Some acts, like Missing Persons, Berlin and the Motels, for all their presence on the scene, were quite commercial from the start and are so well known that I've skipped them. I've included early tracks by bands that have gone on to produce hits, like Oingo Boingo and Wall of Voodoo, since they just seemed part of the scene back then and are certainly strange enough (and also more original than a lot of the Devo/Cure/U2 etc imitators that I've come across). Some older bands are included, like Zolar X and Sparks, since they might be the strongest native influences (outside of Zappa or Beefheart and local groups like LAFMS and COMA) and seemed somehow to respond the post-punk/new wave phenomenon. And to call these 'post-punk' bands is not entirely accurate many of them are 'new wave,' 'darkwave,' 'deathrock,' 'art rock,' even something like 'freak folk.' Oh well. I'm having a hard time finding a truly accurate title for the comp, since many of the bands are from the county but from places with very particular scenes, like Pasadena and Long Beach, and a few are from outside of the city altogether (but within a two-hour drive). So here's the distillation of my 'post-punk' anthology of Southern California bands. 46 Danny & the Doorknobs - In Exile (1985) 2:40
