Bad Brains: Bad Brains

ROIR

These dudes had true grace, serious musical chops, a message of unity—and somehow still managed to rock. And they did so for many years. But these black fusionists-turned-punks never again came close to this, their 1982 debut.

Slamming out a tenacious thrash indictment of U.S. bourgeoisie one moment (“F.V.K.,” “Big Take Over”), settling into subdued dub nodout the next (“I Luv I Jah,” “Leaving Babylon”), Bad Brains raised a few eyebrows at a time when American punk's politics of rage were peaking with groups like Black Flag and Minor Threat. While the Brains' hardcore/reggae split always made for a schizophrenic listen, the guys pulled off both genres convincingly. Revolutionary? Maybe, maybe not. But at the very least, Bad Brains' softer side gave the jackboots in the pit some time to pause and reflect.

This reissue isn't just a historical document. Bad Brains is raw, alive, and still fresh 15 years later.

—John Pecorelli

Alternative Press magazine