In the early 1970s, musician Lenny Kaye had codified the term "punk" in reference to a genre of music with his compilation Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era, 1965–1968.

The album highlighted minor 1960s hits by groups like the Standells, the Seeds, the Count Five and Electric Prunes mixed with similar-sounding tracks by lesser-known bands.

Kaye's original Nuggets compilation sparked a wave of similar records, notably the Pebbles series of LPs, that sought to unearth rare music from the 1960s.

Taking a cue from Nuggets, Pebbles and especially Back from the Grave, Killed By Death filled a niche for those desiring to hear this music at time when it could not be otherwise heard.

[3] The Killed By Death series was started by Swedish record collector Johan Kugelberg with the first volume's release in 1988, its name borrowed from a song by the British band Motörhead.

Many volumes of Killed By Death resembled mixtapes of assorted singles from people's personal collections seemingly with no particular rhyme or reason connecting them.

[6] All the music on Killed By Death #16 is purported to be traceable back to early recordings made by Phantom Surfers bassist Mike Lucas performing cover versions of 1960s rock and protopunk bands such as The Kingsmen, The Sonics, Steppenwolf, Velvet Underground and The Stooges.