Group Sex

I was 9 years old when I attended my first circle jerk. It was a lowly lit room at the Chelsea training ground. I was dressed in a tutu and had my hair in plaits, as was the fashion at the time. My brother shoved me to the middle of the room and then the lights flicked on. I was surrounded by the entire Chelsea first team and backroom staff. They all tugged away at themselves, making strong eye contact with me throughout. I got so swept up by the attention that I didn't realise I was wanking myself. My first time. It was such a turn on. Glenn Hoddle came on my back. Later, we all went out for milkshakes. Somebody bumped into me and I spilt mine all down my front. It was hard to tell what was milkshake and what was jizz. I was completely drenched in both.

Let's normalize 15 minute albums. There's an argument to be made that if you can't get your point across in 0:31 (the length of the album's two shortest songs), then you should just pack up and go home.

Classic hardcore punk. There's no pretension here. It's a great time and at 15 minutes, you feel inspired to just listen to it again, and then maybe a third time. Side note: I enjoy reading the negative reviews for this. Call it schadenfreude I suppose. I guess it's juvenile of me to feel that way, but I can't help it.

Excellent hardcore punk record. Stupid, bratty, loud. What more do you want?

I imagine this type of music is made for desperate teenagers, to fit in with an obnoxious anti-establishment crowd, pretending to enjoy a disgusting screamishly loud esthetic and inflect misery upon themselves. Luckily for my average score, I have not yet been graced with the opportunity to review heavy metal... The only redeeming quality about this record is that the tracks are very short, but there is no excuse for the abhorrent sound "Group Sex" contains. I am contemplating not giving this record a score, because I feel sad about it averaging out a perfect 5/5 to two 3/5's. However, to be fair to the 1001 albums project, this piece of garbage gets an absolute 1/5 from me.

As crisp and snappy as an electrified mouse trap baited with Doritos. This is so tight it’s breathless. Fantastically pithy, filthy and fun.

It felt like a load of 14-year-old edgelords wrote this because they thought it sounded cool. Punk just for the sake of it. The lyrics were juvenile with no real substance - hey, let's write a song about an orgy to piss off our parents, regardless of the fact that we're all virgins! Where's the rage against the machine, Kevin? Go to a protest or something.

I LOATHE this The only thing that will justify one star is that the longest song is only 1:35 and the entire album is around 15 mins long.

In, punk, out. Love Keith Morris and Off! especially. Favorite tracks: "Group Sex", "Deny Everything", "Paid Vacation"

Classic punk album with a million songs packed into 30 minutes. Love it.

Oh man this took me BACK. I hope I get to rate Give Me Convenience or Give Me Death because boy do I have a story. That album opened up the whole genre of late 70s/80s punk to me that, it seems, I still very much love. This is a great album. Took me back to The DPC (Downtown Performance Center) in Tucson and high school (and beyond) and angst and lyrics and band flyers and everything. Operation really hits differently today than it did in high school lol.

I have a soft spot for hardcore punk. Had this one on cassette back in the day and they had the album 2xs back to back on side 1, and side 2 was just blank and you were encouraged to record what you wanted on it.

When you have someone coming over and you have to clean the entire house in 15 minutes, this is the album you put on.

What a nightmare.

Terrible. Just noise.

Waffled between loving and hating this basically on a minute to minute basis throughout the album. The lyrics are so dumb but the concise punch-you-in-the-face punk sound is very appealing.

There’s longer tool songs than this album. Great little spike of angst.

Loud, fast, fun. More 15 minute albums please.

You know what. If you're only ever going to record one worthwhile album, 14 Gonzo party punk classics in 15 minutes is as good an idea as any. Go in, get out, leave everyone without eyebrows. Yes.

Fitting 14 songs into 16 adrenaline fueled minutes Keith Morris and the boys make a punk classic still being emulated to this day. If you’ve never heard the origins of punk and hardcore the Jerks are a great introduction…as much as Morris’ former band is.

I make no apologies for liking this. I'm a punk kid and always have been. Circle Jerks isn't even a guilty pleasure for me. It's just a pleasure. Hardcore punk is its own thing distinct from mainstream punk and has its own job to do. Circle Jerks understands the assignment and delivers with "Group Sex". It takes the joyful abandon of punk and adds in a hard, ragged edge of anger and, as a kid, that really spoke to me. I mean, damn... as an adult in today's sociopolitical hellscape, that STILL speaks to me. Bands like Circle Jerks, Bad Brains, Black Flag, Dead Kennedys, and Minor Threat feel even more relevant now than they did then. I mean, how can you NOT identify with a song like "World Up My Ass"? That's actual life succinctly summed up in just over a minute. Yeah, no apologies. This is hella great.

