This is a re-post from May the 2nd 2006. Added more scans.
Oh my! What is there to tell you about The Germs that you don’t allready know? The intro to No God is taken from one thing that Darby, Pat and I had/have in common: we all love/d Yes. It’s from “Roundabout” the first song on “Fragile”. A fantastic record.
The special guitar sound was aquired through a direct line in to the soundboard since Pat had forgotten to bring with him an amplifier. Some people told me that the new version of Germs without Darby shall be pretty great so it may be worth catching them live if they come around.
Country: USA
Year: 1978
Label: Slash
Format: 7″
Songs:
Lexicon Devil.mp3
No God.mp3
Circel One.mp3
glad to see im not the only old punk rocker who digs early YES stuff…
Yeah, the Germs are playing that Warped Tour thing. They have a site. http://www.germsreturn.com/
who’s this sight run by? anyways… couldn’t help but saying that the dude who’s gonna play him in the movie about em is taking darby’s place??? some pretty boy actor?? its not the germs… it’s just like the fucking misfits remake accept worse DARBY was awesome and glen danzig’s a prick . its all a hollywood gimic to get you to see their movie (why do u think its warped tour) i don’t know since he killed himself on purpose in all that he’d care about his life being put to a movie.. i actually heard it is pretty good, too bad i dont go to film festivals so i gotta wait a whiles…
anyway.. i really dont think the memory of this awesome band should be polluted with a money gimmick vibe…
That’s so funny that they’re playing the Warped Tour! Ha ha! Shows you how much things have changed since 1980. If the Germs wanted to go on something similar to the Warped Tour in 1980 they would have gotten either laughed at by organizers or chased out of the building (probably both). The Germs without Darby is like wearing a sock but not a shoe… an incomplete thing. The “New Germs” should change their name since it’s not the same Germs. If they changed their name to “Band Playing Old Germs Songs” then I’d be less mad. They wouldn’t be pretending to be something they’re not. According to the tour schedule, they’re playing 2 shows here in Chicago in July but I am very leary to go. To me, most of these punk band “reunions” are just like the any mainstream band like the Rolling Stones or whoever going on tour “playing the hits” years later. I love listening to old records all the time of course, but I feel that they happened in a certain time and place, a “time capsule if you will”. The same energy, force or meaning cannot be recreated 25 years later on stage.
Back to the topic at hand– the “Lexicon Devil” EP is an amazing record. The power and venom behind it is something else, especially “No God” with the manic guitar and Darby’s howling. I clearly remember the first time I heard the song in high school on a local college radio station show many years ago, I was just blown away. The EP version of “No God” sounds much better than the weirdly-mixed version on the “Yes LA” comp.
Yeah different version of No God on Yes LA is not as good and the mix of Circle One on this Ep is arguably better than the one on DIA, which has some of the background guitar parts mixed higher.
Didn’t go see the Warped tour as it went through town, as I couldn’t really be sure the Germs were on the bill. But it would have been great to see Pat and Lorna play those songs again.
Did see the Germs, only once, BUT it was the amazing final show at the Starwood, now booted.
VERY GOOD THE DISC,THE BAND,THE GUITARS ALL,THE VOCALS,I AM PEUAVIAN ,AND I LIKET THE GERMS. ONE OF MY BANDS FAVORITES THANK
Hi! Nice site!
Hi! Thank you!
THE GERMS LEXICON DEVIL 7″ IS AN ULTIMATE CLASSIC AND SITS AT THE TOP OF MY LIST AS FAR AS LOS ANGELES PUNK ROCK IS CONCERNED. DON’T BE SURPRISED IF THEY GET A STAR ON THAT FAMOUS SIDEWALK WE HAVE WALKED DOWN HOLLYWOOD BOULEVARD.
besides the fact that i love the Germs and that i think they’re the best punk band ever (at least for me), i’m so fucking tired and bored of reading and hearing all your fucking complaints about if the Germs (the new ones)must or must not play and if Shane West is better or worse than Darby….well, fuck you all,’cos if they wanna play again they’re in their right to do that…’cos the Germs were more than Darby Crash, ‘cos Darby only sang, well, scream, and the rest of the instruments who the fuck was playing them? Darby too? The Germs had 4 members, not one, and Darby wrote the lyrics, yes, but Pat wrote the music, so they are the ones who have the right to play the Germs songs again and again….hey, we’re talking about the Germs not the Darby Crash Band, and if Shane West wants to be a Darby wannabe, well, let him be what the fuck he wanna be, he’s not hurting anyone doing what he does….the rest is pure shit….
