🎸 🥁 🎤 This Friday's track should be heard at maximum volume. Crank up your big speakers (You know you want to!) or put on some good headphones. You might want to wait for the right moment today. 🔊
Every track I've written about for this series has strong personal significance for me, and I Against I by Bad Brains is no different.
There were years (yes, years) when my vinyl copy of the album (titled I Against I) rarely left my turntable. It sat with the A side ready for the needle drop, begging to be played at a deafening volume. I was younger, a little edgier, and a little less concerned about bothering my neighbors in my East Village apartment. The entire I Against I album was always played loud enough to feel it, pushing my amp hard, straining the VU meters, and driving my speakers to their limits. Ah, the good old days! 🤘 😝
While not as well known as they should be, Bad Brains are a very important band. Originally from Washington DC, but later relocating to NYC, they were hardcore pioneers and a big influence on - and beyond - many bands in the DC and NYC hardcore scenes. Unlike some other hardcore bands, Bad Brains are master musicians. Do yourself a favor and research the band and their music.
But I digress (and I will again).
💿 When I refer to the track I Against I, note that I include the " Intro " track that immediately precedes it. On the album, Intro segues right into I Against I. They must be heard together to get the full effect. The album was released on SST Records in 1986 and was produced by Ron St. Germain. I'm lucky to have worked with Ron a bit when he worked with Living Colour just a few years after this. I ran into him just a few months ago, and he still has many crazy stories to tell.
The tracks (Intro, together with I Against I) and the entire album are a bit of a departure from their earlier material as it feels a bit more "metal." It's played masterfully. Each part is vital and precise. It has explosive dynamics. It starts and stops on a dime. It's full of surprises that evoke a "WTF?" the first time you hear it. HR's emotional vocal ranges from plaintive and restrained to flat-out hysteria. 🤯
It's among the greatest ever hard rock vocal performances. All in it sounds enormous. It feels apocalyptic. It is unique and unequaled. Can you tell I like it?
Two more things I need to add:
1) Bad Brains live shows are legendary. I didn't see them at CBGB in the late '70s, but I did see them many times, including at a New Music Seminar show in NYC (with Circle Jerks, Living Colour, and Leeway) in 1987. Their 1989 show at The Ritz is - hands down - the best rock show I've ever seen. I don't expect that to change.
2) Bad Brains recorded an earlier version of I Against I in 1980, released in the 90's on the Omega Sessions EP. It's worth checking out, but the 1986 version is the place to start.
Enjoy it, and let me know what you think!
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