Black Flag

Damaged (SST ‘81) Rating: A-
One of the defining documents of the early ‘80s L.A. punk scene, this is the first Black Flag album with tattooed lunatic Henry Rollins (later the leader of the Rollins Band) at the mike, and though technically he’s not much of a singer he gets his points across loud and clear. He’s pissed off and he’s bored and he hates a lot of things (almost as much as your parents will undoubtedly hate him), though he loves his T.V. and his beer. Actually, if you know the straight-laced Rollins at all you’d know that he hates beer culture (pilloried in “Six Pack”) and slackerdom (satirized in “T.V. Party”), though probably not as much as he hates authority figures (“Rise Above,” a fist pumping anthem), cops (“Police Story"), or most of all, himself. The suicidal lyrics of “What I See,” the depressed “Depression,” and the self-loathing “Room 13” probably influenced many a later angst ridden grunge group, but not as much as the band’s sound, which is dirty, loud, fast (except for “Life of Pain” and “Damaged I”), and raw. Behind Rollins, cool noise guitarist (and founder of the pioneering SST record label) Greg Ginn adds gloriously unhinged guitar runs, highlighting songs such as “Thirsty and Miserable” and “Depression,” to cite but two examples. The album’s second half falters somewhat in the songwriting department, as several songs are overly repetitive, but Damaged still hits with an immense overall impact and an unwavering intensity. Mounds of respect is due. Post review clarification: It wasn't Rollins who wrote the lyrics or the music on Damaged. Credit there belongs to Ginn, who always was Black Flag's leader.

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