The Germs were an American punk rock band from

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, originally active from 1976 to 1980. The band's "classic" lineup consisted of singer

Darby Crash Jan Paul Beahm (better known by his stage name Darby Crash, formerly Bobby Pyn; September 26, 1958 – December 7, 1980) was an American punk rock vocalist who, along with longtime friend Pat Smear (born Georg Ruthenberg), co-founded the punk ro ...

, guitarist

Pat Smear Georg Albert Ruthenberg (born August 5, 1959), better known by his stage name Pat Smear, is an American musician. He is best known for being the lead guitarist and co-founder of Los Angeles-based punk band The Germs and for being a rhythm guita ...

, bassist

Lorna Doom Lorna Doom (born Teresa Marie Ryan, January 4, 1958–January 16, 2019) was an American musician best known as the bass guitarist for the punk rock band the Germs from 1976 to 1980, and again after they got back together from 2005 to 2009. Ea ...

and drummer Don Bolles. They released only one album, 1979's ''

(GI) ''GI'', stylized as ''(GI)'', is the only studio album by American punk rock band the Germs. Often considered the first full-length hardcore punk album, it was released in the United States in October 1979 on Slash Records with catalog number ...

'', produced by

Joan Jett Joan Jett (born Joan Marie Larkin, September 22, 1958) is an American singer, guitarist, record producer, and actress. Jett is best known for her work as the frontwoman of her band Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, and for earlier founding and per ...

, and were featured in

Penelope Spheeris Penelope Spheeris (born December 2, 1945 or 1946; sources differ) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. She has directed both documentary and scripted films. Her best-known works include the trilogy titled '' The Decline of ...

' seminal documentary film ''

The Decline of Western Civilization ''The Decline of Western Civilization'' is a 1981 American documentary filmed through 1979 and 1980. The movie is about the Los Angeles punk rock scene and was directed by Penelope Spheeris. In 1981, the LAPD Chief of Police Daryl Gates wrote a ...

'', which chronicled the Los Angeles punk movement. The Germs disbanded following Crash's suicide in 1980. Their music was influential to many later rock acts, and Smear went on to achieve greater fame performing with

Nirvana ( , , ; sa, निर्वाण} ''nirvāṇa'' ; Pali: ''nibbāna''; Prakrit: ''ṇivvāṇa''; literally, "blown out", as in an oil lampRichard Gombrich, ''Theravada Buddhism: A Social History from Ancient Benāres to Modern Colombo.' ...

and Foo Fighters. In 2005, actor Shane West was cast to play Crash in the biographical film '' What We Do Is Secret''. He performed with Smear, Doom, and Bolles at the film's wrap party, and afterwards, the Germs reunited with West as their new frontman. This lineup of the band toured worldwide, which included performances at the 2006 and 2008

Warped Tour The Warped Tour was a traveling rock tour that toured the United States plus three or four stops in Canada annually each summer from 1995 until 2019. It was the largest traveling music festival in the United States and the longest-running touri ...

History

Formation

Crash (born Jan Paul Beahm) and Smear (born Georg Ruthenberg) decided to start a band after being kicked out of University High School for

antisocial behavior Antisocial may refer to: Sociology, psychiatry and psychology * Anti-social behaviour *Antisocial personality disorder *Psychopathy *Conduct disorder Law *Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003 *Anti-Social Behaviour Order *Crime and Disorder Act 1998 * ...

, allegedly for using "mind control" on fellow students. Their original name was "Sophistifuck and the Revlon Spam Queens", but they had to shorten the name as they could not afford that many letters on a T-shirt. The (initially hypothetical) first line-up consisted of Beahm (then known as Bobby Pyn, and later as Darby Crash) on vocals, Ruthenberg (under the name Pat Smear) on guitar, an early member named "Dinky" (Diana Grant) on bass, and Michelle Baer playing drums. This line-up never played in front of a live audience. In April 1976, the band added Lorna Doom (born Teresa Ryan) on bass, with transitional member Dottie Danger (later famous as

Belinda Carlisle Belinda Jo Carlisle ( ; born August 17, 1958) is an American singer. She gained fame as the lead vocalist of the Go-Go's, the most successful all-female rock band of all time, and went on to have a prolific career as a solo artist. Raised in ...

the Go-Go's The Go-Go's are an American Rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1978. Except for short periods when other musicians joined briefly, the band has had a relatively stable lineup consisting of Charlotte Caffey on lead guitar and keyboar ...

