American Hardcore - The History Of American Punk Rock 1980-1986

When the Steven Blush book came out I jumped all over it, devoured it and loved it. I foisted it on friends and spread the love like mayo. This was my high school soundtrack (tho a little heavier on the SST and Twin/Tone). I proudly sported combat boots and the bars on backpacks for years until, as Barlow said, "...started smoking pot - things sounded better slow."


This is the music that connected me to something bigger - mostly it expanded my political worldview, a worldview rooted in frustration, anger, misunderstanding and contempt for affluence and its arrogance. Quickly the HC scene became misogynist, fascist/racist, laden with a jock mentality and had outlived its purpose and, almost appropriately, the genre's key practitioners transitioned into metal or glam.

But this is exciting stuff. Nothing like it had been heard before. Makes me happy. Sadly, the documentary based on the book was cold, overly-regimented, overemphasized a lot of the mindless, musclehead Upper East Coast hardcore thuggery and had very little narrative arch. So, in summation, skip the flick, grab the book and sit down with this compilation for a taster's choice of white, Reagan-era male teenage aggression.

_________________________________________








Track Listing:

01 NERVOUS BREAKDOWN - Black Flag
02 OUT OF VOGUE - Middle Class
03 PAY TO CUM - Bad Brains
04 FUCKED UP RONNIE - D.O.A.
05 RED TAPE - Circle Jerks
06 FILLER - Minor Threat
07 I REMEMBER - MDC
08 NIC FIT - Untouchables
09 KILL A COMMIE - Gang Green
10 BOSTON NOT L.A. - The Freeze
11 STRAIGHT JACKET - Jerry’s Kids
12 BOILING POINT - SS Decontrol
13 WHO ARE YOU?/TIME TO DIE - Void
14 CAME WITHOUT WARNING - Scream
15 FRIEND OR FOE (1983 Demo) - Negative Approach
16 BAD ATTITUDE - Articles Of Faith
17 THINK FOR ME - Die Kreuzen
18 MY MINDS DISEASED - Batallion Of Saints
19 HATE SPORTS - 7 Seconds
20 BRICKWALL - Big Boys
21 I WAS A TEENAGE FUCK UP - Really Red
22 HATE CHILDREN (1980 Demo) - Adolescents
23 ENEMY FOR LIFE - YDI
24 RUNNIN’ AROUND - D.R.I.
25 DON’T TREAD ON ME (1982 Demo) - Cro-Mags
26 HA HA HA - Flipper

HEAR