When discussing the early and most important independent punk imprints in the States, BYO (Better Youth Organization) is usually glossed over. And basically the same can be said when discussing the emergence of hardcore – Youth Brigade, comprising the Stern brothers who ran that aforementioned label – instead focusing on Minor Threat, Black Flag and the Bad Brains.

Of course, today, Dischord still functions as a proper label. And so do a few other early day imprints. And while the Circle Jerks still tour, there aren’t too many other folks apart from them and Youth Brigade who are on the road still. The story of how and why though wasn’t the stuff of legend in the same way Ian Mackaye’s life has been mythologized.

That could be for a number of reasons, but whatever reservations about the Sterns and its imprint exist, it should mostly be dispelled by Let Them Know, a documentary issued last year detailing the band’s inception, that break for a few years and its subsequent reformation.

Before getting into that, it’s probably worth noting that musically, Youth Brigade don’t really come close to any of its then contemporaries. The band wasn’t as fast, anthemic (in a non-cheeseball kinda way) nor did it leave a clutch of essential songs. Some might dispute that point and refer to its Sound and Fury album. But there can’t be any real comparison drawn between that album and even something like The Crew from 7 Seconds, which was issued by the Sterns through their own label.

Despite varying perceptions of Youth Brigade’s music, band members were really instrumental in propelling the Southern Californian punk scene after the first clutch of bands died off, quite the game or moved on to something that wasn’t quite real enough.

Booking shows at their own Skinhead Manor was short lived due to the communal aspect not really working out for teenaged punkers as concerned with drinking, fucking and fighting as maintaining a proper residence. But after that venue/homestead was dissolved – and burned down – the Sterns set about finding various avenues to create a unified scene. Attempts varied from finding a club of their to run or even putting on huge, cross county festivals, which were dubbed Youth Movement ’82 and ’83 respectively.

So while Youth Brigade’s music hasn’t really endured, the legacy that the affiliated label was able to capture and dispense to later generations trumps most other band’s outputs.