I Against I

An interesting album to be sure. The music is a combination of hardcore punk (which Bad Brains did not like to be called), reggae, and metal. Some songs also have a new wave tinge. The music itself features strong reggae inspired bass lines with guitar work that is slightly phased (in typical eighties fashion) that ranges from more punk inspired rhythms to virtuosic leads that sound more inspired by contemporary metal. The vocal delivery is similarly nuanced and ranges from growled phrases to a more straightforward delivery. Despite the range of influences and styles, this album is coherent and unique.

I've never heard of this bank before, but I liked this album quite a bit, especially considering its from the 80's. Hearing it without knowing the release and I would have guessed it to have come out ten years later.

Kind of samey, not super enjoyable.

Not for me. Enjoyed parts of many of the songs but too heavy and crap for my liking.

Likovi su mi dost dobri ovako, dok glazba kao taj žanr, općenito ne sjeda toliko koliko sam mislio. Sve u svemu veliki respect imaju, međutim nije toliko sad da bi ih slušao na dnevnoj bazi.

August 9, 2021 (Aug 18) This was pretty good but I'm not a fan of the vocals.

Punk rock. Skipped around but didn’t hate it. Never heard of it before.

- feels strongly influential. Sepultura / ska / metalcore - innovative and diverse, thoughtful

There's not much to say about this album; it wasn't that great. It's just a mediocre hard rock album that doesn't seem like it should be on this list. Nothing really stands out as everything sort of melds into a blob of sound.

Incredibly influential and groundbreaking. The instrumentation and lyrics are great and catchy. I'm not too versed on the history of pop punk vocals, but I feel like this is a good place to start. Highlights: 2, 3, 4, and 7.

I am not a fan of this iteration of Bad Brains. I've long been a huge fan of their hardcore punk self-titled debut, and while I appreciate the band expanding their musical repertoire and having this more gradually-paced, rock-driven sound, it's just not doing it for me.

Fairly generic punk by numbers. Nothing too interesting.

Articulated noise?

Not as hardcore as we thought back in the day but still decent

I had a blast listening to this one !!! It was super fun and wow I want to learn how to play guitar super badly. The song titles made me curious about the songs and I knew I would like all of them !!

literally so good all the way through i loved every single TRACK dude

Dig this, punk meets dub

Not too shabby.

Was traveling whole listening…did not enjoy it much

Pleasant surprise. I thought it was gonna be a full metal album after the first minute but was nothing of the sort. Have connections I never knew to Re-Ignition! What a jam.

This was a fun mix of hardcore with plenty of other genres like reggae and classic heavy metal. While I prefer their self titled release (cause I'm a hardcore punk simp) this was an interesting experience. Somewhere between a 3-4 can't tell so rounding down

There is no socially appropriate time of the day to play Punk on speakers. That's what I believe, and so to solidity it I played this album at three different times of the day. My family rates this 2/5 and that makes me wonder where did it go wrong. I am a little ashamed as a big punk fan (for status and for the music) that I never heard of Bad Brains ever before. This album tears me apart because songs like Sacred Love and Secret 77 are perhaps some of my favourite songs yet I'm not sure if this deserves a 5/5. The album was an experience start to finish and it was extremely fun to listen to, speakers or earphones. Maybe Bad Brains has more consistency otherwise, like in their self titled as I've been told, but as my first bad brains album I will give this a 5/5. I don't care. 5/5

Nah, fam. // Favs: — Score: Light 2

Straight up wild to start. Hypeee. Like punk metal.

I was originally going to rate this really low, but as I continued to listen it just became better and better. It had some bad moments but for sure some good aswell. A bit uncertain about this rating but I would rate 2.5 / 5 if it was possible.

Loud, grinding

Nothing special, pretty generic.

Punk with face-melting, virtuosic heavy-metal guitar. I'm very into the vibe---with just 4 parts (drums, bass, 1 guitar, vocal, for most tracks I think) the mix is great. Lots of fast tracks, but track 4 e.g. is really groovy and catchy. Kind of a reggae groove to track 5---interesting change of pace and not *too* out of place. Track 7 has a very 80s vibe (think the Police plus hair rock). Track 9 is great, sounds a bit like a punkier Rush. I like the eclectic influences---I'd say the band is at its best when it sounds less like Van Halen, which fortunately is most of the time.

