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The Trash Collector, Everett, WA (2026)

10/07/2026

Review for WANNA BUY A BRIDGE? Compilation LP (1980)

Thanks to the internet (specifically YouTube), I was very recently reacquainted with a long-forgotten “friend”… namely, this various artists collection. I was introduced to this specific compilation via a cassette tape release in 1982 through a like-minded friend, shortly after I became enamored with Devo and began searching out other “New Wave” acts that they thought might suit my fancy.

Although this album did catch my interest, I would be reticent to admit that it had any real impact, especially at the time. This collection features a number of late-1970s acts that mostly existed on the periphery of punk: Too quirky and--dare I say it--too musically “challenging” for those looking for the three-chord, buzz-saw highs of the Ramones, the S*x Pistols, and the like; too raw and musically “accomplished” for those looking for the more synth-laden, post-punk drones of what the more commercial “New Wave” was beginning to offer alternative music listeners.

This compilation has--forty-plus years later--become one of the most notable embodiments of a fringe musical movement that has not been--in my mind--given its proper dues. (And one which I have only become to appreciate over the last few years.) Some of the acts have been properly included as heavy-hitters during the earliest developments of punk rock and other acts existing on the outskirts of this nebulous phenom. Others are considered crucial to the development of such genres as post-punk and industrial. Many have been virtually forgotten, except by those present at the time. Yet every one had a hand in contributing to what was essentially the alternative rock scene of the late 1970s.

Wanna Buy a Bridge? is dominated by mid-tempo, angular, fuzz-limited guitar riffs, often accompanied by horns and female vocal deliveries. The singing is often punctuated by awkward vocal harmonies, and the production values rarely obtain the level of competency associated with any of the bands one may be familiar with--in punk or “New Wave”--at the time of release. Every track exudes a DIY garage rock approach, even if the sounds bear little or nothing with what was happening in “alternative” rock at the time.

In retrospect, I’m embarrassed to admit the fact they almost none of the bands left any real impression on me upon first listen. (Most of the tracks by the bands were too raw for a young teenage listener like myself who was quickly becoming enamored with the colder, more synth-driven likes of Missing Persons, A Flock of Seagulls, and Berlin. And I was still a year away from the more guitar-driven, rock rebelliousness of the Ramones that eventually resonated with me on a more primal level.)

Of all the inclusions, it would be the opening track by Stiff Little Fingers--easily the most straightforward “punk” rock track on this compendium--that would make them one of my most favored genre acts of all time. (I still consider their debut single to be one of the best--if not most important--punk releases of all time.) The Pop Group’s iconic We Are All Prostitutes undoubtedly proved to be too musical chaotic when I first heard it, but once the more raucous-punk sound became my go-to source of music, it soon became a favorite as well.

Almost a decade later, I found Cabaret Voltaire to be one of the most influential “industrial” acts of the late twentieth century, a musical genre that later established itself within my psyche via Throbbing Gristle, Einsturzende Neubauten, and Skinny Puppy. One of my other favorite tracks on this particular compilation--by Young Marble Giants--stuck with me for years, even though they wouldn’t re-emerge as a part of my musical lexicon until years later, thanks to the likes of Nirvana and Hole. (It still amazes me that YMG were able to accomplish so much with what little they had at their disposal. Their only full-length LP--Colossal Youth--remains a musical gem from the era.)

In retrospect, this compilation stands as a time capsule, capturing a distinct sound that the majority of radio stations avoided and/or refused to share at the time, and which has been overshadowed by other bands more in line with the genres’ early sounds. In recent years, I’ve come across a handful of bands that have sincerely paid homage to this sound, a sound oddly specific to a small stretch of time when musical artists took advantage of punk’s popularity without adhering to the very tropes that made it a recognizable sub-genre of rock music.

Granted, more than a few moments still elicit a “fingernails-on-the chalkboard” response forty-plus years later, with their shrill, abrasive, discordant deconstruction of rock music. But--somehow--time has turned these same moments into nostalgic curiosities. Dated, yes, but now charming if not ingratiating… even though they still make me wince.

