The Proletariat-Marketplace 7" (1985)

Most people first heard Massachusetts' The Proletariat on the This is Boston, Not L.A. comp, where they stood out from the largely hardcore roster with their jagged, staccato guitar and prominent basslines-Gang of Four, not  DYS.

This is probably my favorite Proletariat record. The two songs are typical fare from the band: the guitar's mixed a bit more prominently than on the Soma Holiday LP, but the bass and drums still lead the band while the vocalist intones about the usual Reagan-era enemies. The production's a bit better than on previous efforts, but glossy it ain't.

The Proletariat all too often gets dismissed as simply a Marxist curiosity amid a sea of crypto-fascist straight edge Boston HC, but they really go beyond that-they were one of the only worthwhile American bands emulating British post-punk, and they've aged much better than most of their hardcore brethren.

They made you a moron.... Taaang released a complete retrospective awhile ago, Voodoo Economics, which is well worth owning.