ellis@flairvax.UUCP (Michael Ellis) (07/09/83)
There's a lot of hard-to-find music by this brutally hardcore band that
I suspect is to be found on one the many available punk compilations.
In particular, does anyone out there in netland know where to find:
o I'm not a machine
o Authority - Bullshit/I've heard it before, don't want to hear it again
o I don't need a break from you
Some of these are to be found on a recently released Pre-Henry
compilation (they've had at least 3 lead vocalists) but Henry's
versions are the ones I want.
I've heard rumors this band is having severe hassles with the
recording industry lately that resulted in the withdrawal of
"Damaged" (what a record!) and no chance of any future releases,
which is why they're putting out pre-Henry stuff. Anyone know
about this?
Those of you who think this is a negative band should carefully listen
to the poignantly anti-drug stance taken on many songs (thirsty and
miserable, damaged I & II). Hard though it may be to believe, Henry
is reputedly "straight-edge" - that means NO drugs (not even marijuana or
alcohol). I'm not sure if this is hype or not, though.
Last time I saw them, they were far more intense than on record. Only
time I ever saw skinheads & mohawked cynics with tears in their eyes.
If you ever decide to see them, don't wear "nice" clothes since you're
likely to get splashed with the constant barrage of beer and ice cubes
thrown by a properly appreciative audience.
Michael Ellis - Fairchild AI Lab - Palo Alto CA - (415) 858-4270ellis@flairvax.UUCP (Michael Ellis) (07/24/84)
From Andrew Hudson: > Hey, Black Flag's recent album seems pretty feeble in comparison > to their older stuff. Any comments or inside info? There seems to be a variety of reaction to Black Flag's new album `My War', Maximum R+R panned it, OP thought it was swell. The second side of this album has 3 slow songs, that, in live performance, continue the development of a style first heard in their brutally grinding title song to an earlier album, `Damaged'. If you prefer hardcore with velocity, perhaps this music will strike you as feeble. To me, it is way out there, like Birthday Party. On the other hand, the record is something of a disappointment, the same material live is far more compelling. Though I find Henry Rollin's stage persona unappealing, I have never heard anyone more gifted at expressing the monstrous angst of BF standards like `Depression', `Damaged' and `Stick Me' -- sounds cheerful, huh? Last time I saw them (in Berkeley, at `Ruthie's Inn') they received a most negative audience response. Somebody threw a beer BOTTLE at Henry, which hit him on the head. The band stopped for 5 minutes to recover, then returned to finish the set. A large portion of the audience was apparently there for no other reason than to harass Henry, with shouts of `faggot' and `hippy' (his hair is quite long these days). Sometimes the hardcore crowd makes me sick... -michael -ps the DK's were magnificent at the Democratic Convention. They came out dressed in KKK costumes. Jello Biafra removed his, revealing Ronald Reagan!