“Damaged” by Black Flag - album review

features in: Album Chart of 1981Album Chart of the Decade: 1980s1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die external-link.png

TJR says

On their December '81 debut the Californian punks line-up: Henry Rollins (20, lead vocals), Greg Ginn (27, lead guitar, backing vocals), Dez Cadena (20, rhythm guitar, backing vocals), Chuck Dukowski (27, bass, backing vocals) and Roberto Valverde (26, drums, backing vocals). Their passionate debut is played brilliantly; pure pissed-off punk that your parents were always guaranteed to hate. “We are tired of your abuse, try to stop us, it’s no use” mocked Rollins on the opening salvo “Rise Above”. The album explores the usual punk themes of the time - alienation, boredom and general disenfranchisement. The negativity of the subject matter infuses the group with a positive energy which is thoroughly infectious. On “Police Story” the young frontman gives it “They hate us, we hate them” and, quite frankly, I’m on the verge of joining the riot. Somewhat intriguingly, the album finishes beyond punk, with Henry Rollins getting his first writing credit for “Damaged I”, which serves as a suitably deranged, dysfunctional and discordant ending to a threatening debut record, widely regarded as a true classic. End of chapter one. The scene is set…

The Jukebox Rebel
05–Sep–2010

Tracklist
A1 [02:26] 6.9.png Black Flag - Rise Above (Greg Ginn) Punk
A2 [00:33] 6.0.png Black Flag - Spray Paint (The Walls) (Greg Ginn, Charles Dukowski) Punk
A3 [02:20] 7.0.png Black Flag - Six Pack (Greg Ginn) Punk
A4 [01:55] 8.1.png Black Flag - What I See (Charles Dukowski) Punk
A5 [03:31] 8.3.png Black Flag - T.V. Party (Greg Ginn) Punk
A6 [02:05] 6.2.png Black Flag - Thirsty And Miserable (Dez Cadena, Medea Lack, Roberto Valverde) Punk
A7 [01:32] 6.4.png Black Flag - Police Story (Greg Ginn) Punk
A8 [01:47] 6.5.png Black Flag - Gimmie Gimmie Gimmie (Greg Ginn) Punk
B1 [02:28] 8.0.png Black Flag - Depression (Greg Ginn) Punk
B2 [02:04] 7.9.png Black Flag - Room 13 (Greg Ginn, Medea Lack) Punk
B3 [03:23] 6.4.png Black Flag - Damaged II (Greg Ginn) Punk
B4 [02:25] 5.7.png Black Flag - No More (Charles Dukowski) Punk
B5 [01:47] 5.8.png Black Flag - Padded Cell (Greg Ginn, Charles Dukowski) Punk
B6 [02:50] 7.5.png Black Flag - Life Of Pain (Greg Ginn) Punk
B7 [03:50] 8.5.png Black Flag - Damaged I (Greg Ginn, Henry Garfield) Post-Punk

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