Let me make this absolutely clear. I am not an angry person. For most accounts, I am borderline hippie mellow, if not a little ridiculously crazy at times. But never angry.
However, I love to absolutely lose it to crazy angry music, and it doesn't get much crazier or angrier than the legendary D.C.-based underground hardcore punk band Bad Brains. They always satisfy my jones for rage.
Back in 1979, the band went into the now-legendary Inner Ear Studios and made a record. It wasn't your normal record. It was done in one take, in one recording. It was essentially a Bad Brains live show, done in a studio, directly to tape. And it captures the angry, aggressive soul of Bad Brains better than any other recording they ever made.
The 1979 recording session was finally released in 1996 on Caroline Records, and was titled "Black Dots." In essence, it's the greatest Bad Brains show ever heard. All the elements are there. There's an energetic performance from all members, as you can actually hear them jumping around breaking things. There's instrumental expertise, because Bad Brains weren't your ordinary punk band, they were all jazz fusion and prog rock musicians beforehand, so you know they can play. There's audience interaction, including a healthy amount of input from the producer's 9-year-old son talking to H.R., the singer. And there's audible signals from everyone as the show wears on, whether they be shouts of joy or sighs of agony.
"Black Dots" is the ultimate archival album, as it contains exquisite versions of punk rock classics "Pay to Cum," "Don't Need It," "The Regulator," "Banned in D.C.," "How Low Can a Punk Get?" and "Attitude." It's also awash with otherwise unheard tracks including the progressively reggae "Why'd You Have to Go?" and "The Man Won't Annoy You."
As former jazz musicians, Bad Brains have the ability to be varied and diverse, and as "Black Dots" is a live show put to record, they fully let their diversity flow. From the nearly satanic stammer of the song "Black Dots" to the Sex Pistols-esque "Attitude" to the ballad-y "Why'd You Have to Go," Bad Brains show that there's more to their punk than three chords and a 4/4 beat.
By combining the virtuosity of jazz and prog rock with the head-smashing aggressiveness of hardcore punk, Bad Brains and "Black Dots" take punk higher and harder than Dead Kennedys and farther out than King Crimson, while still being just as innovative as Television. And people have taken notice.
For instance, while I was relistening to "Black Dots," I realized that the guitar riff from the track "Supertouch-Shitfit" was the beat that Saul Williams sampled for his song "Telegram," one of my favorites. And the reggae influences throughout "Black Dots" are genuine enough to make Bob Marley proud; he was a noted fan.
There's nothing you can't like about "Black Dots." It has everything a Bad Brains concert should aside from the visuals. But you wouldn't really see the band at a concert anyway would you? You'd be kept busy watching for the next fist as everyone around you was engaged in the grandest battle royale punk rock had ever known. You'd be throwing your own punches too, wouldn't you?
I wouldn't know. I'm not an angry person.
Casey Welsch is an angry person. Reach him at caseywelsch@dailynebraskan.com.
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