Green Noise Records have released Prime Primitive: 1976–1977, a vital archival release from legendary New York City punk band Testors. The album captures the essence of the band’s earliest studio and live recordings, Prime Primitive: 1976–1977 offers a long-overdue look at one of the rawest and most uncompromising acts to emerge from the original NYC punk underground. Founded by Sonny Vincent in 1975, Testors took shape in the grimy backrooms and sweat-soaked stages of Max’s Kansas City and CBGB, two epicentres of the East Village scene that gave rise to Ramones, Richard Hell, The Heartbreakers and Television. Testors stayed firmly committed to the fire and fury of pure rock’n’roll, leaving behind a trail of scorched earth and unforgettable shows, including a tour with the Dead Boys. Far from lacking recorded material, Testors had a wealth of songs and studio sessions, but due to their fiery temperament and their desire to burn every bridge in sight they simply rejected the compromises demanded by record companies. Their often violent, stripped-down sound helped shape the American punk blueprint that thousands of bands would follow.

Prime Primitive captures Testors the way they were meant to be heard, on vinyl, no CDs, no digital downloads, no AI. Just the real deal slab,  in an exclusive silver foil jacket for true believers to have and to hold. Adding to the celebration there is video titled Testors 1979 that features rare 16mm footage of the band and candid backstage moments with Testors, Dead Boys and Johnny Thunders at Irving Plaza. Prime Primitive is a sonic time capsule of Testors at their most volatile and vital. Side A compiles nine of their early studio recordings recorded between 1976 and 1977, taut, feral tracks that hiss with desperation and attitude. Side B delivers five ferocious live cuts that find the band tearing through their set with unhinged intensity. All tracks were newly remastered for this release by Timothy Stollenwerk at Stereophonic Mastering in close collaboration with Sonny Vincent, ensuring maximum punch, grit and clarity. Every song was written, arranged, and produced by Vincent, whose compositions and streetwise lyrics remain as bracing now as they were nearly fifty years ago. These aren’t just recordings, they’re artifacts of a cultural explosion, finally given the fidelity and sequencing they always deserved.

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