Bad Brains

Editorial Reviews
Greg Tate- Village Voice
"You say you want hardcore? I say the Brains'll give you hardcore coming straight up the ***." --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Sounds UK
"They've actually taken a genre, shaken it and reshaped it, totally and finally. 5 STARS." --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Album Description
Legendary hardcore-punk album from 1982, considered the definitive landmark for breaking the NYC hardcore scene. All material on this CD was recorded at 171-A Studios, NYC, during August, September, and October 1981, except "Pay to Cum," "I Luv I Jah," "Jah Clling Dub" recorded live at 171-A on May 16, 1981. Liner Notes by Ira Kaplan. With Lyrics. --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Bad Brains

Average customer rating:

A disappointment
methodical relentless SKILL!
Rocks your socks
Give Thanks and Praises
I and I Praise the Brains

Build a Nation
Bad Brains
Manufacturer: Megaforce
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

The Mix-Up
Icky Thump
Era Vulgaris
Still Stuck in Your Throat
Anonymous

ASIN: B000PTYNJ0
Release Date: 2007-06-26

Tracks:

Give Thanks and Praises
Jah People
Pure Love
Natty Dreadlocks 'Pon the Mountain Top
Build a Nation
Expand Your Soul
Jah Love
Universal Peace
Roll On
Until Kingdom Comes
In The Beginning
Send You No More Flowers
Peace Be Unto Thee

Amazon.com

These African-American Rastafarians didn't just originate DC hardcore in the late 1970s with their incredibly fast and brilliant "Pay to Cum" single; they set the bar impossibly high. That the group is not hugely millionaires-with-jets popular is one of the music industry's travesties. But they've always had as much a penchant for pissing off the shaven headed moshers at their shows (playing lengthy dub songs) as for giving them what they want (supersonic riffage). Much of the album employs the metal-tinged sound the group's been flirting with since they were on SST in the late '80s. A third of the tracks are reggae numbers, and while you're not going to sell off all your Culture LPs after hearing those, they are definitely serviceable. Build a Nation is not as great as the ROIR cassette, but it's the best album they've made in years, and shows the band in awesome form. This is thanks in no small part to the production efforts of the Beastie Boys' Adam Yauch. As this is their second best-sounding proper album--the first being 1983's Ric Ocasek-produced Rock for Light--it's clear that the band should work only with their celebrity musician-fans at the helm from now on. --Mike McGonigal

Customer Reviews:

A disappointment.......2007-07-22

I was a huge Bad Brains fan - I against I was one of my favorites albums way back when.
This album, in contrast, seems lifeless. Even on the harder, faster songs, it just
sounds like they are going through the motions, and have lost any fire or passion in their
music.

Maybe I just didn't get what they were trying to do, but it's hard to believe that this is the
same band that recorded their classic albums.

methodical relentless SKILL!.......2007-07-17

this album is BRILLIANT. straight up. my favorite parts are when the music is mad chaos and h.r. is singing (yes singing) over them using lots of delay and reverb. many people are complaining about the vocals, but i have to disagree, i think it adds a layer of (for lack of a better word) mysticism to the tracks. i'm giving this 4 instead of 5 because honestly, i hate reggae music. ALTHOUGH, for some reason, on Build a Nation, it doesn't bother me at all, and i find myself actually getting into some of the tracks. So, even though i could really do without the reggae elements and would rather have more hardcore, i still love this album. great job guys, i look forward to seeing you on tour!!!!!!

Rocks your socks.......2007-07-15

While I was a huge fan of Bad Brains in the 80's, I sadly lost touch with the band for most of the last decade and a half. When I found out they were putting out a new album after 10 years or so, I decided I owed it to the scene to put in some cash and buy it.

I fully expected to hear some mediocre, mostly soft and mellow reggae tunes with their hardcore past far behind them. I was especially nervous when I saw the track listing with titles such as "Give Thanks and Praises" and "Let There Be Angels". Was I pleasantly wrong! This is slam dancing hardcore at its finest.

In my opinion, the tracks on this album stand up to or above anything they're put out before. My only beef with it at all is I wish HR's vocals were a bit more prominent and clear. I've always been a huge fan of his voice and it's somewhat hidden behind the music and electronic filters. But that really doesn't take away from the overall impact of this CD. I can not stop listening to it over and over and I can't wait to see them on the road again!

Give Thanks and Praises.......2007-07-12

I can't believe this album. Bad Brains haven't missed a beat, they are the best band ever and this album proves it. Buy this album and listen to it religiously, you will thank me later.

I and I Praise the Brains.......2007-07-06

Bad Brains have always been rather tough to figure out, even as their influence extends across several realms of rock. Their interests in hardcore, reggae, and metal don't always gel into a cohesive overall sound, but on this long-awaited new album they are relentlessly pursuing all of their interests with a nearly flawless new focus. Somehow, Bad Brains make songs of different and seemingly incompatible styles work on the same album. Nobody else could sound even remotely believable jumping from hardcore punk to dub reggae to anthemic metal in successive songs. The band's always complicated lynchpin H.R. sounds rejuvenated and his lyrics and vocals have found a strong (but still as nearly-unhinged as ever) focus around Rastafari. Earl and Darryl jump from style to style flawlessly, and Dr. Know continues his savage mutations of every guitar style known to man. The band's diverse interests are probably combined most evenly in the opener "Give Thanks and Praise." "Jah People Make the World Go Round" is a high-flying slab of metal, and especially punishing hardcore workouts are found in "Expand Your Soul" and "Let There be Angels (Just Like You)." Meanwhile, Bad Brains lay down dub-inflected reggae like the best of the Jamaican masters in "Natty Dreadlocks 'pon the Mountain Top," "Jah Love," and the surprisingly sinuous "Until Kingdom Comes." And finally, the Bad Brains attack climaxes in the sinister and insistent "Universal Peace," the apocalyptic music of which belies the title perfectly. [~doomsdayer520~]

Average customer rating:

Rasta-punkian?
PMA Mofo's
great stuff
i still have a tape deck in my car
that's right--four stars.

