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 | Poison IdeaFeel the Darkness1990 American Leather 
 Review by: Nick_V See others by this writer Poison Idea -- Kings of Punk! (link) Only registered users can post comments 
 Published on February 12th 2006
I was saddened to learn of the recent passing of Tom "Pig Champion" Roberts, the corpulent and charismatic guitarist for hardcore heavyweights Poison Idea, though I'm certainly proud of the music he left behind. A genre that he helped to create and sustain for future generations is now being tapped for the soundtracks to big budget movies and sporting events, and countless bands are raking in the dough by pedding diluted, market-friendly versions of his monster to teenagers in malls across America. Poison Idea was one of those bands of unsung heroes that went virtually unnoticed while more successful bands took elements of their style and broke through to mainstream audiences. The closest that Poison Idea's music has come to respectable exposure was when Pantera covered "The Badge" for the soundtrack to "The Crow" in 1994. Most people who bought that soundtrack all those years ago, myself included, thought the song was great, but never did any research into where it came from. As I rapidly grew bored with the stale platitudes of mainstream metal, I found out through a guy in a St. Louis record store that "The Badge" was a song by an old hardcore band from Portland, and my curiousity grew. I found this album in the "Punk" section a few years later and it still spins regularly while the soundtrack to Brandon Lee's last movie sits undisturbed and neglected in its plastic jewel case. I now feel obligated to explain why you should have this album.
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in the magasine kerrang (its british so u arogant american fucks wont have heard of it but your not missing much cos its all about emo n metal bullshits lots they also have a radio show which plays cold[play so dont bother taking any nterest in it cos its a bit shit) they described poison a ugly music for ugly people- this made me laugh Well in an Poison Idea interview by Peter Markham from Moshable #9, 1991 they explained that recordtitle("kings of punk") this way. You kids here bitching about "facts" concerning Mackaye,Black Flag etc-were any of you actually present at any of those early-mid 1980s gigs & scenes,or are you just pretending to make yourselves sound valid? "do you always let the shit record stores in st. loser pick out your music?" First song I ever heard by Poison Idea was a cover of Hell's "Blank Generation" No, more like screaming at a wall!!!! like talking to a wall. Will is right....That is why agnostic front suck. they sound the same after what....100 years? And as far as I'm concerned, this conversation is through. Any logic you might have about the issue is completely overwhelmed by your blind alleigance to Black Flag. As if they were perfect human beings in a perfect band that never fucked up, ever... So, whatev's. Believe what you want, but if you read what Rollins has to say about that era, and what Greg Ginn says, even though their historical aspects clash at some points, they still paint a picture of a band that didn't care about DIY punk by 1985 or so. Wow, so Greg wanted to play with the Ramones? And liked DK's? Two famous punk bands? Wow, so Greg wanted to play with the Ramones? And liked DK's? Two famous punk bands? Wow, so Greg wanted to play with the Ramones? And liked DK's? Two famous punk bands? No Will..........Flag played with the Ramones in 1985 at the Palladium and Greg Ginn was the one who set it up. IN a 1984 interview Greg said he was a big fan of the DK's. There ya go..........conversation done. "Greg Ginn was never anti-punk, again you've got your facts all mixed up, he was anti-Fashion/run of the mill punk.......Greg Ginn was, in fact, a huge fan of the Dead Kennedys, The Ramones, The Misfits and Flipper.....among other bands. I do recall him saying he disliked Clash for some reason, and I'm sure he hated all the weak British Oi bands." Everytime "Just to get away" rolls through my head at work, I always have to consider just fucking ditching everything and heading off into the sunset, armed and loaded at 200 mph. Yup, it was this one. Epitaph still has it listed on their site. Which PI album did Epitaph pick up for a hot minute in the 90s? Greg Ginn was probably just like most good punks, who absolutely hate the generation that comes after them. Greg Ginn was never anti-punk, again you've got your facts all mixed up, he was anti-Fashion/run of the mill punk.......Greg Ginn was, in fact, a huge fan of the Dead Kennedys, The Ramones, The Misfits and Flipper.....among other bands. I do recall him saying he disliked Clash for some reason, and I'm sure he hated all the weak British Oi bands. Its always great to see a classic recieve its due. Why don't you two write a couple of books about this pressing issue and then organize a debate/book signing university lecture tour. I'm sure at least 5 people will show up. Maybe even all at once! Also, I'd question why they'd want "punk openers." Greg Ginn was vocally anti-punk by that period. They separated themselves from the punk scene and made a big deal