Out of Step

bit like pixies if they were worse and too shouty

If I was captured by a terrorist group and they played this I would give up all the state secrets by the end of track one

Kort maar krachtig

not my style like adam said “too angry”

wikipedia informs me this album is some sort of landmark in punk rock. personally, i didn't hear it. i mean, yeah, it was definitely hardcore punk, but i was left wanting more. i guess other artists took inspiration from minor threat's only album, but i'm sure they did it better. for what it's worth, i like the album cover. the symbolism is easy enough to understand, but the more "basic" drawing of the black sheep, versus the others, sends it home.

Another hardcore punk album. I guess I still don't really dig hardcore punk. Go figure. In the scheme of things, this wasn't the worst that I have heard, though. But still not really good. This seems to be another piece of early-ish punk history. One thing I can say that I like about hardcore punk is that they're usually quick and to the point.

This is GREAT punk.

Pretty cool and It’s definitely super influential but I just didn’t enjoy listening to it. Hard to get past the vocals.

This was cool and I feel like it’s influential but wasn’t really life changing for me

Listened to this twice. i love it. The lyrics are great. "Boo-fucking-hoo". So great. I love the shittiness of it all.

Short, angry, brash, fresh. This record slaps. Hardcore isn't my favorite punk. But it doesn't matter here. There is so much spirit, it overcome everything.

Decent Cal-Punk album. I like it better than similar offerings from Black Flag or Dead Kennedy's. Reminds more of Fugazi than those afore mentioned bands. 3 stars

Chugs along in the hardcore punk style and unlike some other bands you feel these guys really mean it.

Mostly felt to me like proto-Fugazi (with the latter being distinctly more fully formed), which is probably some kind of deep heresy. Which is not to say I didn't like it. Although it can feel preachy I admire the purity of this vein of punk, and the virtue of not overstating its welcome never hurts.

Enjoyed it a lot, short and sweet.

Such a fundamental album in the evolution of punk and it’s nothing but pure energy and aggression and FUN! 21 minutes put to great use.

Nice to hear some more Punk music. Good album, doesn't overstay it's welcome as an EP. Always surprised to see this kind of music was a thing that early on.

I liked head banging

Better than I expected. really nice guitar riffs but i'm not a fan of the quality of the vocals, feels weird that all instruments except the vocals are really nice mixed (I know it's a part of the genre so it's more a personal thing)

Oof, very enjoyable. I would take this 10/10 times over the Ramones. Only my second punk album in this journey but much more my speed. 5/5

The bass work is so sick

Один из самых невзрачных панкушников на моей памяти. гитары ебашат, барабаны хуярят, все как надо но вспоминаешь КИЛ КИЛ КИЛ ЗЕ ПУР и понимаешь, что ну вот это ну ни в какое сравнение

It’s a punk band lmao I no likey

Balls to the wall hardcore punk. Pure blast of energy, anger, intensity, with awesomely fast + heavy guitars/bass/drums. Will save this one for those days I need it.

Punk!

On the one hand, this is just okay. On the other, I can definitely hear the influence these guys must have had on 90s punk - most notably The Offspring, but also Blink, Green Day, and the rest. Plus, their bassist was cool.

Pretty good, i liked the punk sound it had

very punk, more than 3 less than 4

wow, best one so far!

Good punk energy. Killer distorted guitar sounds. I love the closing track.

In my home town everyone had the Complete Discography by the time we were up-and-coming punks. Minor Threat had been broken up for well over a decade and we already had Fugazi. But that never stopped me from feeling the impact of this band like a punch in the face. I loved them. I was straight-edge for some time due to this band. I hung out with anti-nazi skins and generally thought the D.C. scene was worth revisiting for inspiration. Hearing these songs in their "release" format is a treat. Did I just say "a treat"? Jeeze, I'm getting old. Well, that's the way it goes, isn't it? Yeah!

Good shit 4

Offspring leur a tout piqué mais dur à écouter

2.5/10 The original purateens. I was here, in punk clubs and this shit just never grabbed me. This could be fun in a live, sweaty punk club, but it doesn’t need to be an album. Is there anything more annoying than being scolded by a know it all teen? No.

fast and quite good

No

There are worse punk albums

Liked this more than I thought I would!

I don't like punk, so hardcore punk like this, I rather dislike it. Thank God it's short. I'll put it at a two, but a light two. I guess my favourite song was Betray? Couldn't really tell them apart.

Background music and a very easy listen

At least it was short… I owned the Complete Discography disc at one point. Could’ve sworn I still had it, but I probably traded it in because I couldn’t get into it and never listened to it. I like Fugazi and even some Rites of Spring. I think I don’t much care for Ian McKaye’s voice. I can handle it in Fugazi; he doesn’t scream as much, plus he shares lead with vocals with Picciotto, so it balances out a little. I think it also helps Picciotto shares songwriting duty too. I’m no expert, but I’d say he keeps them from making every song into anti-capitalist screed. There’s only so many times you want to hear the Communist Manifesto set to music. Also, I can’t take the jackhammer rhythms of most hardcore. There comes a point where playing fast becomes almost meaningless because everything blurs together into pounding noise. I like the few songs here where things slow down some. There are a few monster riffs here and there that are cool. Otherwise, this really isn’t my thing at all.

