Wasted Youth - Young And Bored - The Complete Wasted Youth

During their seven-year career from 1981 to 1988, LA’s Wasted Youth released two albums and an EP, which have now been compiled in the double CD Young And Bored - The Complete Wasted Youth.  Clocking in at just over thirteen minutes, the ten songs on their 1981 debut album Reagan’s In (here on disc two for some reason) are raw, short and fast-paced punk with lyrics that often deal with the ills of society, authority and the system (“Fuck Authority”, “Reagan’s In”, “Born Deprived”).  Having said that they do actually slow things down a little on a couple of tracks like “Punk For A Day” and “Problem Child,” the last of which is notable for its prominent bass and buzzsaw guitars.  The production is raw and could even be considered muddy, and honestly why shouldn’t it be?  Five years and multiple member changes later (guitarist Chett Lehrer was the only member left from their debut, and drummer Joey Castillo, later of bands like Danzig, Queens Of The Stone Age, Circle Jerks and Zakk Sabbath, was a notable addition) they released the Get Out Of My Yard! EP.  By now the band had shifted towards more of a punk and hardcore/metal crossover.  For the most part the songs were longer and more developed and less frantic.  The musicianship was also more developed and therefore not as raw and ragged as the debut, but still largely straight-ahead and aggressive.  My only complaint with the EP is the production, which is a little flat and muted and really lacking in dynamics.  With the addition of Rick Seccombe as second guitarist and Dave Kushner (later of Velvet Revolver) as their new bassist, their final release, 1988’s Black Daze, saw them shifting even further towards metal, most notably with the guitar solos and riffing that had for the most part been nonexistent before (they even cover Van Halen's "On Fire", a definite guitar players showcase), but still maintaining their hardcore and punk roots.  Unlike the short blasts of their debut, the eight songs here total forty minutes, including the almost nine-minute closing track “The Gift Of Death,” and are well-crafted and very dynamics.  Listening to the album today, it could be argued that they were a bit ahead of their time.  It is also by far their best produced release, sounding head and shoulders above the others.  All three of these releases make for a great listen in their own unique way and when collected together they display a fascinating, but short-lived career trajectory for the band.  In addition to the music, there is also a great booklet detailing the band history including interviews with Dave Kushner and vocalist Paul Rossi.

(Dissonance)