From Hitchin England

The name an abbreviation of "chronic generation", this early 80s, third-generation UK punk band, ranked only below the Exploited, Vice Squad and Discharge in popularity. More melodic than the vast majority of their peers, Chron Gen earned early comparisons to the Buzzcocks, though they never really justified such heady praise.

The band was originally formed as the Condemned in 1977 in Hitchin, Hertfordshire, England. At this time Glynn Baxter (guitar, vocals) and John Johnson (drums) were still at school, and they were joined by bass player Adam in the formative line-up. The early repertoire consisted of ramshackle versions of old Sex Pistols and Ramones standards, and Adam was soon replaced by Pete Dimmock, before Jon Thurlow was drafted in on rhythm guitar to complete the band's enduring line-up. While frontman Baxter's lyrics were fuelled by a life on the dole, his fellow guitarist Thurlow actually admitted to a job as a civil servant. The group made their debut with the "Puppets Of War" EP, a spirited four-tracker where the production partially deprived the band of their live punch. Released initially on the group's own Gargoyle label, the record sold out of its 1,000 pressing and was picked up for wider distribution by Fresh Records.

Following national exposure on the infamous Apocalypse Now tour (with the Exploited, Anti-Pasti, etc.), it rose into the Top 5 of Sounds music paper's Alternative Chart. Sounds, with its coverage of both the Oi! and new punk movements, remained the band's only real advocates within the mainstream. Chron Gen then lost many of their new-found supporters with a debut album that was an unfocused, patchy affair. The promise of songs such as "Hound Of The Night" was tempered by the lack of power and studio skill employed elsewhere, and Chron Gen never really recovered from the blow. They soldiered on for a couple of years, but to diminishing rewards.

Demo 1978





Track: Pretty Vacant

Puppets of war 7"
Gargoyle Records 1981
GRGL 780
(Blue or white labels)

Side A:
Mindless few
Chron Gen
Side B:
Lies
Puppets of war




(Rereleased on Fresh Records same year. FRESH 36)

Live At Leicester 28th June 1981 Tape
Chaos Tapes 1981
LIVE 004
(2000 Copies)

Tracks:
Hounds Of The Night
Subway Sadist
Chron Gen
Rockabill
Mindless Few
You'll Never Change Me
Living Next Door To Alice
Puppets Of War
Reality
LSD
Lies


Recorded at Leicester Demontford Hall

Reality 7"
Step Forward Records 1981
SF 19




Side A: Reality

Side B: Subway sadist





"FOR THE CHRONIC GENERATION"

Britannia Waives The Rules 12"
Secret 1981
SHH 136-12





Track: Clouded Eyes




(Split 12" with Exploited and Infa Riot)

Jet Boy Jet Girl 7"
Secret 1982
SHH 129

Side A:
Jet Boy Jet Girl

Side B:
Abortions
Subway Sadist (live)



"BEERGUTS,BIAFRANS AND BUTTOCKS / BUTCH!"

(The labels got mispressed, so Secret stickered them with the right tracklist on the B-side)

Outlaw 7"
Secret 1982
SHH 139



Side A:
Outlaw
Side B:
Behind Closed Doors
Discotheque

Chronic Generation LP
Secret Records 1982
SEC 3
/Insert (5000 copies also included free 7")

Side A:
Lies
Jet Boy Jet Girl
Hounds Of The Night
L.S.D.
You Make Me Spew
Chronic Generation
Side B:
Mindless Few
You'll Never Change Me
Rocka'bill
Friends Tell Me Lies
Reality (Live '81)
Living Next Door To Alice




Released in Germany as INT 198.543 (Intercord)
Released in Italy as SECLP 2003 (Ariston) Rereleased in Italy on Get Back as GET ? 199? with extra songs from EP's.