Maybe the most abrasive vocals of any punk/hardcore band I've heard. Maybe not my genre overall but I did dig the punchy bass parts on Think Again. I didn't make it past the third track and instead listened to a more listenable punk album from 2 years earlier, the very uneven debut album from Bad Religion. I'm dismayed that none of their albums were deemed worthy of this list.

Betray - 7.5/10 It Follows - 7.5/10 Think again - 7.5/10 Look Back & Laugh - 7.5/10 Sob Story - 7/10 No Reason - 7.5/10 Little Friend - 7.5/10 Out of Step - 7/10 Cashing In - 8/10 TOTAL - 67/90

Brilliant hardcore punk album. This influenced a lot of the music of my youth.

weirdly, i appear to like minor threat more now than i did when they released this record

Hard to deny this is is excellent (despite not being able to trust Ian MacKaye, his goobolini or his innate ability to appear on literally every single music documentary I've ever seen). Perfect demonstration of short fast loud. There is beauty in simplicity.

It is a short punk album. I had never heard of them before. It was alright. It got a little screaming but it was not terrible.

I grew up as an Offspring kid, and I am hearing SO much influence from this band, as I'm sure it influenced so many others. I do like the attitude and driving bass. There's just not really much variation and it's very samey. Thankfully it's short.

There's probably a handful of really good, non-derivative US hardcore bands and Minor Threat is not one of them

Imagine RATM but like, reallly not that good. Lacks any subtletly or originality. Overall, the songs were not terrible though.

I bought one Hardcore album back in the day thinking I might end up liking it as much as early Clash or something. Never happened.

I just got back from a relaxing weekend at a friend's cottage by the lake, it was serene and completely stress free. I had to catch up on my 1,001 ratings and this came up. Aggressive, angry and pissed off are words that come to mind. This definitely jars me back to reality. I can't say that I identify with it, but I respect their energy.

Crap

Forgettable. I picked it up today and from the description, which I always read, I realised that I had listened to it the day before yesterday, but I can't remember a single tune. Only that it is embarrassingly meaningless, both musically and lyrically. Let's move on.

I find punk singing annoying.

So I really liked this album, but I found that all the songs blended into each other and there wasn’t really a song that stood out as amazing All of the songs are very punk rock, but the even the drum sounds like it’s jus the same between songs So I liked this album, but because of the lack of range I’ll give it ***

Punks not massively my thing, but it was alright

Not enjoyable

An assault on the senses, though the green day Holiday riff was cool

Meh.

The realization of the promise of punk.

A landmark in post punk. A scrappy, do it yourself attitude really bolsters these songs.

Any of the following is an instant 1-star: -Roooooaaaaaarrrrrrr -Thrash guitars - Lyrics containing the word 'motherfucker' This pile of shite has all three in abundance & no redeeming features whatsoever.

Worthy.

A nice punk album that feels too long even though it's super short. Not a good sign, eh?

no

The care they took to make every song sound annoying and exactly the same is something.

No.

Miserable.

mackaye has a pretty one dimensional vocal range. basically he manages to make all of the songs sound the same even though there is a decent amount of variety for a straight up fast punk band.

An apple a day keeps the knob rot away. After a torturous few years of being in agony whenever I got an erection, I found rubbing apples on my bellend soothed the pain. Soon I was going through 15 a day. Try it yourself at home.

Fun Fact: Scott Kelly lost his virginity to this album...when he was gang-raped by the band.

No. Not for me. No, I wasn’t fair; I skipped through a few tracks and failed to find anything that appealed to me. I’m GenX so I understand this music, I just don’t like it.

Gotta appreciate an album that clocks in at just over 20 minutes! I had heard of Minor Threat but not ever given them a proper listen, hardcore and punk not being genres I gravitate towards often. That being said, thought this was a great example. Things I liked - the drumming is top notch and the riffs were more fun than I expected. I don't know how often I've ever heard the bass mirror the guitar lines but it worked well in context, and whenever the bass deviated things really opened up in a cool way. Ian MacKaye brings exactly the right kind of energy to the vocal performance - the way he says "Fuck it, man" in Look, Back & Laugh really worked for me. Things I didn't - Over half the time, I have such trouble understanding what he's shouting! For a genre so focused on getting a specific message across, said message was hard to hear at times. I had to REALLY focus. I'm not saying he should've done it differently, but they should have put him louder in the mix. He was competing with the guitars most of the record. Could be the fault of my speakers though. The last two tracks were my favorite. This felt like a perfect musical palate cleanser.

Gets the punk 3.

Pretty raucous music. Not a big fan of hardcore punk, but this wasn't bad. Helps that the "album" is so short. 21 minutes of this is definitely enough for me.

Short but not very sweet. Probably good music to jump around too and cool like but not my personal preference. Apple Music says this band's discography is 47 minutes long which is a wildly low number.