Bad Brains
Bad Brains
Manufacturer: Roir
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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I Against I
Rock for Light
Damaged
Group Sex
MIA: The Complete Anthology

ASIN: B000001Q3T
Release Date: 1996-03-19

Tracks:

Sailin' On
Don't Need It
Attitude
The Regulator
Banned In D.C.
Jah Calling
Supertouch/Shitfit
Leaving Babylon
Fearless Vampire Killers
I
Big Take Over
Pay To Cum
Right Brigade
I Luv I Jah
Intro
Bonus Track

Album Description

Legendary hardcore-punk album from 1982, considered the definitive landmark for breaking the NYC hardcore scene. All material on this CD was recorded at 171-A Studios, NYC, during August, September, and October 1981, except "Pay to Cum," "I Luv I Jah," "Jah Clling Dub" recorded live at 171-A on May 16, 1981. Liner Notes by Ira Kaplan. With Lyrics.

Customer Reviews:

Rasta-punkian?.......2007-06-27

I thought that their first album would be pure punk and was slightly suprised to hear reggae music interjected between groups of songs. It gives the album a nice contrast but I'm not a big fan of reggae. I get the fact that both types of music have anti-authoritarian ideals, but it may be awhile before I decide to buy any more of their albums. Different Class Harmonica

PMA Mofo's.......2007-04-19

This is the real stuff right here. The Godfathers of hardcore. It was the craziest and fastest album of its time. The songs still influence till this day. They invented the breakdown, listen to Right Brigade... I want to show that to every kung-fu dancing emo jerk to teach them what real hardcore is. Banned in D.C. has the best intro to any song ever... nuff said. Filled with energy and positivity, this is a must have in any collection.

great stuff.......2007-02-05

So i got this cd on friday having only heard the song soul craft and at first i was a little dissapointed because it was nothing like i expected, but i listened to it a few more times and i love it if youre into any punk or hardcore this is a must have

i still have a tape deck in my car.......2006-12-10

and this goes in whenever the cd player runs out of batteries. who knows what punk really is and i'm not looking for an arguement about the subject but the people who say they like "punk" and listen to avril lavinge (spelling?) should have a copy of this record thrown at them from a moving car. this record, i think is their very best, the fastest record i've ever heard, even bad brains themselves couldn't keep the pace. rock for light has a lot of the same songs but i just feel like they're weak in comparison, maybe they were on better speed for this one, who knows...anyway, it's so much more raw and the tones of the guitars, particularly on the solos, have a marvelous presence. just one of the best records ever in any genre, it can be apreciated on the basis of sheer energy alone.

that's right--four stars........2006-08-25

Bad Brains' early recordings found themselves in so many different releases that defining anything as their "first" album is pretty dicey. The Brains' apparent "first" demos were released on CD in the late 90's in the album "Black Dots;" this album itself had been previously released in the late 80's as "Attitude: The ROIR Sessions" before getting the special edition treatment after an endorsement by the Beastie Boys.

While this isn't their best album in terms of performance and songwriting, it is certainly their most accessible. Earl Hudson's drums lead the attack, directing Darryl Jenifer's bass and Dr. Know's guitar like a drill sergeant preparing troops for war. Dr. Know, easily the most gifted guitarist in the history of punk, drops crazy power-chord rhythms and frenzied, acrobatic solos, while Jenifer reinvents rock bass with his jazz-funk runs and tight grooves. Much is made of frontman H.R.'s pioneering performance on this album; while his incredible range does sound remarkable on this album (particularly within the context of what was coming out of the D.C. punk scene at the time), the cheap effects somewhat undermine its impact.

What keeps this album from being a five-star rockfest, at least for me, is the campy production value (Black Dots, recorded in the varying rooms of some guy's house, is mixed better than this album). Most of these songs were re-recorded for the vastly superior Rock For Light album.

Average customer rating:

Stop reading and buy
I don't get it
I can't explain it, I just can't stop listening to this album..
This Ain't Your Son's Punk Rock
Awwwww Cheeezit!!

I Against I
Bad Brains
Manufacturer: Sst Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Bad Brains
Rock for Light
Quickness
Black Dots
Build a Nation

ASIN: B000000M0V
Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

Intro
I Against I
House Of Suffering
Re-Ignition
Secret 77
Let Me Help
She's Calling You
Sacred Love
Hired Gun
Return To Heaven

Amazon.com

After the first of their countless breakups, the Bad Brains reconvened in 1986 to record this, their undeniable masterwork. Fusing dub reggae and funk rhythms into the mix, and slowing the tempo down enough to appeal to hardcore's emergent metal crossover audience, the Bad Brains created one of the most powerful collections the '80s produced in any genre. On "I Against I" and "House of Suffering," the quartet suffuses traditional Jamaican spiritualism with modern urban concerns, while the soaring "Sacred Love" is guaranteed to send shivers down the spine of anyone with any soul whatsoever. An essential release. --David Sprague

Customer Reviews:

Stop reading and buy.......2007-07-01

In this day and age when you can get just about any music you want for free off a friend's hard drive or some online site, there are is little that I would say you should pay your money for. This is one of them.

