I Against I

Like many, I kind of struggle to know what to do with music that is probably good, but just isn’t your favorite genre. That’s how I feel about this. I actually thought the music was pretty good, but wow those vocals were terrible. Based on all that - I give this a 3…. Maybe 3.5.

While this album is really good, I am still somewhat shocked that this was selected over Bad Brain's self-titled album. As expected, the musicianship and songwriting on this album was excellent. I realize vocal sloppiness is part of the aesthetic, but I do wish the lyrics were 5% more understandable as they are actually quite good.

Very cool. The title track rips very hard. Whole album is good fun mix of early punk and metal. Thought it would be a 5 early but didn’t keep the steam up front to back

I've been commenting song by song but I think the generator has bugged because it gave me 2 albums on the same day so I'm going to keep it simple and listen while I tidy up. Finally some punk! The guitars through the entire thing are great. The title track is really good. House of Suffering I also really like. Love the bass in Secret 77, very unique tone. Love the bass in Let Me Help too. Whatever funky stuff is happening in She's Calling You is really fun. Vibrating cosmic waves – BZZZZZZZZ. HR's vocals are super impressive throughout. I reckon 3.75/5 bearing in mind I haven't paid as much attention to it as some of the other albums.

Ok 2/5

It was good but nothing special

Love me some hardcore punk but I prefer their debut album to this one.

I don't know, the album was just a bit too much. It was okay having it in the background, but it was quite intense at times, which I wasn't a huge fan of. I assume it was more popular when it came out, but I feel like it is just meh nowadays.

Pleasantly surprising. Can hear the influence Bad Brains have had on others

I didn't know much about bad brains until I listened to the album, and I honestly really enjoyed it. I heard that they were a big influence on the thrash metal genre as well as alternative rock and metal of the 90s and 2000s. I definitely see James Hetfield being inspired by the vocalists singing style as well as the thrashy guitar solos. They were clearly ahead of their time. This album was noisy and energetic in the right way, and 31 minutes was definitely the right length for a hardcore punk album

This joins the list of albums I get on this and think I’m gonna like this….only to be wrong. I don’t know why but I expected something punkier. Despite being full of short songs, from the get go this just felt a bit of a slog. I enjoy the occasional funkiness of the bass, but generally i didn't enjoy this. The vocals are neither technically good, nor have character to them to override that.

After track one, I fully anticipated loathing each and every (mercifully short) minute of this. It took until “Secret 77”, with its funk guitar, for me to not hate this album. I also liked the funky bass on “She’s Calling You”. Other than that, there was little here which was for me. Really a 1.5* album.

I wanted to like this, and the music I was mostly ok with, but the vocals? Yeah, not for me. I don't mind a kind of slurring vocal sometimes, but I couldn't tell what he was saying about 50% of the time and that was a deal-breaker given that I didn't like the music quite enough to make up for it. It's going to scrape a 2, because I didn't hate it, but didn't really like it either. 2/5

Can hear the influence on Turnstile in here, good album some really good tracks. I was expecting a bit more in your face type Punk from what I knew of Bad Brains. Decent Album.

It didn't really resonate with me. It's not bad. It clearly has an audience and it's well executed. I just was unable to pull anything from it.

An album so nearly cool that it's made worse when you realise it isn't

Rockin'

Subjectively I can accept that someone out there thinks this is good and listens to it regularly, but objectively there is really nothing here vocally, lyrically or musically that makes me go wow, therefore objectivity requires the assessment that this just “ain’t all that”. So plus one for not tortmw for more than 30 minutes but other wise - Ho Hum.

After spending nearly two days in the car I didn't think I would like this as much as I did, but it was actually pretty cool

Every now and then the generator blessed me with something actually cool that I haven’t heard of before. One of my faves so far! Love it when a punk band actually knows how to write a great melody. I Against I and Re-Ignition are great.

