Punk-O-Rama


Punk-O-Rama is the title given to a series of ten compilation albums published by Epitaph Records. The first volume was released in 1994, the second in 1996, and the rest annually from 1998 to 2005. The albums included artists from Epitaph's roster as well as from its subsidiary label ANTI- and its partnership labels Hellcat Records and Burning Heart Records. In total the series included 257 songs contributed by 88 different artists.
Rancid and Pennywise are the only bands to appear on all 10 volumes. Scott Radinsky appears on all 10, 1 with Ten Foot Pole and 9 with Pulley.
As its title implied, the series featured mostly punk rock and various punk subgenres such as garage punk, hardcore punk, pop punk, post-hardcore, ska punk, skate punk, and street punk. However, as the series went on and the labels' rosters diversified, the music of the Punk-O-Rama compilations grew to include additional styles of music such as alternative hip hop, alternative rock, digital hardcore, emo, experimental music, garage rock, indie rock, metalcore, psychobilly, and screamo.
Artwork for the series was inconsistent over the first four installments, with cover art and layout provided by varying artists and designers. C. Martin provided artwork and layout for both the fifth and sixth volumes, though they had differing styles and themes. Nick Pritchard of Metrosea.com provided artwork and layout for the final four volumes of the series, which adopted a similar look and style.
Epitaph also organized several Punk-O-Rama tours featuring bands that had contributed to the compilations, such as Agnostic Front, All, The Distillers, Guttermouth, Millencolin, Straight Faced, and the Voodoo Glow Skulls. Occasionally these would be accompanied by special Punk-O-Rama tour sampler CDs that differed from the main. series of compilation albums. In 2003 the label published the DVD Punk-O-Rama: The Videos, Volume 1, including 22 music videos and "The Epitaph Story", a short film relating the history of the label. Though a second volume was never published, the subsequent ninth and tenth albums in the compilation series included DVDs of music videos as well.
In 2006 Epitaph announced the retirement of the Punk-O-Rama brand in favor of a new series titled Unsound, the less genre-specific title being more conducive to the label's expanding roster of musical styles. However, only one compilation was published under the Unsound banner before that series was also discontinued.

Releases

CDs

''Punk-O-Rama'' (1994)

Punk-O-Rama is a compilation album released by Epitaph Records on November 18, 1994. Featuring twelve bands from the label's roster, the album was the first installment in the Punk-O-Rama series which continued until 2005.

''Punk-O-Rama Vol. 2'' (1996)

Punk-O-Rama Vol. 2 is the second compilation album in the Punk-O-Rama series. This was the first entry to be released at a low price, so that it was more appealing for someone to buy to check out Epitaph's artists.
All of the songs were previously released with the exception of DFL's "Thought Control". Me First and the Gimme Gimmes' cover of Billy Joel's "Only the Good Die Young" made its CD debut here, as it was previously only available on Billy, a vinyl single released by the band.

''Vans Warped Tour '97 Presents Punk-O-Rama 2.1'' (1997)

A tour edition of this volume was released in conjunction with the 1997 Vans Warped Tour. The artwork and track listing are slightly modified. The track listing is as follows:

''Punk-O-Rama III'' (1998)

Punk-O-Rama III is the third compilation album in the Punk-O-Rama series.
This entry features two previously unreleased tracks, "We Threw Gasoline on the Fire and Now We Have Stumps for Arms and No Eyebrows" by NOFX and "Wake Up" by Pennywise. NOFX's track was later released on their rarities compilation 45 or 46 Songs That Weren't Good Enough to Go on Our Other Records. The European version has Undeclinable Ambuscade's track "7 Years" and takes off "Lozin' Must" by Millencolin.
;Europe version

''Punk-O-Rama 4: Straight Outta The Pit'' (1999)

