D.O.A. - 1978 (2019)

1978 is a 21 track collection of never released demos, rare tracks and early singles from Canada's punk pioneers. Joey Shithead went deep into the Sudden Death vault and came up with some super exciting and raw punk rock. The album title and art concept is spike haired nod of the head to that early, dynamic era of D.O.A. and to the seven great former members of D.O.A., who have passed on. Their spirit and talent played a huge role into launching the band into worldwide prominence. The two constants on the album are Joey Shithead and Chuck Biscuits who play on every track. From the start of 1978 you are drawn in by their wild, I don't give a shit approach to punk rock. Now some 40 years later you can hear it all, starting with the never seen light of day demo version of The Enemy. This demo has a different set of lyrics that speaks to fighting Nazis - strange, what is old is new and vital again. There's a ton of exciting tracks that range from the never heard before: Bored and Suicidal, The Mutant, No God No War, Rip Dis Joint, No Way Out and Rent-A-Riot to classic early singles like Fucked Up Ronnie, Disco Sucks, World War3, The Prisoner and Thirteen. You also get demo versions of America the Beautiful and Liar for Hire with Biscuits drumming, which are wildly different than the classic versions you hear on War on 45. On 1978 you hear the origins of hardcore and you get a full blast of D.O.A's politics and raucous humour.