Slash 1977–1980

Founded in Los Angeles in 1977 by the journalist Steve Samiof and the photographer Melanie Nissen, Slash ranks among the most important fanzines of the first-wave punk era. It chronicled the underground music scene in Los Angeles of the late 1970s, which featured groups like Bags, The Weirdos, and The Screamers. The fanzine was published monthly in tabloid style in color on commercial newsprint. Its striking cover images included black-and-white portraits of singers Alice Bag and Debbie Harry. Beginning in 1978, Slash Records operated in tandem with the publication, releasing recordings by the Germs, X, and other L.A. punk acts. Slash Records continued as an independent record label after the magazine published its last issue in 1980. In 1986 it was sold to London Records and later folded into Universal Music Group, which disbanded the imprint in 2000.