Five CD set bringing a comprehensive, big-tent look at the early years of punk rock in the US and Canada. Over six hours of music. Includes benchmark tracks by the scene's most influential bands plus many rare singles making their first appearance on CD. This five CD includes influential NYC bands - Patti Smith Group, The Ramones, Television, Blondie, The Voidoids, etc. - as well as the scene's other pioneers such as Pere Ubu and The Dead Boys (both Cleveland, Ohio), Dead Kennedys and Crime (San Francisco), Devo (Akron, Ohio), The Germs and The Weirdos (Los Angeles) and Mission of Burma (Boston, Massachusetts). Blank Generation offers a deliberately broad definition of punk, encompassing contributions from such outré acts as Suicide, The Cramps and The Residents through to new wave/power pop combos (Sneakers, Chris Stamey & the dB's, etc.). While the US punk scene was arguably always more diverse musically than that of the UK, the music evolved quickly, as evinced by the choices heard on Discs 4 and 5. Many of the acts here such as X, The Replacements, The Feelies, Redd Kross, The Dream Syndicate, The Gun Club and Minor Threat would make an even greater impact as the 1980s wore on. It's hard to overestimate the seismic shocks caused by the music on 'Blank Generation', not only on everything in alternative music which followed in North American, from the 80s hardcore scene and the music heard on the whole alternative college radio network through to grunge and beyond. And yet this era has never before been treated to a comprehensive retrospective of this kind.

Disc: 1
1 Richard Hell & the Voidoids - Blank Generation - Hell, Richard & The Voidoids
2 The Ramones - Rockaway Beach - Ramones, The
3 Television - Friction - Television
4 The Modern Lovers - Someone I Care About - Modern Lovers, The
5 The Heartbreakers – Chinese Rocks - Heartbreakers, The
6 The Dictators - Cars and Girls - Dictators, The
7 The Dead Boys - Sonic Reducer - Dead Boys
8 The Dogs - John Rock - Dogs, The (Detroit)
9 The Brats - Be a Man - Brats, The
10 Crime - Hot Wire My Heart - Poly Styrene Jass Band
11 Poly Styrene Jass Band - Drano In Your Veins - Pere Ubu
12 Pere Ubu - Final Solution - Killer Kane Band
13 Killer Kane Band - Mr. Cool - Marbles
14 Marbles - Red Lights - Sneakers
15 Sneakers - Condition Red - Blondie
16 Blondie - Rip Her to Shreds - Suicide
17 Suicide - Rocket USA - Suicide Commandos, The
18 The Suicide Commandos - Match/Mismatch - Smith, Patti Group
19 Patti Smith Group - Pissing In a River - Mirrors
20 Mirrors - Shirley - Berenzy, John
21 John Berenzy - Vice Verses - Residents, The
22 The Residents - Satisfaction
Disc: 2
1 Devo - Come Back Jonee - Devo
2 Destroy all Monsters - Bored - Destroy All Monsters
3 The Avengers - We Are the One - Crime
4 The Twinkeyz - Aliens In Our Midst - Avengers, The
5 The Mumps - Crocodile Tears - Twinkeyz, The
6 The Scruffs - My Mind - Mumps, The
7 Tommy Hoehn - Blow Yourself Up - Scruffs, The
8 The Randoms - Let’s Get Rid of New York - Hoehn, Tommy
9 The Dils - Mr. Big - Randoms, The
10 Chris Stamey & the dB’s - (I Thought) You Wanted To Know - Dils, The
11 The Quick - Pretty Please - Stamey, Chris & The DB's
12 Cigarettes - Gimme Cigarette - Quick, The
13 electric eels - Cyclotron - Cigarettes, The
14 Mars - 3E - Electric Eels
15 Howard Werth - Obsolete - Mars
16 Pointed Sticks - What Do You Want Me To Do? - Werth, Howard
17 Shock - This Generation’s On Vacation - Pointed Sticks
18 The Deadbeats - Let’s Shoot Maria - Shock
19 The Bags - Survive - Deadbeats, The
20 The Human Switchboard - No - Bags, The
21 Curtiss A - I Don’t Wanna Be President - Human Switchboard, The
22 Alda Reserve - Cure Me - Curtiss A
23 The Young Canadians - Hawaii - Alda Reserve
24 The Weirdos - We Got the Neutron Bomb - Young Canadians, The
25 The Last - She Don’t Know Why I’m Here - Weirdos, The
26 Tom Verlaine - Breakin’ In My Heart - Last, The
27 Pagans - Street Where Nobody Lives - Verlaine, Tom
