Wönderful by Circle Jerks

Wönderful, the fourth studio album from Los Angeles hardcore crew Circle Jerks, came out on Combat in 1985, and it's the sound of a punk band getting restless with punk. Keith Morris, who'd started the group in 1979 after leaving Black Flag, and guitarist Greg Hetson, by then moonlighting in Bad Religion, were breaking in yet another rhythm section: Zander Schloss on bass and Keith Clark on drums.

The new pair keeps things tight, especially on the slower, heavier tunes that lean toward metal, and "American Heavy Metal Weekend" wears that drift on its sleeve. There's still plenty of speed and the band's wiseass sense of humor, even with Morris reportedly bored of the scene. Not everyone bought it: AllMusic later panned the band's own flat production and tired songwriting, though even that review had to admire Gary Leonard's cover shot of the band in tuxedos and cheesy grins.

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