BAD BRAINS - "Rock For Light" 1983 (PVC / JEM)

 THE HISTORY:

"The roar of the BAD BRAINS, the kvell of the crowd" - Ira Kaplan

How ironic to have a Jewish guy define an all black rasta hardcore band? Especially one with as muddled a history as BAD BRAINS. They weren't the first all black punk band, as many have suggested, they were predated by New York outfits TH' INFLUENCE, NEW YORK NIGGERS, and from Detroit, THE NIGGERS. Be that as it may, many have tried to meet their early righteous fury, none have succeeded. They were and are an enigma. A flash, nay, an explosion in the pan never to be repeated or "one up'ed". Along with stellar bands like MINOR THREAT, NEGATIVE APPROACH, and BLACK FLAG they are so much of what people think of when they think HARDCORE!

Let's get to the roots shall we? It's the late 70's in Washington DC and a group known as MIND POWER has just finished a jazz fusion set inspired by RETURN TO FOREVER, Stanley Clarke, and more. The handful of participants aren't feeling it at all. Members are : Darryl Jennifer, Gary Miller (Dr Know), and brothers Earl and Paul (HR) Hudson. Their friend Sid McCray hips them to punk rock via DEAD BOYS, PISTOLS, and the rest of the usual suspects. Sid tells them this is the way to go to reach people. At the same time they discovered Napoleon Hill's "Think And Grow Rich" book and it's message of PMA (Positive Mental Attitude).

They begin roughly with a cut on the "30 Seconds Over DC" compilation.Around this time they were taken to a Stanley Clarke/Bob Marley concert. Prior to this their only knowledge of reggae and rasta was via white punk rock bands from England like THE CLASH , THE RUTS, and THE SLITS. They all agree seeing Bob play changed their minds and they began to speak with Jamaican dialects and began growing their dreadlocks.

Soon after they find themselves "Banned In DC" and move to NY where they meet up with THE STIMULATORS (featuring hopelessly underage Harley Flannigan) and THE MAD (Screamin Mad George is now a huge special effects guy. Ever see "the Predator"?) and begin to take away fans of those bands with their infectious hi speed jams. The "Pay To Cum" ep was next up, just before an aborted tour with THE DAMNED in the UK. Upon their return to NY, defeated, they cut the s/t cassette for ROIR with Jerry WIlliams at the legendary 171 A studio. They went on tour and hooked up with MDC which turned into a huge fiasco. You see, BAD BRAINS were extremely homophobic and, well, Dave Dictor of MDC is a crossdresser. You can guess how well they got along. It all came to a head when BAD BRAINS played in Texas with THE BIG BOYS and THE DICKS. Both bands had openly gay singers and if you need boring details just listen to "Pay To Come Along" by MDC or read any book on early hardcore.

Despite all their negativity they still had a uniting factor. According to Jello Baifra, their appearance in SF on that tour was one of the most inspirational gigs he'd ever seen. It seemed things were all over for them when, at a show in Boston with SS DECONTROL, in walked Ric Ocasek of THE CARS. He helped with new equipment, a new record deal, and recording them. Hell, he even praised them from the stage at the Grammys if I recall correctly. "Rock For Light" was their last gasp of full blown power. Years of drug abuse and doing everything he could do to destroy the name the band had established left HR a wreck and the band without their name following a deal with Madonna's Maverick label.

The inconsistency of their performances and recordings goes to show that any money spent on their product is a waste for the most part. They are currently working with one of the BEASTIE BOYS on a new album that they promise will be a return to their "Rock For Light" sound. After seeing the "Soul Brains" several years ago I highly doubt it. HR sat in a chair holding a covered bird cage, complete with bird, and did some weird singing thing. They bored the crowd with endless dub tune after endless dub tune (which normally were a nice break from the hardcore on their early albums but played end on end on end on end it just got very dull) and HR was randomly having people thrown out that he felt were threatening him. The only fun of the night was him harrassing a nazi security guy that I got to kick in the face during "I Against I".

One final note on them. They were the first to bring up the word "mosh" on the tune "Leaving Babylon" off the ROIR tape. Think about it, say "mash" with a Jamaican accent. So, when the brother from DC who'd never been to Jamaica sang "Mash it! Mash down Bablyon!" it sounded like "Mosh down Babylon!" True story.

THE MEMBERS: Darryl Jennifer, Dr Know, Earl Hudson, Joseph 1 (HR)

THE RIFFS The discs sports some of the most heavy and intense jazz fusion on crack sounds you'll ever hear. Dr Know isn't just about a power chord, he's about dismantling riffs, turning them on their heads, and then spitting them out in your face. You'll catch little snippets of all sorts of great songs and pieces that only Jah knows where they came from.Every time you listen, if you can tune out HR's carnival barker on crack act, you'll hear something new buried in there.