Not sure how I feel about this. Really solid guitar playing. Many styles. But it just doesn't match with the songs. The songs themselves don't have a real melody. Lyrically and melodically it's very simple. Not a fan of most of it. Maybe I just don't have enough angst to appreciate it.

I Against I is not what I was expecting upon looking at the album cover. I was expecting some reggae/hip-hop - guess it shows that you don't judge a book by it's cover! This was a cool listen to some mid 80s punk/ska of which I have never heard of the band. Best: Hired Gun Worst: Sacred Love 3.5 Stars

fun energy, and sounds ahead of its time. not sure I'll dig into their other discography, but glad I've heard about them now

So much to like, such genre-crossing strength. Prodigious punk, hints of reggaeton, early alt-rock, uncaged aggression.

pretty good, seemed like a mix of metal, punk and hardcore.

I feel like every band I ever saw at Warped Tour could trace their lineage back to this album. Very influential! I especially love the gang vocals and guitar riffs throughout.

Pretty alright. I don’t find it amazing, just okay.

What a surprise from 1986. I thought this record was fun, and had some punk and solos to it.

it was awesome

I actually listened to this for the first time a few weeks ago! Looking forward to revisiting it. UPDATE: Okay I like Bad Brains, but sometimes the vocals have zero power behind them and just feel a little weak. But the guy has power, just weird where he chooses to reel it in. UPDATE: "Re-Ignition" is the perfect example of this vocal thing. The drums are driving, the guitars chunky, yet the vocals are half whispered and just don't bring the same vibe as the instrumentals.

cool mix of reggae and rock. best songs: re-ignition & secret 77. 3/5

Angrier, punkier, funkier TV on the Radio. Out of left field album - really impressive, but not sure if I would listen often.

Netter Metal, teilweise recht poppig.

Yes, yes, yes. This is the way. Hardcore built on reggae grooves, vocals doing backflips, sparkling solos flying out of all the chug. It has it all. If you weren’t bouncing along to “She’s Calling You” do you even have a soul? Here is a band in total control of rhythm, dynamics and melody and using it to funnel their anger (and sense of a good time - remember “Edification first, then we can have some fun”) at a society falling apart around them. Show good taste: enjoy Bad Brains.

Geil, hätte mir früher richtig gut gefallen, gefällt mir auch heute noch richtig gut.

Never really listened to them but really enjoyed this

Schizophrenic riffs, tunes and vocals to start, which I took for a distraction technique, i.e. they don't really have a sound. Then I noticed both the tempo and the changeability hadn't let up by track 4 and realised that is sound. Liked it a lot better at that point. But then it turned to borderline metal sludge in the second half. So I'll hedge.

It sounds almost comical.

Noisy punk rock.

I Against I was for Bad Brains what London Calling was for the Clash -- the band's first fully mature work, one which successfully brought together all of its diverse influences while at the same time showcasing a singular vision. Also like London Calling, it was to be the band's masterpiece, in the original sense of that term -- a creative pinnacle which they would not reach again...this is music-making of an order not usually seen in rock & roll.

Este álbum é sólido, é curto e divertido de se ouvir. A sonoridade alegre de revolta é algo diferente ao que estamos habituados a ouvir no punk. Destaco o House of Suffering e o Sacred Love. Nota:7/10

Jams. Front to back jams.

Metal with a funk edge that passed me by when I was into this sort of thing

4.6 nice

This is a different kind of metal. It comes at the genre from a whole new angle, giving low-key vocals and aiming for overall atmosphere rather than riffage. It's a risk I can respect, but not one that pans out super well. It ends up being pretty mundane and somewhat abrasive. And not the cool, challenging abrasive like early Sonic Youth or Swans, but the kind of abrasive that sort of meanders and doesn't do much to enhance the music. Bad Brains tried here and didn't come up with much.

kind of a hybrid album: a mix of both 80s and 90s meme vocal styles and guitar riffs. not sure if there's more here than just a passing sideshow attraction, but not bad

Me ha costado mucho entrar en su estilo, pero debo decir que es un disco muy bueno

Pretty fucking bad. Didn’t make it through more than 2 tracks. Just yelling rock.

