Thursday, 24 January 2013

BLACK FLAG - "SELF DESTRUCT: 1984-86"

Last re-up for now. Black Flag were, by most critics' definition, the quintessential punk rock band. Formed in 1976 under the name Panic, the Flag cycled through musicians and genre influences faster and to greater effect than anyone else in the game at the time.  Although many cherish their hardcore-oriented 1982 "Damaged" LP as the band's best work, I can personally state with confidence that the '84-'86 era blows "Damaged" out of the water. By the their tragic demise in mid-1986, only superpower guitarist Greg Ginn remained from their original lineup; his brilliant, hook-filled songwriting kept their albums amazing and endlessly catchy. Vocalist Henry Rollins (who later found fame through MTV and his spoken word act) had been contributing lyrics since 1984 and persistently honing his craft. Between '84 and '86, the two of them (and the Flag's always-tight rhythm sections) produced some of the best rock music ever recorded on tape.

Their tours were absolutely relentless; in 1984 alone they played over 300 shows across nearly every U.S. state and Canadian province, hitting most of western Europe as well. Black Flag's reputation as the tightest, heaviest, LOUDEST band in America was easy to prove by attending one of their never-ending gigs. "Self-Destruct: 1984-86" presents the Flag at their peak, shredding through their later-day material (as well as updated classics) in a live setting and showing off their unbelievable prowess as performers and songwriters. Even those who dismiss "My War" and "Loose Nut" as heavy-metal trash might find this record changes their opinion on the songs themselves. All tracks are sourced from soundboard recordings (most from the master cassettes) and have been re-mixed for this release. MP3s encoded at 192kbps, fully tagged with artwork.

Get this, get this, GET THIS! It's probably my favorite compilation I've ever put together and it's most definitely in my top 10 albums of all time.

http://www.mediafire.com/?w8r13h0gv1jzzcp

NOTICE: This blog features highlights from my expansive ROIO collection, compiled with love by an obsessive fan bent on sharing great music with the world at large. The overwhelming majority of material posted has never been commercially released in any form. Please support hardworking artists by introducing their work to others, attending their shows and purchasing their vinyl output - paying for downloads is a joke.

2 comments: