Arguably, the godfather of punk was Terry Ork, a gay, heroin-using, Jean Luc Godard-worshipping cinephile. Something of a B-level Andy Warhol, he swiped the term “new wave” from Godard and slapped it on the bands playing CBGB’s in the 1970s.
The rest as they, say is a shadowy history—until now. Numero Group’s compilation Ork Records: New York, New York tells the story of ground zero for the Bowery scene in the cultural vacuum between hippiedom and punk.
Ork bankrolled and conned his way into releasing Television’s landmark single “Little Johnny Jewel.” That was the Big Bang nearly no one heard. According to guitarist Richard Lloyd, Atlantic Records’ Ahmet Ertegun said of Television, “I can’t sign this band. This is not earth music.” If you can dig that, here is a compilation just for you.
For record collectors of a certain age, this compilation nudges Proustian reveries of long-gone record shops, digging for mythic 45s from the bourgeoning scene that would flame out in the nihilistic No Wave.
The Ork collection includes tracks by Big Star/Raspberries acolytes Prix, as well as wonderful, minor gems by Chris Stamey and Peter Holsapple (both later of the dB’s). Rock critics Lester Bangs and Mick Farren get their day on vinyl. So does a teenage Lenny Kaye, recording as Link Cromwell. His archival single was actually recorded in 1965, years before his work as producer of the landmark Nuggets compilation, where it would have fit nicely.
As brilliant footnotes, records by The Idols (New York Dolls’ drummer Jerry Nolan), The Marbles and Dead Boys’ guitarist Cheetah Chrome are also collected, along with a pair of previously unreleased tracks by The Feelies. The generously detailed booklet offers information and photographs that would garner a Grammy nomination in a perfect world.