) on drums. Carlisle never actually played with the band, as she was sidelined by a bout of

mononucleosis Infectious mononucleosis (IM, mono), also known as glandular fever, is an infection usually caused by the Epstein–Barr virus (EBV). Most people are infected by the virus as children, when the disease produces few or no symptoms. In young adult ...

for an extended period. She was replaced by her friend Donna Rhia (Becky Barton), who played three gigs and performed on their first single. Carlisle remained a friend and helper of the band (she can be heard introducing the band on the ''Germicide: Live at the Whiskey'' recording, produced by Kim Fowley), only leaving because her new band, the Go-Go's, were becoming popular and, as she put it, "I was really disturbed by the heroin that was going on". Nickey Beat, of various noteworthy Los Angeles bands including

the Weirdos The Weirdos are an American punk rock band from Los Angeles, California. They formed in 1975, split-up in 1981, re-grouped in 1986 and have remained semi-active ever since. Critic Mark Deming calls them "quite simply, one of the best and bright ...

, also sat in on drums for a time. The band's first live performance was at the Orpheum Theater, a 99-seat venue on the Sunset Strip in then-

unincorporated area An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

West Hollywood, California West Hollywood is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Incorporated in 1984, it is home to the Sunset Strip. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, its population was 35,757. It is considered one of the most prominent gay villages ...

(later the location of

Book Soup Book Soup is an independent bookstore located at 8818 Sunset Boulevard in West Hollywood, California, and is the largest general interest independent bookstore in Hollywood. The store is "known for its tall, teetering stacks and mazes of shelves c ...

). Smear recalled: "We made noise. Darby stuck the mic in a jar of peanut butter. It was a dare, we had no songs or anything! Lorna wore her pants inside out, and Darby covered himself in red licorice... we made noise for five minutes until they threw us off". The Germs initially drew musical influences from Iggy Pop,

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...

, Ramones,

the Runaways The Runaways were an all-female American rock band who recorded and performed from 1975 to 1979. The band released four studio albums and one live album during its run. Among their best-known songs are " Cherry Bomb", "Hollywood", "Queens of ...

, Sex Pistols, and New York Dolls. Early on, Smear was the only musically experienced member; Doom survived early performances by sliding a finger up and down the fretboard of her bass while Rhia generally kept a minimal beat on the bass drum, periodically bashing a cymbal. Early performances were usually marked by raucous crowds made up of the band's friends. As a result, their gigs became notorious for being rowdy and usually verged on a riot.

Recordings

The first single, " Forming", was recorded on a

Sony , commonly stylized as SONY, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. As a major technology company, it operates as one of the world's largest manufacturers of consumer and professiona ...

two-track reel-to-reel recorder in Smear's family garage, and arrived back from the pressing plant with the note, "Warning: This record causes ear cancer", printed on the sleeve by the plant staff, much to the band's displeasure. It was released in July 1977 on the What? label. The single featured a shambolic but serviceable performance on the

A-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record company ...

and a muddy live recording of "Sexboy" on the B-side, recorded at the Roxy for the

Cheech and Chong Cheech & Chong are a comedy duo consisting of Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong. The duo found commercial and cultural success in the 1970s and 1980s with their stand-up routines, studio recordings, and feature films, which were based on the hippie a ...

movie, '' Up in Smoke''. The song was not used in the movie, nor was the band. They were the only band not to receive a call-back to perform live for the film's "Battle of the Bands" sequence, perhaps due to the fact that the Germs' chaotic Roxy performance had featured an unscripted, full-on

food fight A food fight is a form of chaotic collective behavior, in which foodstuffs are thrown at others in the manner of projectiles. These projectiles are not made nor meant to harm others, but to simply ignite a fight filled with spontaneous food ...

