An abbreviation for “chronic generation,” the third-generation UK punk outfit from the early 1980s stood just behind the Exploited, Vice Squad and Discharge in terms of popularity. Though more melodic than most contemporaries, Chron Gen drew initial parallels with the Buzzcocks without ever living up to those expectations. Originally assembled in 1977 in Hitchin, Hertfordshire, England, under the name the Condemned, the group counted schoolboys Glynn Baxter on guitar and vocals and John Johnson on drums among its founding members, along with bassist Adam. Their earliest sets consisted of rough-hewn renditions of Sex Pistols and Ramones numbers; Adam soon gave way to Pete Dimmock, after which Jon Thurlow joined on rhythm guitar to establish the lineup that would endure. Baxter’s lyrics drew from his experiences on the dole, while Thurlow balanced band duties with employment as a civil servant. The band’s first release, the Puppets Of War EP, offered four energetic tracks whose studio sound somewhat blunted their onstage force. Issued on the band’s own Gargoyle imprint in a pressing of 1,000 copies that quickly sold out, the record was later handled by Fresh Records for broader reach. After national profile came via the Apocalypse Now tour alongside the Exploited, Anti-Pasti and others, the EP climbed to the upper reaches of Sounds music paper’s Alternative Chart. That publication, which championed both Oi! and the newer punk wave, remained the group’s sole mainstream supporter. A debut album that proved unfocused and uneven cost Chron Gen much of the audience they had gained, its stronger moments such as “Hound Of The Night” undercut by insufficient drive and production shortcomings elsewhere. The setback proved lasting; the band continued for another two years or so, yet with steadily waning returns.
