Bad Brains

Performer: Bad Brains
Engineer: Jay Dublee
Distributor: Ryko Distribution

Notes: BAD BRAINS was originally released on cassette. It was issued on CD for the first time in 1996. Bad Brains: H.R. (vocals); Dr. Know (guitar, background vocals); Darryl Jennifer (bass, background vocals); Earl Hudson (drums, background vocals). Recorded at 171-A Studios, New York, New York between May and October 1981. Includes liner notes by Ira Kaplan. The Bad Brains were one of the most important voices of the East Coast hardcore scene during its halcyon days of the '80s. What they brought to the scene was nothing short of revolutionary--infusing the form's rage with the spiritual conviction of the Rasta tradition and the instrumental prowess of seasoned jazz players, they breathed new life into a genre in danger of stagnation, or worse, homogenization. Their album on the initially cassette-only ROIR label arrived like a new day, brimming with positivity and spirituality, as well as an unarguable mastery of the musical form of hardcore. From the album's opening strains on "Sailin' On," the book was re-written, or at least opened a little wider. Vocalist H.R., one of punk's speediest singers, growls and screams his message like a man possessed. On the band's most recognizable classic, "Pay To Cum," his staccato delivery truly reaches breakneck speed, barely decipherable, the song is a torrent of sound, a hurtling juggernaut of boundless energy. He extols the praises of having the right mindset most effectively in "Attitude," a testament to the power of positivity. The band reaches deep into its Rasta roots on "Jah Calling" and "I Love I Jah," rounding out the ever-widening, ever-intense world of BAD BRAINS.

Spin (5/01, p.109) - Ranked #16 in Spin's "50 Most Essential Punk Records" - "...Givin' whatcha gettin'...while the black band's sweatin' to create hardcore..." CMJ (4/3/00, p.30) - "...Unbridled ferocity....renowned for their mix of high-throttle hardcore and loose, lively reggae....[They] opened the floodgates and ushered punk into the hardcore age..." Vibe (2/02, p.87) - Included in Vibe's "Essential Black Rock Recordings". The Beat (V.15 #3 1996, p.20) - "Bad Brains were treading unknown waters when they mixed up their own style of punk reggae on this 1982 groundbreaker which sounds as raw and energetic as it did back then."

Formed in 1977, the Bad Brains remain one of the most important and influential hardcore bands of all time. By combining their Rastafarian beliefs and lifestyle with hardcore punk, the quartet forged a whole new (and infinitely copied) style that also touched on metal, funk, and, of course, reggae.

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