"Out of Vogue" by the Middle Class is titled by some as one of the first hardcore punk records ever released. I feel that "first ever" debates when concerning music are usually completely pointless. From what I have observed in my lifetime terms like "hardcore", "lo-fi" and "post-punk" are usually made by people who don't really get it in the first place, such as journalists and record executives. People are usually more comfortable with things if they can place them into a definite category, especially when those people are trying to turn a profit. Okay, so whatever, this might be the first "hardcore" record ever, this fact has nothing to do with why its good to listen to. The music on "Out of Vogue" is definitely fast for the time, considering it was released in January 1979 (the same month as Black Flag's "Nervous Breakdown" EP). Comparisons to early hardcore bands like Minor Threat and Bad Brains are inevitable but I think that the Middle Class were actually doing something a little different. Most hardcore bands at this time came from big cities like Los Angeles, New York and Washington DC but the Middle Class were from a small suburban town called Santa Ana in Orange County. A few years later this area exploded with punk bands like the Adolescents, TSOL and Agent Orange. Obviously the Middle Class' influence was felt by somebody because all of those bands share more than just geography. When listening to the Adolescents, Agent Orange or the Middle Class I have always noticed the slight influence of sixties and seventies surf and pop groups. Obviously Agent Orange covered the Dick Dale song Miserlou and in the liner notes of the Adolescent demos Tony Cadena talks about how he has always loved Cheap Trick. Growing up in a place that is pretty similar to Santa Ana, I can say that its hard to escape certain musical trends and often times there is just not much else to be into due to location. If this sounds good Frontier just released a CD with all of their early material including their first two singles and some demos. I will post the whole "Out of Vogue" 7".
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