Although Wanna Buy a Bridge? is still not one of my favorite compilations from back in the day, if offers an indispensable look at a part of the burgeoning scene, often overlooked even by punk purists. That it includes some of my favorites (listed above) is alone good reason to warrant it attention, but the fact it that they sit alongside other, luminary artists (The Slits, Swell Maps, Spizz Energi) as well as less-remembered acts that reflect the fringes of punk in the late-1970s make this one hell of an important document. And one that now demands a pretty penny from obsessive vinyl collectors, apparently.

07/18/2026

MAKE ME CHOOSE: THE MUSICAL EDITION

Before I continue with my mind-numbing reminisces about bands and artists that made an impression on me over the years, I thought I would try something different this evening whilst drumming up something akin to audience participation. So, for anyone reading this and just as bored as I currently am, give me two bands or artists from the same or similar genre and force me to choose my favorite between them. (This was something I did occasionally on my primary page many years ago, although it entailed not only musical acts but films and visual artists as well, but I’d like to keep things aligned with the current theme tonight.)

You can even make me choose between two albums by the same band. All genres and stylings are fair game, but keep in mind, my knowledge of musical trends declines considerably every decade after the 1990s, with some genres and subgenres still well outside my purview… but I’ll do my best to accommodate.

Regardless, you can expect a somewhat objective, but mostly biased and opinionated take, with a one-or-two sentence reason as to my leanings. Heck, I’ll undoubtedly befuddle or outright p**s some people off by my choice, but that’s part of the fun, isn’t it?

4... 3… 2… 1… and go!

07/11/2026

THIRTEEN MUSICAL ARTISTS/GROUPS THAT CHANGED MY LIFE DURING THE 1980s

In Closing:

As much as the music that shaped my musical journey during my childhood in the 1970s, and that which influenced my musical growth as a young adult during the 1990s, it was the music I experienced during my teen years in the 1980s that has had the most lasting impact on me. Despite an ongoing obsession with punk, hardcore, and--towards the end of the decade--metal, this decade marked a time when I was introduced (or re-introduced) to everything from classical to rock’n’roll, from blues to industrial, from funk to alt-rock. By the end of the 1980s, with the airwaves being glutted by synth-pop and plastic R&B, I was more-than-happy to see the next decade being overturned to a significant degree by the likes of grunge and pop-punk, even if only portions of it appealed to me.

Despite the music industry inevitably playing it safe, many listeners eventually wanted more, music that broke long-standing traditions and spoke to the new generations in ways in which traditional genres weren’t able. Although the 1980s produced it’s fair share of great music--like every other decade prior and after--the shift in what people longed for became palpable. The top-forty was still inundated by more accessible pablum, but--for the first time in decades--less-compromising artists were finally being seen and heard on the radio. (It was also a time when mostly white-washed rap and hip-hop gave way todefiantly more “honest” examples of the genre.)

Musically, the 1980s will always be my preferred stomping ground--especially when it comes to underground, uncommercial music--but that doesn’t detract from my adoration for all of the genres that came before and after. This decade was responsible for opening my eyes and ears to a world that had previously escaped my musical purview.

My remembrance of the 1980s may be far different than your remembrance of your 1980s, but that doesn’t make it any less valid.

07/11/2026

THIRTEEN MUSICAL ARTISTS/GROUPS THAT CHANGED MY LIFE DURING THE 1980s

13: METALLICA

If it weren’t for crossover visionaries like The Accused and Sacrilege UK, it probably would have been years before I gained any appreciation for thrash metal, and--more specifically--Metallica. Embracing some of the harder, no-nonsense elements of hardcore punk whilst eschewing some of the self-indulgent posturing of heavy metal, Metallica not only helped usher in a subgenre of music that bridged the two camps, but defined a third sound with which they became synonymous. The undeniable leader of the “Big Four” (which included Megadeth, Slayer, and Anthrax), this long-haired, pimply-faced four piece from Los Angeles sparked a movement that changed the face of modern music, furthermore legitimizing harder-edged, previously uncommercial fare with their self-titled fifth album in 1991.

