The excellent punk/hardcore/metal website, No Echo, recently published an article about HC/punk records that turn 30 this year. Full disclosure, I entered my senior year of high school in 1989 and bought all the records in this article, with one exception (Excel’s “The Joke’s on You”), shortly after they were released.
One thing you’ll notice right off the bat is how NYHC dominates the list. Cro- Mags, Agnostic Front, Bad Brains and Murphy’s Law were established scene veterans while Sick of It All, Killing Time, Gorilla Biscuits, Judge and Madball were the up and comers. While I’m sure there are plenty of people who still appreciate these records, I was a little surprised by how few of them hold up for me. I’ll admit that Murphy’s Law’s “Back with a Bong” was in heavy rotation on my car stereo that year (it was an album both my girlfriend at the time and I enjoyed), but I can’t imagine it would hold much appeal to me now. Of the NY records, Judge’s “Bringin’ It Down” is, in my opinion, the clear stand out. In fact, I think it took a good 10 years following its release before I fully embraced this album. The production is big, but not overly polished, and you can feel the depth of Mike’s emotion far beyond solely the rage. SOIA’s debut full length is also pretty consistent from start to finish, although the echoey production neutralizes the energy and anger a bit.
On the flip side of the coin, GB’s “Start Today” revealed all its gifts to me in the first year or so that I owned it. After a while, the songs started to sound very formulaic and, even as a 17-year-old, I recognized the simplicity of the lyrics. I suppose I was on my way to getting ready for the coded messages if not necessarily the slowed down songs.
Leeway’s “Born to Expire” has some undeniable jams (“Rise and Fall,” “Enforcer”), though I find it hit and miss as a whole. “Best Wishes” has a few decent tracks, but if I’m in the mood for the Cro-Mags I, like probably many others, go straight to “Age of Quarrel.” AF’s “Live at CBGB” is a good live document of the band, but give me “Victim in Pain” or “United Blood” any day. On a similar note, I prefer the Raw Deal demo (and their tracks on the “Where the Wild Things Are” comp) to the Killing Time LP. Madball’s “Ball of Destruction” is definitely entertaining, but my appreciation for the band starts and ends with that release.
If you want to get technical, only the “Margin Walker” tracks from the Fugazi 13 song CD are turning 30 this year, as the first EP was released in ’88. Regardless, both EPs are fantastic, as is Operation Ivy’s “Energy,” which may be the record in this article I’ve listened to the most. Not being a fan of metal at the time, I’m surprised I bought Nuclear Assault’s “Handle with Care” (maybe because it was released on a HC label?). I couldn’t get into it back then, but I’ve revisited a few times recently. The lyrics are very thoughtful, but the record suffers from thin, trebly production. At least I tried.
I enjoy these types of hardcore history articles that are frequently published on No Echo, but looking at this list of records certainly did not make me nostalgic for 1989. If I ever listen to that Excel album, I’ll update this post.
wxc33
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NoiseProblem 