There is no need for me to add to the plenty that has been said and written about this album. It is a classic that needs to be heard - like it or not. It is an album that will inspire! BUY NOW!

I don't get it.......2006-12-03

Lemme start off by saying I absolutely LOVE the earlier Bad Brains material -- "Rock for Light" and "Bad Brains" (ie. the CD version of their ROIR cassette album) contain some of the most ferocious and uplifting rock 'n' roll music I've ever heard. And I've been listening to BB since 1982, when a guy who lived across the hall in my college dorm first told me about 'em and I went out and bought the Alternative Tentacles EP with "Sailin' On," "I" and one of the reggae songs.

But I have to be honest, I just don't think "i against i" is very good. Maybe I'm imposing unfair expectations on the band -- I'm not saying they had to stay in "Rock for Light" mode forever, but they needed to maintain way more intensity than "iai" delivers. It sounds too much like an attempt to commercialize the BB sound. Frankly, it almost seems like Dr. Know really got into Van Halen's "Fair Warning" album and convinced the band they needed to steer themselves in the general direction of the song "Push Comes to Shove," which was VH's stab at reggae rock. That's probably not what happened, but that's what goes through my mind when I hear the midtempo, solo-heavy, innocuous material on this platter.

My sincere apologies to anyone who's offended by my criticism, but I think it's important for newbies out there to know there's at least one long-time BB fan who thinks this album is an also-ran, not a masterpiece.

I can't explain it, I just can't stop listening to this album.........2006-11-10

I'm a big Beastie Boys fan and these guys were a major reason the Beasties got into music (they were a hardcore punk band before being signed by Def Jam), so I checked them out. I was expecting something different, but I wasn't dissapointed. These guys have a very unique sound to them that I can't get enough of. The music is great and the vocals just grab you. If you're into punk rock (not pop-punk rock like Simple Plan or Good Charlotte), check this band out.

tracks worth checkin' out:
I Against I
Secret 77
Re-Ignition
Hired Gun

This Ain't Your Son's Punk Rock.......2006-10-17

I Against I is one of my oldest, most-played, best-loved CDs. I was 16 when I bought it from my "favorite" snobby Denver record store (I won't name any names, but its initials are W.A.X. T.R.A.X.), the messy-haired hipster behind the counter looked at the Bad Brains catalog written on a piece of cardboard behind all the CD longboxes and said, "OK, you want to buy 'Against'-- those 'I's on either side of it mean it's an import." Yeah, OK, record geek, don't tell me what you don't know and just sell me the CD, you fool. I truly hope he was fired for incompetence and moved to Portland, where I'm sure he thought the people were much cooler.

This CD is total punk rock, though it may strike you as metal. Don't be fooled into thinking that punk was some kind of arty, stylish or (God forbid) British thing. The two most powerful punk rock bands ever were straight out of American hardcore: Black Flag and BAD BRAINS, baby! They both evolved into a thrashy metal sound, but they never sold out, no way. If you buy only one Bad Brains CD, you really should be buying two -- this one and Rock for Light.

To make a short story longer, buy it from Amazon and avoid annoying hipster music store staff.

Awwwww Cheeezit!!.......2006-09-07

You want a GREAT rock record???..get this!!!..I would rather hit myself in the crotch with a hammer than live without it.

Average customer rating:

Bad Brains
Hardcore the way it's supposed to be
AN IMPORTANT PIECE OF YOUR HARDCORE COLLECTION...
Invented Hardcore??I think not
Best HarDCore album ever.

Rock for Light
Bad Brains
Manufacturer: Caroline
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Bad Brains
I Against I
Black Dots
Quickness
Banned in DC: Bad Brains Greatest Riffs

ASIN: B000000HSU
Release Date: 1991-07-01

Tracks:

Big Takeover
Attitude
Right Brigade
Joshua's Song
I And I Survive
Banned In D.C.
Supertouch
Destroy Babylon
F.V.K.
The Meek
I
Coptic Times
Sailin' On
Rock For Light
Rally Round Jah Throne
At The Movies
Riot Squad
How Low Can A Punk Get
We Will Not
Jam

Amazon.com

Virtually everyone agrees that this group--made up of four Washington, D.C.-bred African American jazzbos--single-handedly invented hardcore. They radically quickened punk's tempos, added virtuoso instrumentation, and topped it all off with the mystic squeals of shaman-like frontman Paul "H.R." Hudson. This disc, produced (oddly enough) by ex-Cars leader Ric Ocasek, gives voice to the band's scathing sociopolitical judgment (see "Big Takeover") as well as its ability to simply put the hammer down and rock ("At the Movies"). It also allows the rhythm section of Darryl Jenifer and Earl Hudson to flex their muscle on a smattering of dub reggae interludes that help lull the unsuspecting into the right frame of mind for the next HC sucker punch. --David Sprague

Customer Reviews:

Bad Brains.......2007-07-05

How can you describe Bad Brains? How can you describe the first time you listened to Bad Brains? First off you are blown away by tracks like Supertouch and Sailin' On then the next minute you get hit with some pure reggae tracks like The Meek and I! You are left thinking to yourself "What the ****!"