I discovered Metallica towards the end of 1987, having just graduated from High School. I do not recall how or where I first heard them, but elements of their music (specifically those inspired by bands like Black Sabbath and Motorhead, and--to a lesser degree--hardcore punk) obviously appealed to me. But I do know that--like many others--it was their third full-length release Master of Puppets that ultimately won me over. The relentless “chugging” displayed in tracks like Battery and Damage, Inc. immediately caught my attention. And the epic, perfectly constructed title track that felt short despite its nearly nine-minute run time, is universally considered the apex of thrash metal some forty years later.

The band’s full length debut, Kill ‘em All, is a noteworthy effort, even though it rarely displays the sound and crossover ingenuity they would highlight their next few albums. Their follow-up, Ride the Lightning, is nearly as good as Puppets, defining a previously unheard style that would make them the obvious leaders within this new subgenre. Puppets continued this sound, whilst introducing more complex arrangements and broadening dynamics without sacrificing any of the band’s intensity. Their forth album--released a year after the untimely death of bassist and founding member Cliff Burton whilst touring Europe--attempted to document the band as they evolved, but suffered from unfortunate (hyper-slick) production values and often overlong tracks that would soon outstay their welcome. (The notable absence of bass in the final mixes has become just as much a point of contention amongst fans as the material featured in their eighth full-length St. Anger, both of which have dominated countless discussions concerning the band’s failures.)

In late-1987, And Justice for All was the first--and last--Metallica release I bought new on vinyl, which was released as a two-disk set, (with two songs per side, making for eight tracks total). Even though the material mostly upheld the band’s stellar reputation, I’ve always been vocal about how it sounded sonically destitute, unaware early on that the exclusion of bassist Jason Newsted’s contribution was a major factor in both my disappointment, and the disappointment of countless fans then and thereafter .

For many fans, it was their self-titled fifth album release in 1991 that marked the band’s significant turning point, ultimately alienating many of their previous followers. (The good but overrated Enter Sandman would become their biggest hit, a track with which they would become most recognized by the world at large.) Hailed as both a mainstream success, and as the jumping off point for many hardened fans like myself, this LP proved universally accessible as it dispensed with most of the genre’s edgier musical elements in favor of more traditional, radio-friendly, rock music tropes. (Although this album boasts a few tracks that I liked, even those lack the intensity that initially drew me in to the band a few years earlier. I still remember buying this album on cassette the week it was originally released, and immediately feeling let down. And even those tracks that most appealed to me lost much of their initial impact after being endlessly plugged on MTV and local radio, without the staying power of, say, the singles from Nirvana’s Nevermind, which suffered the same inglorious commercial treatment.)

Unlike their first four albums, I have rarely revisited Metallica’s later efforts, including those albums in which they attempted to recapture the sound of their thrash-infused salad days. (The less said about the abomination known as St. Anger, the better, even though it was--in some ways--less offensive than the very “un-metal” efforts Load and Re-Load.)

In spite of their disappointingly later output (much like Bad Brains and the Ramones), Metallica deserves their spot as one of the most groundbreaking names within the musical genre they themselves helped initiate. If only on the merits of Master of Puppets and Ride the Lightning, Metallica established themselves as not only the godfathers of thrash metal, but also as invaluable liaisons between the punk and metal subgenres.

Photo Credit: Original LP Cover Art for METALLICA Master of Puppets LP (1986) Elektra Records

07/05/2026

THIRTEEN MUSICAL ARTISTS/GROUPS THAT CHANGED MY LIFE DURING THE 1980s

12: THE ACCUSED

This is a long one, folks, so be prepared, as I have a butt-load to say. Consider this a love letter for a band that I assume very few of you may even be familiar with, despite the influences they have made over the last forty-plus years in underground music, especially those subgenres including or bordering punk and metal, especially hardcore, thrash, and grindcore.