Finally, Minor Threat are more to me than just a line in a Dan Le Sac vs Scroobius Pip song. This has got a fair bit going for it: - The guitars in particular sound like a lot of the punk/pop-punk bands of the 90s and beyond. Clearly their influence was far reaching. - There are a few nice changes of pace mid-track. - There's some wry humour in the lyrics. - It must be the shortest album on the list? So no time to get bored, in theory. - The album cover has sheep on it. Despite all this it didn't really click for me - I guess it's less than the sum of its parts. I probably wouldn't take 20 minutes out to listen again, and for that reason I'll have to give it 2.5 stars.

brb gonna go guzzle juice out of a drink carton straight from the fridge with my cap on backward. my skateboard is ready for my dad to trip over.

I have to be in the right mood to listen to Mjnor Threat & I’ve always preferred the first two seven inches.

Not really my taste

This makes babies cry. Possibly some adults, too. I like the addition of punk to the list but this just doesn't cross any boxes for me other than annoying.

If institutionalized were an LP… Im just not a punk person. I can understand why some like to jam to this stuff, but it’s all kind of the same to me. I will say that this album didn’t annoy me. So that’s something.

A minor Minor Threat album, good morning email read rage type music

Me when the 327th post-punk album pops up on this list: I sleep Me when the 327th punk album pops up on this list: real shit

One small step for a band, one giant leap for US Punk-kind.

I got 21 minutes to flow | I got 21 minutes to go

3/4

What a way to ruin the streak: it was just rubbish and there’s no other way to put it. So bad I don’t remember anything other than the first two tracks and the rest fades into obscurity. Won’t be coming back to political commentary in mediocre punk music.

BADDDD

8/10 really fun punk! not too special but still pretty neat

Legendary band. Usually just listen to their whole discography because there's unfortunately not that much of it. Wasn't sure which tracks were on this one, but they're all great.

This just felt like a bunch of noise to me, sorry to say, even with my tolerance for vocals I can't understand being as high as it is. I understand, and daresay I even tip my had to this album's conclusion, but I do not at all like it. Recommend it? Eh sure, why not. Low rating, I may give, but it was still a mercifully short scream fest.

Punk-rock directo y sin contemplaciones. Percusión y guitarras contundentes

Meh, aika monta parempaakin löytyy samasta genrestä.

Viihdyttävä ja tehokas punkkipläjäys. 2,5 = 3

I agree with the reviewer who noted this as a 'palate cleanser' - following the last couple of fairly bland records I listened to. I wasn't really into this band back in the day, but I like the integrity and intensity now

Me ha gustado. No da tiempo a enfadarse con ellos. Unos 20 minutos de punk, hardcore, rock o lo que sea muy buenos.

9 songs, 21 minutes, probably one thing I like most about punk, short, sharp, to the point. This album is pretty good, not something I'm going to put on repeat but I did enjoy Betray, Think Again, and Cashing In.

Not really my thing, but I can appreciate how influential it was. They're a bit one note, and it's not a note I particularly get excited about, but I like the speed and energy. Fave track - "Cashing In" is definitely my pick - it's unclear to me whether that counts as a bonus track or what, though, so let's say "It Follows" as well, just in case!

4+/5

I’ve liked a few minor threat songs in the past.But I just didn’t really vibe with this album.It has “strong lyrics” apparently but it’s really hard to tell what the vocalists are saying.also the riffs are “complex” supposedly but to me they were all just kinda boring and generic and all the songs had meh choruses.I prefer bad religion I guess.

Yep, hardcore punk. I'll have it. Have been enjoying Ian MacKaye's contribution to EggsTV. Prefer what he did with Fugazi if I'm completely honest but I've always got some time for hardcore punk.

Loved this. It was over too soon! If I were at a live show it would've been awesome. "You had us pegged all along. Damn."

A refreshing change after two days of 50s music. This is proper punk, as it's meant to be. The bass solo in "Think Again" rocks.

maybe it's just because it's coming after a row of music i didn't enjoy, but this is honestly pretty enjoyable. i had a dream where i listened to it and it sounded AMAZING, and it's not quite as good as that, but it's still pretty nice!! rough sound but not just a wall of sound, and the vocals aren't *just* screaming. good stuff.

Punk on niin low art paska punkkikin kuullostaa high art.. Incredible..

This album is going to be a quick one. But hella killer. Look Back And Laugh is awesome. Out Of Step is awesome. This is out of this world for punk albums.

ˡᵐᵃᵒ ᵃⁿ ᵃˡᵇᵘᵐ ᶠᵒʳ ᵃⁿᵗˢ

still better than the beatles

Punk

Yeah, this is great as it has ever been, and Fugazi even better. On a side note: I would not call it an album but an EP.

What an energy, lovely!

4.0

Straightforward driving punk. Short and punchy.

For something I don’t enjoy and won’t listen to again, I found this interesting.

Good

I really liked this album! To be fair I do know that I already like the genre and I don't mind as much when I can't tell what the singer is saying because I feel like it's just part of the music. Any album that makes the bass very loud and obvious I'll probably enjoy.

That drummer sure gets a workout. Overall, a solid meh for me.

Ok, not my type of music. A couple redeemers

Good energy throughout. Not my taste, but the last song Cashing In was cool. I probably won't listen to this again, but it was good to have done so once.

Yelly

Nope!

Although I'm not a huge punk fan, I feel like this was a solid album. It doesn't drag on for too long and the tracks were concise yet visceral and impactful in a way punk should be.