Bad Brains are a band like no other and this is one of their best albums, no matter what anyone says about this band they are unique in music. Hardcore that leaves Minor Threat in the dust.

Buy it, buy it now!

Hardcore the way it's supposed to be.......2007-02-04

This is the definitive hardcore album. Bad Brains were among those who invented hardcore and they definitely set the ledge almost too high. This album is their best, IMO. It's almost incredible how tight the music is...

AN IMPORTANT PIECE OF YOUR HARDCORE COLLECTION..........2006-10-21

This is a great album, but get the PVC Records release which is available on CD, the reason being that the Caroline re-issue has been sped up making HR sound like a chipmunk and the bass guitar and floor tom seem non-existent. I don't know what the reviewer down below is thinking--with Rock for Light you get blazing furious hardcore assault with some reggae tunes where the extremely overhyped I Against I doesn't come close...If you like 80's rock mixed with hardcore than get I Against I...If your full of testosterone and you just wanna go nuts, then get Rock For Light!!!!!!!

Invented Hardcore??I think not.......2005-11-15

Bad brains did not invent hardcore,that is a Politically-correct inspired myth.hardcore began in California with bands like The germs,FEAR,Black Flag and others who started to play punk in a harder and faster style then the ramones or sex pistols.The first band to really take it up a notch and play in that jaw-dropping ultrafast style was a band called the Middle class,whose first single 'out of vogue'came out in 1978,more then two years before 'pay to cum'.as an old school punk I can assure you this Bad brains- created- hardcore crap didnt begin till the early 90s,and is more then likely influenced by the color of their skin then anything else.anyway I against I is far better then rock for light,so get that CD instead.

Bnadso

Best HarDCore album ever........2005-09-21

This CD gets stuck in my car for months at a time.

Average customer rating:

banned in d.c. bad brains greatest riffs
Someone finally does something right.
A great collection of Bad Brains material
best hardcore band EVER
enhanced?????????

Banned in DC: Bad Brains Greatest Riffs
Bad Brains
Manufacturer: Caroline
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

Black Dots
Rock for Light
Quickness
I Against I
The First Four Years

ASIN: B00008V5TK
Release Date: 2003-07-29

Tracks:

Pay to Cum
I Against I
Don't Bother Me
I
Regulator
F.V.K.
Re-Ignition
Sailin' On
How Low can a Punk get
At the Movies
With the Quickness
Sacred Love
Soul Craft
Voyage to Infinity
Banned in DC
Big Takeover
Joshua's Song
I and I Survive (single mix)
The Meek Shall Inherit
I Luv I Jah
The Prophet's Eye
Riot Squad

Album Description

The first ever definitive collection of greatest hits, features 23 tracks including rare versions and the never before released song 'Riot Squad', as well as the video for 'I Against I'. Caroline. 2003.

Album Details

22 Track Collection Includes Rare Tracks and Previously Unreleased Riot Squad that Appear on CD for the First Time.

Customer Reviews:

banned in d.c. bad brains greatest riffs.......2007-05-14

one of the greatest comps ever everyone should own this

Someone finally does something right........2007-04-08

This collection is exactly what it promises on the front sticker: a "Definitive" collection.

It shows you every side of the Brains, from their blistering hardcore awesomeness to their forays into grotesque sounding metal (not that the metal songs are of low quality, but man is that some ugly, evil riffing on "Voyage To Infinity" and "Soul Craft"), and, of course, some Reggae songs at the end.

Thats what makes this disc so great, you see every side of the Bad Brains.

If you've never heard the Bad Brains before, they're one of the best, if not THE best, hardcore band of all time. Nobody sounded like these rastafarian dudes. Dr. Know was an amazing guitarist (he started out playing jazz fusion), playing tight, furious riffs and ripping out solos like no ones business, HR had a very unique voice with unbelieveable range, at times he sounds very operatic and soulful and then one second later can be screaming like some crazy evil dwarf baby. Earl Hudson (HR's brother) plays drums at light speed, all the while refusing to play those simple "boom-chick, boom-chick" kind of drumlines like most other hardcore drummers. Finally, Darryl Jenifer played bass very well (check out the solo he performs on the live cut of "Big Takeover" on this disc!) and, along with Hudson, kept the band locked in tight at whatever speed they played at.

And they could turn it on and off at the drop of a hat, too. They had lots of tempo shifts and stops in their songs, something that keeps the hardcore numbers from getting too repetitious (something plenty of other hardcore bands suffer from).

So with this disc, you get over an hour's worth of their best songs, every track lovingly re-mastered to sound as good as possible. I'm also very happy that they did vinyl transfers for the "Rock For Light" tracks too, as the CD issue of that album was artificially sped up for some mysterious reason. So you get to hear songs like "Sailin' On" and "At The Movies" at the speeds they were meant to be heard at, something fans who don't own the vinyl edition of that album(i.e. me) will be glad to have.

The bottom line is: The Bad Brains were a truly original force in music, and this disc is an excellent representation of who they were and what they did. It's easily the best single disc purchase of these guys, though after hearing their stuff, you'll probably want to buy more.

A great collection of Bad Brains material.......2005-11-17

This collection spans the best of the career of these DC/NYC reggae/hardcore musicans. Later stuff is OK....but Bad Brains aren't the same without HR's "throat".