Sorry…
I think it just might become a sick goal in my life to eventually collect all 4 picture sleeve copies of the orig. I have a pinkish/purpleish/magenta whatever you’d call it, so 1 down 3 to go! Of course it would be very expensive to do it, but then again…… well, it would be very expensive, that’s all there is too it.
I think the boot with the blue sleeve looks nice too, would have been nicer than the “yellow” and “other yellow” like the original. Maybe? Also a boot on blood red vinyl just came out, unlike the earlier copies (Kablap 2002 labels) this one at least printed the inside (lyrics) of the sleeve and copies the original labels.
Okay…everyone mentions the 4 “verified” sleeve colors, but nobody says what they are…let me see, is this right: Red cover, Pink/Magenta cover, Yellow/Gold cover, and Blue cover. Is that it? Did the original only come with red labels on both sides? Mine is like the one pictured here with red labels on both sides, but I have seen some with a blue/green combination. Inquiring minds want to know…
i have a lexicon devil ep (scam-101) with red labels, i also have a 2nd lexicon devil ep (scam-101) A-side label is red, the B-side label is turquoise. the vinyl is extremely thick just like an original misfits cough cool 7″. i bought both of these at green hell on cherokee & hollywood blvd back in the mid 80’s. i was told when pressing the record, they ran out of red labels so they had made some with turquoise labels, im assuming the turquoise labels are very rare because i have not seen another copy for sale/trade since i bought mine. this under valued rarity had a pressing of 1000 total including all colored sleeves. if anyone has more info please contribute.
I have seen The(new)Germs 3 times now and If for anything worthwhile. Seeing Pat, Lorna and Don playing together is amazing. The MUSIC sounds GREAT and they play songs the(original)GERMS never played live versions of. That is Amazing to me even more. I rather see them playing together as long as it lasts then to have nothing. I love them so much that my Daughter (11 yrs) is named DARBIE (Which is the female spelling).I will see you at the KEYCLUB in Hollywood on Dec.28 2007.
Mickey O’D with whom I used to trade records 20 years ago, by any chance?
the germs reforming with a bunch of 50 year olds and a television/movie star as their frontman is anti-ethical to everything ’77 LA punk was about
Most underrated punk band ever. This band is what the Sex Pistols were trying to be.
No dude….you’re right ! They were the band the Sex pistols were trying to be…..providing i think i understand what it is you’re wanting to say here…
I could list a number of factors as to why that might be but what’s the point ?
What I find of value is the explicit in what they say as well as what’s left up to you when left with yet another tragic listen to GI or the singles .
Still a very dark and ferocious document. Pistols records too but they’re too Kraut Rock-y….which would be a lame connection point for me cos I was just wanting to equate the Germs greatness with that of the FAll or TG.
pump a nut !!
Well actually the sex pistils were trying to be like Richard hell and the new York dolls, and they came a couple years before the germs, but yeah I agree they are a superior band, by far.
Or maybe a little bit like Ramones and The Stooges.
i’m glad i’m not the only still-active,life-long punk rocker who LOVES Yes. collecting their live shows is a passion of mine. such an incredible band…
One of the best bands ever hands down. It was a blast having the Yes logo on the back of my military shirt in the 80s. Even more provocative then wearing the swastika.
I have YES tattoo on my fucking forehead!!!
Congrats Jay :)!
I just bought this record in good condtion for 8 dollars today,
how much is it worth?
are you sure it’s not a bootleg?
14eye, check the matrix number. What’s the color of the sleeve?
i like the guitar sound. the germs without darby is like the dead kennadys without jello. not the same. i have always wanted to hear the germs.
there is a “fan club” edition out there. the sleeve is red and looks the same, but the vinyl is red too. i saw one on ebay, i believe it was $8 from the Rare Necessities store.
but if it is the original look here for prices that the record went for on ebay:
http://www.popsike.com/php/quicksearch.php?searchtext=germs+lexicon&x=0&y=0
This is a fine record, and it’s really fuckin amazing how much energy they packed into these short tracks, especially for a band that’s not very technically gifted (although they do have a different drummer here). Darby Crash is captivating, morose – a great frontman. These are some very rare records you rip here.