. The Germs, despite most expectations, developed a sound that was highly influential. Throughout their career, they had a reputation as a chaotic live band. Crash often arrived onstage nearly incoherent from drugs, singing everywhere but into the microphone and taunting the audience between songs, yet nevertheless, delivered intense theatrical and increasingly musical performances. The other band members prided themselves on similar problems, with many contemporary reviews citing collapses, incoherence and drunken vomiting onstage. Fans saw this as part of the show, and indeed, the band presented it as such, even when breaking bottles and rolling in the glass, with the music coming and going. Smear was revealed to be a remarkably talented and fluid player; much later, after Crash's death, critics finally acknowledged his lyrics as poetic art. Crash's vocals had begun to mold themselves around the style of

the Screamers The Screamers were an American electropunk group founded in 1975. They were among the first wave of the L.A. punk rock scene. The Los Angeles Times applied the label "techno-punk" to the band in 1978. In the documentary '' Punk: Attitude'' ( ...

' vocalist Tomata DuPlenty. Another strong influence on the band's final sound was Zolar X, a theatrical

glam rock Glam rock is a style of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom in the early 1970s and was performed by musicians who wore outrageous costumes, makeup, and hairstyles, particularly platform shoes and glitter. Glam artists drew on diver ...

band popular in the Los Angeles area c. 1972–1980. Crash and Smear were enthusiastic fans of the band from the pre-Germs days, and the fast tempos and raw guitar tone of (the historically pre-punk) Zolar X were similar to the sound achieved on later Germs recordings. The Germs recorded two singles (with alternate tracks), an album-length demo session, and one full-length LP, ''

'', each more focused and powerful than the last. Crash was, despite his erratic behavior, generally regarded as a brilliant lyricist (a contemporary critic described him as "ransacking the dictionary"), and the final line-up of Smear, Doom and Bolles had become a world-class rock ensemble by the recording of ''(GI)'', turning in a performance that spurred an '' LA Weekly'' reviewer to write, "This album leaves exit wounds". It is considered one of the first

hardcore punk Hardcore punk (also known as simply hardcore) is a punk rock music genre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots can be traced to earlier p ...

Ensminger, David A. (2011). ''Visual Vitriol: The Street Art and Subcultures of the Punk and Hardcore Generation''.

University Press of Mississippi The University Press of Mississippi, founded in 1970, is a publisher that is sponsored by the eight state universities in Mississippi. Universities *Alcorn State University *Delta State University * Jackson State University *Mississippi State U ...

. . p. 161. records, and has a near-mythic status among punk rock fans. The album was produced by Joan Jett of the Runaways. Some European copies of the album also credited Donny Rose on keyboards (the song "Shut Down" was recorded live in the studio and featured melodic, two-fisted piano). The Germs were featured in Spheeris's documentary film ''The Decline of Western Civilization'' along with X, Black Flag,

Fear Fear is an intensely unpleasant emotion in response to perceiving or recognizing a danger or threat. Fear causes physiological changes that may produce behavioral reactions such as mounting an aggressive response or fleeing the threat. Fear ...

, Circle Jerks, Alice Bag Band, and Catholic Discipline. Following the release of their only studio album, ''(GI)'', on

Slash Records Slash Records was an American record label originally specializing in local punk rock bands, active from 1978 to 2000. It was notable as one of the first and most successful independent record labels in alternative music, before its eventual ac ...

, the Germs recorded six original songs with producer

Jack Nitzsche Bernard Alfred "Jack" Nitzsche ( '; April 22, 1937 – August 25, 2000) was an American musician, arranger, songwriter, composer, and record producer. He first came to prominence in the early 1960s as the right-hand-man of producer Phil Spec ...

for the soundtrack to the film, '' Cruising'', starring Al Pacino. Doom wrote one of the songs. Only one of these songs, "Lions Share", ended up on the Columbia soundtrack album. It was featured for approximately one minute in the movie, during a video-booth murder scene in an S&M club. Other songs from this session did not appear until the 1988 bootleg ''Lion's Share'', along with four tracks from their infamous last show at the

Starwood Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide, Inc. was one of the largest companies that owned, operated, franchised and managed hotels, resorts, spas, residences, and vacation ownership properties. It was acquired by Marriott International in 2016. ...

