Crime (band)

Crime
1978 photo of for original band members
L-R: Fix, Ripper, Rank, Strike
(Photo by Michael Goldberg, 1978)
Background information
OriginSan Francisco
GenresPunk rock
Years active
  • 1976–1982
  • 2006–2017
LabelsCrime Music
B-Square
Solar Lodge
Swami
FYBS
Kitten Charmer
Superior Viaduct
Past members
  • Johnny Strike
  • Hank Rank
  • Mickey Tractor
  • Count Fink
  • Frankie Fix
  • Ron "The Ripper" Greco
  • Ricky Tractor
  • Brittley Black
  • Joey D'Kaye
  • Pat 'Mosignor' Ryan

Crime was an early American punk band from San Francisco, California, United States.[1] The band was formed in 1976 by Johnny Strike (vocals, guitar), Frankie Fix (vocals, guitar), Ron "The Ripper" Greco (bass; ex-Flamin' Groovies), and Ricky Tractor (Ricky Williams) (drums).[2] Their debut, the self-financed double A-side, "Hot Wire My Heart" and "Baby You're So Repulsive", appeared at the end of 1976, and is the first single released by a U.S. punk act from the West Coast.[3]

The band's sound was characterized by simple rock-and-roll arrangements played at intensely high volumes. Michael Goldberg, critic for New York Rocker, wrote in 1978: "Crime play loud. So loud that the plate glass window at the opposite end of the club shakes, tables tremble and people hang onto their drinks. Loudness may be Crime's only musical raison d'etre. This band is a literal translation of the concept 'minimal.' Drummer Hank Rank thumps out a simple Bo Diddley beat that is only adequate in the context of the rest of the band. Bassist Ron the Ripper coaxes a thick rumble from his amp that reminds one of the thunder of a bulldozer rolling over rugged terrain. And the guitar playing of [Johnny] Strike and Frankie Fix make you feel like you've been forcefully held underwater for the full 25 minutes of the set."[3]

In Issue #13 of Ugly Things Magazine, critic Mike Stax wrote: "CRIME's music didn't conform to the norm either. They didn't use the standard-issue highspeed buzzsaw guitar approach. Instead their noisy attacks were an unpredictable stew of clanging, howling guitars and shuddering rhythms - more of an intense sonic RUMBLE than anything else."[4]

  1. ^ Lefebvre, Sam (September 29, 2023). "How San Francisco Punk Reacted to Dianne Feinstein in the 1970s | KQED". www.kqed.org. Archived from the original on January 4, 2024. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
  2. ^ Hann, Michael (September 13, 2018). "Johnny Strike: the brutal punk rocker who made Crime pay". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on November 29, 2022. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
  3. ^ a b New York Rocker magazine (1978) Issue No. 30
  4. ^ Ugly Things Magazine (1994) Issue No. 13