In October of 1984, I attended my first ever hardcore punk show headlining the aforementioned Dead Kennedys. As advertised, opening for them were Green River (one of the forerunners of the sound that would later become known as “grunge”) and Crucif**ks (a then-recent acquisition to DK’s Alternative Tentacles label), both of whom were included on the promotional flyer. An opening band not mentioned on the circulated bill (probably due to being a last minute addition) was a revamped version of local PNW hardcore/punk act The Accused, mostly unknown outside of local circles at the time.

Although the band had contributed to a split-LP alongside local legends The Rejectors, the band in question was nowhere on my radar. (Their modest but memorable set included songs that would later appear on their first self-produced 12” EP, Martha Splatterhead, a year later, which I eventually purchased a year after that from a local fly-by-night record store in Everett, the band’s ersatz home town for a spell.) This incarnation of the band included Blaine Cook on vocals, whom I was already familiar with as the lead singer of Seattle HC legends The Fartz, questionably the first emerald city punk act to claim such a title.

This version of The Accused not only shifted away from the overt politics that they (and The Fartz) tended to rally around, they began embracing shock-horror movie tropes as part of their “splatter rock” shtick. Furthermore, they had dispensed with their previously generic hardcore approach in favor of a more “crossover” direction (still revolutionary at the time), incorporating some of the heavier, more aggressive aspects of heavy metal into their 1980s punk sound. Even though I was somewhat biased towards metal at the time, their work almost immediately proved to be a musical gateway for me, making use of those specific elements from metal that did appeal to me. (The only other band that initially pushed me to seek out other, metal-influenced “crossover” bands at the time was Sacrilege UK, although my eventual personal involvement with local Everett/Seattle outfit The Accused proved far more influential.)

As a senior high school student and burgeoning artist, I approached The Accused through their short-lived manager whom I had personally known for some years who was also a venue promoter employed by one of my semi-local comic book/record store haunts in Seattle, namely Time Travelers. I put together a pen-and-ink illustration of The Accused’s ghoulish mascot, Martha Splatterhead, along with a slightly revamped band logo, desperately hoping to become something of a contributing artist for a band in which I had become moderately obsessed. Although my poorly-rendered efforts were passable for the time, I soon revamped the piece, the updated version being adopted as a T-shirt design, with my revised band logo eventually being used for the Grinning Like an Undertaker EP release and numerous promotional items thereafter, and which is still being used in promotional materials to this very day.

After such luminary artists as underground legend S. Clay Wilson (of Checkered Demon fame) and local illustrator Jeff Gaither produced the cover art for a handful of The Accused LPs, I was eventually hired to create the front and back covers for their first full-length Nasty Mix release, Splatter Rock, in 1992 (which was credited to “Scum,” my punk rock pseudonym during this stretch.) Admittedly, the front side of the release was not great--as I was working well outside of my comfort zone--but I remain proud of the back cover art in which I was able to create something representative within my extremely limited, artistic means at the time.

Until the early 1990s, The Accused were one of my favorite musical acts, local or otherwise. After producing a handful of other T-shirt designs in addition to the aforementioned cover for Splatter Rock, I began to focus my artistic efforts elsewhere. (I had created countless demo covers, refurbished band logos, T-shirt designs, and flyer art for such local punk and metal outfits for bands like Bitter End, Myramainz, Elements of Death, Big Top, and many others, but my heart was always with The Accused: The band that almost single-handedly opened my eyes and ears to crossover music.)

Despite the embarrassingly shoddy, Xeroxed cover art in which their ground-breaking, Martha Splatterhead EP was packaged, this six-song release remains one of the most pertinent and most influential pieces of vinyl to ever grace my collection. Its raw and uncompromising sound never ceases to amaze me, both as an impressionable listener during the mid-1980s, and as an aged fan aware that extreme music being produced during a time when the sounds of punk, hardcore, and metal were deemed universally objectionable by the world at large. Much like the often-overlooked Septic Death, The Accused helped to usher in a sound that has since been considered heavily influential to countless genre acts, from thrash metal and grindcore, to death metal and black metal and horrorcore. Although their work has still received little to no attention from the mainstream, they have left a legacy amongst underground musical acts that cannot be ignored.