Punk-O-Rama 4 is the fourth compilation album in the Punk-O-Rama series. This is the only entry to have a sub-title.
All of the tracks were previously released except the first track, "Fight It" by Pennywise.
This was the first entry to include bands from the Swedish Burning Heart Records label, which has its material distributed by Epitaph Records in North America. It also includes a song from the Tom Waits album Mule Variations, which was released on Epitaph's indie rock label ANTI-.
;Europe version
  1. "Fight It" – Pennywise – 2:15
  2. "Second Best" – Pulley – 1:49
  3. "Faster Than the World" – H2O – 2:17
  4. "1998" – Rancid – 2:46
  5. "Watch Me Play" – Heideroosjes – 2:26
  6. "Hopeless Romantic" – The Bouncing Souls – 2:07
  7. "The Getaway" – Ten Foot Pole – 3:41
  8. "Think the World" – ALL – 1:21
  9. "Snap Decision " – New Bomb Turks – 2:23
  10. "Generator" – Bad Religion – 3:19
  11. "I Will Deny" – Dwarves – 1:39
  12. "Let's Do This" – Straight Faced – 1:23
  13. "It's My Life" – Agnostic Front – 2:29
  14. "Panic" – Beatsteaks – 2:40
  15. "Theme From Eeviac" – Man Or Astro-Man? – 2:32
  16. "They Always Come Back" – Voodoo Glow Skulls – 3:23
  17. "Twisted" – Zeke – 1:56
  18. "Don't Panic" – Gas Huffer – 1:46
  19. "Big in Japan" – Tom Waits – 4:04
  20. "Someone to Love?" – Gentleman Jack Grisham – 2:52
  21. "A Life's Story" – Union 13 – 2:09
  22. "Picture This" – 98 Mute – 2:05
  23. "Lucky" – Osker – 2:14
  24. "The Best Place In The World To Leave" – I Against I – 1:04
  25. "Kids of the K-Hole" – NOFX – 4:49

    ''Punk-O-Rama #5'' (2000)

Punk-O-Rama 5 is the fifth compilation album in the Punk-O-Rama series.
All of the tracks were previously released except for "Pump Up the Valium" by NOFX and "Problematic" by All. The latter two tracks were title tracks left off the bands' current albums at the time, NOFX's Pump Up the Valuum and ALL's Problematic. Also, NOFX's track was later released on the rarities compilation album 45 or 46 Songs That Weren't Good Enough to Go on Our Other Records.
"Secure Horizons" by Guttermouth was later rerecorded on their Covered With Ants record.

"Good Rats" by Dropkick Murphys was later rerecorded on their Sing Loud Sing Proud record.

The Rancid song "Poison" was a demo version of the song off their Rancid 5 record.
This is the only entry in the series not to include a song by Bad Religion.
;Europe version

''Punk-O-Rama 2001, Vol. 6'' (2001)

Punk-O-Rama 2001, Vol. 6 is the sixth compilation album in the Punk-O-Rama series.
The cover is a reference to a scene in the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey, as this was the release from the year 2001.
The US release of Punk-O-Rama Vol. 6 included a total of five previously unreleased tracks. The unreleased tracks are "Blackeye" by Millencolin, "We're Desperate" by Pennywise, "Original Me" by Descendents, "Let Me In" by Beatsteaks and "Bath of Least Resistance" by NOFX. Pennywise perform "We're Desperate" with Exene Cervenka, who is from X which is the band that originally performed the song. "Original Me" was originally performed by ALL, which is the band the members of the Descendents formed when Milo Aukerman went to college. "Bath of Least Resistance" by NOFX was later released on their rarities compilation 45 or 46 Songs That Weren't Good Enough to Go on Our Other Records. "Blackeye" by Millencolin was later released in their album Home from Home, and was the only previously unreleased track to not appear on the UK release of Punk-O-Rama Vol. 6.

''Punk-O-Rama 7'' (2002)

