Another Sleepless Midnight Punk Romance

It's criminal that this band has been so neglected in the annals of punk rock. If you've never heard of them, don't worry about it; they're never mentioned along side names like the Ramones, the Clash, or the Pistols, yet CRIME was every bit as energetic and raw as those groups. It's sad that bad punk bands like Alice Bag have been immortalized on film while CRIME has been mostly forgotten. Sounding more like their British counterparts than the Ramones, the Dead Boys, or hometown contemporaries such as the Avengers and the Dead Kennedys, CRIME was badmouthed by critics and scenesters alike.

The only places you'll find a trace of their existence other than this record are old San Francisco police reports, old copies of Bay Area newspapers, and a small credit beside "Hot Wire My Heart" on Sonic Youth's Sister. CRIME was everything punk stood for: a grating, hard-rocking, passionate rock'n'roll band. They loitered about the Bay Area in SFPD uniforms, attracted violent audiences, and broke up before they had a chance to become "significant". This collection has it all - the great straight-ahead punk of songs like "Frustration" and "San Francisco's Doomed" to the chaotic "Murder by Guitar". Punk rock is dead as hell, and this album drives that fact right home; listening brings on feelings of both melancholia and exhilaration. I recommend it, but with a caveat: look back, but don't stare.

(Mark Kemp)