Anyway, it's been a lot of fun to flip through the book and see which albums I own, as well as which I should check out. My most pleasant surprise, thus far, has been Bad Brains. When I was younger I used to love them. They were fast, hard, crazy, everything a kid could want. I love the idea of a Jamaican hardcore band from D.C., especially since the majority in their crowds are probably white skinhead punks. If I remember correctly, Bad Brains' album Rock for Light, was the first CD I ever purchased, having heard them on a skate video. I liked them, basically, for the fact that they played faster and yelled louder than any band I had heard. And they had dreadlocks. Looking back, it's wild to see that they were actually one of the more influential and trend-setting hardcore bands, not only fusing several musical genres (they had a jazz background, which they fused with reggae and punk music), but also crossing racial barriers. (Interesting side note: the Beastie Boys are huge Bad Brains fans, who chose their name to match the initials BB.) It gives me great pride to think that my first CD purchased, although ignorantly, was such an influential band. I'm not really into hardcore anymore, but I've listened to Bad Brain's self-titled EP a bit over the last few weeks, and I can say that I still dig it, although I haven't sold Radha on it. If you're interested, here's a choice cut:
Sunday, February 22, 2009
1000 Records: Bad Brains
For Christmas, my in-laws bought me a book, 1,000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die by Tom Moon. Tom Moon is a music critic who has contributed to NPR's All Songs Considered, Rolling Stone, and some other publications. In the book he compiles 1,000 albums (obviously) that everyone should hear, spanning genres from classical to hip-hop to punk, as well as including music from all over the world. It's really a pretty cool book, although, some selections have more merit than others (Britney Spears "Toxic"?), but arguing over selections is all part of the fun in a book like this.
Anyway, it's been a lot of fun to flip through the book and see which albums I own, as well as which I should check out. My most pleasant surprise, thus far, has been Bad Brains. When I was younger I used to love them. They were fast, hard, crazy, everything a kid could want. I love the idea of a Jamaican hardcore band from D.C., especially since the majority in their crowds are probably white skinhead punks. If I remember correctly, Bad Brains' album Rock for Light, was the first CD I ever purchased, having heard them on a skate video. I liked them, basically, for the fact that they played faster and yelled louder than any band I had heard. And they had dreadlocks. Looking back, it's wild to see that they were actually one of the more influential and trend-setting hardcore bands, not only fusing several musical genres (they had a jazz background, which they fused with reggae and punk music), but also crossing racial barriers. (Interesting side note: the Beastie Boys are huge Bad Brains fans, who chose their name to match the initials BB.) It gives me great pride to think that my first CD purchased, although ignorantly, was such an influential band. I'm not really into hardcore anymore, but I've listened to Bad Brain's self-titled EP a bit over the last few weeks, and I can say that I still dig it, although I haven't sold Radha on it. If you're interested, here's a choice cut:
Anyway, it's been a lot of fun to flip through the book and see which albums I own, as well as which I should check out. My most pleasant surprise, thus far, has been Bad Brains. When I was younger I used to love them. They were fast, hard, crazy, everything a kid could want. I love the idea of a Jamaican hardcore band from D.C., especially since the majority in their crowds are probably white skinhead punks. If I remember correctly, Bad Brains' album Rock for Light, was the first CD I ever purchased, having heard them on a skate video. I liked them, basically, for the fact that they played faster and yelled louder than any band I had heard. And they had dreadlocks. Looking back, it's wild to see that they were actually one of the more influential and trend-setting hardcore bands, not only fusing several musical genres (they had a jazz background, which they fused with reggae and punk music), but also crossing racial barriers. (Interesting side note: the Beastie Boys are huge Bad Brains fans, who chose their name to match the initials BB.) It gives me great pride to think that my first CD purchased, although ignorantly, was such an influential band. I'm not really into hardcore anymore, but I've listened to Bad Brain's self-titled EP a bit over the last few weeks, and I can say that I still dig it, although I haven't sold Radha on it. If you're interested, here's a choice cut:
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5 comments:
My first album was Synchronicity by the Police. Unless you count records bought for you by other - which would make it: Barry Manalo's Greatest Hits. Explains a lot, doesn't it?
I write the songs, I write the songs....
Or rather, Barry Manilow. My inability to accept the truth comes out in my spelling.
My first album was Spice Girls.
The second, Chumbawamba.
Fran,
Synchronicity is in the book, Barry Manilow is not. Apparently, Tom Moon has never heard Copacabana.
Veronika,
I'm sorry. It's too bad that Slovakia can't import better talent.
My first album was a cassette of C&C Music Factory. My first CD was Beatles Abby Road.
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