Punk-O-Rama 7 is the seventh compilation album in the Punk-O-Rama series.
  1. "Fingers Crossed" – Millencolin – 2:47
  2. "Wayfarer" – Hot Water Music – 2:58
  3. "Up for Sale" – The Noise Conspiracy – 3:26
  4. "The World" – Pennywise – 2:26
  5. "Black City" – Division of Laura Lee – 3:36
  6. "Olympia, WA" – NOFX – 2:59
  7. "Addicts of Communication" – Randy – 2:00
  8. "Hooray for Me" – Pulley – 2:19
  9. "The Something Special" – The Bouncing Souls – 3:23
  10. "God Knows" – Beatsteaks – 2:34
  11. "The Defense" – Bad Religion – 3:54
  12. "The End" – Deviates – 2:02
  13. "Heroes from Our Past" – Dropkick Murphys – 3:30
  14. "Bob" – Rancid – 2:02
  15. "Wasted Words" – Death by Stereo – 3:33
  16. "Love to Be Hated" – Agnostic Front – 2:13
  17. "Outside Looking In" – 1208 – 2:46
  18. "M.A.D." – 98 Mute – 3:16
  19. "My Girlfriend" – Guttermouth – 2:35
;Europe version
  1. "Fingers Crossed" – Millencolin – 2:47
  2. "Wayfarer" – Hot Water Music – 2:58
  3. "Up for Sale" – The Noise Conspiracy – 3:26
  4. "The World" – Pennywise – 2:26
  5. "Black City" – Division of Laura Lee – 3:36
  6. "Olympia, WA" – NOFX – 2:59
  7. "Addicts of Communication" – Randy – 2:00
  8. "Hooray for Me" – Pulley – 2:19
  9. "The Something Special" – The Bouncing Souls – 3:23
  10. "God Knows" – Beatsteaks – 2:34
  11. "The Defense" – Bad Religion – 3:54
  12. "The End" – Deviates – 2:02
  13. "Heroes from Our Past" – Dropkick Murphys – 3:30
  14. "Bob" – Rancid – 2:02
  15. "Wasted Words" – Death by Stereo – 3:33
  16. "Love to Be Hated" – Agnostic Front – 2:13
  17. "Outside Looking In" – 1208 – 2:46
  18. "M.A.D." – 98 Mute – 3:16
  19. "My Girlfriend" – Guttermouth – 2:35
  20. "What's Left Of The Flag" – Flogging Molly – 3:39
  21. "We're All Fucked Up" – Heideroosjes – 3:17

    ''Punk-O-Rama 8'' (2003)

Punk-O-Rama 8 is the eighth compilation album in the Punk-O-Rama series. It was released in 2003.
This is the only entry in the series to be a two-disc by containing two CDs. The entries following this had two discs, but they were one CD and one DVD.
The song "Quick Death" is on here in two different forms. The first is the original by Transplants, and the latter is a remix of that track by Error.
;Disc one
  1. "I Am a Revenant" – The Distillers
  2. "Don't Call It a Comeback" – Motion City Soundtrack
  3. "Trusty Chords" – Hot Water Music
  4. "As Wicked" – Rancid
  5. "New Day" – The Bouncing Souls
  6. "The Greatest Fall " – Matchbook Romance
  7. "The Idiots Are Taking Over" – NOFX
  8. "Who We Are" – Bad Religion
  9. "Trapped In" – Division of Laura Lee
  10. "Sink Venice" – Ikara Colt
  11. "Sweating Blood" – F-Minus
  12. "Makeshift Patriot" – Sage Francis
  13. "A New Morning, Changing Weather" – The Noise Conspiracy
  14. "Welfare Problems" – Randy
  15. "Thickfreakness" – The Black Keys
  16. "Wasted Words" – Death By Stereo
  17. *Multimedia track
European Version does not include Wasted Words by Death By Stereo, but does include extra tracks:
;Disc two
  1. "Unstoppable" – Death By Stereo
  2. "Coup d'Etat" – Refused
  3. "Holiday in the Sun" – Pennywise
  4. "Gonna Be a Blackout Tonight" – Dropkick Murphys
  5. "Quick Death" – Transplants
  6. "Bird Sings Why the Caged I Knows" – Atmosphere
  7. "Train of Flesh" – Turbonegro
  8. "Incorporeal" – Tiger Army
  9. "Bowmore" – Millencolin
  10. "The Ocean Song" – Pulley
  11. "Contribution" – Guttermouth
  12. "Warpath" – Bombshell Rocks
  13. "Get This Right!" – Raised Fist
  14. "Lose Another Friend" – No Fun at All
  15. "Roll Around" – U.S. Bombs
  16. "Shattered Faith" – Bad Religion
  17. "Quick Death " – Error