Oh, radio stations. Why don’t most of you matter any longer? Why is it that for anything new or genuinely interesting the left hand side of the dial seems to always a better option? That’s not the way it should be. And while we all understand that money is at least a portion of the story, the fact that it’s become more business than art or fun is problematic. It hasn’t always been that way, though. Wait, yes it has. Damnable Alan Fried and your payola.

Rodney Bingenheimer, though, wasn’t as dastardly a figure. He may have been just as despised by some folks, but whatever drawbacks the deejay’s approach to running his show or featuring bands that he liked was mitigated by his assistance in nurturing a nascent LA punk scene.

Working at KROQ from 1976 up until the present day has allowed for this deejay to watch a music mature and be doled out like candy after being co-opted by huge record companies. But during the ‘70s, that wasn’t the case. And in fact, the music that Rodney went in for was such a niche commodity that he and Posh Boy Records decided to release three discs entitled Rodney on the Roq. Each disparate volume was met with varying success, but the series’ first installment remains the most favored recording.

Volume One includes a great deal of music that any passing fan of ‘70s punk would expect. There’s some Black Flag, a track from the Circle Jerks, the Adolescents and, of course, “Bloodstains” from Agent Orange. Each of those tracks are going to be available elsewhere, but for whatever reason, the recordings used on this compilation are all different than what would be released by the bands on singles or albums.

There is, of course, some stuff present that didn’t ever get extraordinarily big. And for good reason. David Microwave, despite his incredible moniker, turns in such a fey new wave effort that there’s nothing redeemable about it apart from the fact that it seems to be a pro-feminism track. But even that fact is almost obscured by the sax solo that comes in towards to end of the track.

A few of the second tier LA punk acts show up and turn in decent work. The Crowd, which is as much power pop as punk, gifts the disc with “Right Time.” Even a bit more obscure is Rik L Rik. The singer might be best known for his latter day inclusion in an Electric Frankenstein line up, but here he’s fronting his own ensemble. Rik’s “The Outback” summons nothing other than images of Seattle’s Murder City Devils. The ominous keyboards and dirgey entrance by the guitar sets the track up to be something of a downer masterpiece. And when Rik’s vocals kick in, it is.

Nothing included on this portion of the Rodney on the Roq series is going to come as a great revelation, but it’s noteworthy for documenting a scene and for the fact that it must have served as a good way to get new band’s heard. Too bad none of this really goes on any more.