''This Is Boston, Not L.A.'' is a

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 punk ...

compilation Compilation may refer to: *In computer programming, the translation of source code into object code by a compiler **Compilation error **Compilation unit *Product bundling, a marketing strategy used to sell multiple products *Compilation thesis M ...

released in 1982. It is considered the definitive album from the Boston hardcore scene, as several of its most prominent bands appear on the record, namely, Jerry's Kids, the Proletariat, the Groinoids,

the F.U.'s The F.U.'s are a hardcore punk band from Boston, Massachusetts. They formed in 1981 as a three-piece band, released two records and appeared on the compilation ''This Is Boston, Not L.A.'' before changing their name to Straw Dogs in 1986 to marke ...

Gang Green Gang Green is an American punk rock band originally from Braintree, Massachusetts. Chris Doherty (guitar), Bill Manley (bass) and Mike Dean (drums) started the band in 1980 and broke up in 1983. Doherty reformed Gang Green the following year ...

, Decadence, and

the Freeze ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

. For them, with the exception of the later, ''This Is Boston, Not L.A.'' was also their debut release. Al Barile's band, SSD, were asked to contribute, but they refused to participate. The album was named after its closing track, the

eponym An eponym is a person, a place, or a thing after whom or which someone or something is, or is believed to be, named. The adjectives which are derived from the word eponym include ''eponymous'' and ''eponymic''. Usage of the word The term ''epon ...

ous song by

: According to Clif Hanger, vocalist for the Freeze, the title song was written not to insult

Los Angeles 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' ...

scene, but to encourage other

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

acts to find their own unique, local sound rather than emulate other bands from other areas.Abbene, Jillian (February 2008)
"On the record with... Clif Hanger - The Freeze"
''SugarBuzz Magazine''. Retrieved May 20, 2016.Carnes, Aaron (October 25, 2016)
"The Return of Boston Hardcore Anomaly, The Proletariat"
(interview). '' Noisey''. Retrieved October 27, 2016. However, Boston audiences often took away a different meaning. They assumed the song asserted Boston's superiority to Los Angeles. The album's front cover features a black-and-white image of a

mosh pit Moshing (also known as slam dancing or simply slamming) is an extreme style of dancing in which participants push or slam into each other, typically performed to "aggressive" live music such as heavy metal and punk rock. Moshing usually happen ...

, taken by Bostonian punk photographer Phil In Phlash. ''This Is Boston, Not L.A.'' would be followed up a few months later by a six-song complementary record, the ''

Unsafe at Any Speed ''Unsafe at Any Speed: The Designed-In Dangers of the American Automobile'' is a non-fiction book by consumer advocate Ralph Nader, first published in 1965. Its central theme is that car manufacturers resisted the introduction of safety features ( ...

'' EP.Modern Method #MM 014

Release

Consisting of only previously unreleased material, ''This Is Boston, Not L.A.'' was originally released in May 1982, as LPModern Method #MM 012''This Is Boston, Not L.A.'', 1982 LP release cover art
''Record Collectors of the World Unite''. Retrieved February 15, 2016. and Compact Cassette,''This Is Boston, Not L.A.'', 1982 MC release cover art
''Record Collectors of the World Unite''. Retrieved February 15, 2016. on

Modern Method Records Modern Method Records was a record label that helped to document the Boston hardcore scene in the early 1980s. Modern Method was an offshoot of the Newbury Comics music retailer and also the '' Boston Rock'' magazine. The label was located at 268 ...

.Varnum, Steve (mid-1982). Title unknown (review about the Proletariat's contribution to the ''This Is Boston, Not L.A.'' compilation). '' The Standard-Times''. Blush, Steven (2001). '' American Hardcore: A Tribal History''. Second ed., 2010.

Port Townsend Port Townsend is a city on the Quimper Peninsula in Jefferson County, Washington, United States. The population was 10,148 at the 2020 United States Census. It is the county seat and only incorporated city of Jefferson County. In addition to ...

