Keith Morris Shares a Playlist of Tracks That Inspired Him During Early Days of Circle Jerks

With news of a second Trust Records pressing of their seminal 1980 debut album “Group Sex,” Morris tells us what he was jamming in the early ’80s.
Playlist
Keith Morris Shares a Playlist of Tracks That Inspired Him During Early Days of Circle Jerks

With news of a second Trust Records pressing of their seminal 1980 debut album “Group Sex,” Morris tells us what he was jamming in the early ’80s.

Words: Mike LeSuer

photo by Ed Colver

April 28, 2021

Trust Records launched last year with the intention of maintaining the life of classic punk releases—a mission statement that feels like it goes against punk’s very nature, but, more importantly, one that ensures that the foundation upon which the genre is built will stand the test of time. The label made its debut with a 40th anniversary reissue of the debut LP from Circle Jerks, Group Sex, which quickly proved just how much we needed an outlet like Trust. The record sold out within 24 hours. 

Today the label’s announcing a second pressing of that LP (complete with packaging by Robert Fisher, a 20-page booklet of unreleased photos and anecdotes from Tony Hawk, Mike Patton, Shepard Fairey, Ian MacKaye, and more, and bonus rehearsal recordings), and to add to the list of goodies is a new playlist CJ’s Keith Morris put together for us that compiles a handful of influences which helped shape his vision for the project during their early years in the ’80s. Blending raw punk, psych, new wave, heavy metal, and everything in between, the track list sets the scene for the decade ahead of the hardcore punks. 

“This is a list of the music that interested me from 1980 through 1983…punk rocks, smelly socks, and go out and lick some skunks,” Morris tells us, giving us a full sensory introduction to the playlist’s sounds. Listen along below, and check Trust’s newly launched webstore for more info on the reissue.