Back in Washington D.C. in 1977, four black guys formed a jazz/funk outfit called Mind Power. "All the while we was jazz, we wanted to innovate," H.R. says. "We wanted to be part of something new and different and real. We was continually seeking. And then I saw the Sex Pistols album, and I said, 'BOOM! This is it!" The credit for introducing safety pins and punk rock goes to Sid McCray, an early vocalist for the band.
Influenced by the Pistols, Eater and The Clash, as well as Led Zeppelin, Mind Power changed their name after six months to the Bad Brains and dove head first into punk rock. It was the Clash's version of "Police and Thieves" that introduced the band to reggae. The foursome bought a house in suburban Maryland. They went to jobs and school during the day, and rehearsed furiously at night to build stamina and speed.
After 6 months, the band ditched their daytime commitments (among them: washing cars, laundering clothes, and working in a bomb factory). HR forfeited 3 years of pre-med to go professional. They distributed flyers outside DC new wave clubs for a free show in their house basement. "It was different, because we were all black and playing punk rock music. The news spread around DC," HR says. "Before we had even played our first show, people were coming up to me telling me how good the Bad Brains are."
After a series of bi-weekly gigs, the more established venues followed. The legions of young fans who followed the band religiously included future members of the Teen Idles, Minor Threat, Scream, and S.O.A. However, after a verbal battle with police (who tried to pull the plug on an outdoor show) and ejections from larger venues, the Bad Brains found themselves blacklisted by area clubs, hastening their departure from Washington D.C.
Before they left, the band recorded at Don Zientara's home-based studio, Inner Ear, in Arlington, Virginia (where all the early Dischord bands recorded). These 4-track recordings were eventually released as Black Dots in 1996 on Caroline Records. This session is absolutely incredible punk rock, a document of blistering hardcore whose intensity would rarely — if ever — be matched again by any other band.
In 1979, the Bad Brains left for New York City. In December, the band recorded a debut 45 on their own label ("Pay To Cum" b/w "Stay Close To Me"), which was later included on the widely distributed Let Them Eat Jellybeans compilation LP. The first pressing of the "Pay To Cum" 7in. lists two separate Maryland addresses (one on the label, a different "Fan Club" address on the sleeve) indicating that the ties to DC weren't completely severed. The band would later repress the single in New York City and issue it without a picture sleeve (red & tan labels instead of the brown & white of the first pressing). "Pay To Cum" shattered any previous claim to a land speed record (probably held at the time by the first Middle Class 45). The amazing "Don't Bother Me" also appeared on the Best of Limp compilation LP in 1980.
Earlier in 1979, the group had attended a Bob Marley show which, for them, was a spiritual epiphany. By the time the band moved to the Big Apple, they had collectively adopted the Rastafari religion. Their newfound beliefs focused on survival through righteous action and thoughts, or PMA (positive mental attitude). HR lifted the PMA concept from a self-help book called How to Think and Grow Rich. "PMA" appears in large, unexplained letters on the insert for "Pay To Cum".
1982 saw the release of theBad Brains cassette on ROIR. The songs, recorded in the last months of 1981, are another incredible studio effort, more polished than the Inner Ear recordings. First appearances of songs like "Big Takeover" and "Sailin' On" proved the band was as intense as ever. 1983 saw Ric Ocasek extend an invitation to record at his Boston studio. This session resulted in the Rock For Light LP originally released on PVC.
Bad Brains initially broke up in 1984 due to group tensions. There have been various incarnations of the band since then, recording and touring with different line ups and different names, but now the original group has returned stronger than ever to claim the fame they deserved. 2006 had them on the big stage playing sold out shows at CBGB’s, and on big screen with the release of the Bad Brains Live at CBGB DVD & a prominent place in the documentary American Hardcore. 2007 saw the release of their latest album, Build a Nation on Megaforce Records as well as a limited edition picture disc LP of the original ROIR record. This year, the Bad Brains will release a 7” box set and bassist Darryl Jenifer will release his first ever solo album, Blackvova Universal Sound.
And of course, the Bad Brains legacy only grows stronger with each passing year. The band has influenced countless artists, including Henry Rollins & Black Flag, Ian MacKaye, Moby, Beastie Boys, No Doubt, Smashing Pumpkins, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and they will no doubt continue to influence countless more.
1. Sailin'
On - Lyrics 2. Don't Need It - Lyrics 3. Attitude - Lyrics 4. The Regulator - Lyrics 5. Banned in D.C. - Lyrics 6. Jah Calling - Lyrics 7. Supertouch/Shitfit - Lyrics 8. Leaving Babylon - Lyrics 9. Fearless Vampire Killers - Lyrics- MP3 10. I 11. Big Take Over - Lyrics 12. Pay To Cum - Lyrics 13. Right Brigade - Lyrics 14. I Luv I Jah - Lyrics 15. Intro
Bad Brains was recorded at 171A, a small New York City venue and recording studio renovated from a glass shop by producer Jerry Williams.
Jerry described it as being like "...a full sized room with 15 foot ceilings and a floor space 60 feet long and provided recording artists with a quality PA system suspended from the ceiling. It was a cut above other rehearsal studios and since it was about half the size of CBGB's it produced a very similar sound." [source]
Bad Brains was first released on cassette in January 1982 and since been made available on CD, LP and limited edition picture disc.
PRESS:
"...they have inspired or influenced everyone from THE BEASTIE BOYS and RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS to LIVING COLOUR and JANE'S ADDICTION. But upon relistening to this glorious hardcore/punk masterpiece, it quickly became evident that not one of the many pretenders to the throne have even come close to matching BRAINS' blisterly majestic style. Yeah, they are punks martyrs. Jah on the cross - they died for our sins." -Scrawl
"Just listen to it...Classic chunk of Americana. Go get it." -
New York Post
"Where dreadlocked superheroes Bad Brains went, a thousand punk and metal wannabes followed. And what better album to tell you why these militant rockers were so powerful than this, their eponymous classic from 1982? Sell your Green Day records and buy this, kids." - Vox
"Bad Brains were the band who taught the world how to play fast....this re-released 1982 masterpiece shows exactly why this is a band who could pull thousands of people to their shows when no one in the mainstream even knew they existed. Quite brilliant." - Select
"No album has ever been such an aural punisher - so blistering, so ashen. Nothing ever will again. Holy F***!" - Big Take Over