The title track is an awesome start to an ultimately decent-but-not-amazing rock album, that's about it, fun anyways

This was good. Revsit

Bad Brains most accessible outing. Because of that, it lacks the hardcore punk and reggae style that I know them for. Overproduced and they seem to be reaching for inroads to the mainstream. Fans of Living Colour will like this. And that would be me. Still: amazing talent, intelligent lyrics, briliant musicians. Satisfying heavy rock especially when they go fast. Unique.. but you REALLY should listen to the first one by these guys.

Apparently Bad Brains have much better albums than this that didn't make the list, another one where I'm kind of scratching my head at the selection process here because this is just fine.

Meh, I already forgot what happened on this album. Boring.

Mixing hardcore punk with reggae vocals is certainly an unlikely combination, but Bad Brains just about pull it off. One track was even recorded via phone from prison whilst the singer was doing time for dealing ganja, which is certainly committing to the bit. This is a short album - 10 tracks in 30 minutes - but it never feels rushed or as if you are being short changed. One note of caution though - I saw references in forum posts to front man HR having made homophobic remarks about AIDS during the late 80s. There’s nothing about it on the Wikipedia page and I couldn’t hear anything like that in the lyrics on this album but usual caveats apply.

hard headache

A classic hardcore punk album.

Chino Moreno loves Bad Brains. That makes so much sense. I’ve heard the track I Against I many times over my life, but it works best in context of the rest of the record. Really dug it, these guys certainly influenced many of my favourite bands. 4/5.

I’ve never been much of a Bad Brains fan, but I can definitely respect what they were doing here. They’re usually lumped in with hardcore punk, but there’s a lot more going on than just playing everything as fast as possible. You can hear some Clash influence in the way they mix punk with reggae and funkier rhythms, even if Bad Brains take it in a much heavier direction. “House of Suffering” was the one I already knew from one of the Tony Hawk soundtracks, so that immediately stood out. The title track was another good one. I liked the heavier guitar sound on this album too. At times it almost feels like they’re halfway between hardcore punk and early alternative metal.

I thought I was in for a stinker here for the first few minutes (the title track in particular was some real clown punk) but it picked up a lot from track 4 and stayed pretty consistently enjoyable from there through to the end. I was leaning towards a 3 but I'll be nice and give it a 4 because I'm glad I was introduced to it even if I didn't love it. Favourite tracks: Re-Ignition, Sacred Love

I thought I knew Bad Brains; their self titled album is fantastic hard-core political punk with a splash of reggae. But this album was a big step forward into more progressive metal. More complex beats & melodies without sacrificing meaning or passion. Im going to be on the lookout for this CD now!

OK brains

I wasnt sure what to make of it at first. Great guitar and drums but vocal wasnt what I expected. It was a bit flat. However by the end I was hooked in enough to give it another listen. Glad I did, it was really good, especially the last two tracks. Vocal still let it down slightly but not as much as I thought it would.

This was a delightful mash of all sorts, and all the sorts were good. It maintains a late-70s to 80s sound despite the variety. I reckon this would get better on each listen. It's 7:20am and I've already had two playthroughs. Banging album worthy of all the stars. Enjoyed this loads and wasn't expecting to give it the full whack, but here we are.

Unique. Cool to discover, very punk vibe although I gather this is a departure from their punk roots haha. It was weird and good, most songs covered that.

Big fan of their first album, but never listened to this one for some reason. Still very punk, but also has some interesting metal-of-the-era influences towards the end there. Bro absolutely shreds some of those guitar solos. Will be going back to this one for sure.

Cool album, was surprised to have never heard of them. Parts were forgettable but overall a good vibe

Great groovy punk record with hard riffs, expressive singing, and slow jams. You can definitely hear the influence on hardcore/punk/metalcore records that came out in the 90's and beyond. I also appreciated the lyrical content mixed with rasta philosophy.

I wasn’t into this album. Heard this type of music done better by many other artists.

Pretty good.

I have absolutely no idea what I'm going into here 2 songs in I have even less of an idea of what's happening I don't love it but I don't hate it enough to turn it off, nothing really sticks out as "this is really good" but nothing has stuck out either as being awful

Strong start. The production is clear, mix is kind of unbalanced. First half of the record is stronger than the first. 3.1/5.0

Not bad, I enjoyed listening to it at 4AM riding home from work.

