VA - Max's Kansas City: 1976 & Beyond [2CD Set] (2017)

The original Max's Kansas City 1976 pioneering punk club album, extended with an extra 30 tracks and historical notes.

Max's Kansas City is the legendary New York City nightclub that became the focal point for the city's hip artistic community from the late 60's until the early 80's. In its initial period it was famously often populated by Andy Warhol's Factory crowd, and played host to new artists such as the Velvet Underground, New York Dolls, the Stooges, Bruce Springsteen and countless others. It became a base for jet-setters, glam rockers and celebs, until the scene faded and it shut its doors at the end of 1974. Reopened in 1975 under new management, Peter Crowley was hired as music director. The new young bands he booked helped spawn, in tandem with CBGBs, the New York City punk scene. In 1976 Peter compiled a studio album of acts associated with the club, 'Max's Kansas City 1976', to help promote the club. It featured the first released recordings of Suicide, The Fast and Warhol-era veteran Wayne County, whose title-track gave a roll-call of many of the famous acts who'd regularly performed there. Now the original album is reissued as 'Max's Kansas City 1976 & Beyond', greatly extended to 40 tracks on a double-CD and a selection of 25 tracks on a double-LP. As well as the aforementioned Suicide, Fast and Wayne County, the new extended album features the New York Dolls, the Stillettos, the Offs, the Senders, Philip Rambow, VON LMO, Iggy Pop, Knots, Roland Alphonso, Cherry Vanilla, Nico, Joy Ryder, Johnny Thunders & the Heartbreakers and Sid Vicious amongst many others. It includes many previously unreleased tracks and rarities. Compiled by Peter Crowley, who also contributes notes detailing the history of the album. Writer, musician and Max's scenester Jimi LaLumia provides historical overview sleeve-notes along with biographies of the artists in a 20-page booklet. 40 Tracks (25 on 2xLP)

An epochal compilation that exposed adventurous listeners to radical new artists like Pere Ubu, Suicide, and Nico's fellow Warhol Factory alumnus Wayne County, soon to become known as Jayne County. --Dangerous Minds