Enjoyed this more than I expected. The last hardcore punk type thing I listened to had awfully stupid lyrics. This one... I mean they're note Shakespeare or anything but they're not twatty. The music is more melodic than I expected. It's short and to the point. I can hear the influence on a lot of later music here too.

Áhugavert stöff. Áhrifavaldur á ýmislegt sem kom seinna meir.

this fucks

Fuck yeah, super stoked for this one! That was a great album. Funny how the songs are all so short. The whole album was just over 20 minutes. Loved it!

Unexpected

A solid album, Betray, Think Again and Cashing In are great songs and the rest make it a good listen

Great punk rock album. Short and sweet.

A good and quick punk album

Enige studio album van de hardcore punk band Minor Threat. Tracklist bestaat uit korte nummers met als overkoepelend thema de moeilijkheden van vriendschappen. Invloedrijk album, maar niet toegankelijk genoeg voor niet-punk fans. leukste nummer: Cashing In Minor Threat populariseerden de "straight edge": een muzieklifestyle zonder de drank, drugs en seks. De titelsong van Out of Step benadrukt de zelfopgelegde vroomheid van de band.

Looking at the cover art, I'd not guess the power of what I was about to listen to when the first song started. But, despite the last song, which was a total anti-climax for me, I enjoyed the album. Worth to mention that the 1001 list includes a good number of other punk albums, so I guess this is not the most memorable, but punk is always a good choice, so give me more.

Snappy

Pivotal moment in hardcore punk. Angry and energetic, the influence of this EP could be heard in thrash (especially the rapid power drumming and fast-changing guitar), grunge (the deep distorted guitar), alt rock (the vocals and guitar melody is resonated in the likes of the Pixies), and of course post-hardcore (e.g. Fugazi), which would lead to emo and skate punk and all sorts of other genres. Some of their best songs are here, but probably not as memorable as First Two Seven Inches. Still, these songs are complex. "Sob Story" and "No Reason" are only 2 minutes and yet they sound like 8 songs with how they completely change the structure so immediately. "No Reason" stopped like 5 times in the middle only to start up again, and features possibly the shortest guitar solo in history. Very punk to not give a shit. I'm really glad this is only 20 minutes. With how condensed these songs are, it would be too overwhelming for this record to go on for a traditional LP length. Yet, Minor Threat does this better than almost anyone else in the hardcore-adjacent genres, and so I'm glad this is represented on this list. Truly an essential listen. Started off with a bang with "Betray" and ended just as nicely with the slow melodious "Cashing In." Favorites: Betray, Look Back & Laugh, No Reason

One hopes everyone feels all better now and has go the jokey protest out of their systems. And one wonders if everyone would have been better off drinking and drugging after all.

Wow this was short and sharp. Luke really likes Minor Threat and has apparently played it to me before. I don't really remember and tbh this sort of blurred into Mud Honey for me. It didn't leave much of an impression on me

Loved it. Right up my street. Some trivia, this is the band that Ian MacKaye was in before starting Fugazi.

I liked this and have a lot of respect for its legacy in punk, but it was a little too much atonal yelling for me to take in all at once lmao

PLEASE SIR MAY I HAVE SOME MORE 🥵🥵🥵🥵🥵

The musical equivalent of a quad espresso. Solid punk rock. 4 stars.

Worst of post-punk. Why would anyone want to listen to this?

I was gonna make a “thank god it’s only 20 minutes” joke when I saw that it was hardcore punk but it’s unfortunately not *that* bad. However, I would still say that if it was longer than like half an hour I would hate it a lot more than I do. This is also probably the most juvenile punk album I’ve gotten at least lyric wise. High 2

Good music. Not into the screaming lyrics.

BL: Aware of Minor Threat but never listened to any of their discography, will see what I think AL: it was just very samey. Most of the tracks felt pretty similar, and it felt quite sanitised. For a punk album it didn’t really feel that angry at anything in particular. Didn’t enjoy this one but it wasn’t massively offensive. Just don’t particularly want to listen to it again. FT: “it follows” 2/5

Classic 80s hardcore punk at its core. Brings me back to when I first discovered MT, but I somehow missed this album. Guitar work is great, vocals are raw and high-energy. Favorite songs: Betray, Think Again, Little Friend, and Cashing In.

Punk is not for me

Fuck Yeah

I'll keep it brief: heck yes.

This review contains 21 words. The same amount as the minutes of this insane sole record by Minor Threat. Fuck yes.

This is great. It started out good, and carried on good, before ending up with Cashing In, which is just such a hoot that it makes the whole album.

Apparently this is a hugely influential hardcore punk album. It's not an enjoyable listen but is mercifully short. Rating: 1.5/5 Playlist track: Betray Date listened: 13/04/23

Don't really enjoy this kind of music. Not my cup of tea. I don't understand how this is on the list.

So shouty!

Didn’t find anything I enjoyed really. No catchy riffs, no finesse or anything.

Was really not in the mood for punk today and didn't enjoy it particularly. Might come back to this one for a relisten later.

It was like I was playing a Tony Hawk game. It really pumps you up. Generally not my taste in music because it can get repetitive, but because it was only 30 minutes it didn’t get very stale. 8.5/10

Skeittipunkille on kyllä oma paikkansa ja aikansa, mutta ei tämä sillein musikaalisesti levynä ole niin kiinnostavaa tässä ajassa.

