Bad Brains (CD - 1982)

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. minimize