Awful

This was sick, if at some times under-produced? IDK I guess I wanted it way louder on many tracks. 3.5/5

Another okay album. The instrumentals sounded really interesting. Unfortunately, I can’t say the same thing about the vocals. Best song: Sacred Love

Every time I stumble upon Bad Brains, I love it, and then I forget about it for a year. I should do a proper dive into their discography one year. Love their mashup of styles, and the tempo changes from hardcore thrashing into a groove always surprise and delight me. I bet the 1001 reviews are abysmal.

What have we here? Opens with a wicked heavy metal riff, but we’re quickly in the expected hardcore punk territory. This was all over the place and in a good way. Not being familiar with the band other than knowing the name, and reading up just a little (I like to try to stay uninformed until I’ve listened if it’s a band I’m not familiar with), the only thing I didn’t hear that I thought I would was the reggae that must come with later releases. While Bad Brains isn’t joining the regular rotation, I’m glad to have listening. Fun stuff.

As a young black man who plays guitar in genres that aren’t just hip hop, I can’t state enough how important the legacy of the Bad Brains is. Opened a lot of doors for people like me. But, I have to be honest that the music sounds dated now. I could say much more. But I do t have the time and this isn’t the place.

Good album, interesting listening.

A fun evolution from the debut album. This one incorporates rock, punk, reggae, funk. Hard to believe this made it over the debut but this album is a lot more listener friendly.

Pretty good hard rock with some thumping bass lines.

I'm not a major fan of Metal, but Alt Metal is more to my liking, and seeing Hardcore Punk as a genre also gave me high expectations. This isn't a masterpiece by any means, it's a pretty basic Metal album of the 80s, but 'I Against I' and 'Secret 77' were both brilliant tracks.

did not pick up on the religious zealot lyrics. not awful, not great either

This one I can understand why it is on the list, but I didn't connect with it. The production (probably intentionally) didn't seem up to snuff.

1.5+/5 nul

Punk and reggae fusion goes hard

First time listening to these guys though I had heard of them for years. Huge jolt of energy and punk spit and venom though the songwriting is just OK and the songs don't stick. That lead guitar, though, elevates everything. And I know I'd like it more with repeat listens.

This is one of those albums I need to be in the mood for to really get into and I wasn't today. They've got an innovative take on punk that incorporates other genres which i appreciate, but the vocal affectations were a bit much for me this time around

Amazing, I love bad brains so this was a surprise

This wasn't my thing and I didn't enjoy anything about it. 1.5/5

This was more melodic and chill than I was expecting, but also maybe a bit duller.

Nice wee surprise, not sure I’d rush back to listen but quite enjoyed it

More polished is not necessarily an improvement. Van Halen-esque guitar work isn’t exactly unexpected from this group, but the production makes it feel more like hair metal than hardcore punk (which I’m just not craving at the moment).

Good, not great. Not the Bad Brains I'm used to, but after my post-listen research I find that many people find this to be the case

Gøy plate, og gøy å høre hvor mange band som har blitt inspirert av de.

Mitt desiderte favoritt funk-soul-reggae-metalband.

Tja, fett nok.

Hardcore punk that's close to heavy metal. Wikipedia said this has elements of reggae but I don't really hear it. I love the high energy and funky bass. I Against I was my favourite on first listen but it was all pretty good. Sounds like it would be great to hear live in concert.

Far less hardcore and acerbic than I expected. Weirdly, I heard Duran Duran when I was listening to this.

