Four CDs. In December 1973 Hilly Kristal changed the name of his roots music bar from Hilly’s on the Bowery to CBGB and altered his musical policy to hire mostly rock bands. He was indifferent to many of them (“No one is going to like you guys, but I’ll have you back,” he told Joey Ramone), blissfully unaware of how important his scruffy little club would soon become. In the span of only 15 months, the five groups that comprise the CBGB’s pantheon all debuted: Television in March 1974, followed by Ramones in August and Blondie in October, then Patti Smith in February 1975 and Talking Heads four months later. Those five groups all quickly got record deals and became popular enough to outgrow CBGB’s. By the fall of 1977, Smith was the only one who was still playing there. What succeeded the Big Five was an array of new and retro styles, all of which feature here: No Wave (Sonic Youth, Mars, DNA, Bush Tetras), post-punk (Ritual Tension, Unknown Gender, Khmer Rouge), mutant funk and R&B (James Chance & The Contortions, Mink DeVille), art-rock bands (R. L. Crutchfield’s Dark Day, The Revelons, Erasers, Jeff and Jane Hudson) hardcore punk (Minor Threat, Bad Brains, Vatican Commandos, Beastie Boys), and lots of power pop (Sorrows, The dBs, The Rudies, The Miamis, The Paley Brothers). The club’s best-known bands are present on this compilation but we’ve also revived interest in dozens of unfairly forgotten acts that, for a moment in time, made an album, EP, 45, or even a demo that crackled with innovation, wit, and joy. CBGB no longer exists, at least not in the physical plane, but what happened between those soot-filled, beer-stinking walls continues to reverberate around the world.

• Tracks

• – Disc 1 –
• 1The Dictators – (I Live for) Cars and Girls
• 2The Harlots of 42nd Street – S&M (I Can’t Live Without You)
• 3The Magic Tramps – S&M – Leather Queen
• 4Patti Smith – Free Money
• 5The Brats – Be a Man
• 6City Lights – Travelin’ Man
• 7The Hounds – Call Me (Previously Unreleased on CD)
• 8Erasers – It Was So Funny (That Song That They Sung)
• 9Ramones – Beat on the Brat
• 10Stuart’s Hammer – Everybody’s Depraved (Live at CBGB)
• 11The Planets – Come on Up (Previously Unreleased)
• 12Milk ‘N’ Cookies – Not Enough Girls (In the World)
• 13Just Water – They Live By Night
• 14Television – See No Evil
• 15Mumps – Crocodile Tears
• 16The Heartbreakers – Born to Lose
• 17Testors – You Don’t Break My Heart
• 18The Dead Boys – Ain’t Nothing to Do
• 19The Senders – You Really Piss Me Off
• 20The Electric Chairs – F*** Off
• 21Marbles – Forgive and Forget
• 22Cherry Vanilla – Hard As a Rock
• 23Tuff Darts – Fun City
• 24Talking Heads – a Clean Break (Let’s Work) (Live)
• – Disc 2 –
• 1Suicide – Ghost Rider
• 2Pure Hell – I Feel Bad
• 3Helen Wheels – Room to Rage
• 4Blondie – Picture This
• 5Mars – Helen Forsdale
• 6Come on – Don’t Walk on the Kitchen Floor
• 7Mink Deville – “A” Train Lady
• 8The Heat – Instant Love (Previously Unreleased on CD)
• 9Genya Ravan – Aye Co’lorado
• 10Theoretical Girls – Lovin’ in the Red
• 11Richard Hell & the Voidoids – the Kid with the Replaceable Head
• 12The Stillettos – Pink Stillettos
• 13The Paley Brothers – Baby, Let’s Stick Together
• 14Neon Leon – Rock ‘N’ Roll Is Alive (Previously Unreleased on CD)
• 15Revelons – the Way (You Touch My Hand)
• 16New York Ni*Ers – Just Like Dresden ’45
• 17L.O.K. – Fun House (Previously Unreleased on CD)
• 18Material – O.A.O
• 19The Laughing Dogs – I Need a Million
• 20Shrapnel – Combat Love
• 21Peroxide – Heart Disease
• 22Student Teachers – Christmas Weather
• 23Tom Verlaine – Breakin’ in My Heart
• 24Richard Lloyd – Number Nine
• 25James Chance & the Contortions Jailhouse Rock (Live at CBGB 1978)
• – Disc 3 –
• 1The Cramps – Garbage Man
• 2The Dots – I Don’t Wanna Dance (With You) (Previously Unreleased on CD)
• 3The Miamis – We Deliver
• 4Model Citizens – Shift the Blame
• 5The DB’s – Black and White
• 6The Rattlers – on the Beach
• 7Love of Life Orchestra – Revolution Is Personal
• 8Urban Verbs – Next Question (Previously Unreleased)
• 9Sylvain Sylvain – Teenage News
• 10Stimulators – Loud Fast Rules
• 11Tot Rocket and the Twins – Reduced
• 12The Bongos – Telephoto Lens
• 13Outsets – I’m Searchin’ for You
• 14Sorrows – Teenage Heartbreak
• 15The Lounge Lizards – Do the Wrong Thing
• 16Nervus Rex – There She Goes
• 17The Cosmopolitans – Wild Moose Party
• 18Polyrock – Your Dragging Feet
• 19Lenny Kaye with the Lone Wolves – Child Bride (Previously Unreleased on CD)
• 20R.L. Crutchfield’s Dark Day – Arp’s Carpet
• 21The Colors – Jealousy
• 22TV Toy – (Don’t Blame It on the) Weekend
• 23Dna – Blonde Red Head
• 24The Rudies- Sherri Goodbye
• 25The Raybeats – Tight Turn
• 26Phosphenes – Asexual (Previously Unreleased on CD)
• 27Minor Threat – Straight Edge
• – Disc 4 –
• 1Bush Tetras – Things That Go Boom in the Night
• 2Human Switchboard – (Say No to) Saturday’s Girl
• 3Disturbed Furniture – Information
• 4The Necessaries – Back to You
• 5Chemicals Made from Dirt – Oriental Television
• 6China Shop – If It’s New
• 7James Blood Ulmer – Open House
• 8Nihilistics – You’re to Blame
• 9Beastie Boys – Egg Raid on Mojo
• 10The Individuals – My Three Sons (Revolve Around the Earth)
• 11Rhys Chatham – Drastic Classicism (Edit)
• 12Unknown Gender – Boys-Girls (Radio)
• 13Khmer Rouge – Hinterland
• 14Bad Brains – Banned in D.C
• 15Heart Attack – English Cunts
• 16Outpatients – Fight
• 17Vatican Commandos – Housewives on Valium
• 18Sonic Youth – the World Looks Red
• 19Jeff & Jane Hudson – Operating Instruction
• 20Glorious Strangers – Deception
• 21Nona Hendryx – Transformation
• 22Reagan Youth – No Class
• 23Rat at Rat R – Assassin
• 24Ritual Tension – Social Climber
• 25The Ordinaires – Grace

• Format: CD
• Genre: Rock
• Released: 2026-01-30