Disc: 3
1 The Dickies - Fan Mail - Dickies, The
2 DMZ - Bad Attitude - DMZ
3 The Germs - Lexicon Devil - Germs, The
4 The Cramps - TV Set - Cramps, The
5 Really Red - Corporate Setting - Really Red
6 The Swimming Pool Q’s - Rat Bait - Swimming Pool Q's, The
7 Blow Up - Tell It to the Judge - Blow-Up
8 Nervus Rex - Don’t Look - Nervus Rex
9 The Eyes - Topological Lies - Eyes, The
10 Pylon - Cool - Pylon
11 Zero Boys - I’m Bored - Zero Boys, The
12 The Bizarros - Quiana Girls - Bizarros, The
13 Smart Alex - Chitter Chat - Smart Alex
14 The Hits - All the Girls (Wanna Be In Gangs) - Hits, The
15 The Dishrags - I Don’t Love You - Dishrags, The
16 Black Randy & the Metro Squad - I Slept In an Arcade - Black Randy & The Metro Squad
17 Rhino 39 - Prolixin Stomp - Rhino 39
18 Count Vertigo - I’m a Mutant - Count Vertigo
19 Testors - Time Is Mine - Testors
20 The Girls - Jeffrey I Hear You - Girls, The
21 The Urinals - I’m a Bug - Urinals, The
22 Richard Lloyd - Blue and Grey - Lloyd, Richard
23 The Sleepers - Seventh World - Sleepers, The
24 The Stimulators - Loud Fast Rules - Stimulators, The
25 The Next - Cheap Rewards - Next, The
26 Mission of Burma - Academy Fight Song - Mission Of Burma
27 The Flyboys - Theme Song - Flyboys, The
Disc: 4
1 Dow Jones & the Industrials - Can’t Stand the Midwest - Jones, Dow & The Industrials
2 The Haskels - Taking the City By Storm - Haskels, The
3 Pure Hell - Noise Addiction - Pure Hell
4 Suburban Lawns - Janitor - Suburban Lawns
5 Non Compos Mentis - Ultimate Orgasm - Non Compos Mentis
6 The Method Actors - Do the Method - Method Actors
7 Modernettes - Barbra - Modernettes
8 The Bureaucrats - Feel the Pain - Bureaucrats, The
9 Bush Tetras - Snakes Crawl - Bush Tetras
10 Chrome - New Age - Chrome
11 The Cosmopolitans - How To Keep Your Husband Happy - Cosmopolitans, The
12 The Customs - Long Gone - Customs, The
13 Epicycle - You’re Not Gonna Get It - Epicycle
14 The Colors - Rave It Up - Colors, The
15 The Gizmos - Bible Belt Baby - Gizmos, The
16 The Demics - New York City - Demics, The
17 The Units - Work - Units, The
18 The Suburbs - World War III - Suburbs, The
19 Chandra - Kate - Chandra
20 The Suspects - Talking Loud - Suspects, The
21 The Feelies - Raised Eyebrows - Feelies, The
22 The Bongos - Telephoto Lens - Bongos, The
23 Martin Rev - Mari - Rev, Martin
24 The Embarrassment - Sex Drive - Embarrassment, The
25 The Necessaries - Detroit Tonight - Necessaries, The
26 MX-80 Sound - Someday You’ll Be King - MX-80
Disc: 5
1 Polyrock - Romantic Me - Polyrock
2 The Unknowns - Dream Sequence (September 1981) - Unknowns, The
3 Pell Mell - Spy Vs. Spy (Sept. ‘81) - Pell Mell
4 Lyres - Buried Alive - Lyres
5 Justin Trouble - Ponytail - Trouble, Justin
6 The Speedies - Time - Speedies, The
7 The Anemic Boyfriends - Fake I.D. (August 1981) - Anemic Boyfriends, The
8 The Gun Club - She’s Like Heroin To Me - Gun Club, The
9 The Slickee Boys - Here To Stay (January 1981) - Slickee Boys, The
10 Salvation Army - Mind Gardens - Salvation Army, The
11 New Math - They Walk Among You - New Math
12 The Jetsons - Genetically Stupid - Jetsons, The
13 The Dream Syndicate - When You Smile (EP Version) - Dream Syndicate, The
14 Oil Tasters - That’s When the Brick Goes Through the Window (August 1981) - Oil Tasters, The
15 Redd Kross - Clorox Girls - Redd Kross
16 Middle Class - Last Touch - Middle Class, The
17 Wall of Voodoo - Call Box 1-2-3 - Wall Of Voodoo
18 Cheifs - Blues - Cheifs
19 X - White Girl - X
20 Crash Course In Science - Cardboard Lamb - Crash Course In Science
21 Adolescents - Amoeba - Adolescents, The
22 Flesh Eaters - Version Nation - Flesh Eaters
23 The Replacements - I’m In Trouble - Replacements, The
24 Sport of Kings - This City In Darkness - Sport Of Kings
25 Get Smart! - This Is Style - Get Smart!
26 Dead Kennedys - Holiday In Cambodia - Dead Kennedys
27 Romeo Void - Not Safe - Romeo Void
28 Minor Threat - Minor Threat - Minor Threat