Singular, muscular, badass

_I Against I_ - the 1001 guide itself writes about how Bad Brains was homophobic and religious, which I didn’t really pick up; sure, there were some songs that were a little religious, but didn’t stand out being that way (and Wikipedia makes no mentions). Whatever! The lead singer’s voice really gets on my nerves.

Mayormente rock con abundancia de guitarreo y de algún solo improvisado. Tampoco excesivamente novedoso. No me ha sorprendido. Mucha temática parecida

“I Against I” by Bad Brains (1986) Hard driving punk rock setting for Rastafarian edification, this album is extraordinarily interesting. Very good musical performances of compositions that are melodically spare and sometimes repetitive. Lead vocals by “H.R.” have an exquisite variety of textures, with powerful vibrato that sometimes becomes an instrument on its own. Excellent recording of drums, with a lot of depth and separation. Fine power chord electric guitar work by Dr. Know, featuring a wide range of effects and competent solos. Songs, however, lack a groove, reducing their popular appeal, and thus requiring concentration, but this can be a plus for serious listeners. Lyrics are thoughtful and surprisingly compassionate and uplifting, if the listener is willing to enter into Rastafarian spirituality. This is a good album, well worth a listen if one has the time. 3/5

Well, it was only 31 minutes...

Love it. The way I found out about the book. Also, learned what I against I means.

POTENTE

Rock. Potente. Interesante.

Not very great. Some highlights, but for the most part I did not enjoy this.

cool album some good songs

Meh

Love Bad Brains, not my favorite record of theirs though.

Bängeri! Kovaa punkkia från 80-talet

Where is the fucking reggae

Was ok

Definitely high energy, angry, loud and really solid record. The last two songs peter out and end up holding it back from a 4.

this is a classic album that i'm betting gets low scores globally. but i fucking love it - they were unlike anything else happening at the time, and holy shit, were they something. i got to see them at the channel in boston, back in the early 90s!

Like living in a kick drum. Pure energy.

Good but not essential bad brains.

Very dated and I didn’t really enjoy it.

Ummm pretty cool I guess?

Not my kind of music.

Nothing special just some normal hard rock really

Very good stuff! Gonna be giving it a second pass, and probably picking a couple tracks out to put into regular listening rotation. What can I say, I like what I like.

Very interesting mashup of punk, 80s hair metal, and pop. Secret 77 is kinda Duran Duran-y? Had no idea there was a seminal black punk band! 2.5 rounded up

Not good. Turned it off very quickly. Just angry and whiney.

One of the most important hardcore punk records from one of the most important hardcore punk bands. There’s reggae, punk, rock, metal and all kinds of genres on this. I think I like Banned in DC better but this is a great listen. Favorite track: I Against I Least favorite track: Return to Heaven

Pretty polished based on what I knew of the band before

Fällt mir nicht viel zu ein. Meh? Schlechte 2 Sterne.

I don't really like this

Rubbish

Pleasant surprise!

beautiful album i wasn't expecting. really showing my knowledge of punk here.

Intro got me pumped up, but the rest was disappointing. Their song "Banned in D.C" from another album would have been very fitting earlier this month :P

Really competent musicianship gave me an album I did not expect. Felt newer than when it was made.

Somewhere between a 3 3.5, will need repeated listens

Really enjoyed this album.

Only ever listened to "Pay to Cum", so it's fun listening to this because I can hear how it influenced other bands I like (Faith No More and Deftones, for sure). It's extremely unique, with some crazy vocals. I'm not a huge reggae guy, but I love the little splashes thrown on this record. Favorite tracks: "Secret 77", "Re-Ignition"

Definitely a cool sound and something I could see myself returning to. It was a little repetitive, so i'm gonna give it 3.5 with the caveat that my score could very well increase upon future listens.

pretty wacky, not as good as the other bad brains i've heard, like if faith no more didn't know what they were doing or something

This needs another couple of listens… sounds like there’s a good album in there!