The Dishrags: Three (1978-79) 12"

The Dishrags: Three (1978-79) 12"


Tags: · '77 & KBD · 70s · Canada · hcpmf · proto-punk · punk · reissues
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$28.00
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The Dishrags may very well be the first all-women punk rock group in North America. Formed in 1976 in Victoria and later relocating to Vancouver, the Dishrags played Vancouver’s first-ever punk rock gig and went on to bump elbows with the Clash, the Ramones, the Avengers, and countless others. Three features 20 songs – the trio’s entire studio output (3-song single, plus 2 songs for Vancouver Complication), 1 rare live track, and 14 high-quality soundboard recordings.


Our take: Archival label Supreme Echo Records brings us an updated version of Three, their retrospective release from the Dishrags, a Vancouver group who lay claim to the title of being the first all-woman punk band in North America. Supreme Echo released Three back in 2014, but this new pressing makes some additions to the booklet full of archival material that accompanies the record. The Dishrags were not just the first all-woman punk band in North America, they were one of the continent’s earliest punk bands period, and like a lot of other early Canadian punk bands, they seem more connected to the UK 77 set than many American bands of the same era (Three even includes covers of the Clash and the Adverts). The Dishrags’ three-song single (reproduced in full here) sounds like one of the legions of bands who formed in the UK in the Sex Pistols’ wake, when an entire generation of young people (the Dishrags were only 15 when they started!) realized the expressive potential of raw and immediate rock and roll. While those three tracks are still raw, the background vocals and more measured performances make the Dishrags’ best songs shine. Besides the single’s three tracks, Three also collects a treasure trove of live and demo material. The sound on all this stuff is great, and while I think the Dishrags’ songs benefited from the slightly more produced sound of their studio EP, these other recordings show a group who could bash out straightforward and aggressive punk with the best of ‘em. In an ideal world, the Dishrags would have recorded a killer album with this lineup, but this collection is the closest thing we’re going to get to that. It’s still a satisfying listen and an important piece of punk history.