If you have never heard the band before this makes a good primer, to get you into them (and they are counted as influences by lots of bands: Beastie Boys to Living Colour & No Doubt (the last two have covered Bad Brains songs both live and in the studio). So if you like what you hear on this disc....make the purchases to get yourself the rest of their library (especially the early stuff) !

My only complaint with this compilation would be that I prefer the SST label recordings versions of the "I Against I" era material. I am sure not having them on here is more a result of label infighting, so at least recordings from that era are still here for inclusion.

Other than that.....great, great stuff !!!

best hardcore band EVER.......2004-06-28

No hardcore band beats the bad brains. They play so damn fast you cant understand them...its great! These guys don't jsut play hardcore either, on this album theres metal and theres reggae. Theres no reason why not to buy it if you like punk (none of that pop-punk crap.)

enhanced?????????.......2004-06-05

i bought this album for the supposed enhancement,as i already knew bad brains are legendary.but the tracks sound the same as they do on the albums they took them off???.caroline have always been a rip off!!

Average customer rating:

Still classic Bad Brains
Punk + Metal+ Reggae dudes kickin [...] = Awesome
Incredible
it's own ting
Quickness review from a gay rights supporter

Quickness
Bad Brains
Manufacturer: Caroline
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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I Against I
Rock for Light
Bad Brains
Black Dots
Rise

ASIN: B000000HRH
Release Date: 1989-09-14

Tracks:

Soul Craft
Voyage Into Infinity
The Messengers
With The Quickness
Gene Machine/Don't Bother Me
Don't Blow Bubbles
Sheba
Yout' Juice
No Conditions
Silent Tears
The Prophets Eye
Endtro

Customer Reviews:

Still classic Bad Brains.......2007-07-05

Yeh this came out in the whole 'crossover' period of the late 80s when bands like Cro Mags, Suicidal Tendencies, Gang Green and DRI (at least DRI made a good attempt at it) crossed over into a more metal sound.

First I was a little worried that this may be just another 3rd rate crossover album but nope, this is still Bad Brains doing what they do best, pushing the boundries of music to the limits!

This still has classic BB hardcore mixed with reggae but now with a couple of slower 'metal' sounding tracks thrown in that Bad Brains produce so well they dont sound out of place.

A few listens later and this has got to be one of my favorite Bad Brains albums. Buy it, you wont be disappointed.

Punk + Metal+ Reggae dudes kickin [...] = Awesome.......2006-07-14

I Just got the quickness sent from amazon and I was listening to it today and now Im overwelmed with joy, cant recommend this enough to bad brains fan, fans of infectious punk or metal

Soul craft,Voyage into infinity,With the quickness,Yout juice and Prophets eye are the best the rest is good to listen to not filler but those are my fav cuts but as too the contreversial track dont blow no bubbles I really dont care for the track anyway its not that great of a track anyway but I dont why people dont just laugh at it more as a joke I sure dont take it seriously and Im more offended by the people who get offended for a track that isnt that great to begin with....jeez leweez

Incredible.......2006-05-19

Great, great songwriting. Mackie on the drums is reason enough to check this cd out. Get it!!!

it's own ting.......2006-04-02

I haven't heard any other band that sounds like bb, and i will always keep this one. If you are unfamiliar with hr then you may be turned off at first, but he quickly grows on you because he is extremely expressive. The production is sharp and pops. The mid-song rythmn changes, like in "the messengers" are ingenious and keep the music fresh today. "With the Quickness" is an eclectic mix of grunge (before grunge), vernon reid-esq solos, thrash-metal and, of course, punk. This album was a nice blend of fast, ripping tracks (e.g. "sheba") and slowed-down, heavy-chevy tracks (e.g."w/da quickness"). Bb's lyrics were wonderful then, because the airwaves were dominated by flakey stuff lacking substance and, today, these lyrics still have depth to them, taking the listener on a metaphysical and concrete journey keeping true to reggae by interspersing religion and charged political opinions throughout the album. The only drawback on the album is "don't blow..." which seems like musical filler.

Quickness review from a gay rights supporter.......2005-12-11

First things first---a note on the homophobia contained in this album, on the song "Don't Blow Bubbles." First of all, this wasnt the shocking revelation of HR's homophobia---that happened in 1982 on tour with the Big Boys. Secondly, the song in question has NEVER suggested to me that AIDS is the just punishment for gay people. What HR seems to be saying in the song is that being gay is wrong, yada yada, and that gays should ask "Jah" to help them get over their supposed illness. It's based on compassion, although of course the same misguided kind of compassion that leads new-age Christian groups to have 12-step programs for homosexuals. However, at the very least, it doesn't suggest they should DIE!

The deal is H.R.'s not only a Rasta, but he's a schizofrenic who refuses to take his medicine (due to Rasta beliefs). The guy is literally, factually insane. He's not thinking straight. I don't take lyrics like that seriously from him. In the book "American Hardcore," bassist Daryl Jenifer apologized for the homophobic attitudes of days past and chalked it up to being young and naive. So, FORWARD I bredren!

Now as for the actual record. Great, great, great record (except for "Don't Blow Bubbles," which mercifully is a second-rate song at best and doesn't make you feel upset for skipping over due to the lyrics). It ain't the first album though. If you want the real Bad Brains, pick that up to hear one of the greatest things ever recorded by anyone.