. The ''Cruising'' sessions were finally released officially on the CD ''(MIA): The Complete Anthology''.

Dissolution and suicide of Crash

The end of the band came when Crash, who had become increasingly impatient with drummer Bolles' antics, fired him and replaced him with his friend Rob Henley. Shortly after the Germs split, Crash and Smear formed the short-lived Darby Crash Band. Circle Jerks drummer Lucky Lehrer joined the band on the eve of their first (sold-out) live performance, when during soundcheck, Darby kicked out the drummer they had rehearsed with. The band, described by Smear as "like the Germs, but with worse players", played only a few gigs to lukewarm reaction before splitting up. Shortly after that, Crash contacted Smear about a Germs "reunion" show, claiming it was necessary to "put punk into perspective" for the punks on the scene. However, Smear has said Crash told him privately he wanted to earn money for heroin with which to commit suicide. Since Crash had described this scenario many times in the past, Smear did not take him seriously. On December 3, 1980, an over-sold Starwood hosted a final live show of the reunited Germs, including Bolles. At one point, Crash told the amazed kids in the audience, "We did this show so you new people could see what it was like when we were around. You're not going to see it again".

Rhino Handmade Rhino Entertainment Company is an American specialty record label and production company founded in 1978. It is currently the catalog division for Warner Music Group. Its current CEO is Mark Pinkus. History Founded in 1978, Rhino was original ...

officially released this live set, previously unavailable in its entirety, as ''Live at the Starwood Dec. 3, 1980'' on June 14, 2010. Along with the CD, the release includes an 8½" × 11" replica of the original poster for the show, a reproduction of the handwritten set list and a four-page fanzine with photos and liner notes by

Jonathan Gold Jonathan Gold (July 28, 1960 – July 21, 2018) was an American food critic and music critic. He was for many years the chief food critic for the ''Los Angeles Times'' and also wrote for '' LA Weekly'' and ''Gourmet'', in addition to serving as a ...

. Crash committed suicide on December 7, 1980, at age 22. Unreported at the time, Crash had overdosed on heroin in a suicide pact with close friend Casey "Cola" Hopkins, who ended up surviving. She later insisted that he did not intend for her to live, nor did he change his mind at the last minute and intend for himself to live. According to '' Spin'', apocryphal lore has Crash attempting to write "Here lies Darby Crash" on the wall as he lay dying, but not finishing. In reality, he wrote a short note to David "Bosco" Davenport that stated, "My life, my leather, my love goes to Bosco". Outside the world of the Germs' fans, news of Crash's death was largely overshadowed by the murder of

John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...

the next day. A local news station mistakenly reported that Crash had died from taking too many sleeping pills.

Aftermath

After the Germs ended, Bolles played with several other L.A. bands, including

Nervous Gender Nervous Gender is an American punk rock electronic band formed in Los Angeles in 1978 by Gerardo Velazquez, Edward Stapleton, Phranc and Michael Ochoa. Their use of heavily distorted keyboards and synthesizers made them, along with The Scr ...

45 Grave 45 Grave is an American rock band from Los Angeles formed in 1979. The original group broke up in 1985, but vocalist Dinah Cancer subsequently revived the band. History The band was founded during the punk rock movement by Paul B. Cutler i ...

Celebrity Skin ''Celebrity Skin'' is the third studio album by American alternative rock band Hole, released on September 8, 1998, in the United States on DGC Records and internationally on Geffen Records. It was the last album released by the band before the ...

, and

Ariel Pink Ariel Marcus Rosenberg ( ; born June 24, 1978), professionally known as Ariel Pink, is an American musician, singer, and songwriter whose work draws heavily from the popular music of the 1960s–1980s. His lo-fi aesthetic and home-recorded alb ...

