American Hardcore tracklist

[Maltodextrin]

This is the tracklisting for Rhino's comp CD meant to accompany the book/film.  Pretty solid stuff, obviously we could all name certain things we'd put on (Dead Kennedys, Zero Boys, Misfits, Poison Idea, Minutemen, Husker Du, to cite only the bigger names?.....hopefully just licensing issues, because they could have fit twice the music on here with no lowering of quality), but it's still a good introduction for people that haven't been paying attention otherwise.  Definitely surprised to see Minor Threat here, though, since Rhino is a subsidiary of Warner and I would've thought pigs would fly before Ian would allow any of his bands to appear on a major label-affiliated release.  Maybe the members voted on it?  That's about the only way I can see it happening.

Black Flag - "Nervous Breakdown"
Middle Class - "Out of Vogue"
Bad Brains - "Pay To Cum"
D.O.A. - "Fucked Up Ronnie"
Circle Jerks - "Red Tape"
Minor Threat - "Filler"
MDC - "I Remember"
Untouchables - "Nic Fit"
Gang Green - "Kill a Commie"
The Freeze - "Boston Not L.A."
Jerry's Kids - "Straight Jacket"
SS Decontrol - "Boiling Point"
Void - "Who Are You/Time To Die"
Scream - "Came Without Warning"
Negative Approach - "Friend or Foe"
Articles Of Faith - "Bad Attitude"
Die Kreuzen - "Think For Me"
Battalion Of Saints - "My Minds Diseased"
7 Seconds - "I Hate Sports"
Big Boys - "Brickwall"
Really Red - "I Was a Teenage Fuckup"
The Adolescents - "I Hate Children"
YDI - "Enemy for Life"
D.R.I. - "Runnin' Around"
Cro-Mags - "Don't Tread on Me"
Flipper - "Ha Ha Ha"

PS I would buy this on vinyl if it was reasonably priced.

[goneoffdatlean]

I wouldn't put DK on this....the Fix yeh...DKs no

If yer gonna represent SF, gotta go with Sick Pleasure or Code of Honor.

[Maltodextrin]

I wouldn't put DK on this....the Fix yeh...DKs no

If yer gonna represent SF, gotta go with Sick Pleasure or Code of Honor.

Nah, I don't really even like DKs but they were THE biggest and most important American hardcore band, even if they and their rep haven't aged as well as Flag, Minor Threat, Bad Brains etc.  You can't talk about an overview of first-wave USHC and leave them off.

[Mark Beef]

this is just that same Rhino comp they put out years ago called Loud Fast Rules right?

the hardcore version of their powerpop/punk comps

[SSR]

No shit. To not put the DKs on a US HC retrospective is complete retarded and betrays the history of the music. The big fault of that American Hardcore book is what he leaves out or short shrifts. He makes one passing mention of MRR, a slight so insanely wrong that it makes the rest of the book little more than an excersize in nostalgia. I am pretty sure Malto will agree with me in that you totally have to divorce your thoughts about the bands politics when you do a historical review of that music. It is funny that the people who want to censor the political bands/zines, write them out of history are the same ones who claim to be apolitical or not pushing a political agenda. I mean you dont have to agree or praise the DKs but they were THE band responsible for internationalizing hardcore and, with Black Flag & Minor Threat, creating a national scene.

Rhino's comps are usually excellent. I think if there are any oversights (like the DKs, Misfits, etc) it is due to not being able to nail the rights.

As much as I love Sick Pleasure, at the time they were a footnote even within their own scene.  

[goneoffdatlean]

I was thinking quality over influence, but I understand both of yer points.

That being said, why put the Untouchables on this....cause Ian's lil brother was in the band.  Talk about a footnote.

This comp needs more Midwest.

[rr]

yeah, the Midwest isn't very well repped on here at all.  Still though, young kids picking this up and hearing these bands for the first time should get a nice kick in the ass.  Cool that they included Flipper and start off with "Nervous Breakdown" too.

[Maltodextrin]

I was thinking quality over influence, but I understand both of yer points.

That being said, why put the Untouchables on this....cause Ian's lil brother was in the band.  Talk about a footnote.

This comp needs more Midwest.

While I think the Fix were a far, far stronger band than the Necros, I'd definitely say the latter should be on here for sheer historical importance as the crucial midwest hardcore band.

As for Untouchables-- the dawn of Dischord, one of the first straight edge bands, a really early example of the pure hardcore punk that would make DCHC so definitively important to the American punk scene of the '80's...I probably wouldn't have thought to pick it, but it's definitely a defensible choice.

[SSR]

But why the Cro-Mags. That is one I dont understand. And YDI?

[rr]

Cro-Mags is a pretty important/good choice actually.  Shows how NYHC differed from most other scenes, and the direction HC was heading in after the book's cutoff date of 1986.  Surprised Agnostic Front didn't make it on though.

[rr]

and not that those two bands are the bands I'd most prefer to listen to out of NY, I'd take Nihilistics or Urban Waste anyday - but as far as importance goes....

[jeff g]

Rhino's always been great at making good comps for the uninitiated. The first time I ever heard bands like Wire, Suicide, The Fall, Heartbreakers, The Zeros, etc. etc. was through their D.I.Y. series that my local, small town library had. And, yeah, I'd buy this too, on vinyl, if only to hear a few of bands on it that I've never heard before.

[daniel]

I talked to someone two days ago who was at a press screening of the movie, and he says the film has no mention at all of the Misfits, DKs, or Negative Approach. 

[goneoffdatlean]

I was thinking quality over influence, but I understand both of yer points.

That being said, why put the Untouchables on this....cause Ian's lil brother was in the band.  Talk about a footnote.

This comp needs more Midwest.

While I think the Fix were a far, far stronger band than the Necros, I'd definitely say the latter should be on here for sheer historical importance as the crucial midwest hardcore band.

As for Untouchables-- the dawn of Dischord, one of the first straight edge bands, a really early example of the pure hardcore punk that would make DCHC so definitively important to the American punk scene of the '80's...I probably wouldn't have thought to pick it, but it's definitely a defensible choice.

Why Untouchables and not Youth Brigade, SOA...Deadline...Red C....hell Teen Idles have more a claim.

[mike]

i remember reading somewhere that ian mackaye said the untouchables were what influenced him to have a hardcore sound.  before that, the teen idles were just average punk rock, but after he heard them he wanted to be fast and "dangerous".  not sure if that means they should be on here, but still....
and 'big ups' to putting that gang green track on there.  those 'boston not l.a.' tracks are my favorite hardcore songs ever.