This album definitely incorporates metal influence, but it also kicks up their funk influences which had only shown up as recent as "I Against I." They use this to great effect on "With the Quickness" and "No Conditions," two absolutely PUMMELING funk-punk-metal songs.

The fast, return-to-the-roots moments on this album are amazing. "The Messengers" flies past at breakneck speed and then suddenly slows down, concluding in an almost other-worldly sounding melodic breakdown unlike anything else in their canon. "Gene Machine," a re-working of "Don't Bother Me" from their 1979 demo (released as "Black Dots") hits HARD, taking the speedy passages from the original "Don't Bother Me" and splitting them up with the Bad Brains' trademark stomping crunch breakdowns. "Sheba," like "The Messengers," is on the surface a ridiculously energetic hardcore punk song, but supports a mystical lyrical theme, resulting in a very strange - but good - vibe overall.

Combine the punishing grooves of "Soulcraft" and "Voyage to Infinity," the gorgeous atmospheric vibe of "Silent Tears," and some dashes of reggae and funk here and there, and you have a magnificent record that, if not being preceded by the self-titled and "I Against I" would be a classic in and of itself. Overlooked and underappreciated.

Average customer rating:

It does not make the hair on the back of me neck stand up...
love it
One of the best by one of the best
We can do most anything, we've got that supertouch
GREATEST PUNK ALBUM OF ALL TIME

Black Dots
Bad Brains
Manufacturer: Caroline
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Bad Brains
Rock for Light
I Against I
Quickness
Youth Are Getting Restless: Live in Amsterdam

ASIN: B000000I32
Release Date: 1996-10-01

Tracks:

Don't Need It
At The Atlantis
Pay To Cum
Supertouch/Shittfit
Regulator
You're A Migraine
Don't Bother Me
Banned In D.C.
Why'd You Have To Go?
The Man Won't Annoy Ya
Redbone In The City
Black Dots
How Low Can A Punk Get?
Just Another Damn Song
Attitude
Send You No Flowers

Amazon.com

Recorded in June, 1979, these 16 tracks comprise the first-ever sessions by the seminal New York hardcore band. The sound quality is excellent, the band trashes mightily, and the style hasn't dated in the least. --Jeff Bateman

Customer Reviews:

It does not make the hair on the back of me neck stand up..........2007-04-11

Unlike most of the (hardcore) recorded output of this band (up to "Rock For Light" anyway). Though it's GREAT to hear them just play sped up 70's american punk. Very much in the vein of the grittier punk acts of the american East Coast of 1979 (you hear NO THUNDERS, but plenty of DEAD BOYS).

love it.......2006-10-22

I don't know how I missed this one when it was first released! I had just figured it was the newer line-up who brought us "Rise". I must not have looked very close.

This album really rocks... but not in the Bad Brains punk way--more like Stooges... call it pre-punk. Some of the arrangements here almost sound like another band covering Bad Brains. Not that different, but it's really odd for me to hear these tracks having listened to their other stuff for so long. It's sort of like if you only heard "Rock for Light" and then years later heard their first release ("Bad Brains"). But in that case, the difference is subtle... here it's a big jump into the roots that I didn't even know existed.

The recording quality is quite good. Not only because you wouldn't expect much from a 4-track early Bad Brains. It's definitely better than "Bad Brains".

I can't stop listening to this--so many great versions: "Supertouch", "Banned in D.C.", "How Low Can a Punk Get?"... and "Don't Bother Me" is cool because it was reworked later. I will say that H.R. is just a tad reserved. Instead of just off the wall wild screams it's closer to "yeah yeah yeah" in-between the main lyrics... where, in later recordings, he's inserting yells from another world. But that's a pretty minor nit-pick. As an aging punk maybe I'm not hard to impress--but this is the best music purchase I've made in a long while. I had to wait a few weeks before writing this review because I'm often suspect when I really dig a CD on the first listen--but this one hasn't worn off at all.

One of the best by one of the best.......2006-09-30

This has got to be one of my favorite of all the records these guys have done... It's all material from their early years, and it has all of the same energy & drive that you would expect from one of the first & most influential punk bands of all time. Don't get me wrong, I love most of the stuff they did in the last few recordings they did as the original members, but all the releases have a different sound; none really better or worse than the others. If you're looking for a more metal/punk sound, I would suggest to listen to 'Quickness' or 'I against I', since this release has a much more raw punk feel to it.

We can do most anything, we've got that supertouch.......2005-12-11

This is the Bad Brains as early as you can find it - 1979, recording a live demo at Don Zientara's (who later became the legendary producer/engineer of Minor Threat, Fugazi, and just about everything important to come from DC) fledgling Inner Ear studios. The band members all set up in different rooms, leaving H.R. having to stand outside to prevent track bleeding. You can hear crickets from Don's yard coming through his microphone between tracks. It doesn't get any more real than this.

Before Rastafarianism, dreadlocks, metal, and even reggae (for the most part), this is the Bad Brains SLAMMING through a full set list of TOP NOTCH hardcore punk of a quality that has scarcely been achieved by ANYONE - in fact, one of the few who DID manage to best it were the Bad Brains themselves on their 1982 self-titled album.

There are some classic Brains tracks on here that you may know already, but they're not the same. They're slightly slower (don't take that as "slow") which is sometimes good and sometimes bad in retrospect. If you're used to "Don't Need It" from the first album being the fastest song in the world, you may be a bit disappointed by its more "free" sounding pace here. However, if you're a guitarist, this may be your only hope for finding out what the riff actually IS. (I know it's been a blessing to me.)

