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From 1979-1984, the female post-punk trio known as the Contractions not only built a San Francisco following, but they also toured nationally and released a pair of singles and the Something Broke album. With the cooperation of the group's three founding members, and thanks to the live recordings and endeavors of archivist Terry Hammer -- this live compilation from two dates at the Mabuhay Gardens comes as a new addition to the group's catalog. Mary Kelley, Deb Hopkins and Kathy Peck all wrote songs on their own, but the musical arrangements were collaborative. "We thought of ourselves as a three-legged chair," Kelley told liner notes writer Bill Kopp. "Always a team. It wasn't The Contractions without the three of us." During their time together, the Contractions opened for a cavalcade of punk and new wave artists: Dead Kennedys, Jim Carroll, Glenn Branca, the Go-Go's, Bush Tetras, Flipper, and even Duran Duran. "People described us as 'musically dangerous,'" said Hopkins. "Years later, I am still meeting women who tell me that they decided to learn an instrument and start a band after seeing us. And that is what I hope our legacy is: empowering females to play music, and to expect to be treated and respected for their music and not treated like sex objects." In addition to the 11 live tracks featured on 1980, the CD also includes three long out-of-print studio recordings.

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Track Listing

Sales Points

• Features three studio bonus tracks from the early 1980s
• The latest volume in Liberation Hall's 'Sounds from the San Francisco Underground' series
• The CD is a compilation of their best tracks from two shows at the Mabuhay Gardens
• Featured title as part of Liberation Hall's female punk pioneers for Women's History Month
• One of the earliest all female punk bands
• Post-punk power trio reminiscent of The Slits, Bush Tetras and Delta Five

Press Quotes

Their energy was like nothing I had ever witnessed

     —Tony DuShane, S.F. Chronicle

...a marvelous, criminally underrated female trio with great material... they're neither overtly feminist, sex-image-oriented or self-conscious, finding the ideal out by simply being an excellent rock band

     —Ira Robbins, The New Trouser Press Record Guide, 1985

The Contractions emerge as a dynamic, hard-hitting trio, exhibiting a blend of infectious rhythms and a highly danceable beat with contemporary lyrics and themes touching on the avante-garde.'--

     —John Sutton, L.A. Weekly

'They create an atmosphere of warmth and alertness when they play. Their own personalities cause the warmth..the alertness comes from the danger of their music, music that's on the edge and constantly shifting

     —Mark Leach, Toronto SHADES

The hottest all woman group ever to come out of the Bay Area

     —BAM