I am posting this because I think it's still maligned as a shitty album by even some very serious fans but I am here to try and convince you otherwise! Now, Black Flag are great, obviously, but how long they stayed great is one of the most divisive arguments among fans. Me, I think this is it. This is truly the last great, yet awkward grasp at making a defining album that would cement the band's legacy. Now obviously people consider Damaged or My War to be that defining album but hindsight is 20/20... I'm sure in 1984 when Ginn was writing this material that the notion of those albums going on to be anything more than blips on the radar was probably laughable and anyone who's read about Ginn knows that he loved the Grateful Dead way more than he ever liked punk... what came was a weird, boneheaded, proto-crossover album with some real tough sounding riffs and the usual awesomeness of 80's Rollins/Ginn. I guess he thought this would really push them to the next level. Instead it's really just the beginnings of their breakup. Why do people hate this album though? Because it sounds nothing like Black Flag! Maybe it's not as good as the classic material but hey, stop shitting on it. It sounds like a revelation when you listen to it after some of the later Bad Brains stuff...That is definitely not to say that on the right day, this album is exactly what you need! That day will likely involve a nice mixture of shitty weed, cheap beer, warm weather and a desire to not think at all...
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