MRR #278 DC Hardcore
Continuing our discussion of DC hardcore vinyl from the early 80's. Last month we talked at length about the Bad Brains ROIR cassette, which I consider to be a genre defining record for US hardcore.

This month the stellar output of Dischord records in the crucial year of 1981. People used to say that 81 was for Hardcore what 77 was for punk rock. That is to say, elements that had been bubbling beneath the surface suddenly erupted in a volcanic fury. In DC this was certainly the case, trailblazers like the Bad Brains and Teen Idles spawned dozens of off shoots and their performances and recordings inspired many others to take up instruments and join the fray.

In our day compilations get a pretty bad rap as repositories of "throwaway tracks" or point of sale samplers for mall punk labels. But when hardcore was new and urgent a compilation was the only way so many of the new bands could get noticed easily. Consider that in 1981 there were only a handful of hardcore labels nationwide. And as we discussed last month, Dischord was aesthetically and politically at the forefront. Dischord released six 7"s in 1981 and the Flex Your Head Compilation in January of 82. These records documented some of DC's most crucial bands at a most crucial point in the development of hardcore. Flex Your Head stands as one of the most essential compilation LPs ever, it's personally my second favorite comp of all time topped only by Welcome to 1984.

Flex Your Head was originally issued with a "Violin" cover and later the "Wheatfield" cover. These cover blanks were run off in the hundreds of thousands back in the day and the customer could just have their black and white back cover and printed on them and overprint the artist and title on the front. The FU's My America also uses one of these inspirational cover blanks from a record jacket printer. The first two bands featured Untouchables and Teen Idles had already split up by the time the comp was released, and both bands are still pretty rough around the edges. This was the untouchables only release whereas Teen Idles also released a 7" on Dischord. Both bands are full of youthful energy and they have the hardcore template of sped up UK Punk in place. I feel however, that both bands are more important for laying the groundwork as well as providing a cadre of ex members for the coming DC hardcore explosion. State of Alert bust out with some insanely crucial and tough hardcore, even though two of the songs are covers "I hate the kids" is so venomous and scalding it's still often covered today. Minor Threat contribute two songs, one of them also a cover, and cement their place as one of DC as well as America's leading hardcore bands with their memorable riffs and positive energetic songs. Government Issue, who went on to become one of DCs most prolific bands turn in two rough early tracks. Like a lot of the bands on this comp, GI were to get a lot better with time. To my mind one of the most under rated of early US hardcore bands is DC's Youth Brigade. Their three tracks here are so rough and fiery, combining the speed and energy of US hardcore with the raw brutality of UK bands like Discharge and the Varukers. Red C is the one critical early DC band with no other releases to this date. They did record a demo but it has never been released. Red C plays some of the most eclectic songs on the album, Jimi 45 has a jazz meets hendrix intro that is very unlike what most bands were doing at the time. Their last song Assasin however, sounds a lot like what Dead Line and Youth Brigade were doing.

Void has proven to be one of the most captivating and enduring DC hardcore bands. Their aggro hardcore and hate filled lyrics and early swing towards metal influences have made them cult favorites with generations of hardcore kids. The three songs on Flex Your Head are some of their best "no more authority" and "my rules" are anthems of disenfranchised, alienated suburban youth. Iron Cross is probably the most over rated early DC band. If they hadn't been one of the first US bands to jump on the Skinhead bandwagon I don't think anyone but a handful of collectors would remember them. The three Iron Cross tracks on Flex Your Head are arguably their best, one of the only DC bands to get noticeably WORSE as time progressed. Artificial Peace are another criminally under rated band, like Youth Brigade I think if they had been from any other city they would be much more fondly remembered, but in DC they are over shadowed by Bad Brains, Minor Threat and GI. Artificial Peace brought speed and energy to their songs beyond what a lot of other bands except Void were doing at the time. The LP ends with three outstanding tracks from Deadline. Perhaps the most over looked early DC band, this was Deadline's only vinyl outing until their demo was released in a very limited edition in 1988. Even then it was released to little fan fare because it was on an emo label and at the height of the first wave of emo. The Deadline demo LP was the first record I bought that was packaged in a manila envelope and all the layout was typewritten in lowercase. Still Deadline was a savage and brutal hardcore punk bands with some totally memorable blasts of sheer power and angst that are still sounding crucial over 20 years later.