out of it, then Ginn later said stupid shit like "I didn't hear about us being hardcore until 1982!" Yeah, right. Black Flag were awesome, and their later music is good, too, but there were times when you can't deny that they were absolutely full of shit. Then I guess everything I read about SST having "packet" tours in their later years was lies. Actually.....Will, you REALLY need to get your history straight. First off, I'm sure most of what you're saying is 5th hand knowledge at best. Black Flag welcomed local openers anytime they didn't already have an opening band touring with them. In fact, many DC and Santa Cruz area bands opened for Flag on many occasions in their later years. Rollins himself in a filmed 1985 interview (which I have) stated that they were having problems finding local bands to open for them, because the punkers weren't into the fact that they had "long hair and played differently". Blast opened for them atleast a year before they were signed to the label, as did non-SST bands like Flipper and the False Prophets......all from 1983-1986. Brandon, the fact that October Faction and Tom Trocolli almost constantly opened for Flag in their later years meant that no locals could open for them. They weren't as hugely popular, but Black Flag would never come to a city where no band would want to open for them (no matter what members of the band would like to say now). do you always let the shit record stores in st. loser pick out your music? this album sucks compared to the early records. thats a fact. st. louis eats shit. as do the record stores. your a lame metal fag! you know nothing about this type of music. go review megadeath asshole. is this better than pick your king? the problem is....Ian MacKaye was not a part of the "Straight Edge" bullshit or any other "movements"......the very IDEA of movements and scenes were hated by people like Jello & Ian........PI were simply attacking the wrong targets, as most drunk idiots do. "Is this still in print? I've been hoping for a re-issue for ages so I could get my hands on a copy." By the way, that was Tom's record collection on the cover of the "Record Collectors..." release. Bugger! theres me score! This is prob. the most "accessible" PI album which does not stop it being brilliant-however you should also hear "blank blackout vacant" which is just as good,"kings of punk" on taang records,fuckin a,"pajama party" (cover album) ,in fact pretty much all their releases ("war all the time" isn't that great overall but it's got some belters on it.) Ther's a best of album as well,not hard to find. actually Black Flag DID allow local bands to open for them......the fact is that no local bands wanted to and most of those local bands hated Flag.....get your facts straight man. Secondly I only figured they were bashing on him and praising acting like a moron (drinking, smoking).....which most idiots who bag on Ian are like- macho knuckleheads. But the music is good. this is great punkrock, why dont new bands have that aggro-loaded punk style Oh yes. This is easily one of my all-time favorite bands. I actually saw "them" 2 years ago, it was very random, it was only jerry and a few belgian guys. It was really good though. goddamn this band is fuckin awesome I've been informed that Pig Champion did a 7" record with MDC... Anybody else think that Saturday is the only day worth checking the reviews on this site anymore? Anybody else think that Saturday is the only day worth checking the reviews on this site anymore? Is this still in print? I've been hoping for a re-issue for ages so I could get my hands on a copy. Brandon, Oops, here's my score. Also the whole Ian Mackaye thing had to do with this: This is a classic and it really shows what a great guitarist Pig was. "Nation of Finks" and "Death of an Idiot Blues" are two of my favorite Poison Idea songs. this is one of the "classics" that actually deserves to be called one The Crow soundtrack was great only because of "Ghostrider".....awesome fuckin song. I've heard this album and I liked what I heard.....but didn't the lead singer write a song bashing Ian MacKAye or some shit? That's pretty weak.....that's pretty much the only reason I haven't picked this up. SoupIsGoodFood ... No, I agree with you that the song "Feel The Darkness" is ripping. I've got a cool 7" remix of it (that was given away with an English fanzine years ago) and it's great, too. this is a classic. i didn't even know the dude died though. Am I the only person who likes the song "Feel The Darkness"? I think it's great. Nice job, Nick_V. I can't hear enough of PI's praises being sung. And not just since Pig's death. Just think of all the hack bands that have trotted out record after record.The fact that PI gave us both "Pick Your King", the veritable blueprint for hardcore and "Feel The Darkness", a genre transcending, incredible piece of music, is just unbelievable. The rest of the catalog is brilliant, too. Hope there really is some "lost music" out there and it sees a proper release. Top ten of the songs: I don't have this yet, but I've been listening to "Just To Get Away" all week. Totally killer. Rip pig champion. Worse the dimeback. That read more like a novel than a review, and I don't mean that in a bad way. |
