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From: ellis@flairvax.UUCP (Michael Ellis)
Newsgroups: net.music
Subject: Black Flag
Message-ID: <681@flairvax.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 24-Jul-84 03:25:28 EDT
Article-I.D.: flairvax.681
Posted: Tue Jul 24 03:25:28 1984
Date-Received: Sat, 28-Jul-84 07:37:29 EDT
Organization: Fairchild AI Lab, Palo Alto, CA
Lines: 35

From Andrew Hudson:

> Hey, Black Flag's recent album seems pretty feeble in comparison
> to their older stuff. Any comments or inside info? 

There seems to be a variety of reaction to Black Flag's new album `My War',
Maximum R+R panned it, OP thought it was swell.

The second side of this album has 3 slow songs, that, in live performance,
continue the development of a style first heard in their brutally grinding
title song to an earlier album, `Damaged'. If you prefer hardcore with
velocity, perhaps this music will strike you as feeble. To me, it is
way out there, like Birthday Party.

On the other hand, the record is something of a disappointment, the same
material live is far more compelling.

Though I find Henry Rollin's stage persona unappealing, I have never heard
anyone more gifted at expressing the monstrous angst of BF standards like
`Depression', `Damaged' and `Stick Me' -- sounds cheerful, huh?

Last time I saw them (in Berkeley, at `Ruthie's Inn') they received a
most negative audience response. Somebody threw a beer BOTTLE at Henry,
which hit him on the head. The band stopped for 5 minutes to recover,
then returned to finish the set. A large portion of the audience was
apparently there for no other reason than to harass Henry, with shouts
of `faggot' and `hippy' (his hair is quite long these days).

Sometimes the hardcore crowd makes me sick...

-michael

-ps the DK's were magnificent at the Democratic Convention. They came
    out dressed in KKK costumes. Jello Biafra removed his, revealing
    Ronald Reagan!