Some songs are much better in their versions here, though. Prime example---"How Low Can A Punk Get." It's "just-right" fast on here, not the overly thrashing version on "Rock for Light," and sounds a thousand times more menacing and convincing than that version ever could hope to. "Don't Bother Me," which was later re-worked on the "Quickness" LP, is contained here in its original, ULTRA-raw version, and will certainly have your eyes bulged in amazement by the end with the heavy realization that you just heard what might be the greatest punk song ever (that no one has ever heard). Also, the way-ahead-of-its-time sludge breakdown on "S***fit" may sound even HEAVIER here than it does on the self-titled!

It's also cool to hear some of the stuff on here that the Brains later dropped - there are some bluesy, Jimi Hendrix-to-the-bone parts that show up for fractured moments of time; the reggae on here sounds more like lovers' rock than dread or dub; and "Redbone In The City" finds HR doing a hilariously unexpected Johnny Rotten impersonation.

If you're a fan of punk rock or the Bad Brains to any level or degree, you cannot go wrong with this demo. Pick it up and get a mind-numbing history lesson from the best in the game.

GREATEST PUNK ALBUM OF ALL TIME.......2005-09-26

I remember picking this album up in 95 when I first got into punk and it was one of the best albums I had ever heard. I still listen to it today and the bad brains remain one of the few punk bands that I can still stand to listen to. The Bad brains burst on to the scene in about the early 80s combining hardcore D.C. punk rock with a unique reggae sound. I personally feel that this there first album and IagainstI are there best works but this album has a certain punk rock quality to it in the recording and in the music and lyrics that I just love. It really is sad that bands dont make music like this anymore back in the 80s it was all about your local scene and going to shows and supporting the music you loved. Now its about slick record executives trying to make a quick buck off of the latest trend or fad. This music takes me back and reminds of what it was like in the good old days if you were there you will dance around your room just like the old times. If you werent youll wish you were. CLASSIC

Average customer rating:

Was gonna give them a 4 just out of TO-TAL RESPECT, but...
Tasty dub reggae with smatterings of punk
Beware this is not hc but will most likely enjoy it
Hardcore,hard rock fans,this B.B. joint is NOT for you
Dub Retrospective

I & I Survived
Bad Brains
Manufacturer: Reggae Lounge
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Black Dots
I Against I
Rise
Bad Brains
Youth Are Getting Restless: Live in Amsterdam

ASIN: B0000793W6
Release Date: 2002-12-02

Tracks:

Jah Love
Overdub
How Low Can A Punk Get
I & I Survive
Cowboy
Gene Machine
Ghetto
Rally
September
Ragga Dub
Gene Machine Remix
I & I Survived (Shiner Massive Mix)

Album Description

2002 album and first since 1995, featuring new recordings of classic Bad Brains songs. This album marks the return of the Bad Brains, a group who's contribution to contemporary music is unrivaled. The album represents their classic sound by melding punk with reggae and dub. Reggae Lounge Recordings.

Album Details

The Legendary Bad Brains have Returned with a Great Dub Album.

Customer Reviews:

Was gonna give them a 4 just out of TO-TAL RESPECT, but..........2007-06-06

I just couldn't do it. Bad Brains, despite the gross misrepresentation in American Hardcore, were ALWAYS a thrash AND reggae band--although they liked to think of themselves as gospel, a category I will always accept. And man, they ROCKED!! "Pay to C*m" is probably one of the thrashest tracks ever recorded.

Now, this may seem like an unfair start of a review, to go over the heyday of the band as though I'm going to evaluate this solely by their past acts and not allow them to grow and change, but this album very much WANTS us to be sure who the Bad Brains are (though they are recording sans HR)--aside from the Enhanced CD extra, with blurbs from Perry Farrell and others, the way they offer dub redos of Brains songs from their reggae catalog (like "Rally") and thrash (like "Gene Machine," "How Low Can a Punk Get") very much makes it obvious that they want us to remember the Brains of old. Know, Daryl and Earl can definitely lay down some nice, low, heavy dub, but the little, teasing snatches of HR samples seem almost underhanded or mean-spirited, and the "I & I Survive (Shiner Massive Mix)" at the end is painfaully bad. There are brief snatches of some hard Know strumming, but while the old Brains were predominantly thrash with a little less reggae, this Brains incantation is mostly dub with too little thrash.

I'm going to keep this one around for a little while and see if it grows more on me, but legends who carry their legendary status on their sleeves seem to cut their own legend branch a little short. This disc might be good to mix in with some classic Brains track, but it doesn't seem to hold itself together for a good, solid listen.

Tasty dub reggae with smatterings of punk.......2007-01-09

If you like reggae, dub reggae in particular, BUY THIS CD. I was turned onto this by a friend and have since turned on many other friends to it as well. Each time I try to make them listen for a while and guess who it is. The jaws always hit the floor when I tell them it's Bad Brains. Just goes to show that these guys can hit any genre out the ballpark.

The production quality is very very good on this album. It's a wonderful album to use when you're listening to ultra high end audio systems.

This album became the soundtrack for my life for about 6 months and if you like dub reggae I think it will for you too.

Beware this is not hc but will most likely enjoy it .......2006-03-06

This is strictly Dub work and is a very laid back piece that is listenable almost anywhere at anytime check it out homes.