The Accused persist to this very day as two competing “legacy” acts that retain deservedly devoted followings, having once ushered in a sound that was crucial in bridging the gap between two subgenres of (then) extreme music that had previously been at odds with one another due to very different but not wholly unrelatable approaches to music. (More than most bands outside of the hardcore milieu, Tommy Neimeyer’s inimitable guitarwork inspired and influenced my own early growth as a burgeoning musician.) Even had I never done work as an artist for them, they would still hold a special place in my heart, as they opened me up to other genres of heavy music to which I had been closed off in years previous. And for that, they deserve my undying gratitude.

Photo Credit: Original LP Cover Art for THE ACCUSED Martha Splatterhead 12” EP (1985) Condar Records

07/05/2026

THIRTEEN MUSICAL ARTISTS/GROUPS THAT CHANGED MY LIFE DURING THE 1980s

11: JIMI HENDRIX

Obviously, by the time I found myself immersed in rock in rock music by the early 1980s, the guitar became my preferred instrument. From my temporary forays into more mainstream acts like Joan Jett, Pat Benatar, and The Go-Go’s, into the more extreme genres like punk and hardcore and--eventually--metal, their implementation of this instrument inevitably provided my initial allure to the music itself. (The guitar was the first instrument that I decided to seriously take up in late-1987, and the only one which I learned and pursued with even a modicum of self-taught proficiency.)

Having had almost no exposure to music outside of my extremely limited exposure, I had no idea that the guitar was capable of so much more than what artists like The Ventures, The Beach Boys, and The Monkees displayed. Even more “progressive” rock outfits from the 1960s like Steppenwolf and Iron Butterfly only hinted at what what one was capable of with this tool. So, when I later discovered the musical output of Seattle localite Hendrix during my deeper dive into 1960s music, I was completely blown away. Add to that his equally revolutionary approach to music at the time, his discography proved no less than ear-opening.

Like The Byrds, shortly after I first heard Jim Hendrix, I immediately began scouring local record shops for anything he produced. Not surprisingly, the Are You Experienced? LP was the first Hendrix album I purchased and (not surprisingly) still my favorite. (Almost as important was my second acquisition--namely Electric Ladyland--an album that further cemented his musical godhood and extraordinary guitar skills.) It was at this point in my musical journey that I realized that the guitar was not just a means to compliment the music at hand, but a tool with which one could fully express oneself musically, going beyond the previously-held limitations that the medium typically offered.

It was one particular album (Band of Gypsys) documenting Hendrix on stage with his musical idol Buddy Guy that was--without a doubt--single-handedly responsible for my almost life-long love for the blues, a timeless genre that was the foundation for almost all of the styles I came to adore, be it rock-n-roll, rock, punk, or otherwise. (Directly or indirectly, Guy remains my absolute go-to blues artist, having opened me up to everything from early forerunners like Robert Johnson, to later luminaries like B.B. King.)

To this day, I love to check out reaction videos on YouTube of younger audiences hearing and/or seeing Jimi Hendrix for the first time perform live during his abbreviated albeit illustrious career, completely unaware as to just how amazing a talent he was, and how much he influenced and inspired countless guitarists and musicians decades after the fact. His songwriting skills and timeless performances have undoubtedly shaped rock music for generations thereafter, and--for me--his talent and resulting musical output made a lasting impression. He was a true original who will forever be one of my favorite musicians, even though I may not revisit his output as much I should forty-plus years later.