Ja Minor Threat, je zet het niet snel op maar ik denk dan meteen aan hun hits en een beetje aan Fugazi. Dan heb je de 5 sterren zo te pakken

Kut met peren gewoon.

Als ik van dit soort up-tempo doe-pa-doedoem-pa drums hoor dan haak ik al af. Echt totaal niet mijn ding van die kaal geproduceerde ouwe hardcore.

Dit werpt me plusminus 25 jaar terug in de tijd, toen ik m'n eerste vriendje had. Hij zat in de punk/skate-scene. Dit heb ik nooit bewust voorbij horen komen, maar ze hadden het zeker gewaardeerd. Ze dweepten net als deze band met straight edge, maar blowden in de tussentijd als schoorstenen.

Some decent hardcore punk action here. Betrayed is a banger. I still think Husker Du did it better though. Also, this is an EP so should it belong on this list?

Influential, but not essential.

Jackson Pollock: Wounding. My ears be bleeding, if this wasn't 20 mins it would be off. Fav: None Least Fav: All Overall: It isnt bad enough to deserve a 1, but its a 2.

WE DONT CAREEEEE. WE’LL STEAL YO MONEEEY. What a fun important album. love the whole diy hardcore punk movement

some fun bits, nothing really tedious

thank the fucking lord this is only 20 minutes, if it was longer i might want to jump off a building. hope this endlessly plays in hell when henry kissinger dies 0/10

Wow, first Two Nickels on the Dime and now Out of Step - it’s Hardcore Week. I’m here for it. This album is such a beautiful bridge between punk and grunge. Love both of those genres - I really like this album.

This was some tough punk music. I can see why people who like punk music would like this because it felt raw and twisted. I have a hard time enjoying punk music and this album didn’t seem much different. Angry, young and talented that’s how I would describe some good punk music and this fit that but it’s not something I can enjoy. 4.0/10

Good punk album

Saw another review that said “I get it, but I don’t like it” and that’s essentially it.

Everything a punk rock album should be.

oh gush, pure noise. Nothing that captures me. First album that I stopped listening to.

Short but sweet

Short sharp shock of punk. Not too bad

I have two things to day. 1. The ad agency who did famously racist "Bye Bye Black Sheep" poster in 2008 for the Swiss SVP must have liked this cover art. 2. a bit harsh & industrial for me. as gentle as a nazi salute. Non merci. pas au jourdhui.

Best Song: Little Friend. Juvenile and noisy in the right way. Worst Song: Cashing In. The spoken word "Wizard of Oz" bit probably sounded more artistic in their heads, but it just sounds amateurish. Overall: The sound of largely impotent (directionless?) rage. Everything sputters everywhere, briefly. It honestly doesn't feel like there's even enough here to comment on. It's nice and noisy, but not so interesting.

Can't ever go wrong with Minor Threat, in my opinion. Liked this record as a kid, still like it as I careen gleefully towards my old-fart years.

Fuck yeah

Why would you listen to the Out of Step album when the Complete Discography LP exists? Some of the best punk out there. CD is probably an A, Out of Step about a B

Some good hardcore punk for when you need to get a little aggression out. An album that doesn't overstay its welcome by droning on about the same stuff for an hour. Twenty minutes in and out. Glorious. Maybe I was just in the mood for this sort of thing today (a wrong side of the bed kind of day), but I felt like yelling right along with the band.

I've discovered I'm very particular about my punk. Didn't like this at first but it grew on me

Not for me. Wasn't terrible but I just wasn't into it. 2*

Love Minor Threat as an idea but it doesn't always live up to it. I may revise this upwards yet...

Not for me.

Banda clàssica del hardcore punk nordamericà dels 80, instigadora del tot el moviment Straight Edge. Potser la raó que surti aquest tercer EP a la llista enlloc del seminal 'Minor Threat' de 1981 o del també més reconegut 'In My Eyes' (igualment de 1981) és perquè aquí es mostren més conjuntats com a banda. El so és molt més professional i el nivell continua sent gairebé igual d'alt. També la duració és més raonable, i com a mínim passa dels 20', més del doble dels anteriors EPs

Pretty speedy dullness

Appreciated how short this was!

glad its short

Found it boring and monotonous.

Not my jam

Look Back and Laugh was quite good! The rest sort of blurred past me. Not a huge fan of this album based on one listen.

"The 'core is gettin' soft..." Wish there was more like this ... So good.

I listened to "Out of Step" nearly four times, repeatedly going back to it not because I loved it and couldn't get enough, but because I was having trouble deciding just what I thought of it. My first reaction to seeing the album pop up was excitement to explore a foundational D.C. hardcore punk band that I had long meant to delve into. But my second reaction at the start of the album was disappointment, with the first song representing much of what keeps me from embracing hardcore more. All lyrics screamed in one unvarying burst at the same level and intonation, no nuance there or in the music. I fixated on that take and I think unfairly applied it to later songs, which upon further listens actually often break from that mold. Still, after multiple listens I can only come around part way. pretentious-ass suggested their "Salad Days" EP, and I enjoyed that more. And the band certainly deserves credit for their pioneering role in D.C. punk, the hardcore scene, and the coining of the term "straight edge." But "Out of Step" isn't enough to stay in my rotation.