: Feral House. . pp. 185-187. A second vinyl pressing of the album would be released later that same year.

Critical reception

In his review for

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

, Alex Henderson said:

''Unsafe at Any Speed'' EP

A few months after releasing ''This Is Boston, Not L.A.'', Modern Method issued a follow-up companion record, the

7-inch In music, a single is a type of release, typically a song recording of fewer tracks than an LP record or an album. One can be released for sale to the public in a variety of formats. In most cases, a single is a song that is released separat ...

EP titled ''Unsafe at Any Speed'',''Unsafe at Any Speed'', 1982 7" EP release cover art
''Record Collectors of the World Unite''. Retrieved February 16, 2016. featuring one unreleased song apiece from six of the bands which had appeared on the original compilation. Also featuring a Phil In Phlash's photograph of a mosh pit, and bold

typography Typography is the art and technique of arranging type to make written language legible, readable and appealing when displayed. The arrangement of type involves selecting typefaces, point sizes, line lengths, line-spacing ( leading), ...

, the record's front cover is of a similar design to that on the original album. The tracks that make up the EP resurfaced in 1995 as the last six songs on the CD re-release of ''This Is Boston, Not L.A.''Wicked Disc #WIC 1001-2FuckYouOiOiOi (January 16, 2007)
"Various: ''This Is Boston, Not L.A.'' (1982)"
''Punknews''. Retrieved February 12, 2016.''This Is Boston, Not L.A.'', 1995 CD edition cover art
''Record Collectors of the World Unite''. Retrieved February 15, 2016.
''Official Website of the Proletariat and Churn''. Archived fro

on June 20, 2008.

Track listing

Influence

After the record's release, Boston natives took to mocking the title with

T-shirt A T-shirt (also spelled tee shirt), or tee, is a style of fabric shirt named after the T shape of its body and sleeves. Traditionally, it has short sleeves and a round neckline, known as a ''crew neck'', which lacks a collar. T-shirts are general ...

s that proclaimed in large type: "This is L.A. (Lower Allston), not Boston" in reference to

Allston Allston is an officially recognized neighborhood within the City of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It was named after the American painter and poet Washington Allston. It comprises the land covered by the zip code 02134. For the most pa ...

, Massachusetts. In the early to mid-1980s, the T-shirt appropriately mimicked the NBA rivalry between the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers. The Boston-based ska-punk band

Big D and the Kids Table Big D and the Kids Table is a ska punk band formed in October 1995 in Boston, Massachusetts when its members converged in college. Their first release was on their own Fork in Hand Records label, but have since teamed with Springman Records and ...

printed T-shirts referencing the song and compilation. They featured "L.A" with a strike through it on the front and "This is Boston Not L.A." on the back. South shore pop-punk band

A Loss for Words A Loss for Words (formerly Last Ride) was an American pop punk band from Abington, Massachusetts. History Early years (1999–2004) Matty Arsenault and Danny Poulin from Lions Lions started a new band, Last Ride Pony Rides and, in 1999, it woul ...

also made shirts that featured a modified version of the Celtics logo and the same saying on the reverse side. This alludes to both the compilation and the Celtics' victory in the 1984 NBA Finals. In 1994 Zafio Records released the ''This is Berkeley Not West Bay'' 4-way split EP with Black Fork,

Dead and Gone "Dead and Gone" is a song by American hip hop recording artist T.I., featuring American singer-songwriter Justin Timberlake. It was released on January 12, 2009 as the eighth single from T.I.'s sixth studio album, ''Paper Trail'' (2008). Due ...

