The oddest thing is, these out-of-print Faster, Louder compilations represent, alongside the OST to American Hardcore, some of the few later attempts to make available the brutal range of music of the North American underground of the eighties to the rest of the world. There's no box-set like No Thanks or Nuggets ( the bootleg L.P.'s Killed By Hardcore are another matter) that try to document the era. Maybe it's good that after all these years later, hardcore is still considered grotty, still eyed suspiciously, still disrespected, still not fodder for car commercials.
While the omissions are brutal - no Minor Threat (though they've thrown in Wire's "12XU" to stand in for all the Dischord bands), no Big Boys, no Toxic Reasons, No Seven Seconds, no D.R.I. and no Articles of Faith (rectified by their prominence in American Hardcore) - this is still a one loudshortfasthard message from the underworld. There's no real weak spots and you get to hear Husker Du at their best in "In a Free Land", The Zero Boys sneering at full bore in "Civilization's Dying", Agent Orange's perfect "Bloodstains" and Channel 3's "Fear of Life" which now sounds more like it's just a good rock n' roll song, double-timed.
Faster, Louder: Hardcore Punk Vol. 2 link is in the comments
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http://www.mediafire.com/?anznnhmg2a5
ReplyDeleteGlad to have these comps again after so much time. Both excellent, thanks for posting them.
ReplyDeleteMany Thanks Jeffen..These comps are new to me..my introduction to American hardcore came via Alternative Tentacles, 'Let Them Eat Jellybeans', it put me onto The Circle Jerks,Bad brains, Flipper..etc..etc
ReplyDeletegarg
Finally- the Zero Boys. A vastly underrated band in my book.
ReplyDeleteNick
mono
ReplyDeleteEnjoy!
garg
Yeah that's the thing about American H.C. the best overviews remain those contemporaneous comp.'s and not much has really come along to build on them.
Nick
Man that Zero boys album knocked me flat when I first heard it. Still does.