I Against I Bad Brains 1986 Genres: Rock, Punk Styles: Hard Rock, Post Hardcore, Hardcore, Alternative Metal 1. Intro (★⯨☆☆☆) -Contexto: Instrumental muy breve, con golpes de batería aislados y un fragmento de radio con ruido estático de noticias de fondo. Funciona como preámbulo atmosférico, marcando el giro hacia el sonido más metálico y "stop-and-go" que caracteriza al resto del disco, antes de meterse de lleno en el tema título. 2. I Against I (★⯨☆☆☆) -Contexto: Arranca con un fragmento de noticiero de radio hablando de inflación y economía. Las estrofas critican el egoísmo generalizado ("nadie tiende una mano"), las mentiras sobre el país y la hipocresía social (drogas, policía corrupta, pobreza) frente a fantasías de riqueza material. El estribillo repite "I against I" jugando con la expresión rasta "I and I" pero invertida, para describir el conflicto entre el individuo y su propia comunidad/sociedad. AllMusic la describió como una fulgurante "deploración de la violencia". 3. House of Suffering (★⯨☆☆☆) -Contexto: Tema de raíz más reggae/espiritual. Habla de encontrar alegría y fe en medio del sufrimiento, buscando el amor de Jah "en el underground" y "dentro del corazón de la propia gente", mientras denuncia que las naciones mienten y el pueblo llora. Es un mensaje de resiliencia espiritual dentro de un mundo injusto. 4. Re-Ignition (★⯨☆☆☆) -Contexto: Letra densa, con vocabulario rasta ("overstand" en vez de "understand"), que habla de un renacer o "reencendido" del amor y la conciencia espiritual. Insiste en que este "burdo mundo" no es la tierra prometida ("Jah land") y que ese renacimiento de amor es posible más allá de la distancia o el dolor, "confirmado en el destino". 5. Secret 77 (★⯨☆☆☆) -Contexto: Usa el estribillo recurrente "Secret 77" como una especie de código o lección de vida oculta, mezclado con una paráfrasis de tono bíblico sobre quien oprime al pobre ofende a su creador, y quien lo honra recibe misericordia. El tono es casi de acertijo espiritual, hablando de una bendición escondida que hay que "atrapar" a tiempo. 6. Let Me Help (★⯨☆☆☆) -Contexto: Ofrece apoyo espiritual/comunitario frente a la "ego-nomía" y la presión de la legalidad y las instituciones. El estribillo repite "let me help" (dejame ayudarte) como una mano tendida a quien está por quebrarse, mencionando que incluso "en el calabozo" hay alguien (implícitamente Jah) que puede bendecir. 7. She's Calling You (★★☆☆☆) -Contexto: Tema más hipnótico y sensual, con imaginería cósmica ("ondas vibrantes", "electricidad espiritual"). Describe un llamado casi místico de una presencia femenina/espiritual, mezclando lo erótico con lo trascendente, sin una narrativa lineal clara. 8. Sacred Love (★★☆☆☆) -Contexto: La más directamente autobiográfica del disco: alude explícitamente al encierro de H.R. El narrador le pide a su pareja que no trate el amor como algo carnal o de "prostituta", sino como algo sagrado; menciona visitas los martes y una foto que llega por correo, y remarca la separación física ("yo estoy acá adentro, vos estás allá afuera"). Es, literalmente, una carta de amor escrita (cantada) desde la cárcel. 9. Hired Gun (★⯨☆☆☆) -Contexto: Narra, como una viñeta de novela negra, la historia de un "pistolero a sueldo" que anda prófugo y no falla en su trabajo. Habla de tratos rotos, sobornos y una emboscada que sale mal. Funciona como una metáfora de relaciones o sistemas transaccionales y violentos, más que como un relato literal. 10. Return to Heaven (★⯨☆☆☆) -Contexto: Cierre del disco con tono de sermón/exhortación: describe a gente "amontonada como ratas" en un infierno terrenal que se ríe de la luz divina y elige quedarse en su miseria, y llama a "volver al cielo" antes de que sea "la llamada final". Cierra el álbum con un mensaje redentor y colectivo ("todos van a estar ahí"). -TOTAL = ★⯨☆☆☆ (1,60) -Suena mal, no me convenció de que fuera música propiamente dicha en ningún momento y no entiendo cómo puede formar parte de esta lista.

Really like, I thought it would be heavier

Scrambled

Not a huge fan of this… sounds like a high school band 2/5

Really like their first album but struggled to engage with much of the songwriting on here. Also found some of the vocals straying into Mike Patton affectation territory, and I was mostly relieved to tick this one off.