I was going to wax lyrical on this then I realised the band is called "Circle Jerks" and the album is called "Group Sex" so anything I write is going to pale into insignificance in comparison to whatever Nigel Spackman writes.

Fuck, my ADHD brain loves a short goddamn album. My Tony Hawk heart is also enjoying the hell out of this. Good on you Circle Jerks.

Nice early HC, loud and brash but full of actual melody, with a pretty damn good drummer. And at 15min it knows exactly what it is. 4/5.

This was dumb and fun...not to be taken too seriously, but perfect in its way

Definitely not my favorite punk album but it’s a lot of fun.

So short! I didn't even make it to work before it ended

What can I say, I'm a sucker for classic punk.

14 songs in 15 minutes. This is punk rock. They weren’t the first ones to do it but they may be the best.

One of the best punk albums EVER! 15 mins is all it needed!

Fun and straight to the point. I love it.

Cram 14 songs into 15-16 minutes of pure energy. This is a great punk album and doesn't need to be longer!

All speed. All energy. A great way to start the day.

Great energy, and for once I can actually hear the lyrics in a punk album

Group Sex is the debut studio album by American hardcore punk band Circle Jerks. It was released on October 1, 1980, by Frontier Records. The album consists of 14 songs in 15 minutes and is considered to be a landmark album in hardcore punk. Four songs on the album – "Wasted", "Don't Care", "Behind the Door" and "Red Tape" – were originally co-written and performed by vocalist Keith Morris with his previous band Black Flag. I liked the mood of this album, extreme and fast songs & lyrics. Also I like to read & listen how people not into the underground music rate this album & music in this genre. (17/02/2023).

Never heard of these but it turns out the lead singer was in Black Flag who I vaguely know of and are a hugely influential hardcore punk band. 14 songs, 15 minutes, bosh. To start with I thought 'yep, way ahead of its time, not sure it's great in its own right', then by the end I was putting it on again. Loved it, ludicrous that it came out over 40 years ago.

I was very surprised at how much I liked this.

Yes! Heard of the circle jerks but don't think I've actually listened to them before. This was great and I'm sure it inspired lots of bands I liked growing up. Nofx and pennywise spring to mind but must be many more. Short and energetic. Proper punk. After the album finished Spotify played some great tracks too, bonus. We've had a great ska album and a great punk album this week, they make up my first musical love, ska punk! I have to give this a 5

Great album. They get in and out of songs at a record speed but still manage to pack a punch.

I can see how this band influenced modern punk/hardcore bands. Pretty solid!

Easy 5 for me, Keith Morris is one of my all time favourite musical people. The word blistering is used often but has never been more accurate. 16 minutes of insanity. LFDY is still one of my favourite songs of all time. Gets unfairly compared to Black Flag at times but up there for me.

5/5. Kickass early hardcore man 😎🤙

I remember this band from old Tony Hawk's Pro Skater games. I'm a fan of punk rock so this was a great album.

banger

One of my favorite records of all time. And one of my favorite bands to see live. Anger, wit, social commentary - all at breakneck speed.

It's over in about 15 minutes so stop moaning. Best Tracks: Deny Everything!; Operation; Behind The Door

Fun fact: I had to look up how this thing was formatted on a vinyl. Apparently it's split across two sides like normal? It would be cool if it all fit on one side and the other side was some design. Album #10. The tracks all sound the same. The refrains bounce off the walls. The vocalist clearly wants you to feel something. The subject matter resembles graffiti. The drums never stop. The cover art is sneering at you. The longest song is 1:35. The needle lifts by the time you've thought to think about it. It's timeless. No notes.

Forget lean, this is a single short-twitch muscle fibre. As an aesthetic and/or statement of purpose, 'shorter and faster than everyone else' won't distinguish them all that much, but their brio and animus might. As will their jkz, which are obvious and the better for it. Henry Rollins should have paid attention.

Mäh

All yelling, no substance. Awful lyrics, awful musicality. The band title and album name are a little try-hard, too. We get it, you're edgelords. Thanks, I hate it.

Circle Jerks: Group Sex. What's not to like?