Can I just listen to an instrumental version? Strong dislike of the voice but love the energy.

“A Minor Threat to good music.” This is what one of my college roommates said every time Minor Threat came up. His best friend, another roommate, loved(s?) Minor Threat. They used to go back and forth about musical tastes constantly. At the time, I only heard noise when Minor Threat was on. Relistening many years later, I’m impressed with how musical these guys are. The drummer is fantastic as is the bassist. The lead singer’s voice is pretty good with a gritty edge that fits hard core punk well. And the song structures are not just thrash some power chords and pound the drums as fast as possible, which is what I remembered, see Little Friend.

I can see that they had an important role in the US punk scene in the 80s and I can appreciate the craft, especially the bass, but not my kind of music.

There may be a couple of original punk bands that have brought something new to the genrel, but this band isn't one of them. It's just rehashing the old saying that in punk, you don't need talent, just attitude. Terribly boring and predictable album. 1/5

This is a tight hardcore album with fairly simple music but very effective delivery. Every track is a bundle of angry energy that delivers exactly what it intends to. It’s not always pretty, but it is one of the most succinct and most important statements of hardcore.

Raw, didn't feel the rhythm really

Betray - 1 star It Follows - 1 star Think Again - 2.5 stars Look, Back & Laugh - 1 star Sob Story - 2 stars No Reason - 1 star Little Friend - 1 star Out Of Step - 1 star Cashing in - 3 stars

A little too hardcore for me, but punk is punk. Nice one lads

Just sounded like one 20 minute song.

I didn't mind it. Glad it was short though.

Enjoyed that

There should be an option for zero stars. Thank god this was their only album

Dit is... bijzonder. De hele EP is gewoon hetzelfde liedje maar dan steeds na twee minuten een andere naam. Update bij liedje 5: ik HAAT dit. Update bij lied 8: HOEZO IS DIT EXACT HETZELFDE ik word hier te melig van maar ben er ook klaar mee

Very good punk album

3/10

Great album. Went by in a flash.

I listened to this on the way to work. It was good but nothing memorable.

Love minor threat- hadn't heard this one somehow. 4 stars

Oddly enough I liked this more than I thought I would. Punk music is very hit or miss for me. Probably will give this another listen.

This is a perfect example of how a hardcore punk album should be. Fast paced, short, politically incorrect, aggressive and with an extremely cheap production. It's still not as good as "First Two Seven Inches" though

Not bad, but honestly not very impressive either. While I'm glad it's a short 20 minute album as I don't think I could listen to more than that, it unfortunately has no standouts and kind of amalgamates into one big ball of fast noise and yelling instead of singing

I can appreciate how this album influenced other bands but as a standalone album, I didn't think it was that great. If this was my first experience with punk I think I would have written off the genre altogether.

I thought a lot of this album was chaotic BUT I could hear a lot of punk influence in later albums, like Blink, Green Day and Sum 41 so that I appreciated. I would have liked more variety to the sound overall.

Every song sounded the same. Music was pretty good, singing was pretty terrible.

Short songs, microphone distorsion and a guy screaming 4/5

very good album, a classic

A blink-and-you'll-miss-it ripper of a punk LP. Leaning towards a low 3 on this one, while fun and energetic it does feel somewhat homogenous and overlong even for its 21-minute run time.

Punk rock vibes without any aspect that really stood out to me. Just fine.

Nine interesting and intense cuts on a solid record for the hardcore punk scene.

Solid album punk hardcore pioneer, better than most than followed

Hardcore punk clásico. Un 4.

Garage rock. venga, un 3.

oof intense and fast

Didnt like it.

Balls to the wall punk music, classic for the era and genre. Clearly influenced many punk bands to follow.

Before today I hadn't heard of Minor Threat. This was a true hardcore punk album, and it did what all good punk albums do, it came in loud, fast, and heavy, said what it had to, and got out. The whole album consisted of 9 songs, and the total album play time was only 21 minutes. The lyrical delivery was fast, raw and angry. The bass playing was stellar on this record!! It is a shame that Minor Threat didn't stay together longer to create more content, because it is easy to see the influence that just the one studio album that they made had on future bands. Favourite songs: Betray (the part when they slow the tempo down in the middle of this song is awesome), "Look, Back & Laugh" , Sob Story Least favourite song: if forced to pick one, Cashing In (I just didn't like the lyrical delivery as much, but it is still a teriffic song) 4/5

Fuck yeah. Tony Hawk Pro Skater video game soundtrack music, which is a big compliment for me. Favorite track: Think Again

This was an EP and not an entire album, but it was still enjoyable to listen to and I really enjoyed it. Favorites are Cashing In, and Betray.

I like Minor Threat. While "Out of Step" isn't one of my most favorite punk albums but it's definitely a mood that I pull for now and again. More importantly, this step into hardcore punk spawned multiple whole subgenres and inspired an absolute TON of hardcore bands that I do love. The scene owes them a debt as does 20-year-old me. That's worth an extra star right there.

