They're not remembered as well as they should be, but Crime was one of the first punk bands, not only in America (they hailed from California's Bay Area), but anywhere. They started out in 1976, with a crazed, rockabilly-influenced sound that was perhaps slightly more roots-conscious than that of many of their peers but no less fiery. They earned a major local following, but never broke through nationwide. Crime's first drummer went on to renowned San Francisco art-punks Flipper, and as their influence grew posthumously, they were covered by the likes of Sonic Youth, and eulogized as the great lost American punk pioneers.