. In fall 2009, Bolles joined the cast of punks, mods and rockers web series ''Oblivion''. In 1993, Slash released ''(MIA): The Complete Anthology'', with liner notes by Pleasant Gehman. Smear went on to play with Nirvana during their last year and, after the

death of Kurt Cobain On April 8, 1994, Kurt Cobain, the lead singer and guitarist of the American rock band Nirvana, was found dead at his home in Seattle, Washington. Forensics investigators later determined he had died three days earlier, on April 5. The Seattle ...

, with Mike Watt, and then Foo Fighters. In 1996, a tribute album titled '' A Small Circle of Friends'' was released, that featured tracks by Watt, Free Kitten, Melvins,

Meat Puppets Meat Puppets are an American rock band formed in January 1980 in Phoenix, Arizona. The group's original lineup was Curt Kirkwood (guitar/vocals), his brother Cris Kirkwood (bass guitar/vocals), and Derrick Bostrom (drums). The Kirkwood brothe ...

, that dog., L7,

the Posies The Posies were an American power pop group. The band was formed in 1986 in Bellingham, Washington, United States, by primary songwriters Jon Auer and Ken Stringfellow. Their music has its origins in Merseybeat and the Hollies. They are ...

, NOFX,

Flea Flea, the common name for the order Siphonaptera, includes 2,500 species of small flightless insects that live as external parasites of mammals and birds. Fleas live by ingesting the blood of their hosts. Adult fleas grow to about long, a ...

, Gumball and others, along with a version of "Circle One" performed by Smear with

Hole A hole is an opening in or through a particular medium, usually a solid body. Holes occur through natural and artificial processes, and may be useful for various purposes, or may represent a problem needing to be addressed in many fields of en ...

under the name "the Holez".

''What We Do Is Secret'', reformations and Doom's death (2005–present)

A film about the Germs, '' What We Do Is Secret'', was in production for several years, and premiered June 23, 2007 at the Los Angeles Film Festival. The film was theatrically released on August 8, 2008 and starred Shane West in the role of Darby Crash. Smear, Doom, and Bolles reactivated the Germs with West as singer. They played on the 2006 Warped Tour and toured clubs in the US later that summer, and again in 2007. They once again played on the 2008 edition of the Warped Tour, on the Vans Old School Stage. Some members of the punk rock community such as Fat Mike and

Jello Biafra Eric Reed Boucher (born June 17, 1958), known professionally as Jello Biafra, is an American singer, spoken word artist and politician. He is the former lead singer and songwriter for the San Francisco punk rock band Dead Kennedys. Initially ac ...

were critical of the band's decision to perform with West. In a July 2009 article, Bolles spoke about the band's plans to re-record old material for a planned box set titled ''Lest We Forget: The Sounds of the Germs''. The band rearranged songs from the ''Germicide'' live album and the ''Cruising'' sessions; they planned to record several Darby Crash Band songs as well. Live recordings, both old and new, would have made up the rest of the box set, which Bolles hoped to release in 2010. The newly recorded songs were to be released on

Smashing Pumpkins Smash may refer to: People * Smash (wrestler) (born 1959), professional wrestler * Moondog Rex, another professional wrestler who briefly wrestled as the original Smash, before being replaced by the above. * DJ Smash, DJ and music producer Ar ...

frontman Billy Corgan's new, unnamed record label. Two songs, "Out of Time" and "Beyond Hurt – Beyond Help", were originally written by Crash and Smear prior to Crash's death, but were never recorded. The songs were to be recorded with West providing vocals. West left the Germs in 2009. In December 2013, Charlotte Caffey of the Go-Go's played bass for a one-off gig, a memorial for Bill "Pat Fear" Bartell, when Doom could not be located. On January 16, 2019, Doom died of breast cancer.

