Bad Brains (1982) Fixed Link.

Hardcore punk. Speed, energy, directness. Bad Brains, African American  devotees of Rastafari.
Massively influential- one of the classic albums of any genre.


At their best, Bad Brains are a band to make the hairs on the back of your neck ripple in awe. Rastafarians from Washington DC by way of New York City, Bad Brains play a groundbreaking, incendiary mixture of raging hardcore punk, deftly thudding metal and heartfelt, liquid reggae, bristling with spiritual fervor. Visionary frontman H.R. (Paul Hudson) has the lungs of a lion, able to morph from sweetly soulful crooner to fiery banshee wailer; guitar wizard Dr. Know erupts with serpentine squealing leads and charging, crunching chords; the churning heartbeat rhythms are forged by limber bassist Darryl Jenifer and stoic drummer (and H.R.'s brother) Earl Hudson. Trouser Press


The  unlikely influence of the pioneer of personal success lit, author of  Success Through a Positive Mental Attitude (1960) Napoleon Hill...

Attitude

Don't care what they may say we got that attitude. 

Don't care what they may do we got that attitude. 

Hey we got that PMA 

Bad Brains peaked early...This ...showcases the BB's (sic) at their furious peak, and every single note on this record is clasic. The Brains flawlessly shift between revved-up punk and spaced out dub. Indespensable.
Chris Knowles Clash City Showdown 

H.R. - vocals
Dr. Know - guitar, backing vocals
Darryl Jenifer - bass guitar, backing vocals
Earl Hudson - drums, backing vocals


http://d01.megashares.com/dl/sgL766F/Bad Brains.rar

Extreme Noise Terror- A Holocaust In Your Head (1988)

During the mid eighties a new genre emerged under the influence of hardcore punk bands such as Discharge and Chaos UK. Genres and microgenres aren't really my thing, and there have been a variety of terms used to describe this sound. I think that the name of this band sums it up nicely.

This was the band's appearance at the 1992 Brit Awards in collaboration with The KLF (having being denied a spot on 1991's Xmas Top of the Pops they at last achieved the level of exposure they deserved- a TV audience in excess of 5 million).

Who? What? Why? When? Where? (1984)

Printed on the cover: There is absolutely NO reason for this LP to cost more than £3.50...
When, in 1984, Conflict left Crass to establish their own Mortarhate label they carried on many of the traditions of their mentors, providing gritty anarcho punk at pocket money prices and giving vinyl exposure to smaller, often D.I.Y bands.

What we have here is a very good compilation LP.

Along with the usual frenzied thrash we have Moet the Poet with something resembling synthpop, the angry feminist jazz of Toxic Shock and Know the Drill with a more gothic sound that should appeal to fans of Southern Death Cult. But if its the original crusty stuff you're after there's flagons of it here.

This is a vinyl rip of the 1984 release. I gather that there was a CD issue in 2003, same tracks but with a tidy booklet. No booklet here but the authentic crackle of the cider fuelled wrath of the Thatcher years. Firm historical orientation is provided Conflicts opener, Cruise, which I'm sure some people will insist was about the diminuative star of 1983's Risky Business rather than the ballistic missiles that President Reagan planted in the UK.

The Only Alternative (1982)

This punk compilation came from Rondolet Records and featured some of the hardcore bands who were coming onto the scene at the time. Pretty raw stuff, bursting with energy, buzzsaw guitars and much vitriol being vented against Thatcher and the cops.
Anti Pasti are the biggest name here. The Fits are bloody great. Amongst all this is a different kind of chaos- a psychobilly number from Catwax.
Ripped from vinyl.

The Dead Kennedys- Kill The Poor 7" (1980)

I hope you're enjoying these 1970's & 1980's singles as much as i am...
Americans do do irony.
An alternate version of Kill The Poor and a spanking B-side (was it on In God We Trust Inc? I think so...)
Great take on Edvard Munch on the back of the sleeve.



This download is now available again!

