Any history of American hardcore must include the quirky character known as Spot (born Glen Lockett), the unofficial house producer for SST Records during its early years. He was behind the board for some of the greatest records made by Black Flag, the Minutemen, Meat Puppets, Hüsker Dü, and St. Vitus, and also worked with non-SST punk heavies like Minor Threat and the Big Boys. He also played music himself in the brilliant Nig-Heist, who set a new standard for tastelessness in the early 80s—the group's classic self-titled album, sometimes called Snort My Load, is part of an essential anthology of the band's work available from Drag City.

By the mid-80s Spot had pretty much left the LA punk fold to embark on a rather peripatetic career, making his own music and producing records, largely in Austin, Texas. Recently he revamped his website and added a photo gallery—one I hope will grow in the near future—that captures some incredible moments from his LA days. It's kind of a drag that his copyright watermark is so huge and that his captions are superimposed on the images, not below or above them, but his shots of Black Flag, the Adolescents, Darby Crash, Henry Kaiser and Diamanda Galas, and the Mentors, among others, are great anyway. Here's hoping they end up published in a fat, glossy coffee-table book sometime soon.

photo: Spot

Today's playlist:

Evie Sands, Any Way That You Want Me (Rev-Ola)
Evangelista, In Animal Tongue (Constellation)
Various artists, Blowers From the Balkans (Topic)
Music Music Music, One Two Free (Hoob Jazz)
Various artists, Imaginational Anthem (Near Mint)