It is considered the definitive album from the Boston hardcore scene, as several of its most prominent bands appear on the record, namely, Jerry's Kids, the Proletariat, the Groinoids, the F.U.

[2] The album was named after its closing track, the eponymous song by the Freeze: If you dance the same and dress the same It won't be long 'til you are the same You look the same and act the same There's nothing new and you're to blame This is Boston, not L.A.

According to Clif Hanger, vocalist for the Freeze, the title song was written not to insult Los Angeles scene, but to encourage other Boston acts to find their own unique, local sound rather than emulate other bands from other areas.

[10] Writing contemporaneously in The Boston Phoenix, Doug Simmons said that "crudely put, our punk scene is a pimple compared to California’s festering wounds.

Still, I find hope in This is Boston, Not L.A. Jerry's Kids, the Groinoids (defunct), the F.U.’s, Decadence (ditto), and Gang Green may all be Circle Jerkoffs in terms of sound (raw, fast, brief, mean), but many songs strike a nerve.

But make no mistake: Boston was a punk hotbed back then, and Modern Method Records tried to spread the word with this obscure but excellent compilation ...

Also featuring a Phil In Phlash's photograph of a mosh pit, and bold typography, the record's front cover is of a similar design to that on the original album.

South shore pop-punk band A Loss for Words also made shirts that featured a modified version of the Celtics logo and the same saying on the reverse side.

'[16] The compilation was mentioned by the punk rock band NOFX on their song "We Got Two Jealous Agains", featured on their album The War on Errorism, released in 2003.