Missing song on Spotify can be found here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wW6ykueIhX8 44- Circle Jerks - 21:01 - Deny Everything

Hardcore's a punch on the nose: simple messages understood immediately, so why come back? But I listened to Group Sex five times today - over an hour! - and I am listening to it now as I write this, which surprises me, as I suppose this means I like it. The cartoon nihilism is slapped on thick: “I don’t want to live to 34/I don’t to die in a nuclear war!” “Where’s the gun?/Here’s my head!” I'm just about old enough to have a faint memory of how glum a vibe was 1980 - nuclear dread, economic depression, terrorism and war on the news, fascism home and abroad. Like now, but at least we have iPhones - I just drafted some hardcore song content! Which is to say, the on-the-nose sardonicism, the aggressive drums-bass-guitar, and the swift passage from one bad topic to another feel appropriate. Where's the 2023 hardcore revival? Musically, it manages to vary stuff up, playing a sharp intro-then-leap game, and the track listing offers a triumphant retort to my own pre-assumption that I'd find the album repetitive. It's certainly catchy, both the instrument sounds and the vocal rhythm and content: during a work call just now, I was distracted by imaginary buzzsaw guitars and had the urge, fortunately resisted, to sing "I just want to/eat my own shit"; inspirational. Circle Jerks join Minor Threat and Void on my tiny list of hardcore bands I like. Void are my favourite, as they managed to be simultaneously fast, heavy and have a guitar sound like an out of control dragon.

I used to listen to Black Flag back in my younger days, which was Morris's first band, loved The Dead Kennedys as well, but never came across this lot. Right at the beginnings of what became known as US Hardcore, a genre which got wilder and more experimental with every passing year. However it has to start somewhere, so speed punk it is. Very well structured, tight playing and what I'd expect from California in the early 1980s. Very enjoyable and will listen again. A middle 3.

Started off sounding like every kid's cartoon cliched older brother bad punk garage band. However, this ersatz Löded Diper rapidly evolved into something more like The Damned (indeed, I was humming "Love Song" to most of the tracks), and was quite enjoyable by the end. Can't give it more than a 2, but that's kind-of a compliment. Lasts about as long as it should. Highlights: "Live Fast Die Young" and, of course, "World Up My Ass"

Wow. Not quite sure what happened there! Whilst I do enjoy a lot of punk influenced music, this was way too hardcore and extreme for me. It makes the Sex Pistols sound like a complete commercial sell out (which I guess it probably is considered to be by those that really love punk music). I understand it and can appreciate it as a piece of art, but it’s just not something I’d ever buy. Glad I listened but can’t rate too highly.

1. deny everything - 0 2. zome zkank - 0 3. beverly hillz - 0 4. operation - 0 5. back againzt the uuall - 0 6. uuazted - 0 7. behind the door - 0 8. uuorld up my azz - 0 9. paid vacation - 0 10. dont care - 0 11. live fazt die young - 1 12. uuhatz your problem - 0 13. group zez - 0 14. red tape - 0

I like this cacophony hardcore punk! Perfect album! I listened it in one breath!

A deeply, deeply, *deeply* formative album for me as a burgeoning hardcore kid. It’s not my favorite of the Essential Classic Hardcore Starter Pack™️ – I’d personally take Milo Goes to College or Start Today – but I understand why Group Sex is the more “correct” choice to include on this list. It’s crazy how much this still sounds like a kick in the head. Incredible drumming that really paved the way for every drummer in the scene after; great lyrics that are simultaneously politically-aware and valid while still being youthfully naïve and sometimes downright stupid as fuck; and it’s less than 16 minutes long, yet features multiple songs that somehow find time for a guitar solo. It’s all quintessential punk, arguably even its Platonic Ideal. The fact that nearly every song gets stuck in my head for days after is proof of its power, because being punk doesn’t mean you can’t be catchy. I love Group Sex. And yes, you can quote me on that.

I guess i'll always be a punk guy at heart because this shit rocks.

Punk rock has always been a middle finger to the mainstream. After reading all the pearl clutching comments, this album is still doing that after 40+ years. Lol. Great album.

Ya goddamn right

This is SO good. It’s a crime it took me so long to hear this. Added to my library

I wanna have group sex while I listen to group sex

Sure, they're really angry (and rightfully so), but this is a fun album. It was also, along with DK's "In God We Trust, Inc.", my gateway into hard core punk. Thanks, Circle Jerks!

Mierda clásica no hecha bajo los influjos de la cocaína.

This album is great

Awesome hardcore punk

Quick and dirty. Fuckin' excellent album.

Punk a tope. 19 canciones en 23 minutos. Vinilo.

Love this album. Have on cd and vinyl

Fast ans easy, you don't like a song? Wait a couple seconds It'll be finish

Fantastic.

Punk zoals punk bedoeld is. 14 liedjes in 16 minuten. Een bak energie en, ondanks dat het punk is, toch ook best melodieus. Ik wil er gezien de geringe lengte van het album niet teveel woorden aan vuil maken maar ik vind dit wel heel erg lekker. Dit album scoort met 2.69 gemiddeld veel te laag. Ik twijfelde tussen een 4 en 5 maar dan wordt het dat laatste.