I don't feel as if I need to say a lot about Minor Threat, along with Black Flag and the Dead Kennedys they are one of the most popular and important of the early hardcore bands. Certainly, like the other bands Minor Threat had great music and a message that drove them to record, tour and play helping build up the early hardcore scene on the east coast. They popularized the Straight Edge lifestyle and the DIY ethic at a time when those were both radical and rebellious programs. Minor Threat's self titled 7" stands as one of the top five US hardcore 7"s on most anyone's list. The simple and direct while catchy and memorable riffs of “Screaming at a Wall” “Filler” and “Seeing Red” are top shelf American punk classics. You could put on this 7” in almost any room full of punks or hardcore kids anywhere on earth and everyone in the room would know the words to every song. The level of brilliance, fire and fury in the nine songs on this 7” has rarely been equaled. Pound for pound only the Negative Approach 7”, Poison Idea’s “pick your king” and a handful of other records can even come close.

Minor Threat’s second 7” is great, but pales in comparison to the power and intensity of the first. Great songs and bold lyrics, but lacking the extra 110% that put s/t so far over the top. Still it’s miles ahead of most hardcore then, or since. These two 7”s sold out fast, but have gained eternal life first as an LP compilation then as a discography CD which has by now sold enough copies to be firmly ingrained in the popular culture.

Youth Brigade’s 1981 “Possible” ep was so called because it was initially listed in the Dischord ads as such. This record rarely makes anyone’s top ten list and I don’t see anyone sporting t shirts or patches, but I think it’s one of the under rated classics of American early 80’s Hardcore. The guitar tone on this 7” is so crunchy and evil, no band could do wrong that copied this guitar tone. The raw scalding riffs definitely owe a tip of the hat to bands like Discharge and the raw punk attack shows the influence of traditional UK Punk. But the style is full on DC hardcore. As soon as you drop the needle that guitar tone cuts like a knife. When the crew kicks in on the chorus “Sick of things the way they are, it’s about time that we had a change” I can only admire them for their youthful protest, and bemoan the thought that tragically things have only gotten worse in the world since 1981. “Full Speed Ahead” is another hardcore youth anthem/Mission Statement. The token slow tracks on here Barbed Wire and No Song are rather un alike. One is more of a Flipper esque dirge while the other a skull crushing ripper that falls somewhere between Sabbath style sludge and brickwall Oi.

The SOA “No Policy” Ep has often been described as “raw” “crude” and “brutal” and it is all those. The crude brutality and raw production come together however to create a stripped down masterpiece of raw energy. Like a primitive cave painting that winds up in an art gallery, this blast of teen adrenalin is pure raw DC hardcore. Once again, great guitar tone, sick bass rumble and perfect Don Zientra Production. SOA were fairly fast, but also rooted in traditional UK punk. The end result is a nearly perfect aggressive hardcore sound. Singer Henry later went on to a show business career, which is something of an embarrassment to his previous work with SOA. His vocals on this record are outstanding, and the lyrics more pointed and defiant than the later poetry or whatever he wrote for his other bands. But I think a lot of people tend to dismiss SOA as just “Rollins old band” when it has to be evaluated not against later Black Flag, but alongside Youth Brigade, Minor Threat and GI. Viewed in this context one is again struck with the fact that in one or two years DC produced such an unprecedented number of heavy hitting and influential hardcore records right out of the gate.

Next month Government Issue!

Publication Date:
January 1, 1984

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