Members

Classic lineup *

(a.k.a. Jan Paul Beahm) – lead vocals (1976–1980; died 1980) *

(a.k.a. Teresa Ryan) – bass guitar (1976–1980, 2005–2009; died 2019) *

(a.k.a. Georg Ruthenberg) – guitar, vocals (1976–1980, 2005–2009, 2013) * Don Bolles – drums (1978–1980, 2005–2009, 2013) Other former members * Michelle Baer – drums (1976) * Dinky (a.k.a. Diana Grant) – bass guitar (1976) * Dottie Danger (a.k.a. Belinda Carlisle) – drums (1977) * Donna Rhia (a.k.a. Becky Barton) – drums (1977) * David Winogrond – drums (1977) * Luisa Terrence - drums (1977) * Cliff Hanger – drums (1977–1978) *

D. J. Bonebrake Donald J. Bonebrake (born December 8, 1955) is an American musician who first emerged as the drummer of the punk rock band the Eyes (also featuring Charlotte Caffey of the Go-Go's). He is best known as an original member of and drummer for punk ...

– drums (1978) * Nicky Beat (a.k.a. Nickey Alexander) – drums (1978) * Rob Henley – drums (1980) * John Lorey - drums (1980) * Shane West – lead vocals (2005–2009, 2013) * Charlotte Caffey – bass guitar (2013) ImageSize = width:1000 height:auto barincrement:20 PlotArea = left:100 bottom:90 top:0 right:10 Alignbars = justify DateFormat = mm/dd/yyyy Period = from:01/03/1977 till:01/01/2014 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy Legend = orientation:vertical position:bottom columns:4 ScaleMajor = increment:2 start:1978 ScaleMinor = increment:1 start:1979 Colors = id:Vocals value:red legend:Vocals id:Bvocals value:pink legend:Backing_vocals id:Guitar value:green legend:Guitar id:Bass value:blue legend:Bass id:Drums value:orange legend:Drums id:Lines1 value:black legend:Studio_album id:Lines2 value:gray(0.75) legend:Other_release id:bars value:gray(0.95) BackgroundColors = bars:bars LineData = at:06/01/1977 color:Lines2 layer:back at:05/01/1978 color:Lines2 layer:back at:10/15/1979 color:Lines1 layer:back at:08/01/1981 color:Lines2 layer:back at:09/13/1981 color:Lines2 layer:back at:09/24/1993 color:Lines2 layer:back BarData = bar:Crash text:"Darby Crash" bar:West text:"Shane West" bar:Smear text:"Pat Smear" bar:Dinky text:"Dinky" bar:Doom text:"Lorna Doom" bar:Caffey text:"Charlotte Caffey" bar:Baer text:"Michelle Baer" bar:Danger text:"Dottie Danger" bar:Rhia text:"Donna Rhia" bar:Winogrond text:"David Winogrond" bar:Hanger text:"Cliff Hanger" bar:Bonebrake text:"Don Bonebrake" bar:Beat text:"Nickey Beat" bar:Bolles text:"Don Bolles" bar:Henley text:"Rob Henley" PlotData= width:11 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(10,-4) bar:Crash from:start till:12/07/1980 color:Vocals bar:West from:09/30/2005 till:12/12/2009 color:Vocals bar:West from:12/01/2013 till:end color:Vocals bar:Smear from:start till:12/07/1980 color:Guitar bar:Smear from:start till:12/07/1980 color:Bvocals width:3 bar:Smear from:09/30/2005 till:12/12/2009 color:Guitar bar:Smear from:09/30/2005 till:12/12/2009 color:Bvocals width:3 bar:Smear from:12/01/2013 till:end color:Guitar bar:Smear from:12/01/2013 till:end color:Bvocals width:3 bar:Dinky from:start till:04/05/1977 color:Bass bar:Baer from:start till:04/01/1977 color:Drums bar:Doom from:05/20/1977 till:12/07/1980 color:Bass bar:Doom from:05/20/1977 till:12/07/1980 color:Bvocals width:3 bar:Doom from:09/30/2005 till:12/12/2009 color:Bass bar:Doom from:09/30/2005 till:12/12/2009 color:Bvocals width:3 bar:Caffey from:12/01/2013 till:end color:Bass bar:Danger from:05/30/1977 till:04/22/1977 color:Drums bar:Rhia from:04/22/1977 till:07/05/1977 color:Drums bar:Winogrond from:07/07/1977 till:09/01/1977 color:Drums bar:Hanger from:09/15/1977 till:01/10/1978 color:Drums bar:Bonebrake from:01/21/1978 till:02/04/1978 color:Drums bar:Beat from:02/06/1978 till:03/10/1978 color:Drums bar:Bolles from:03/30/1978 till:02/18/1980 color:Drums bar:Bolles from:02/23/1980 till:12/07/1980 color:Drums bar:Bolles from:09/30/2005 till:12/12/2009 color:Drums bar:Bolles from:12/01/2013 till:end color:Drums bar:Bolles from:03/30/1978 till:02/18/1980 color:Bvocals width:3 bar:Bolles from:02/23/1980 till:12/07/1980 color:Bvocals width:3 bar:Bolles from:09/30/2005 till:12/12/2009 color:Bvocals width:3 bar:Bolles from:12/01/2013 till:end color:Bvocals width:3 bar:Henley from:02/20/1980 till:02/22/1980 color:Drums