Hardcore,hard rock fans,this B.B. joint is NOT for you.......2004-05-26

A change in the weather (slightly). You have 3/4 of BAD BRAINS here (HR must have gotten a sore throat...get it?). You have the musicians to no vocals. Also,the hardcore and hard rocking B.B. does what they seldomly get credit for. They smooth things out reggae style. Disappointing? No,not really. B.B. have thrown monkey wrench reggae tunes on every album except I AGAINST I so it's not a big shocker,stunner,let down. Change is good but if you want it loud and hard,this should be the only studio album to avoid. Reggae fans big up BAD BRAINS into your collection with this.

Dub Retrospective.......2003-08-21

The great Bad Brains have never released a recording as satisfying as this one. Full, phat bottom, distinctive tempo changes, and imaginative (dub) versions of their classic songs make this essential for long time fans. The (limited edition?) import version includes a second disk: 28 live tracks recorded from '82 to '92 with HR leading the full sonic assault for which the group was known. This is the Bad Brains record I've been waiting for since the early '80s.

Average customer rating:

Human Rights = HR from Bad Brains
Inspired reggae!!
This is one of the greatesr reggae albums. Also my favorite

I Luv
Human Rights
Manufacturer: Railroad
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

Singin' in the Heart
Our Faith
Charge
God of Love
Build a Nation

ASIN: B0000018E4
Release Date: 1992-04-24

Tracks:

Coup'rage
I Luv
Who's Got the Herb?
Lonely World
Contradiction
Shame in Dem Game
We Gotta Unite
Jah Make a Rastaman

Customer Reviews:

Human Rights = HR from Bad Brains.......2006-09-22

Great reggae album. Jah Make A Rastaman is def the standout track on this album. Alot of HR's solo work is pretty bad - this album, along with Charge (under his name HR aka Paul Hudson) are the two best. This is not as polished sounding as Charge which makes it more interesting.

Inspired reggae!!.......1999-05-06

Human Rights "I Luv" is one of the best reggae albums tat I've ever heard. Not only is it inspired, but songs like "Who's Got The Herb?," and "Shame In Dem Game" are more than exceptional! Every song is worth listening to, and the lyrics are all concious with praises to King Selassie frequent and sincere. As far as finding a copy, I don't know what to tell you. I was lucky enough to be given my copy by a friend who came upon it by chance. I've never heard of or seen another copy anywhere, but if you can find one it is well worth owning!!

This is one of the greatesr reggae albums. Also my favorite.......1999-02-19

This is the only album I have been looking for, for atleast three years. I heard it quit releasing in 95'. Please get this for sale again.

Average customer rating:

Wow!!
Outstanding older Bad Brains
First studio recordings quintesential D.C. hardcore band
Bad Brains.

Omega Sessions
Bad Brains
Manufacturer: Victory Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Black Dots
Bad Brains
Rock for Light
I & I Survived
Youth Are Getting Restless: Live in Amsterdam

ASIN: B000000IH4
Release Date: 1997-11-11

Tracks:

I Against I
Stay Close To Me
I Luv I Jah
At The Movies
Attitude

Album Description

The best hardcore / punk band of all time. Next.

Album Details

Omega Sessions were Recorded in 1960 and Are the First Multi Track Sessions Ever Recorded by the Bad Brains. Their Genre Disrespecting Blur of Reggae, Punk and Hardcore is the Most Unique and Influential Sound Ever to Come Out of the Underground.

Customer Reviews:

Wow!!.......2006-11-27

Just buy it!

From someone who knows from back in the day so to speak....this rules. I never really paid attention to this until today. These 5 songs deserve a place in your collection. If you do not own any Bad Brains stuff than this could be a good place to start. Long live The Bad Brains!!!

Outstanding older Bad Brains.......2003-07-23

This album is worth it after the first two tracks and only continues to impress. The older version of "I Against I" presented here is raw and electric and "Stay Close To Me" is enigmatically twisted around reggae/lovers rock and punk/hardcore stylings in a way that is undeniably appealing. With only five tracks you have to expect that each one will deliver the goods, and there is no disappointment here. Any fan of Bad Brains should own this album despite the fact that four of the five songs can be found on other albums.

First studio recordings quintesential D.C. hardcore band.......2000-07-08

At first look, Bad Brains could be a washed up Bob Marley cover outfit. From the shaggy rasta appearance, few could imagine that this band inspired such diverse acts as Minor Threat, Beastie Boys, Skankin' Pickle and Foo Fighters. This EP starts out with a tempo shifting hardcore number ("i Against i"), that later became a band signature tune, which goes straight into the punky reggae of "Stay Close to Me". The transition might shock the uninitiated, and those more veteran ska-punkers might be surprised by the fact that this was done seven years before Operation Ivy ever put anything down on wax. The next track, "i Luv i Jah" slows the reggae down further to accuratly express their rastafarian beliefs. The final two tracks BURN, "At the Movies", with its mellow intro, and "Attitude" with its postive message end the short album in style. Not only a milestone in hardcore, and punk, but also American reggae and a reggae-punk synthesis done much better than the Clash could ever do. Any punk fan should pick up this well priced gem.

Bad Brains........1999-08-05

Nothing else needs to be said--and what can be said that hasn't been said already? This band took hardcore and made it somehow better. The reggae-type tracks are smooth and relaxing, whereas the harder and faster tracks blow you away, making you notice how ahead of their time that they were. The first good thing that Victory records has put out.

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