Rock of Pages: Let Them Know
It’s rather fortuitous that Let Them Know: The Story of Youth Brigade and BYO Records came out right around the same time as Our Noise: the Story of Merge Records. Both books relate the tale of a band and record label inexorably linked. In Merge‘s case, it was Superchunk, and with BYO, it’s Youth Brigade.
However, while both books have a lot in common — pictures, oral history, fliers, discographies, etc. — Let Them Know ups the ante by providing what might be the definitive label history book. If any label out there is contemplating doing a retrospective in the future, BYO has the template for what must be done.
First of all, the book Let Them Know is less a stand-alone piece than a companion to the documentary film of the same name. The book comes in two formats. There’s a slim version that will fit easily on your shelf that comes with the doc on DVD, and a tribute CD with a bunch of bands covering BYO acts. There’s also a limited deluxe edition that’s like a coffee table book that comes with the DVD and CD, as well as the tribute on double LP. Considering the slim version only runs about $25, you’re getting a great deal on a package. That’s basic retail for a DVD/CD package, plus you get a book.
The documentary provides all the information you really need to know about the punk label, although once they get past the Bouncing Souls, it pretty much devolves into a montage. The Stern brothers are front and center for the whole affair, and manage to provide a lot of information without sounding too cocky or self-deprecating. There’s a ton of information to present here, as the first half of the film is pretty heavily linked with the development of the SoCal punk scene, but the filmmakers manage to give you what you need without it sounding like a litany of band names.
The book starts to come in handy around this time, as you can read the full story of things that only get a slight mention in the film: the development of the BYO house, aka “Skinhead Manor,” as well as the full story of how the Sterns got kicked out of the band they started, Royal Crown Revue.
Both the film and book dovetail, as you might have guessed, as every story in the film gets mentioned in the book, but usually from a different perspective, or in longer form. When you put the two together, it’s as complete a history of the label and band as one could ever wish for. The tribute CD is like a bonus, with pretty much every notable artist on the BYO roster either doing a cover or getting covered. Hearing the Bouncing Souls do 7 Seconds‘ “Young ‘Til I Die” is a stellar beginning to the compilation, and it’s nicely bookended by 7 Seconds themselves covering Youth Brigade’s “Sink With Kalifornia.”
You can buy the deluxe edition from the BYO Records store.
MP3: Pennywise, “We’re Gonna Fight” (7 Seconds cover)
