The Gears - Rockin' at Ground Zero LP

Los Angeles' late 1970s punk rock didn't enjoy the same recognition as the New York and London scenes, and many great LA bands couldn't sniff out major label deals. The Gears' 1980 album Rockin' At Ground Zero was one of the very best of the new DIY punk rock indie releases. With powerhouse vocalist Axxel G Reese, the high impact guitar of Kidd Spike, bassist Brian Redz and the late, great Dave Drive on drums, The Gears roared out hard hitting, irresistible songs with a driving energy wrenched from the gut of Los Angeles. Influenced equally by the Sex Pistols and the old school rock & roll they grew up with, The Gears' peerless songs are fraught with classic themes - adolescent anxiety ("Teenage Brain"), restlessness ("Keep Movin'"), desperate romance ("Baby Runaround," "High School Girls") and defiantly rockin' through the end of the world ("The Last Chord" and "Rockin' At Ground Zero"). This record captures one of the most underrated, highest quality groups of the era - a solid, classic set of pure Los Angeles punk & roll.