MINUTEMEN- WHAT MAKES A MAN START FIRES?

D. Boon died in a tragic car accident on this day in 1985. The Minutemen and Boon will always be remembered for their incredible heart and dedication to their craft. Why else would a band who's favourite influence was CCR, played a lot of funky seventh-chords and featured extensive live jams be so loved and revered by the hardcore community? Do that nowadays and you'll be judged out of punk so hard, dude.

Anyhoo, This is their second full length and to most, it's simply just the record that came before Double Nickels, but I honestly like this just as much as that LP. A bit faster, a bit angrier and slightly less-varied (It's also not a double-album so duh!) but still hits all the sweet spots. It also has 'Anchor,' which Watt refers to as their epic! Good music to beat the winter blues

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BLACK FLAG- 82 DEMOS

Procrastination. Definitely supposed to be studying for an art history exam right now but the idea that some people may not have heard this popped into my head and became infinitely more important.

After the release of Damaged, the flag got wrapped up in a legal dispute with their distributor and sadly, weren't allowed to release any material from 81-83. Oddly, this seemed to fuel Ginn to write his best batch of songs ever, in my opinion. The songs on these demo recordings would go on to make up My War, Slip It In and Loose Nut but the versions here, with the almighty Chuck Biscuits on the kit, are so much better than their official counterparts. Pounding bass, manic drumming with oh-so crisp snare fills and the cherry on top: two guitars! Dez hadn't yet left the band so we get a second guitar that allows Ginn to get a bit more comfortable within the songs and really go crazy. If you ask me, this was their peak. Listen to this version of 'Slip it In'... chills every time

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HUSKER DU- FLIP YOUR WIG

Husker Du are a legendary band and really, enough has been written about them already so I'll spare you any boring details other than the fact that a lot of people consider this to be their first weak album. Lunacy!

I'm firmly in the camp that considers THIS to be second only to New Day Rising. I think the Huskers were really a pop-band at heart and this is their coming-out party. Aside from an obvious goof, this album is PERFECT and it only gets better with each listen. Mandatory

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