GOOD FUCKING PUNK! Without the 80s punk scene in Arlington, Virginia and Washington D.C., Nirvana would not have been what it was. The Foo Fighters wouldn't exist and music would be a different world than what we know now. I am a much bigger fan of MacKaye's work on this than I was on Fugazzi when that came up for me. Good album that I was happy to listen to.

I have occasionally diagnosed the misguided American tendency to follow a genre's tropes by rote, with deviancy from the standard seen as a betrayal. I mean, how many American bands over the years have offered their stab at Dust My Broom, only to reveal a version that's just another version of Dust My Broom, with no original ideas added as if they would profane a sacred article? Or if we consider the vastness rap has the potential to cover, why do so many rappers still restrict themselves to the cul-de-sac of gangsta rap? The American development of hardcore punk strikes me as a paradigm of this genre inflexibility. I talked about it during my review of Black Flag's Damaged, but it feels even more apposite to elaborate whilst reviewing Minor Threat. Let's look at how two countries' independent ripenings of punk servd as a natural experiment: the United States and the United Kingdom. In Blighty, the first wave of punk (Sex Pistols, Clash, Damned blah blah blah) led to no single response, but multitudes upon multitudes of bands each furrowing their own path. What exactly links Joy Division, the Slits, Orange Juice, ABC, the Specials, Sham 69, Crass, Gary Numan and Frankie Goes to Hollywood? Nothing at all, except that they were responding to the same provocations yelled by the 1977 bands. In America though, the inspiring new vistas mapped by the likes of the Stooges became bound, staid territories when American bands decided that punk just meant playing hard, fast and short. Yes, we have exceptions like Devo and the no wave bands, but most American punk sought to codify what became known as hardcore punk. Is it me, or is hardcore a pretty lame name for a genre? Surely it smacks of trying far too hard to sound hard, making it appear rather wussy? And if any hardcore band were wussy, it's obviously Minor Threat. Minor Threat were a group of Washington DC teenagers who became movers-and-shakers in that city's punk scene (sometimes written harDCore, aggravatingly). One of their first releases, the song Straight Edge, was a vow to eschew booze, drugs and promiscuity; this became the anthem for a subculture of abstinents called straight edge. It is this advertising of themselves, this sanctimoniousness, that makes straight edge practitioners insufferable. But it's not really the rejection of intoxicants that offends me, it's the sexual puritanism. Didn't the novel 1984 have a Junior Anti-Sex League? Why would you want to abolish the orgasm? This is not to say I don't appreciate some hardcore punk. Hardcore punk can exhilarate. But just as the body builds up a tolerance to narcotics when overindulged, the soul swiftly becomes blasé to hardcore punk when that's all the waiter suggests. So, the noise on Out of Step (another name that's a cock-obvious yet futile attempt to sound tough) is fine and you may well enjoy the 20 minutes; I did. But it's just one noise, and minute 4 sounds like minute 18. I can't really fathom why Minor Threat became relatively iconic. And the name is only half right: they're not a threat, but they are minor.

Just a solid punk record. Doesn't stay longer than it needs to. Plus, Ian MacKaye gets a thumbs up from me in every form. Favorite tracks: "Sob Story", "It Follows"

Meh. Can fit in the right vibe, but it seems like Punk is generally not mine

Building-block punk. This has a distinct clean-kid vibe to it - checks notes: Ian MacKay, checks out - which is a little unusual for the space. Forty years old, but still feels current. As in, pieces of this are clearly getting released. A palette-cleanser-type listen.

I saw the overall review score for this album and got a little worried, but afterwards I realize that's just because I'm guessing most aren't the biggest punk fans, and that's okay. I'm really not either, but I did generally enjoy this album. It did get a little repetitive at times but it's shortness and raw energy made up for it. I mean, I didn't find it anything super special, but it was still enjoyable.

Court mais intense

ils ont fait l'album comme si ils savaient qu'on avait pas envie de les écouter plus de 20 minutes, une vraie leçon d'humilité

If you ask me, this is THE quintessential hardcore punk album. Not the greatest of all time, perhaps, but the most core to the sound and ethos... but also, maybe the greatest lol.

H A R D C O R E ™️

Banger, just what you need in morning traffic or when fighting after work

Really solid

I didn't realize this band was that old! I like ska but this one was a little too much distortion for my liking nowadays.

I like the punk era music. This fits in well with that

It's Minor Threat, isn't it, of course it's brilliant, concise and fully rargh. Feeling hyped off the back of it! It created a whole subgenre of punk and inspired loads of kids, even years later, to live cleaner, more ethical lives. And it's got jokes too! Though compared to the earlier stuff, this album is bloated at about 3 minutes a song 😉

This album feels uncoordinated. The songs sound like they are an instrumental with lyrics randomly yelled over it. Overall, this album was just okay.

Great basslines, emotional vocal deliveries, the straightedge ethos, and an energetic mix of punk and metal that became known as "hardcore punk." Classic album that holds up after 40 years and has gone to influence many bands to come. I enjoy later music in the genre more but it's hard to overlook the importance of this album in the history of hardcore.

Glad this one was only 21 minutes long. I understand that there are many hardcore punk fans out there, but there are numerous other genres that I would rather listen to.

Did not like at all

Hardcore punk clásico. Un 4.

Always relevant. Hard, tight, angry - and why not.

