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Bad Brains

Bad Brains
1982
ROIR

Bad Brains - Bad Brains (Cover Artwork)

Review by: Smooth_BM
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All Music Guide to Bad Brains (link)

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Published on August 3rd 2002

Black guys playing hardcore punk. Not something to be taken lightly. Of course along with every other black band to play "white" music, they broke down the barriers and rewrote the rules.

Bad Brains were 4 guys from the Washington DC area who formed a jazz-fusion band in 1976. Then they were introduced to bands like the Sex Pistols and the Clash and decided they'd give a shot at this amateurish form of music. They did, and in 1982 after about 3 years of playing live shows and kicking ass in the DC hardcore scene, they decided to let the rest of the world have a taste.

Their first album is the most bad ass, wicked hardcore album on the planet. The drummer flails his sticks like only Bruce Lee would be able to do. The bassist thumps along in such a way he could be mistaken for Dick Dale on bass. The way the guitarist thrashes puts all other hardcore and metal guitarists to shame. The singer raps along at lightning speed about positive mental attitude, getting kicked out of DC clubs, the problem with people judging each other to name a few.

This is the work of a handful of talented musicians who knew what they were doing from start to finish. The album leads off with the classic "Sailin' On" and continues the is bombarded with hardcore thrashers untill the ballad-like "Banned In DC" and the dub "Jah Calling." Then the pace picks up again and then is slowed down again by another reggae number only to be sped up again by a handful of tunes including one of the hardcore greats "Pay To Cum." The album ends with the "I Luv I Jah" one of the best reggae songs.

The only real downfall of the album is it's muddy and muffled bass/guitar mix. It's hardly noticeable most of the time. Even with that the music sounds great.

This is one of the most solid albums given to the public to buy. It flows like no other from hardcore or any other genre. You get bombarded with one song to another with no breaks in between untill the reggae steps in, which just makes the fast songs seem even faster, and even more importantly the reggae keeps the songs from becoming one big blur of speed.

This is not only the best hardcore album, it's one of the best rock albums money can buy.

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Posted by TommyPickles on 2008-03-25 23:15:29
My Score:

The drumming on this album is amazing. Bad Brain are the fucking shit.

Posted by dboon on 2008-01-12 15:35:39
My Score:

lightspeed rock n roll

Posted by brendino on 2007-04-18 14:57:33
My Score:

This is the greatest album. Bad Brains were what i think the pioneers of true hardcore/punk everything they stand for is just great

Posted by Anonymous on Friday, April 6, 2007 at 2:13 AM (EDT)
My Score:

one of the best albums ever as well as one of the worst reviews

Posted by tittytwisterbudy on 2006-12-24 17:17:30
My Score:

Best hardcore album of all time, hands down. HR and Dr. Know are amazing

Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, March 23, 2006 at 8:48 PM (EST)

yes.
bad brains are the epoch of american punk, nothing before was like it, nothing after "i aganst i" was like it. and the lyrics are AMAZING, right down to sailn on with lyrics that coulda been used by new order to p.m.a., lyrics that coulda been taken from a selfhelp pamphlet (in the most awesomest sense of it all)
their musician ship is amazing and they do it all without being overdramatic assholes.
classic.

Posted by Anonymous on Friday, November 25, 2005 at 5:16 PM (EST)
My Score:

1 of the most influencial hardcore bands ever! buy this cd, should be in every punk/hardcore fans library

Posted by pdcrak on 2005-09-24 16:14:35

my favourite punk/hardcore alblum ever, period.

Posted by Bastardzach on 2005-08-13 15:01:01
My Score:

Best Hardcore record of all time. Best Hardcore band of all time.

Posted by aidan on 2005-06-17 10:03:06
My Score:

Brilliant. Straight-up. The transition from "The Regulator" into "Banned in DC" seems like one song building up to a final punk explosion. Humbly speaking, my favorite tracks are "Big Take Over" and the Melodic "I Luv Jah". Somewhere at the end of "I Luv Jah" is this moment where HR opens up with the confrontaional statement that ends in the word "RIGHT!". I didn't know what he is saying due to his Rasta tone but it sends a shock to the dome, provoking me to continually replay the song to that moment. This blend of Punk-Rasta fusion is unparrallel and at times I envision The Clash rocking their heads to this interface that is also a significant influence of thier music as well, but, not as good. I mean, the Clash did a great job with puck-reggae fusion but HR and Bad Brians coined the two into a harmony of punk angst, rasta dub and priceless music regardless of musical genre.

Posted by joeg on 2005-03-14 22:52:58

Like Adam Yauch says on the back cover, this is hands down the best hardcore punk record ever.

Posted by AnaMorph0sIs on 2005-01-15 06:46:01
My Score:

Kick-ass album. Best hardcore/punk-record to date.

Posted by KlashedKi on 2004-04-25 03:28:54
My Score:

Well of course this cd kicks ass, it's funny because it shows how racial stereotypes having nothing to do with how good you play music. Bad Brains and Minor Threat were a couple of the reasons why I started liking music, and who really gives a fuck about production quality because owning it is owning a piece of history.

Posted by mrwaffles on 2003-12-01 18:04:32
My Score:

you seem to talk alot about how its the best rock record we can buy. are you implieing that there is a better one that is not for sale?

Bad Brains rule

Posted by funkisdead on 2003-10-19 10:55:43
My Score:

wasn't dick dale a guitar player, and not a bassist? am i confused?

Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, December 24, 2002 at 6:52 PM (EST)
My Score:

what a wierd review...are you in the bad brains trying to get kids to listen to your cd's again?

Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, September 18, 2002 at 10:20 PM (EDT)
My Score:

Does anyone have thoughts on one of their other albums? Eye Against Eye... i am about to get it, but i wanted to know what other people thought

Posted by evildeadalive on 2002-08-04 02:36:16
My Score:

Ballad-like Banned in DC? Uhh.... ok.

Great, great cd by a great, great band.

Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, August 3, 2002 at 10:54 PM (EDT)
My Score:

Production sucks, songs and playing are incredible. BUY IT NOW.

Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, August 3, 2002 at 10:23 PM (EDT)
My Score:

Greatness, same goes for Rock for Light and I against I.

Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, August 3, 2002 at 5:16 PM (EDT)
My Score:

Great cd of the century.

JAM

Posted by TheOneTrueBill on 2002-08-03 16:09:45
My Score:

i luv, i luv i jaaaaaaah