Emerging from the punk rock sounds of the late ’70s came the Southern California band The Urinals. The trio dealt raw, lo-fi sounds full of raunchy guitars and visceral lyrics about life in a not-so-pleasant area of Los Angeles. The early ’80s, however, brought a name change, and with a hint of pop melodies added to the music, 100 Flowers was born. They only released one album, the self-titled 100 Flowers, but oh, what an album that was. Sixteen tracks of vicious guitar-laden rock full of quirky lyrics that was way ahead of its time. Unfortunately for music fans they called it quits, never to release another album as 100 Flowers (though The Urinals reunited on multiple occasions).

Now, 30 years since the original release of 100 Flowers, the band has reissued the original album on vinyl via Superior Viaduct. Tracks like “All Sexed Up,” “Presence Of Mind,” and “Dizzy Miss Lizzy” sound fresh and new. There is no staleness to any of the songs, and if you were to run them up against any of the cookie-cutter pop/punk bands that are popular today, 100 Flowers would blow them away. While punk and post-punk were their bread and butter, tunes such as “Strip Club” and “I Don’t Own My Own Heart” fit right in with popular underground college radio rock of the time. Clocking in at just over 40 minutes, each track on this album delivers a punch. From the aptly named 55-second tune “Virtually Nothing,” to the four-plus-minute opus “California’s Falling Into The Ocean,” this record is nothing but good.

Drop the needle, crank the volume, and tune up your best air guitar. If you grew up a fan in the late ’70s and early ’80s, then listening to 100 Flowers will bring back a lot of memories. If you are new to the record, then get ready to have your mind blown with a collection of ageless tunes.

(Superior Viaduct, PO Box 193563 San Francisco, CA, 94119)