minorthreat78's Full Review: Complete Discography by Minor Threat
Those who know the origins of my screen name may have wondered why I have yet to review anything by the band Minor Threat, especially considering how prolific I tend to be. Surely a band one likes enough to use their name as your screen name might actually merit a review.
Well, I guess I overestimated the popularity of the band. Expecting dozens of reviews that already pretty much said everything I could say about this album, I was somewhat shocked to see a scant six Very Helpful reviews for this album. Seeing this, I was moved to write one of my burning missives about a band of whom I happen to be rather fond.
First, let me take you back to 1980 (an impressive task, as I was two years old at the time). Rock radio had been progressively overtaken by so-called "corporate rock" bands playing somewhat self-indulgent rockin' love songs. The last days of disco were upon us, and a series of deaths and break-ups "killed" punk music in the eyes of rock press. Bands such as The Clash and The Ramones had explored different territory, and groups like the Talking Heads and Blondie had streamlined their production in the name of the new movement of "New Wave". To all appearances, the punk movement of the mid-to-late seventies had died out, another fad in the music industry like disco.
However, punk would not fade away so easily. While magazines like Rolling Stone had declared the death of punk, bands were coming out of the underground. Playing in small underground clubs, bands such as Dead Kennedys in San Francisco, X and Black Flag in Los Angeles, Bad Brains and, yes, Minor Threat in Washington, DC all played to devotees of punk, developing a sound that was faster than preceding bands under the "punk" appellation, more political, and generally more abrasive (X being an exception to this rule).
Outside of perhaps Dead Kennedys, Minor Threat were probably the most overly political of these bands in this new, "hardcore" punk movement. While probably best remembered for their somewhat inadvertent establishing of the "Straight Edge" punk sub-culture, their songs also dealt with rebellion, subjugation of teenagers, religious brain-washing, conformism and subsequent condemnation of non-conformists, and the obvious anti-drug and alcohol stance.
While around for their three or so years as a band, they managed to record slightly less than 47 minutes of material in studios. Of course, these 47 minutes are spread throughout 26 songs (hey, I said they were fast!), two albums, and various other recordings. This CD compiles all their studio recordings; hence, "Complete Discography".
The band is comprised of Ian MacKaye (vocals), Brian Baker (bass), Lyle Preslar (guitar), and Jeff Nelson (drums). For the most part, I'm not going to go into too much detail about the musical element of the songs, as most adhere to the same basic formula: intense, fast, harsh drumbeats (credit to Nelson's skills) are matched to an intense bass-line, add basic three-chord progression and shouted/spoken vocals. Not exactly a full orchestral production. The music is simple; mainly a framework for their lyrics and attitude. In essence, an archetypal punk band.
The cover to the album is the same as their eponymous debut album, albeit a different color. Ian MacKaye is shown in fairly standard punk garb, shaved head bowed into his lap, hands crossed in front of him, as though crying, or sitting on the curb while the police check up on you. Their first album had ten songs and clocks in at just about 11 minutes, and comprises the first 10 tracks on this CD.
The lead-off track is "Filler". Chiding a friend for pretending he's found religion in order to get a girl, MacKaye's vocals mock the insincerity of his friends beliefs, and the insincerity of religion in general, with the terse chorus:
You call it religion/
You're full of sh*t
The next two tracks, "I Don't Want to Hear It" and "Seeing Red", first mock conformists ("Hear It") and then the anger at these types of people mocking their type of people ("Seeing Red").
Next is the semi-infamous "Straight Edge". Very few 43 second songs merit comment, let alone produce an entire sub-culture. In short, the song is about MacKaye's hatred of those who do drugs, and how living without them gives him an "edge".