Free Live E.P. 7"
Secret 1982
FREEBIE
Side A:
Living Next Door To Alice
Ripper
Side B:
Puppets Of War










(Bonus to the first 5000 Chronic Generation LP)

Live On The Apocalypse Tour June 1981 LP
Chaos Records 1983
APOCA 1
Side A:
Hounds Of The Night
Subway Sadist
Chron Gen
Rock-A-Bill
The Mindless Few
You'll Never Change Me
Side B:
Living Next Door To Alice
Puppets Of war
Reality
L.S.D.
Lies

Demo 1983



Tracks:
Too Much Talk
Pretend
Now That All The Birds Don't Sing
Picture Paint Minds

Nowhere To Run 12"
Picasso 1984
PIK 002



Side A:
Too much talk
Misadventure
Breakdown
Side B:
Pretend
Fiasco
Pictures Paint Minds



"ERNEST C WACK-GRAVE YARD SQUIRM / GRANDCHILD"

Live At The Old Waldorf - San Fransisco LP
Picasso Records 1985
HCLP 001

Side A:
Lies
Jet Boy Jet Girl
Clouded Eyes
Reality
Fiasco
Hounds Of The Night
Behind Closed Doors
Misadventure
Nowhere To Run
Side B:
Wasted Love
Breakdown
Outlaw
Mindless Few
Subway Sadist
L.S.D.
Abortion
Living Next Door To Alice

Demo1985



Tracks:
Don't Say Anything
Wasted Love
Never Noticed Till You Told Me

Chronic Generation LP
Razor Records 1986
RAZ S20
Side A:
Lies
Jet Boy Jet Girl
Hounds Of The Night
LSD
You Make Me Spew
Chronic Generation
Side B:
Mindless
You'll Never Change Me
Rocka'Bill
Friends Tell Me Lies
Reality
Living Next Door To Alice

Unreleased LP 1986

Tracks:
I Was There
The Other Side
The Traveller
Its A Rocker
Jeremiah
How Does It Feel
Birds Dont Sing
Smile
Better Not Let Me Down
You Wont Believe
Black Jack
Fury In My Heart

The Best Of LP
Helter Skelter Records 1990
HS951252

Clear orange vinyl
Puppets Of War
Mindless Few
Lies | Chron Gen
Reality
Subway Sadist
Jet Boy Jet Girl
Clouded Eyes
Hounds Of The Night
LSD
You Make Me Spew
Rocka Bill
Friends Tell Me Lies
Living Next Door To Alice
Abortions (Live)
Ripper (Live)

COMPILATIONS

V/A Wave News 2 - Independent Smash Hits LP
Intercord Records 1982 (Germany)
INT 145.061
Orange vinyl





Tracks: Jet Boy Jet Girl

V/A The Secret Life Of Punks LP
Secret Records 1982
SEC 10






Track: Jet Boy Jet Girl






Also released in Greece as 8118873 on Virgin 1982
Reissued as LINK LP 078 in different cover 1989

V/A Punk And Disorderly - The Final Solution LP
Anagram Records 1983
GRAM005




Track: Outlaw




Black or multicoloured vinyl.
Also released in Sweden on Planet Records

V/A The Defiant Pose LP
Illegal Records 1983
ILP 011





Track: Reality

V/A Eastern Front (vol.2)
Enigma /Eastern Front 1984
E1015



Side A:
Clouded Eyes
Reality
Side B:
Breaking Down



(The rest on this LP is American HC bands)

V/A Viva La Revolution 2LP
Cambra Sound 1985
CR5157





Track: Puppets Of War

V/A Oi! Chartbusters Volume 3 LP
Link Records 1988
LINK LP 034





Track: Living Next Door To Alice (live)

V/A Secret Life of Punks LP
Link Records 1989
LINK LP 078





Track: Jet Boy Jet Girl

V/A Secret Records (The Best And The Rest) LP
Get Back Records 199?
GET 12





Tracks:
Jet Boy Jet Girl
Abortions

V/A The Bright Side Of Oi! LP
Street Kids Records 1994
SKR9997




Track: Clouded Eyes