The Hardcore Punk scene of the mid 1980s often eschewed the nihilism of many of its punk predecessors, with many bands espousing strongly leftist ideals and fiercely anti-war messages.  All of that came together in a big way on a sprawling 2xLP compilation released in 1984 appropriately entitled P.E.A.C.E.  Hear the entire set with commentary by your host The Rock’N'Roll Nurse.  Morph those guns into plowshares, fellow music geeks!

If it weren’t for Dangerhouse Records, we would be missing a lot of the amazing music that was part of the L.A. Punk Rock explosion 1977-1981.  Thankfully they were around to bankroll and archive incredible early performances by the likes of X, ALLEYCATS, AVENGERS, WEIRDOS, BAGS, DILS and many others.  Hear some of those historical and often hysterical recordings, along with later recordings from the personal collection of host The Rock’N'Roll Nurse on this exciting episode!

Exotica experienced its first heyday in the late 1950s with pioneers like MARTIN DENNY and ESQUIVEL, making a music steeped in 3rd world traditions but with an eye to Space Age.  Then 40 years later Exotica made a comeback in the New Millennium thanks in part to the tireless efforts of the fine folks at Dionysus Records.  Hear this terrific compilation in its entirety, and then some Exotica from back in the day and beyond from the personal collection of host The Rock’N'Roll Nurse.  Back to the future, fellow music geeks!

SST Records was rocking hard by the mid-1980s, with an amazing roster of bands that included BLACK FLAG, HÜSKER DÜ, MINUTEMEN, MEAT PUPPETS, DESCENDENTS and eventually DINOSAUR JR. and the VOLCANO SUNS.  This compilation contains famous and infamous songs covered by those bands and more.  Hear the comp in its entirety and then some rare and fine treats from host The Rock’N'Roll Nurse’s fave SST bands.  Get hip to the reinterpretation scene, fellow music geeks!

As part of the Geek (Ema)Nation show’s ongoing public service commitment to bring better music through BOMP!, the Rock’N'Roll Nurse presents a rare but incredible compilation that came out on the L.A. label back in 1980, when the future seemed to be upon us.  Power pop by the likes of STIV BATORS, the NUNS, the ROMANTICS, REAL KIDS, PAUL COLLINS, the SONICS, the WEIRDOS, the DEAD BOYS and the ROMANTICS amongst others.  Bomp to the pop, fellow music geeks!

Last month Geek (Ema)Nation was graced by the presence of Steve from Subterranean Records, and this week he agreed to come back for Round Two!  He brings some of the rarest records from his incredible collection, including some test pressings that never saw the light of day for actual release.  Plus he’s got great stories and explodes some lingering myths about the SF scene in the 1980s.  Get yur SF underground history on, fellow music geeks!

There was some mighty fun noise going on in Chicago back in the late ’70s/early ’80s, and most likely you weren’t there to hear it.  But now you get a second chance to hear inspired (if often inept) Punk Rock scratchings from the like of NAKED RAYGUN, DA!, END RESULT, TUTU AND THE PIRATES and many other Midwestern ne’er-do-wells.  Host The Rock’N'Roll Nurse plays the entire soundtrack to the terrific indie documentary You Weren’t There, as well as some Chi-Town gems from his personal collection.  Listen to da underground from da Windy City, adventurous geeks!

In the mid-1990s a compilation series called Red Hot And Bothered appeared on 2 sets of 10″ records.  Subtitled “the Indie Rock Guide to Dating,” each set included a 36 page zine that included tips on safe, successful dating and sex, and info on the indie bands included on the comps (including FOLK IMPLOSION, GRIFTERS, THE VERLAINES, LISA GERMANO, and BUILT TO SPILL among others).  Host The Rock’N'Roll Nurse plays the records in their entirety and reads highlights from the zines as a public service for the horny losers in the audience.  Get it on, hot geeks!

Was New Wave just a clever marketing scheme of the early 1980s?  Probably, and this week’s featured compilation LP set makes a strong case for that hypothesis.  Released in 1981 by Columbia Records as “a cheap peek at today’s provocative new rock”, it places artists as disparate as LOVERBOY and BOOMTOWN RATS in the same musical genre.  Hear the results of misguided corporate marketing on this episode of Geek (Ema)Nation along with quasi-anti-corporatist rants from host The Rock’N’Roll Nurse.  Don’t believe the historical (hysterical?) hype, fellow music geeks!

In the 1980s and early 1990s Radio Tokyo was renowned as an L.A. recording studio that was cheap enough for indie bands to afford but provided quality enough for a plethora of great records and singles.  Several fine compilations were released to showcase some of the studio’s most impressive accomplishments, and host The Rock’N’Roll Nurse plays Volume 4 of the Radio Tokyo Tapes (showcasing female artists’ recordings) in its entirety along with some choice L7 and SALEM 66 nuggets.  Listen to the women rock, fellow music geeks!