To put the song in context, realize that in the late seventies/early eighties, drug use (particularly such things as cocaine and quaaludes) was fairly prevalent, especially in the punk scene. Progressing to heroin, many performers died, as well as many fans. In the hardcore scene, several performers were quite outspoken about drugs hurting the scene, including Jello Biafra of Dead Kennedys and Henry Rollins of Black Flag. Few were as fervent in their opinion than MacKaye. An entire movement in the punk scene emerged, of people who didn't drink or do drugs. Later, not smoking and being vegan were added to the deal, and these people called themselves "Straight Edge" (shortened to sXe by many), after the song. Thus, the influence of the band overtakes the band itself.
As the album progresses, themes emerge. Big mouths with empty voices ("Small Man, Big Mouth"), fighting the system ("Screaming at a Wall"), drunken brawlers ("Bottled Violence").
"Minor Threat", the title track, is a precursor to much of the emotional sensations many teenagers would feel through much of the eighties and nineties: alienation, disconnection, persecution by previous generations, living in a world where the "end of the world" (nuclear destruction) is a real possibility. Forced to grow up early, but still treated as children, seen by authority figures as an underaged (read as "minor") threat that is insignificant (read also as "minor"). One of my faves.
After a nice song about standing up for your rights ("Stand Up"), this part of the CD ends with a cover of the classic song by Wire from the Pink Flag album, "12XU". Even more manic and frenzied than the original, the band takes over this song.
Next is the brilliant track "In My Eyes". A song condemning someone for doing things just to fit in, it is a rallying cry for those who are different. A slower song than most by the band, it not only shows that Nelson's drum skills are more than "bang the drums as fast as you can", and that Preslar can at least somewhat play a guitar. The fierce chorus brings it all home:
It's in my eyes/
And it doesn't look that way to me/
In my eyes (shouted intensely)
"Out of Step (with the world)" is a short and simple re-iteration of the themes in "Straight Edge", while "Guilty of Being White" has MacKaye condemning those who blame him for the horrible acts in the slavery era, a solid 100 years before his birth. "Stepping Stone" is a clever cover of the song "(I'm Not Your) Stepping Stone".
Now into the contents of their second album, the band's focus on people leaving the punk scene to "start their 'real lives'". Titled Out of Step, the cover of the album (shown on the back of the liner notes) makes clear the idea, with a black sheep running away from the herd.
"Betray" is another song about people leaving their beliefs behind to fit in with the world. Showing a solid development in Ian MacKaye's lyrical skills on their second album, its a poignant paean to non-conformism.
The remainder of the album (tracks 16-23) is pretty much in keeping with this theme. The musical stylings of these tracks in markedly improved, occasionally even containing melodies (gasp!). Highlights include "Sob Story" and "No Reason". It also contains another, slightly more intense and slightly superior rendering of the song "Out of Step". Ending it out is "Cashing In", an unusually sarcastic and funny song about selling out.
The CD ends with "Stumped", a decent song, if unimpressive, a cover of "Good Guys (Don't Wear White)", and a song called "Salad Days", clearly written about them breaking up.
The band had a short, if eventful existence, and their influence has gone far beyond the somewhat prominent members of the "Straight Edge" types. The band in many ways helped influence speed-metal, cited as major influences by Slayer and Megadeth. Their influence even spread into bands such as Rage Against the Machine, largely their political views and uncompromising attitude. The influence also flows into the punk scene as a whole, both through their developing and helping pioneer the "hardcore" sound, and their building a more political tone to punk music in general. From their mocking by NOFX to the name check on Unwritten Law's album "Elva", the band's reach is still felt today.
Members of the band went on to be members in The Meatmen and the emo-core pioneers Fugazi (whose stauch commitment to affordable tickets makes them a tough booking and a fan favorite). Large groups of people in the punk scene, sXe and otherwise, admire the band's independent spirit and forthright political views.
On a personal note, this CD, and the band which produced it, helped shape much of my political philosophy, and helped me move from just being another Green Day fan into actually realizing the value of the punk scene, for all its faults.
While many out there will hate this album, for those unafraid of their abrasive, vicious sound will appreciate the unusual lyrics and intensity of their music. A must-listen for those truly interested in music history, or people who call themselves true punk rock fans.
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