This sounds super original for the time. One of the pioneers of hardcore punk incorporating yet-to-exist alternative metal, goth and funk. He’s pushing his vocals in new directions. However, I don’t love it and the production style doesn’t quite do it justice.

joa geil

This really isn’t great. We get the worst of both worlds from metal’s predictable sounds and the scratchy production of punk, and then top it off with vocals that are genuinely indecipherable. Bad is an accurate name for this group!

There's a lot I like about this album, especially the razor sharp, heavy metal-like riffs. My main criticism would be the rather reverb-heavy and echoey production and the sameyness of a lot of the songs. The title track in particular is a banger though.

This was a lot less interesting than I was hoping it would be based on the album’s and band’s Wikipedia articles. It’s essentially a hardcore punk album with hints of almost thrash metal at points. The band sounds fine, but the vocals are very mixed: on some songs they’re okay, on others they’re awful (perhaps why I preferred the instrumental ‘Intro’ to most of the proper songs). The bigger problem, however, was that I found it made strangely little impact on me and was quite forgettable. Not completely awful, just rather boring, hence it falls in the 2 star range.

Very very very pleasant surprise

I love this record. 31 minutes of pure energy. So many bands in this genre make music that is jarring and disconcerting to listen to. Bad Brains bring a passion and joy to the loud angry driving beats and screaming guitar. From the opening chord you just want to jump in the pit and let loose. They also mix in Reggae beats and slow the tempo down on a couple tracks. You can hear their influence in Living Colour without a doubt.

I believe in HR as an artist, and so I think this is the kind of album that belongs in The Book -- within its sphere, this is an important band, and so their most important album (which I trust this is .. ?) is a worthy inclusion. That said, this music is not for me. I listened to part of all the songs ... it's not happening. I have heard a bit of Bad Brains where they get more dubby, and then I can get into what they're doing to some degree, but when they're in hardcore (or whatever) mode -- no. I don't really want to assign stars, because it's not really meaningful, but I guess I have to.

I guess this falls into the category of "probably excellent for the genre, but this isn't my genre." I knew kids in college who were very into Bad Brains, and later people in DC, but I'm not sure I would have liked this even in my 20s when I was more likely to listen to this kind of thing. Still, it's hard to rate it really low even though I certainly will never listen to it again.

This is a very good album of punk/rock songs. The music is a little more complex than basic rock and the production/engineering is superb. Easily can hear each instrument standout. The singer has a very good listenable voice. Smooth but edgy too.

3.3 I haven't gotten very far with the Bad Brains catalogue, mostly listening to the first album and some live recordings. The sound quality and engineering were wayyy better than I was expecting. Soild album, but nothing really grabbed me with one listen

Another one for the "I know the name but have never listened" list. 30mins is about right for the run time. I enjoyed it, but wasn't exactly desperate for it to carry on.

Slightly funky hardcore

Bad Brains are one of those bands that slipped under the radar for me. I've listened to them; I'm just not intimately familiar. I probably should be. This is good.

I'm not sure why we're not listening to their eponymous album. This album is okay, but it really seems to capture the movement in the mid-80s of more than a few early punk bands to more goth-sounding places. I dunno. It's good, but not great.

More prog and metal than I expected. I appreciate the crashing together of genres. I wish there were more hooks.

It's somewhere above Rock Bottom, but halfway through and I don't really enjoy any of it.

3/5 - I thought this was fine. Sometimes the guitar was great; sometimes it felt like boring hard rock.

I didn't think too much of this, in fact I can't even recollect it, despite playing it in full only an hour ago Heard before ❌️ Listened this time ✅️ Revisit ❌️ ★★★☆☆(5/10) Total reviewed : 426 Already owned : 95 Purchased : 21 To buy : 5 Nope : 305

This wasn't good for my brain.

Great album that highlights the range that Bad Brains had.

It was fine, nothing special.

So many great albums. This is not one of them.

It seems that this group started as a punk/reggae fusion band of sorts. They must've begun to lean more into the hardcore punk side of things here specifically, but this made me curious to hear their older sound. But anyway, it took a sec to get used to the vocals after the intro here. Everything is pretty tight and melodic, which is admittedly odd for a punk record. But it works. I can see why people might've dug these guys.