THE PRODUCTION: Well, there are at least two different production jobs on this. There is the original Ric Ocasek version which is only on the PVC/Jem version. The production is sparse and thin but effective. Some songs sound amazing, others sound flat. It really brings up the reggae but on some of the filler tunes like "How Low Can A Punk Get" it's kind of rough.

The Caroline mix is more metallic. It's got a few more songs and it sounds better in some spots but a lot of it just came out muddy. It just reminds me of all the Misfits remixes that Danzig did that did more harm than good. Sure, some stuff coulda used a boost and the sound is a little thin on the original but c'mon! This is punk rock not a WARRANT record. The songs are also rearranged.

THE LEADS: Effin sparse man! A lot of Dr Know's guitar flashes are more controlled but would be solos if they were done separate and longer. Their song structure at the time didn't really leave a lot of room for it. But trust me! The guitar work will not disappoint anyone.

HOW DOES THIS RELATE TO JELLO BIAFRA? Besides the mention of his opinion of them (above), he also put out the "I Love I Jah" 12" in 1982 and also put them on the seminal "Let Them Eat Jellybeans" compilation in 1981 along with the DK's, BLACK FLAG, FLIPPER, THE OFFS, CIRCLE JERKS, DOA, REALLY RED, and more. This comp was to introduce Europe to American D.I.Y. punk. What a way to introduce it!

THE VOCALS: Less controlled and somewhat more singy than ROIR but less annoyingly singy than later stuff. He still squeals, yelps, and freaks out with a vengence on this one.

SOME KEY TRACKS? So tough! This is one of my fave records of all time... If you can get past the overtly religious themes of the songs it's amazing all the way thru! Even the filler cuts are better than what most can muster. I'm using the original mix for this which cuts out the great version of "Supertouch" on the Caroline mix. Get it if you can. It's one of the better remixed tunes on it.

"Coptic Times " Righteous Rasta fury! It starts with a roaring bang and HR is all the way into it! Then they simmer for a bit on a cool jazz fusion breakdown and then burst again with total fury! This song makes me mosh in the living room every time! They opened with the intro to this last I saw them and I jumped over about three rows of people only to be bummed that it was just the intro. Only "Plastic Bomb" by POISON IDEA challenges this one for best opening tune ever.

"Right Brigade " Another tune that makes me smash things. This one is more developed and powerful than the ROIR version. The breakdown is deadly. It's playing right now and I'm having trouble focusing on this because I just want to get up and go off! "Right Brigaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaade!!!" "Riot Squad" has the same effect but not nearly as powerful.

"Rock For Light" A poppy hardcore tune that encompasses what they felt they were trying to get across. It features some great lyrics and uplifting music that just makes you feel like they really meant it. When HR sings "We come to rock for light" you feel it.

"The Meek Shall Inherit the Earth"A simmering dub that does well to end side one of the album. One of their better attempts at that sound. I always look forward to the reggae tunes on this and ROIR because they serve to cool the pot down and let it breathe a bit.

"The Big Takeover"Another one like "Right Brigade" that is vastly improved from ROIR. I know it's hard to believe but back in the day people made these things called "cassettes" that bands recorded these things called "demos" onto. ROIR was pretty much a demo and this was the real deal. The intro to this song is so much more intense and crazed. You can feel the tension the second Earl starts the kick drum and Dr Know's fingers touch his guitar. HR sounds as paranoid as can be. The whole song is just frantic. They truly believed the end of the world was upon us and this song shows how real they felt it was.

AND IN CLOSING: I strongly recommend you dig up a copy of the original mix and dust off your turntable to truly dig this record. Some things, much like ROIR is better on cassette, were just meant for vinyl. Copies of this routinely pop up on the record collector circuit for about 10-15 bucks if you look hard and anywhere form 30 on up to about 100 if you're lazy and go to sheepbay. It's just really worthwhile to hear it as it was meant to be heard originally. After all, you'll spend about $15 for the Caroline cd anyhow. Why not own a piece of history instead? If you want to learn more about the BAD BRAINS, I suggest reading "American Hardcore", "Dance Of Days", and "Banned In DC" which is more of a photo book but has lots of great pics of the BAD BRAINS in it. For internet people check out the site "Kill From The Heart" and look up North America, look for DC and you will find a page on BAD BRAINS that has all sorts of info as well. There is no real official BAD BRAINS website and probably never will be.

- Two Tub Tony

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