I like comps. They’re cheap (usually) they have a ton of bands on them you might not otherwise hear and a great many of them (like this one) perfectly encapsulate not only a moment in time but also a specific place in time (in this case early 80s Washington DC). And the DC scene as a whole really was not only about empowering the kids but doing so in such a manner that you use your brain and not your other musculls. Hence flexing your head.
Dischord again did a bang-up job reissuing another of their classics on vinyl. This one comes on a vibrant clear red vinyl and includes a download code. I’m assuming it’s remastered but I’m not sure and frankly I don’t care cause this is not music that requires any level of mastery or (re)mastery as the case were. So while it sounds great to my ears I’m sure Lady GaGa enthusiasts out there would assume it was recorded in a basement on shitty equipment (they’d be right). And while I’m talking bout GaGa, I saw a photo of her that made me smile yesterday where she’s falling down due to ridiculously high platform shoes. I also incidentally recently came across a bunch of GaGa 7”s in the basement (irony) of Bleeker Street Records. Safe to say I didn’t buy any. But yeah, soooo, “Flex Your Head”…
Look it’s fucking awesome. Even if you already own the stellar “20 Years of Dischord” set I’d still recommend this one. Like I said earlier it’s a moment in time. And a perfect one at that. Henry Rollins was still Henry Garfield. Ian was bald but still had the ability to grow hair if he wanted to. Bands were made up of kids just learning to play but already well aware of why they needed to. Shows were violent sure but not in the scary way that they’d later become violent. It was more of a joyful violence if you will. And really that’s what rock and roll should be, especially when you’re young. Many of the songs on this comp have been covered many times over through the years and rightfully so. From Sonic Youth doing Nic Fit (Untouchables) to Rocket from the Crypt doing Pressure’s On (Red C). And speaking of Pressure’s On, it’s one of my favorite early hardcore songs of all time, right up there with Wrecking Crew by the Adolescents.
Other bands that appear on this comp include Minor Threat (duh), Youth Brigade (not the one from Cali), Government Issue (longest running DC hardcore act of all time, or so I’ve read), State of Alert (Rollins’ first band), and Iron Cross (DCs answer to Oi!). It also comes with a reprint of the original liner notes that look, well, like liner notes in punk albums looked before home computers, which is to say terribly awesome. And don’t let the XXXs on the cover turn you off. Early DC Hardcore is unique in that it’s some of the only straight edge hardcore in existence that isn’t painfully annoying and preachy. Say what you will about SXE no one will ever dispute that Minor Threat is one of the greatest bands of all time.
So turn off the GaGa and flex your fucking head.
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