The Village Pistols are not in anyway affiliated with the British punk scene. Its name would, obviously, lead listeners to figure otherwise. But if one got the chance to hear a few cuts from the band’s singles or any of its compilation appearances, the Village Pistols might still come off as the immediate precursor to Chaos UK and that strain of latter day punk.

Most of that association is by dint of the band’s vocalist grunting his way through whatever offering one lands upon. It’s not quite as disposable as the Exploited or that early crusty stuff, but gets pretty close.

Compounding that problem is the fact that the band didn’t ever work up a proper long player and only issued the lone Big Money seven inch. The b-side of that album, though, conflagrated confusion about where the band was from. It was a warp speed rendition of the Beatles’ “Strawberry Fields Forever.”

As ridiculous as this all sounds already, the Village Pistols formed as a goof on the Greensborough, North Carolina punk scene. Band members were of the opinion that there was an influx of new folks around that were just that – around, as opposed to contributing to any sort of positive vibe.

So, donning masks to obscure their identities, the Village Pistols took the stage, armed with a variety of covers, a few originals and (surprisingly) enough musicianship to get ‘em over. Never planning to make a real stink about it – and maintaining relative anonymity – the Village Pistols eventually just fell apart with its members drifting apart, becoming recluses or whatever other fates await those who adamantly loved punk with more than emotions.

Somehow, though, there were a few live performances captured during the band’s existence. One of those comprises the majority of Big Money, the album, not the single. It’s all a confusion seeing as the single is included at the head of compilation.

Over the course of the albums’ thirteen tracks, there’s actually a wide range of punk styles portrayed after that ridiculous single gets a run through. Subsequently, the recording reports on a band not necessarily adept at succinct time changes – “I’m not the Pop” – but probably more so then its contemporaries.

There’s no accounting for the entirety of Killed By Death #7 being named after this band’s only single. And while there’s better material in the Village Pistols bag, it’s not strong enough to warrant further inclusion on compilations.