Strictly For The Completists...

Have you ever listened to "Rock For Light" and wondered what it would sound like if the mixing was... different? Good, same here. Lucky for me, and the two of you out there who hear me, I stumbled across this 12" consisting of four tracks that would end up on "Rock For Light," but, as insinuated above, are mixed differently (better in my opinion). The main aspect that excites me is the fact that the bass can actually be heard in the hardcore songs (and on the one reggae song, "I & I Survive," the bass is almost overbearingly upfront, but that's okay with me)! But I think the overall improvement lies in the reduction in the saturation of treble that seemed like an annoyingly shiny layer of cellophane over the album recordings (the guitar tone on these versions is meaner, and HR doesn't sound like he'd been huffing helium along with his spliff (at least not as much)). Anyway, much like my experience with the "Omega Sessions," it's incredibly refreshing to hear these songs in a new/old light.

Although this post is more for the obsessive Bad Brains fans, I bet this would make a great introduction for any newcomer to the hardcore situation. If you haven't checked out Bad Brains' material from the early eighties, I can't urge you enough to do so. As mentioned in the last Bad Brains post, it is no longer worth discussing the fundamentalism and bigotry of (a) certain band member(s). So, on that note, this post is dedicated to all the queers and heathens!

Tracks:
1. "Coptic Times"
2. " Destroy Babylon"
3. "Joshua's Song"
4. "I & I Survive"

Hear it HERE

Back Cover

...lost inside this manned collision

I shudder to imagine where I'd be without Bad Brains. The ROIR tape and "Rock For Light" were responsible for lifting me out the (strictly) reggae-listening daze of my junior high years, and pretty much got me through the most painful parts of high school. I can't count the number of times I ran home in a hormonal rage in order to throw on one of these tapes and be instantly calmed by the more genuine rage of these four musicians. In the absence of that hormonal imbalance, I still reap a WHOLE LOT of joy from those songs (let's not even get into HR's religious and homophobic "issues"...). Most great stuff from the eighties has been covered by better blogs that are more focused on that era, but I've had this strange, presumably bootlegged, 7" for 14 years and felt the need to share it. The EP pictured above and below is basically the "Pay to Cum" EP but with a bonus track: a version of "Don't Bother Me" recorded during the same 1979 session of the original EP. This may or may not be the only place this version appears!? Another reason this EP seems unique is the insert which has some photos I haven't seen elsewhere (and the fact that the record has a little stapled booklet inside... kinda rare for such an old 45...). As you can see, the back cover states the record was released on Limp Brain Records in 1980, but seeing as how that's not a real record label (or is it?) I don't know if we should believe in the accuracy of the date (potential commenters: please share if you have info!). What is clear is that only 500 were made in this pressing, and I have no idea if anyone went on to press a bootleg of this bootleg. If you don't have these songs, then do yourself a favor and download them below, and check out the pics if you're interested.

Download The Tracks