Review: Circle Jerks – “Wild In The Streets” 40th anniversary edition

Trust Records – 18 Feb 2022

Circle Jerks' second LP gets a second chance.

For better or worse, Circle Jerks' 1980 debut, Group Sex, set the standard for everything that would follow. It's kind of ironic, considering that in many ways it's the outlier of the band's six proper studio albums. While there was an undeniable magic in those 15 spastic minutes of borrowed riffs and thrown together songs, the follow up, 1982's Wild in the Streets, was where the Jerks really found their voice. 

While most consider the first three Circle Jerks records to be classics, Wild in the Streets is regularly treated as the red-headed stepchild of the trio. Four decades after its initial release, it might be time to reconsider. Its biggest sin may just be its unfortunate timing, sandwiched between the beloved, raging debut and the more commercially successful Golden Shower of Hits (1983).

Wild in the Streets was nearly twice as long as Group Sex, and allowed the Jerks to stretch out a bit. That meant guitarist Greg Hetson could throw in a few more riffs, and extend his guitar solos. It was also the last appearance of Circle Jerks' original rhythm section, the most criminally underrated part of the band. Drummer Lucky Lehrer had a background in jazz, and wasn't afraid deviate from standard hardcore pummeling. (Although he was very good at that too.) Bassist Roger Rogerson, a classically trained guitarist, was one of the few people in the scene capable of keeping up. 

Keith Morris was a known quantity by the time Circle Jerks came around, and already a local legend from his time with Black Flag. Here, his lyrics and delivery dripped with an existentialist sarcasm that was only hinted at on the one minute blasts on their debut. Few frontmen in the history of punk have been better at expressing a sense of youthful ennui than singer Keith Morris. 

The title track started things off, and is obviously one of the band's best known songs. It's hard to believe they transformed such a laid back song from a decade earlier (ed. – Garland Jeffries, 1973)into a punk masterpiece. You know the rest of the songs – “Leave Me Alone”, “Stars and Stripes”, “Meet the Press”, “Murder the Disturbed”, “Letter Bomb”, “Question Authority”, “Defamation Innuendo”, “Moral Majority”. They're all vitriolic punk classics. Closer “Put a Little Love in Your Heart” was notable in that it gave a sneak peak of what was to come on Golden Shower of Hits.

If there's a place to fault Wild in the Streets, it would have to be its occasionally clunky sound. It's ironic, considering that the band had a bigger budget and more legitimate studio the second time around. Unfortunately, they lost some of the in-your-face intimacy of Group Sex. Fortunately, the recent reissue has gone a long way to remedy the fidelity issues. 

Wild in the Streets was recently reissued by Trust Records, just in time for its 40th anniversary. It's the third release from this newer label that's focused on putting out definitive vinyl versions of punk classics. (The first two were 7 Seconds' The Crew and Circle Jerks' Group Sex.) I must say, after only three albums, Trust has earned my, uh, trust. They do a fantastic job. The full size (12”x12”) 20 page booklet is extremely informative and packed with vintage photos. There are also four bonus live tracks to remind us of what a force of nature the Jerks were. 

The older I get, the more obvious it becomes that I just keep buying the same albums over and over again. First records, then tapes and CDs, and finally more records. (I think this is only the second time for this particular album.) Honestly, I don't mind. Trust's releases aren't cheap either, but they're worth the extra dough. I just don't know how you could have a respectable punk record collection without a great copy of Wild in the Streets.

For vinyl fiends: There are no less than nine different colors available. Pink, orange, white splatter, orange/white, white/pink, pink/blue/orange, black splatter, yellow and black. Some of them are really cool looking. That said, I'm very content with my 180 gram black pressing.