GBH-City Baby's Revenge (1984)

 

Artist: Charged G.B.H

Title: City Baby's Revenge

Label: Relativity

Format: LP

Cat #: EMC 8004

Year of Release: 1984

Country and Year of Edition Issue: US 1984

Listed Condition: V+/G Back cover corner peeled off approx 1" x 4" due to water damage

Sell Date: 1/8/22

Sell Price: $19.99

Discogs Last Sold: 11/22/21 $20.22 VG/VG

Low: $9.00 G+/P

Median: $24.74

Average: $23.49

High: $40.00

Current low price:$9.45 P/VG+ ,  $62.00 VG+/NM

Current Number on Sale at Discogs: 3

Have/Want: 732/168

Where Sold: Chico, CA

Time it took to sell: 5 years

Where and When Bought: Worcester That's Entertainment used $3.99

Gwiz-gau Letter Grade: A-

Sad To See It Go: No

GBH or Charged G.B.H?  That is the question one must ponder.  The front cover has the logo with the "Charged" stamp, but the spine has GBH alone.  Plus, no gig or punk in the street calls them "Charged GBH."  It's GBH!  Grevious! Bodily! Harm!!!

I always thought this was a tad lesser than City Baby Attacked By Rats--a little slower, not as many classics.  The hits of yore were the title track.  Live this would be done right after "City Baby Attacked By Rats."  101 Ways To Kill A Rat!  Colin will tell ya each and every way!   Also The Stooges cover of "1970" revisted as "I Feel Alright" and 1984 put in the lyric but not the title.  Another live favorite.

As I stream this after listening to the vinyl in headphones yesterday, many more tracks stand out.  "Diplomatic Immunity" and "Drug Party In 526" were live hits that I don't remember back when I saw them in Boston with Agnostic Front opening in 1986 and the Living Room in Providence a year or two later.  I never saw them again until I won tickets to Gramercy Theatre a few years back.  Like most survivors of the era, it's a different thing.  I started thinking Colin Abrihall wasn't that far off from Billy Idol watching that gig.  Heresy even to think in my 80's teen years.  GBH were HARD. And FAST!!!   No compromise even though it seemed each successive album was not as good as the last as the 80's advanced.  I held on until No Need To Panic then I stopped caring.  It was really the early era that won my heart.

City Baby's Revenge and GBH in general requires a few listens to internalize the riffs, the lyrics and the fist clenching choruses.  Now that I'm relistening I'm saying to myself "Vietnamese Blues"..that's a good one!  And that lick on "Womb With A View".  And fist pumpin' pop songs like "Faster Faster" and  "The Forbidden Zone."

This album is fuckin' good.