Que satisfação um disco com uma sequência de músicas com duração de por volta de sessenta segundos. A dimensão da potência do hardcore.

I had seen posts about this being the album with the shortest length on this list and at just over 15 monutes, I have to say it was maybe the only album I will ever have a chance to listen to front to back all the way to work and then again on my way home. I didn't think I would enjoy such a spastic album and it turns out my only gripe is that the songs are so short because there is some really good stuff here! But in true punk rock fashion brevity is key and it shouldn't take too long to get uour message conveyed. They certainly do that here with some great riffs to back up the humorous and yet semi-serious lyrics. I liked it. It definitely didn't overstay it's welcome.

Wowzers that woke me up! I absolutely loved this, the raw/live/dry sound, the short songs, the speed, the energy, angry vocals, tight musicianship, no messing lyrics, fuzzy guitar solos, cool cover artwork. 100% punk. Superb in all departments. Yep, that's me converted, gonna go and get a nose ring, spike my hair and dye it green, smoke a pack of fags and smash a few things up. Yeah!! PS - I dunno why, but they sound more British than American

I live for lead breaks like the one in World Up My Ass

circle pit of stars!

Short and...well, not sweet. But sweetly silly. All albums should be 15 minutes long. Maybe not all. But most.

Live fast

I feel like Skating

Punk isn’t on my go-to genre list, but there’s something about Circle Jerks that I enjoy. They’re pretty great on their instruments, the songs are interesting, and they don’t overstay their welcome. Much to my surprise I loved it!

its fast and loud just like a classic punk album should be. easy 5 stars

Gritty, short songs. I liked “Operation” and the drum rhythm on “Back Against the Wall” was very interesting. “Live Fast Die Young” was awesome.

absolutely love it. kind of bands me and my mom go see. i adore a band that can fit so much in a hurry. don’t waste both our times when you can do this. iconic.

Circle Jerks might be the first punk band I was ever into, though I got into them starting with the last album Oddities, Abnormalities and Curiosities, and worked my way back. This album is great; short and to the point. I love Keith Morris' voice and the drumming is super tight for how fast it is; never knew their drummer was jazz trained, so that makes sense. At only 15 minutes long, I played through this multiple times and loved it more with each listen; 4.5/5 for me.

it was fun, i liked listening to it. what more is there to say?

Dunno how I never listened to this, but it rules. It's up there with Minor Threat and Bad Brains. Mad that I missed out on this at that time when it would have been more impactful on me. Great album. 4.5/5 (with room to grow)

WHAT A CLASSIC! 14 songs in 16 minutes, including the greatest songs ever recorded: Wasted, I Just Want Some Skank, Live Fast Die Young, and Beverly Hills. This album rules. Saw the Circle Jerks in San Francisco in 1982 and it was the scariest show I've ever seen. Life changing. Punk as go intended.

14 songs in 15 minutes tickles my soul. I hate how much I love this. Never thought I’d really enjoy this band. Fuck me, this is excellent. I really missed the boat. Really fun, fast paced, upbeat, toe-tapping, headbanging old west coast punk. And yet, the band is pretty tight, the singer is really clear and articulate. Lots of tracks worth saving. It’s like The Dead Milkmen, but angry and more organized.

A classic. lol @ the reviews

Bracingly fast, cathartic and non pretentious early hardcore punk. I personally enjoy this more then black flag.

Day320 - this one is going in the most underrated album file. it’s fast,loud and the lyrics are awesome

Love the energy

Some overserious pencil dick tried to disparage this album in their review by calling it "music made by teenagers" or something like that. Fuck you, dude, not everything needs to sound like Yes to be important. This is the perfect album to put on when you want to break stuff. In fact, I always have at least three copies of Group Sex at all times just in case one gets broken in the course of listening. Essential.

Omg! Beautiful sweet punk!!!! Short songs!! Fast angry tracks!!! I’m in love

Punk a tope. 19 canciones en 23 minutos. Vinilo.

take away! take away! ahhh

While overall I don't consider myself - in the broad sense - a fan of punk, I am a huge fan of this album. Keith Morris really embodies the snarling 'fuck you' attitude of punk. There's a sense of irreverence to this album that doesn't swirl out of control like later California punk albums but keeps it from becoming overly sanctimonious like some of the more political-minded punk albums of the time. It's fast, blunt, primitive, and doesn't overstay its welcome. While the band's best track - the cleverly ordered medley Golden Shower of Hits - isn't on this album, this is the most focused burst of overall quality from the band.