LOS CRUZADOS GO FOR BROKE

Back in October of 77, budding Los Angeles punks looked to Slash magazine for news of essential listening. There they read of a young quartet called the Plugz. Through personnel changes and one stint as a "punk power trio," this band's members were to become pivotal hardcore pioneers.

They played historic occasions: the two-day Club Masque benefit in 78 and the �St. Patrick�s Day Massacre� of 79 when tension between punkers and the L.A.P.D. flared at a gig shared with the Alleycats and Go-Go�s. Their triple-speed cover of �La Bamba� pre-dated the postpunk roots revival by five years. And, with Electrify Me and Better LuCk—LPs from the Fatima label founded by leader Tito Larriva—the group became one of the first new L.A. bands to record and release their own vinyl.