Photo Credit: Original LP Cover Art for THE JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE Are You Experienced? LP (1967) Reprise Records

06/30/2026

THIRTEEN MUSICAL ARTISTS/GROUPS THAT CHANGED MY LIFE DURING THE 1980s

10: THE BYRDS

As the last half-dozen entries have been undoubtedly dominated by punk and hardcore outfits, this entry will come across as entirely left-field. But--as someone who was slowly being introduced to the vast world of music in which I was admittedly ignorant to growing up in a horribly insular existence--my constant exposure to underground music actually exposed me other styles and genres previously unavailable. While obsessing over any available interviews and liner notes from obviously less-mainstream, underground acts, I soon became aware of the artists that had inspired them growing up. Many of the artists mentioned had made their mark during previous decades, but--in their own way--challenged the accepted standards at the time, whether it be musically or thematically. It was during the heighth of my hardcore punk years--surprisingly--that I was properly introduced to the 1960s counter-culture, a movement that was mostly ignored by any of the retrospective recordings supplied by the mail-order, pop-driven compilations in which I had been initially exposed earlier on.

While thoroughly enmeshed in the politically-driven output being produced by hardcore punk during the mid-1980s, I soon found myself drawn towards music during the decade of my birth, as the two displayed inextricable ties with their overall messages. Unsurprisingly, I began seeking out any bands that reflected similarly anti-authoritarian sentiments, despite the fact that these two genres shared little in common musically. One of the first to catch my fancy was The Byrds, a folk-rock outfit that--musically-speaking--was the polar opposite of my then-preferred musical outlet. Regardless, their mostly-undistorted guitars and heavily-layered, vocal harmonies tapped into my nostalgic adoration for bands like The Monkees and The Beach Boys.

The Byrds proved to be something of a sonic palate-cleanser, with their twelve-string guitar-dominated compositions accompanied by uplifting vocal melodies. Not only did their covers of visionaries like Bob Dylan often surpass the original versions they refitted to accommodate their unique voice, such originals as Twelve Miles High and So You Want to Be a Rock’n’Roll Star immediately became personal favorites. I quickly obtained copies of their their first four full-length releases on vinyl, and played them incessantly whilst also immersed in albums by the agitated likes of Upright Citizens and BGK.

The Byrds were something of a gateway band, opening me up to other 1960s artists like Jefferson Airplane, Jimi Hendrix, and Love Sculpture, many of which became almost as musically important to me as the more aggressive hardcore punk acts that continued to dominate my daily playlists.

For the remainder of the 1980s, The Byrds remained my go-to 1960s bands. (A homemade, carefully-replicated Byrds sticker adorned the heavily plastered backside of my first-ever electric guitar, which also featured logos of the various punk and hardcore acts in which I was equally enamored with at the time.) For years, I would cite them as one of the most important acts of the era, even though I would eventually “discover” The Beatles, whom (being a complete Philistine) I had ignorantly overlooked until the late 2010s.

Regardless, I still hold The Byrds as being--at least, on a personal level--one of the best and most influential bands from the 1960s. Even though they have only a handful of tracks produced thereafter that--then and now--left a lasting impression on me, those initial albums represent some of the best music that the 1960s had to offer. (Which is saying a lot considering how instrumental that decade was to the the evolution of rock music in general.)

Photo Credit: Original LP Cover Art for THE BYRDS Younger Than Yesterday LP (1967) Columbia Records

06/30/2026

THIRTEEN MUSICAL ARTISTS/GROUPS THAT CHANGED MY LIFE DURING THE 1980s

09: MINOR THREAT

Being an angry youth fully immersed in punk rock, it was inevitable that bands like the Dead Kennedys, Black Flag, and Bad Brains would become my gateway into hardcore. It was also inevitable that Minor Threat--one of the most influential bands from the DC hardcore scene--would force their way into my periphery. Although I cannot recall when and where I first heard Minor Threat for the very first time, it was undoubtedly one or both of their first two 7” EPs responsible for my induction. The allure was immediate, with the admittedly primitive approach even more intoxicating.