Screw 32 Screw 32 is a Berkeley/East Bay-area US punk rock band. Their name has many supposed origins, the most popular stating that it is derived from an anti-skateboarding measure on the ballot in Concord, California. They were noted for their self-publi ...

and

AFI AFI may refer to: * ''Address-family identifier'', a 16 bit field of the Routing Information Protocol * Ashton Fletcher Irwin, an Australian drummer * AFI (band), an American rock band ** ''AFI'' (2004 album), a retrospective album by AFI rele ...

on it. As a response, in 2000 the Amsterdam-based Kangaroo Records label released the compilation EP ''This is Kangaroo Not Berkely'', with 12 bands from different countries playing 'straight forward hardcore. Like the way it SHOULD be.' The compilation was mentioned by the punk rock band NOFX on their song "We Got Two Jealous Agains", featured on their album ''

The War on Errorism ''The War on Errorism'' is the ninth studio album by the American punk rock band NOFX. It was released on May 6, 2003, through Fat Wreck Chords. The album was recorded in 2003 after they left Epitaph Records in 2001, following the release of 2 ...

'', released in 2003. A verse of the lyrics reads: "But when I saw Christ on Parade, and ''This is Boston, Not LA'', I knew you were the one". In 2012, appeared an unlabeled self-released EP titled ''This Is Boston and S.J.'', displaying on its cover art the same photograph and graphic style of the 1982 LP, but instead of it saying "Not L.A.", it's crossed off and says "and S.J.". Hostage and Swamps from

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

share the record with Bad Times Crew, and True Hearted from San Jose, California.

Reissues

In October 1995, ''This Is Boston, Not L.A.'' was

re-release In the music industry, a reissue (also re-release, repackage or re-edition) is the release of an album or single which has been released at least once before, sometimes with alterations or additions. Reasons for reissue New audio formats Rec ...

d as a remastered CD''This Is Boston, Not L.A.'', 1995 CD edition
''

''. Retrieved July 29, 2016. on

Newbury Comics Newbury Comics is an American comic book and music retailer based in New England. Newbury Comics began as a comic book vendor on Newbury Street in Boston. The company was founded in 1978 by Massachusetts Institute of Technology students John B ...

' in-house

record label A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the produ ...

Wicked Disc, a short-lived follow-up to the demised Modern Method Records. This edition included, as

bonus track An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records co ...

s, the entire ''

'' EP. On July 29, 2016, Newbury Comics re-released the album as a limited repressing of 1,500 copies on colored vinyl, in four different design variations.''This Is Boston, Not L.A.'', 2016 LP repressing cover art
'' Rackspace CDN''. Archived fro
the original
on August 18, 2016.

Track listings

In the original LP from 1982, "Straight Jacket" is spelled "Strait Jacket" on the side A disc label and on the inner

sleeve A sleeve ( ang, slīef, a word allied to ''slip'', cf. Dutch ) is the part of a garment that covers the arm, or through which the arm passes or slips. The sleeve is a characteristic of fashion seen in almost every country and time period, acro ...

, while "I Don't Know" appears as "I Don't Care" on the back cover and on the side B disc label, and "This Is Boston, Not L.A." is shortened to "Boston not L.A." on the back cover and on the side B disc label. In the Compact Cassette version, also from 1982, "I Don't Know" appears as "I Don't Care", and "This Is Boston, Not L.A." is shortened to "Boston not L.A."

1982 LP and MC release

1995 remastered CD edition

Track 36 hides an untitled

loop Loop or LOOP may refer to: Brands and enterprises * Loop (mobile), a Bulgarian virtual network operator and co-founder of Loop Live * Loop, clothing, a company founded by Carlos Vasquez in the 1990s and worn by Digable Planets * Loop Mobile, an ...

ed version of the final line of the title song: "This is Boston" is heard once, "fuck L.A." is the loop.

Personnel

Jerry's Kids *Bryan Jones –

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or withou ...

*Bob Cenci –

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

*Dave Aronson – guitar *Rick Jones – bass *Brian Betzger – drums ; The Proletariat *Richard Brown – vocals *Frank Michaels – guitar *Peter Bevilacqua – bass,

backing vocals A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are ...

