10 Forgotten 1970s Punk Albums You Need To Hear

While some initially disputed the band's claim that this material was recorded as early as 1977, one of the two surviving band members recently confirmed the tapes really were recorded in December of that year.

Either way, these ten demo songs comprise a convincing eighteen-minute blast of snotty, angry punk rock, arguably even proto-hardcore to rival early Black Flag or Germs. With shredding buzzsaw guitars and a speed and aggression well ahead of their time, it could have seen them more widely known today if given a proper full release while the band was still active, rather than only existing as demos until official release in the 1990s.

Punk rock was not an easy line to walk anywhere in 1977, especially not in the likes of The Consumers’ hometown of Phoenix, Arizona, far away from the buffer provided by like-minded misfits in California, London, or New York. High-school friends Paul Cutler (guitar) and David Wiley (vocals) recall driving the 356 miles to Los Angeles just to buy a Sex Pistols 7”. They eventually relocated to the burgeoning LA punk scene, but sadly didn’t last long enough to capitalise on the move.

Cutler would go on to form 45 Grave who re-recorded The Consumers’ track Concerned Citizen, which can be heard here in its earlier form, and later still he would form The Dream Syndicate.