Discography

Studio albums

* ''

'' (1979,

)

Singles and EPs

* " Forming"/"Sexboy (live)" 7" (1977, What? Records) * ''

Lexicon Devil ''Lexicon Devil'' is a three-song Extended play, EP and the second music release, release by United States, American punk rock band the Germs (band), Germs. It was also the debut output of Slash Records,Morris, Chris (October 23, 1999)"Declaratio ...

'' 7" EP (1978, Slash Records) * '' What We Do Is Secret'' 12" EP (1981, Slash Records) * ''(DCC)'' 7" EP (1992, Rockville/Gasatanka Records)

Live albums

* ''

Germicide An antiseptic (from Greek ἀντί ''anti'', "against" and σηπτικός ''sēptikos'', "putrefactive") is an antimicrobial substance or compound that is applied to living tissue/skin to reduce the possibility of infection, sepsis, or putre ...

'' (a.k.a. ''Live at the Whisky, First Show Ever'') (1981, Mohawk/ Bomp! Records/

ROIR ROIR (pronounced "roar"), or Reachout International Records, is a New York City-based independent record label founded in 1979 by Neil Cooper. Background ROIR was founded the same year that the Sony Walkman launched, and initially, the label ex ...

) * ''Rock 'N' Rule'' (1986, XEX Records) * “Live at the Starwood 12/3/80” (double LP), (2019 Rhino Entertainment Company, Run Out Groove) ROGV-080

Compilation albums

* ''(MIA): The Complete Anthology'' (1993, Slash/

Rhino Records A rhinoceros (; ; ), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. (It can also refer to a member of any of the extinct species ...

) * ''Media Blitz'' (1993, Cleopatra Records)

Compilation album appearances

* ''Tooth and Nail'' (1979, Upsetter Records) * ''

Yes L.A. ''Yes L.A.'' is a six-song compilation EP featuring first-generation Californian punk rock bands. It was also the final release of the short-lived but influential Dangerhouse Records label. Overview A one-sided picture disc released at the ...

'' 12" EP (1979,

Dangerhouse Records Dangerhouse Records was a Neff, Joseph (August 13, 2013)"(Re)Graded on a Curve: Dangerhouse Records' Compilation, ''Yes L.A.''" ''The Vinyl District''. Retrieved August 21, 2015. punk music record label based in Los Angeles, California Overvie ...

) * ''Life Is Beautiful So Why Not Eat Health Foods'' (1981, New Underground Records) * ''We're Desperate: The L.A. Scene (1976-79)'' (1993, Rhino) - "Forming", "Lexicon Devil"

Soundtrack appearances

* '' Cruising'' (1980, Lorimar Records) * ''

'' (1980, Slash Records)

References

External links

* Lipton, Shana Ting (August 23, 2005)
"Rekindling the punk flame"
(page 1/2). ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the U ...

''. * Adams, Tim (August 24, 2008)
"The death and afterlife of an LA punk"
''

The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. It is a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', whose parent company Guardian Media Group Limited acquired it in 1993. First published in 1791, it is the ...

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