*Tom McKnight – drums Groinoids *Mongoloid – vocals *Rico Petroleum – guitar *Fetuchini ( aka Cheesely) – bass *Red-Squirts (aka Big Daddy) – drums,

horn Horn most often refers to: *Horn (acoustic), a conical or bell shaped aperture used to guide sound ** Horn (instrument), collective name for tube-shaped wind musical instruments *Horn (anatomy), a pointed, bony projection on the head of various ...

The F.U.'s The F.U.'s are a hardcore punk band from Boston, Massachusetts. They formed in 1981 as a three-piece band, released two records and appeared on the compilation ''This Is Boston, Not L.A.'' before changing their name to Straw Dogs in 1986 to marke ...

*John Sox – vocals *Steve Grimes – guitar, vocals *Joe Rockhead – bass *Bob Furapples – drums *The John Wayne Memorial "Lick-the-Big-C" Boys' Choir –

choir A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which ...

in "Green Beret" Gang Green *

Chris Doherty Chris Doherty (born 1965 in Braintree, Massachusetts) is a musician, singer-songwriter best known as the founder of hardcore punk band Gang Green. Doherty graduated from Braintree High School in 1983. Gang Green The lone constant in the lineu ...

– guitar, vocals *Bill Manley – bass, vocals *Mike Dean – drums ;Decadence *Eric Wilkinson – vocals *Glenn Norton – guitar * Jon Anastas – bass *Wright Manley – drums The Freeze *Clif "Hanger" Croce – vocals *Rob DeCradle – guitar *Rick Andrews – bass *Lou Cataldo – drums Production *Michel Bastarache (pka Mr. B) –

production Production may refer to: Economics and business * Production (economics) * Production, the act of manufacturing goods * Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services) * Production as a stati ...

( tracks A1 to A6, B1 to B7) *Jimmy Dufour – production (A7, A8), co-production (A9, A11 to A14), engineering (A1 to A10, B1 to B7)At Radiobeat Studios in

, Massachusetts. *The Freeze – production (B9 to B16) *

Lou Giordano Lou Giordano (born c. 1957) is a record producer and recording engineer who co-founded Radiobeat Studios. He worked at Fort Apache Studios when it was located in Boston, and was a partner in the production company Prodco, which had close ties with ...

– co-production (A9),

engineering Engineering is the use of scientific method, scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad rang ...

(A1 to A6, A11 to A14, B1 to B7) *Frank Michaels – co-production (A9) *Jay Snow – co-production (A10) *Groinoids – co-production (A10) *The F.U.'s – co-production (A11 to A14) *Nasty – co-production (B8) *Grub the Great – co-production (B8) *Emir Galevi – engineering (B9) *Ken Kanavous – engineering (B10 to B16) *Phil In Phlash –

photography Photography is the art, application, and practice of creating durable images by recording light, either electronically by means of an image sensor, or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film. It is employe ...

Additional production (1995 remastered CD edition) *Mark McKay –

editing Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, photographic, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, orga ...

*Sean Sweeney – editing *Henk Kooistra – remastering *Joe Cuneo – remastering (assistance) *Michel Bastarache (pka Mr. B) – technical assistance, illustration ( flyers),

liner notes Liner notes (also sleeve notes or album notes) are the writings found on the sleeves of LP record albums and in booklets that come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or the equivalent packaging for cassettes. Origin Liner notes are desce ...

*Rachel Kieserman – illustration (assistance) *Jack Kelly – illustration (flyers) *Mike Gitter (from ''xXx Fanzine'') – liner notes

Notes

References

External links

* Henderson, Alex
"''This Is Boston, Not L.A.'': AllMusic Review by Alex Henderson"
''

''. * Erich (July 15, 2008)
"V/A Unsafe at Any Speed- Compilation 7″EP (Modern Method Records, USA, 1982)"
''Good Bad Music for Bad, Bad Times!'' {{The Proletariat 1982 compilation albums Songs about Boston 20th century in Boston Hardcore punk compilation albums Regional music compilation albums