With their anti-drug, “straight-edge” allegiance, I became immediately besotted; being a “teatotaler” punk, the more self-destructive aspects of the punk scene never quite gelled with me. Add to that their unique brand of emotionally-driven hardcore offered a constructive counterpart to the often nihilistic messages that the punk and early-HC scene routinely offered. Musically, they were harder, yet still catchy; more sonically primitive, thus immediately accessible to musical luddites, like myself. Lyrically, they were just as aggressively rebellious, yet inherently more meaningful to broken lower middle-class American youths, like myself.

Minor Threat’s primitive anthems--made by dissatisfied youths for dissatisfied youths--personally spoke to me as a somewhat privileged, yet disenfranchised teenager drawn into the scene. Intentional or not, they became the voice of Gen-Xers like myself refusing to give into the baggage of our complacent, Boomer parents weighted down by emotional apathy and socially-accepted vices. Add to that, their DIY distribution of music--much like Alternative Tentacles and SSI--was an “eff you” to corporate record labels that only dipped their toes into underground music when it seemed profitable.

For a short stretch of time, this new sound and message dominated what I looked for in new music: Short, no-nonsense songs punctuated by angry, albeit positive messages, delivered by minimalist, aggressive guitar riffs and pained, shouted vocals that dispensed with any previously-established standards of high-brow musicality. Although not overtly political like many of my punk/hardcore loves at the time, the socially-confrontational lyrics not only made me profoundly aware--on some level--of the generational divides, but also that music could provide a viably creative alternative utilizing the most basic means available to young people with little-to-no musical talent, training, and/or education.

Minor Threat’s third EP--Out of Step--not only exhibited their growing maturity, but also displayed their musical progress and evolution with more complex arrangements and progressively self-aware lyrics. Their befitting swansong--a three-track 7” released a few years after their disbandment--exhibited their growing dissatisfaction with the insular hardcore scene, just prior to it’s implosion. This posthumous release anticipated the inevitable move of more notable bands outwardly shifting gears, breathing new life into a genre by incorporating a plethora of musical styles that both punk and--especially--hardcore had often sought to distance themselves from. (This final recording, Salad Days, perfectly reflects their increasing disillusionment for the scene’s stagnation, and--for me--the title track remains one of the best releases that the genre has ever offered, even if it was published well after the fact.)

Personal admiration aside, Minor Threat’s legacy is unquestionable. The band’s short existence precipitated a brand of HC that would soon fall under the label of “emo-core” originating from the burgeoning DC scene, with artists like Rites of Spring and Dag Nasty who offered an alternative to the more politically single-minded output that dominated the scene. (The most notable post-hardcore band to rise from this shift was Fugazi, a highly-influential outfit that featured key members from the aforementioned Minor Threat and Rites of Spring. Although I never became a huge fan of said band, their efforts proved immense within the alternative music scene for years to come.) Additionally, their homegrown label, Discord Records, continued to provide uncommercial bands an outlet with which to reach desperate fans in an affordable fashion, having cut out money-grubbing middle-men looking to capitalize on any and all potentially exorbitant profits.

Minor Threat was truly instrumental in my re-evaluation of a musical scene in which I was already heavily invested. The entirety of their brief discography stands as a pinnacle to what the genre was capable, even though countless other hardcore bands during the mid-1980s proved far more musically adept and far-reaching market-wise. Their meager four EPs not only defined a modest but growing segment of the genre, their output would directly and indirectly shape the landscape of modern rock music, inspiring such disparate bands like rap crossover acts as Beastie Boys and such thrash metal godfathers as Metallica and Slayer.

Despite their limited musicality, Minor Threat was--in their own right--almost as important as the Ramones or the S*x Pistols, at least when it comes to punk, hardcore, and the alternative music scenes that came to fruition during the 1980s and 1990s. As for me, they still remain one of the best hardcore acts from the 1980s, and one I still return to on a regular basis.

Photo Credit: Original LP Cover Art for MINOR THREAT Salad Days EP (1985) Discord Records

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