The Sound of 1990 & '91

Flipside Records' compilations capture one moment at the dawn of the alternative era

May 25, 2024

In 1990, Flipside Records released a vinyl compilation of some fast, guitar-driven LA bands. They called it City of Power: LA.

Along with releasing music, Flipside also published a popular zine which contained band interviews and record and show reviews, so this crew knew what bands were interesting enough to highlight on a compilation. These bands are fast, but they aren’t all classically punk. Many are. Others have gothic, post-punk, and new wave elements, with steely, shimmering guitars. You can’t always put your finger on it. It’s that mix that really characterizes this music and captures underground L.A. at that moment in time: when mainstream media hadn’t started marketing this all as “alternative music,” the year before Nirvana released their game-changing album Nevermind. In 1990, Sub Pop was busy trying to sell Seattle music to the world, but it hadn’t “broken” yet.

“There is a pre-Nirvana and post-Nirvana record business,” said Gary Gersh, the person who signed Nirvana to Geffen Records. City of Power is pre.

There’s a purity to these City of Power bands—maybe a freedom—if only in my imagination. Two went onto fame. Many of them disbanded in the years following after this record.

“Especially in ’91, ’92, ’93, before Nirvana really exploded,” said Agnostic Front guitarist Craig Silverman, “it was honest, and it kinda lost that once that whole scene was commercialized. And it really hasn’t come back since.”

“Nevermind came along at exactly the right time,” Michael Azerrad wrote in his Nirvana Biography, Come as You Are. “This was music by, for, and about a whole new group of young people who had been overlooked, ignored, or condescended to.”

Very true. Nevermind was a turning point because it lifted the lid off the musical sewer, but great, weird, experimental bands had always been down there, doing their brilliant freakish thing, and speaking to use who felt overlooked or condescended to before. Comps like this, the 1989 Composite Drawing: Underground Compilation, and the 1990 Tantrum Compilation, capture that well.

City of Power is good stuff—a little time capsule to slip into.

Discogs said that Flipside Records only 2,300 copies of the purple version of this LP release. Here are the tracks, in order. Huge thanks so the heads who took the time to digitize and load this music to YouTube so we can all enjoy it.

Motorcycle Boy

Their lyrics are odd considering they were a Hollywood band who looked and sounded like a glam band, with shades of metal.

Sandy Duncan’s Eye

Post-punk noise rock, I’d say.

Bad Religion

Punk rock. You know.

Spiderbaby

Gothic post-punk, with synthesizers. Good stuff. (Check out their song “Twisted” next.) I love this band!

L7

Thundering, punk sludge before they called it grunge. These women absolutely ruled the early ’90s. They played one of the rawest shows I’ve ever seen. Proud to say my wife bought me a “Smell the Magic” tee from a recent tour, and I often wear it under collared shirts, and people at work don’t even know.

Anus the Menace

Surprisingly good for a band with this name.

Trash Can School

Singer sounds influenced by The U-Men. I love The U-Men, and I love this.

The Paper Tulips

This Long Beach punk band’s song “Sanitation” from this comp isn’t on YouTube, but maybe it sounds like their other songs? Turns out: This band is really damn good. I ordered two of their albums after writing this post. Good stuff.

TVTV$

This song isn’t on YouTube, but it appears on this album, Brainwashington, so maybe it sounds like this?

The Creamers

This song rips. Or creams or whatever.

In 1991, Flipside Records expanded the LP into a CD called The Big One, doubling the number of bands on it, and pulling many from San Francisco, too. With a wider frame, the photograph an even more beautiful picture of underground music at dawn of the alternative era. More Big One bands enjoyed longer lifespans than the City of Power bands did, but eras end and fame fades while music rings eternal.

(Also, hey, it’s my birthday today. If you read this far, then celebrate my birthday with me by sharing this music with some friends.)