From The Valley Within (Lost Records) 1983. Man seriously? Say it ain’t so, Joe. Two obscure 1980′s hardcore 7inches in a row? This one is from San Jose, California and is one of those comps that I searched for for years. Why? Cuz it has The Faction on it, that’s why. And what’s funny is now The Faction aren’t even one of my favorite bands. Times change and people change, as Pat Dubar once so eloquently put it. So what is the choice material on this comp? Ribzy, Ribzy, Ribzy. It’s just so fucking snide and rotten. Check out All Cut Up and tell me that guitar breakdown isn’t awesome. Some of you may remember me waxing all philosophical-like about Ribzy back in August of 2007. Fronted by twins and featuring two girls, Ribzy were something kinda unusual for the skatepunk scene. Maybe the unique demographic element of the band contributed to the unique aesthetic element of the band. What do I know? Another great band on this comp is Grim Reality who should not be confused with The Grim. Fronted by Jason Honea who went on to sing on my favorite Social Unrest album, Grim Reality is mid-tempo punk with a British vibe. Definitely not as groundbreaking as SU2000 (what is?), Grim Reality is still pretty kick-ass and worth a listen. All in all, this comp is a pretty cool document of a lesser-known scene. Kinda similar to Nardcore in a way but without the hesher allusions.

Samples:

Anarchy and Peace – Grim Reality
All Cut Up – Ribzy

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