Richard Hell and the Voidoids—Hell’s band with Robert Quine, Ivan Julian, and Marc Bell—are celebrating the 40th anniversary of their debut album Blank Generation with a reissue. Originally released on Sire Records in 1977, the album was among the influential releases that came out of New York’s late ’70s punk scene. The 40th Anniversary Deluxe edition double CD and double LPs will be available on Record Store Day’s Black Friday (November 24) in independent record stores worldwide. The deluxe edition CDs will be limited to 5,250 copies, while only 4,500 copies are available in vinyl.
The Blank Generation reissue has been remastered and includes previously unreleased alternate studio versions, out-of-print singles, rare bootleg live tracks from Richard Hell and the Voidoids’ debut 1976 appearance at CBGB. The record’s booklet features an essay by Hell, entries and images from his notebooks, unpublished photos of the band by Roberta Bayley, and an interview with Julian by Hell. Check out the album art below.
Last year, Hell released an LP titled Quinte/Hell in memorial to Robert Quine, who committed suicide in 2004. It contained solo work by Quine, Quine-related work by Hell, and was accompanied by a 68-page book of art made in response to the recordings. Hell also held benefit concerts alongside artists like Thurston Moore, Lee Ranaldo, and Debbie Harry to support Ivan Julian in his recovery from cancer.
Read Pitchfork’s interview with Hell.