Charged GBH- Leather, Bristles, Studs & Acne (1981)

Fast and loud punk heading down the road to metal, a sort of DIY Motorhead…
This is a vinyl rip of the Clay 12”, so it includes the track Alcohol, which seems to be missing from some CD reissues.

Colin Abrahall- vocals
Ross Lomas- bass
Colin "Jock" Blyth- guitar
Andrew Williams- drums

Flux Of Pink Indians- Neu Smell 7” (1981)- Strive to Survive Causing Least Suffering Possible (1983)

What larks! We stood in the precinct, a small ragged trousered huddle, and took it in turns to go into WH Smiths and Woolworths…
‘Yes?’
The by now contemptuous staff were used to our vain requests for records by bands they had never heard of.
‘Have you got the new LP by Flux Of Pink Indians?’
He tuts at the name.
‘I doubt it…’
‘Can you check? Will you be having it in?’
‘What’s it called?’
‘The Fucking Cunts Treat Us Like Pricks’
‘Get out.’
‘Can I order it then?’
‘Out’.
Entertainment was in short supply, you see...

Flux’s second LP, The Fucking Cunts Treat Us Like Pricks, was in fact banned by retailers (including HMV) and Greater Manchester police found that they had nothing better to do in those halcyon days of law and order than to seize copies from Eastern Bloc record shop, which was charged with displaying "Obscene Articles For Publication For Gain".
I saw Flux Of Pink Indians playing with Crass in 1984. In truth, I preferred them to Crass on record. Their sound, whilst ballsy and abrasive was more accessible. Strive To Survive Causing Least Suffering Possible might sound like the title of some pseudo Buddhist self help book, but it’s actually not a bad way to live is it? Here are two poor quality rips of Flux Of Pink Indians. I find they need a fair bit of volume to be appreciated.

Update: The links are dead- Neu Smell can be found here:  http://enemy-of-the-music-business.blogspot.com/2008/03/flux-of-pink-indians-neu-smell.html
And Strive ... here: http://burningaquarium.blogspot.com/2010/09/flux-of-pink-indians-strive-to-survive.html

The Dead Kennedys- In God We Trust Inc (1981)

Hold it! Too slow…Rather than me trying to cobble together some guff about how brilliant this band was, here’s a tribute to the main man from Wesley Willis:

You are a good punk rocker
You are a singing maniac
You can really sing your ass off to the max
You are a good person

Jello Biafra
Jello Biafra
Jello Biafra
Jello Biafra

You are a rock-and-roller
You used to be the lead singer of The Dead Kennedys
You sing for the band Lard
Keep on whooping it up

Jello Biafra
Jello Biafra
Jello Biafra
Jello Biafra

You are so friendly in the mix
You are my great man on the run
You are a good person from the South
I like you a lot, my man, and I will award you

Jello Biafra
Jello Biafra
Jello Biafra
Jello Biafra

Rock over London, rock on Chicago
Sprint, be there now

Line up:
Jello Biafra - vocals,
East Bay Ray - guitar, backing vocals,
Klaus Flouride - bass, backing vocals
D.H. Peligro - drums

Discharge-Why (1981)

Stoke on Trent’s Discharge have had more line up changes than… well, they’ve had a lot of line up changes.
This is the real deal, hardcore punk at its best from the second wave. Sheet metal drumming, distorted atonal shredding and growling vox full of fury, anarchist and pacifist themes and apocalyptic angst. We were still very much aware that we were ‘living in the shadow of the bomb’… According to Ian Glasper’s Burning Britain: The History of UK Punk 1980-1984 (2004) 'Discharge's early work proved to be enormously influential, providing the blueprint for an entire subgenre. Their later work, however, was decried as bad heavy metal'.

The line up for this breakneck ten track ep was:
Kelvin "Cal" Morris -vocals
Tony "Bones" Roberts -guitar
Roy Wainwright -bass
Dave "Bambi" Ellesmere-drums