We Got Power!: Hardcore Punk Scenes from 1980s Southern California

I just bought a second copy of this book to save for posterity. Packed with beautiful photos of bands such as Redd Kross, Black Flag, and The Minutemen, playing early shows at house parties and in apartment bedrooms. A few kids with DIY attitude started the We Got Power fanzine and documented the Los Angeles punk scene coalescing around the birth of the SST Records scene. The full zines are reprinted in this book and there are hundreds of additional photos documenting the beginnings of those aforementioned bands, as well as Suicidal Tendencies, Circle Jerks, Nip Drivers, and many others. The stories are starkly different from those of East Coast punk scenes, and far more entertaining, due to the use of brutal police violence to shut down live shows, the threat of gang violence and abundance of hard drugs - all amidst the decaying stucco and palm trees of Hollywood and LA's beach towns. Not boring. A great document of just how decrepit Hollywod and LA's beach communities were in the late 70's and 80's and a visual explanation of why this great music emerged where it did.

This is a must have for anyone that experienced this Historical time period in the Los Angeles music scene. If you were late to the party this is also a must buy.David Markey and his co- founders of We Got Power Magazine put together a masterpiece of photos and reviews of shows, records and highlights of the unforgetable violence from the Police(LAPD)harassment to the riots at various shows. I never though I would get the opportunity to relive these moments of my youth in Los Angeles. If you like Punk Rock from the City of Angeles here is your chance to witness a movement so powerful it changed the world!

I hate giving 5 stars to anything, but, this book diserves it. David and Jordan put together a book full of great interviews and photos that speak for themselves. This was the music my friends and I listened in high school even though we were babies during the scene. Just flipping through the pages takes me back to when we would visit record stores and "discover" a bunch of horrible bands with songs a minute long and, of course, we would blast them with the volume turned all the way up to 11. On the wrong side of 30 still listening to hardcore, just not around the old lady. She hates that sh*t.

This is a stellar composition of pictures and articles from the early days of the LA punk scene. For me, it was a walk down memory lane as I came of age during this time and place. Many of these people were my friends, and this misunderstood movement was a powerful source of fun and energy for me. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys the music and is interested in its history.

Lots of pictures as well as short passages written by members or former members of punk bands including Henry Rollins. The later portion of the book has the We Got Power ! fanzine- six issues I believe it was.I would recommend this book to any die hard or someone who is just interested in the scene in Southern California in the 1980's.

The photos aren't as legendary as Ed Colver, Glen Friedman, or even Jenny Lens. Nonetheless, this book does a decent job documenting the Socal hardcore scene and includes pics of obscure bands. The people who put this book together and involved with the fanzine were very cliquish in the 80's. Fair.

I gave this as a gift to a musician friend from California that was in a punk band, he loved it.If you have musician friends that like history of punk music they will most likely love this book too.

it's a great book . i might see myself or my friends in it. good look at 80 so cal punk

I'm a sucker for these classic fanzine compendiums and We Got Power is a well put together book with reprints of all the issues and background stories to put it all into context. I had a We Got Power compilation LP years ago when I first discovered US hardcore but never had the chance to see a copy of the actual fanzine. Never thought I would but now it sits with my Sniffing Glue and Touch & Go. Equally as good as both of those. Thumbs up.