OMG can't begin to guess how many times I've listened to this! Punk was massive in my community as a kid, and I naturally gravitated to the older, more simplistically brutal early stuff like Minor Threat.

Loved it! Early punk is always a fun listen

I was introduced to Minor Threat my Freshman year of college by a bunch of straight edge friends. This brought back fun memories.

I mean... what's not to like about this? Shy of 4 stars for me because I'm more of a Fugazi guy and I'm not into punk enough to stay engaged with such a same-y collection of songs, even at a concise 21min runtime. Is "13 Songs" on this list? That'd probably be a 4-star'er for me.

Great classic punk album.

Had never heard. I like anything with spoken word aspects.

Hair/glam metal dominated this period in the 80s and inevitably got caught up into listening to those bands. Then a friend introduced me to Minor Threat and other similar bands like Black Flag and I was hooked. I fucking love this album. Outstanding debut.

Great raw early 80s punk rock. I'd never given these guys a listen so glad it came up in the rotation. Also never realized that punk could be good for background work music.

Top tier hardcore punk. Though compared with their early demos and eps this has lost some of the frenetic energy in service of more complex production and song structure - See the intro on Look back and laugh; a proper guitar intro? Feels weird in a minor threat song.

6/10. Nothing to write home about.

Quite annoying and only an EP. 4/10

Favorite song: Cashing In.

A high-energy start to my random journey into the 1001! I'd never heard of this hardcore punk band, which Simon and Peter will probably find either hilarious or appalling. No doubt they were very influential on lots of punk-rock bands that followed, including the ones that I did listen to. It's not something I'd listen to again - the angry but mostly incoherent vocals were a bit too same-samey for me - but I appreciated hearing it for its place in music history. Good variety and change-ups in the arrangements, which isn't always the way for hard & fast punk rock.

Not really my bag. But they do what they do do well. I do like the sound of the bass-playing.

Minor Threat are massively influential on punk/hardcore. This was their only album and so I see why it was on this list, and the critical consensus is that they were becoming more adventurous with their musical structures and reflecting on their own thematic concerns on contributions. But, really, it is their early singles that wrote the playbook for hardcore (esp. straight edge) and should be the required listening. I am glad I listened to this, but don't feel the need to ever listen again. (I find hardcore fun live, but find recorded hardcore inessential and repetitive).

there are multiple lineages of punk (blurred, naturally). the stuff i listen to is clearly in the lineage that includes minor threat. had no idea the sound goes this far back!

11th August 2022 Listened at the campsite in Cornwall with Joe and Adna. Jen drove back to pick up tent poles 🙄 Don’t get it I’m afraid. Why has this made the list?!

This is a timeless and influential album. I see the appeal! Sounds better through headphones. Best Songs: Look Back & Laugh, Cashing In, It Follows Worst Songs: Little Friend

Solid punk rock.

Cool early 80’s punk. Some compelling tracks.

very short album

My father always said, the best 45 minute punk album is 21 minutes long.

The future of indie rock. Rock like exploding granite. (6/10) FT: Betray

Fantastic example of hardcore punk, a genre I enjoy. Lyrics were hard to hear in some songs which is common with a lot of punk bands early recordings. I will be listening to more Minor Threat.

Not great for work listening

Punk is a very hard listen for me. Every song sounded exactly the same. With that being said, cashing in was my favorite track and the slowest on the album.

Not bad and it's a short album. I've never been in to this genre of music though. Probably won't come back to it.

Liked it, intense but thrashing. Would love to learn the lyrics, insane that it came out so early.

What a waste of time and anger. There seems a distant chance Ian Mc has a sense of humor about this ... but it's distant. One pities all the people who had these t-shirts, as if the in-joke was worth knowing.

very cool. Brian Baker!

Stevige punk! niet 100% van genoten, maar wel een goed album

Cool

Is this 21 minute EP worthy of being on this list? There are many albums and artists far more inspiring that are not listed. Just because this influenced a lot of American clone bands who've never even heard of the Dolls or Pistols (who were doing the same stuff 10 years previously to this) means they are insular and not revolutionary.

A sheer blast of hard punk fun that respects your time. Favourites: "Betray", "It Follows", "Out Of Step"

Its pretty straightforward but enjoyable nonetheless

Meh

Pas atroce mais j'en peux plus du rock

Good stuff. Short and to the point. 3 stars.

It's definitely short and to the point!

Loud, aggressive, angsty punk rock. I liked it, but I didn't love it. There's classic punk rock like The Ramones that I'll always adore, and then there's all this other stuff that I'm just too old for now, like Minor Threat. I no longer connect with bands like this but I appreciate what they did and what they offer to burgeoning punks that are young enough to connect with their message. Worth noting that I absolutely adore this album art!

I've propbably heard a track from Minor Threat, but never listened to the band. I'm glad the tracks were short. All of the vocals are yelling or talking. The music is related to punk with influences from metal. I did not enjoy listening to this album.

Loved the guitar production and as a fan of punk, generally not a bad album. I appreciate them recognizing that punk albums should not be more than 30 minutes. Definitely an unnecessary album for the list though.

Yet another hardcore punk album that is exactly the same and has only it's short runtime going for it

Started well, then got annoying.