The Avengers – In Concert at Old Waldorf, San Francisco – June 13, 1979 – KALX-FM broadcast –
The Avengers pointing us in the direction of the weekend.
In case you missed them – The Avengers were an American punk rock band formed in 1977 in San Francisco, California. The band recorded an EP, We Are the One (1977), and after opening for the Sex Pistols worked with Steve Jones, but hadn’t released a full-length album before breaking up in 1979. After the breakup an EP with the Steve Jones-produced songs was released (The Avengers), and later an album, Avengers, in 1983. Their lead singer, Penelope Houston, is also a folk singer who has a solo career. Since 1999 a number of other albums were released with studio and live tracks, and the band has come together for various occasions.
Drummer Danny Furious (Danny O’Brien) and guitarist Greg Ingraham decided to start a band, and Furious approached Penelope Houston to be their singer, who agreed. They finished their lineup with Jonathon Postal on bass, although he was replaced shortly after by Jimmy Wilsey. Their first release (and only release while the band was originally together) was We Are the One, a three-song EP which was released on Dangerhouse Records in 1977.
The Avengers opened for the Sex Pistols in San Francisco at their final show at Winterland, which led to Sex Pistols guitarist Steve Jones producing a recording session for the band. In January 1979, Ingraham left the band and was replaced by Brad Kent, although the band only lasted a few more months until June 1979. An EP, titled Avengers, was released on White Noise Records a few months after the band broke up, which included songs from the Steve Jones produced session. Houston went on to record as a solo artist.
An album called Avengers (sometimes referred to as the Pink Album, including by Houston herself) was released in 1983. It featured tracks recorded through the band’s whole time together, and was compiled by drummer Danny Furious. The album was out-of-print for a long time due to being in “legal limbo”, during which time Houston would sell the album in CD-R format directly through her website. The album was re-released in 2010.
On July 16, 2006, Houston and Ingraham joined Pearl Jam to perform “American in Me” at the Bill Graham Civic Center. By January 2017, they were recording in Berkeley with Robert Shimp.
To get a better idea of what they sounded like just prior to their breakup, this Old Waldorf gig should fill the bill. Recorded and broadcast live over KALX-FM, the UC Berkeley radio station. Loud, frantic and out of control.
Just the way it was intended to be.
