A total of 26 bands, almost all of them playing '77-style punk, fill this thoroughly enjoyable compilation. There's not much in the way of variation here. Practically every act subscribes to the pub-lovin', old-school, Mohawked sound of yore, back when punks threw bottles at longhairs and a haircut was a political statement. The majority of these bands are American acts copying the old British sound and generally doing a fine job of it. No Black Flag, X, the Ramones, or the Stooges influencing anyone here. Instead, it's the Exploited, Cock Sparrer, Stiff Little Fingers, and the Sex Pistols surging through the veins of these mostly third-generation punks. Most of the bands here rip, especially tracks from Workin' Stiffs, the Partisans, Thug Murder, Those Unknown, and Guitar Gangsters. The majority of these bands are not very well-known. Only original English punks the Angelic Upstarts, who are a bit over the hill, are known internationally. But these selected tracks, some unreleased, some from various TKO bands, are generally of high quality, and punk fans of all sorts will dig this compilation and its many undiscovered obscurities. ~ Adam Bregman