denver band Gluons featuring part-time Colorado resident Allen Ginsberg on vocals. Over the next few years Local Anesthetic pushed forward as the only continuous independent label in Colorado, staunchly documenting the underground music scene of the early ’80s. This CD and LP collection compiles all the 7-inch singles released by the label, along with three other CO punk 7-inch gems released prior to Local Anesthetic Records’ creation.   Although all the singles fall under the punk umbrella, Local Anesthetic features a diverse collection of hardcore, new wave, ’77 punk, artsy fartsy, goth, and experimental recordings from 1977-1983. Ginsberg may be the biggest name on the compilation, but “My Dad's A Fucking Alcoholic” by pre-Fluid (Sub Pop) band The Frantix was and is the biggest hit released by Local Anesthetic. Drug-damaged punk played through broken amplifiers, the catchy little number caught the attention of record collectors across the country and even Peter Buck from REM and Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth hunted down Denver producer Bob Ferbrache to learn every detail about how it was recorded. It was grunge before grunge. Also included on this compilation is the first single by Frantix, which for some reason was not included on their recent Afterburn Records CD collection.   Young Weasels (featuring Mr. Knutson who now runs Audika Records) and the Gluons were early Denver bands that were more of the new wave era after the ’77 style stalled and before the kids started thrashing in Denver. Bum Kon and White Trash played short, fast, and loud hardcore on par with any other short, fast, and loud hardcore band from the era. Your Funeral is reminiscent of Siouxsie And The Banshees, while Your Funeral singer Jeri Rossi's solo single is more akin to Lydia Lunch. The Nails (who later had a hit with “88 Lines About 44 Women”) and Defex were Boulder-based punk bands from 1977 who were the only two from the early era fortunate enough to release singles (not on Local Anesthetic). Only 100 copies of the Defex single made it out of the basement and existing copies fetch over $400 on eBay. It’s good, too. The final single here (also not on Local Anesthetic) is by the Rok Tots, the most rockin’ band of the era, with their blend of 1977-style punk, hardcore, and good old rock ’n’ roll. The band still exists today.

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