Group Sex
Circle Jerks
1980
Album Summary
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. It was included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.
WikipediaI 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.
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?
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.
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.
Classic punk album with a million songs packed into 30 minutes. Love it.
As crisp and snappy as an electrified mouse trap baited with Doritos. This is so tight it’s breathless. Fantastically pithy, filthy and fun.
In, punk, out. Love Keith Morris and Off! especially. Favorite tracks: "Group Sex", "Deny Everything", "Paid Vacation"
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.
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.
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.
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.
Missing song on Spotify can be found here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wW6ykueIhX8 44- Circle Jerks - 21:01 - Deny Everything
It's over in about 15 minutes so stop moaning. Best Tracks: Deny Everything!; Operation; Behind The Door
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
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.
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.
I can see how this band influenced modern punk/hardcore bands. Pretty solid!
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.
Cram 14 songs into 15-16 minutes of pure energy. This is a great punk album and doesn't need to be longer!
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.
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.
Great energy, and for once I can actually hear the lyrics in a punk album
Great album. They get in and out of songs at a record speed but still manage to pack a punch.
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.
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).
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.
Super short album with songs that last just over a minute on average. Super political and in your face.
birth of hXc. can't beat it, feel 16 again listening to it. I did NOT know this was recorded in 1980!! So early
It's loud and gritty. Punk isn't my favorite genre but I can appreciate this album.
Un disco rapidito, lo cual se agradece, sobre todo también por el género. Me gusta, caótico, muy "raw", mucha energía acá, como que si provoca una acelaración. Quizá lo único que juega en contra es que la duración de las canciones y su abundancia hace que parezca que de repente es un único track largooooo con variaciones. Mis favoritas "I Just Want Some Skank", "World Up My Ass", "Live Fast Die Young" y la canción titular. 8/10
A este punto ya creo que con un disco de punk en toda la lista hubiera estado bien, lol. Pero bueno... sí me gustó, no puedo decir qué canción me gustó más, parecen todas la misma :v. En su conjunto estuvo chido, pero nada memorable como pa volver a escucharlo.
Fun album. I'm not a huge fan of bands that do purposely short songs, but they do it so well it is still enjoyable.
Nice find, it's funny how it takes less than 20 minutes to play all 15 songs
10/27 Raw essence of Punk. Standout Tracks: Deny Everything, I Just Want Some Skank, Beverly Hills, Back Against the Wall, Paid Vacation, Don't Care, Group Sex
Just what I needed on a bright Sunday morning - 14 hard core punk tracks totalling 15 minutes, so quite bearable, like 1 shot of tequila to perk you up. It's like they couldn't be arsed to extend 14 hooks into 4 minutes songs, so listenable! 4/5
that was surprisingly enjoyable, and such a quick listen at only 16 minutes it also has a really fresh, classic sound for 1980, I think I’ll give it an 8/10
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.
Banda norte-americana de hardcore punk. O álbum tem 14 músicas e 16 minutos. Sim! Pelo o que li, é uma característica da banda. Temas como sexo e política são recorrentes em todas as faixas.
4/5 Very interesting album. Very short but that makes it more palatable for the genre
Vite fait bien fait Prefs: Operation, Back Against The Wall, Wasted, World Up My Ass, Live Fast Die Young, Group Sex Moins pref: I Just Want Some Skank
If there is a single word that I could pick to describe hardcore punk, it would be efficient. I've been listening to this album for 2 minutes and 45 seconds, and I'm already done with three songs. This album gets through 14 songs in less than 16 minutes. Like I said, efficient This is a fun early example of hardcore and the style of the developing west coast punk scene. I feel like hardcore punk is a bit limited as a genre, but I also know that I would have fucking loved seeing this band when I was a teenager. As I get older, raw power in music appeals to me less and less, but when you're young and full of hormones and anger, it makes you feel like someone else gets it. This album is perfectly that. It's high energy everyday boredom and disaffection. And if you don't like it, it's over in 15 minutes 4/5
Very fast, very loud, very funny, and very short. Kind of good, but I'm not sure "good" is what they were aiming for anyway.
Classic punk at it's best, while not a massive fan of punk, it's bands like these that make me wonder why they weren't anywhere near as famous as the Sex Pistols, whilst being way more talented. Raw energy and fast riffs for 15 minutes straight, what more do you want?!
First things first, what a lovely band and album name. I could tell I was in for some rowdy punk music from that alone, and boy was I right. I actually really enjoyed this one. Apparently it's a vocalist from Black Flag, who I also enjoy sometimes. I love the energy on this project, and the fact that it averages just over a minute per track is a welcome oddity compared to some long ones we've had. Guitars are fuzzy but strong, and the drumming is very clear. Just about everything punk-wise is done right here. Among all the punk projects we've had on the list so far, this one is near the top. Not Stooges level for me, but an excellent angsty-garage-music vibe that flowed throughout. Quite a few highlights for me too. Extra points for efficiency of time. Favorite tracks: Operation, Back Against the Wall, Live Fast Die Young, What's Your Problem. Album art: Excellent picture here, love the splashes of color throughout an otherwise monochromatic picture. Great bold, messy font too. What more could you ask for? 4/5
Straight up West-Coast American punk. Short, punchy, shouty, fast drums and chords. I dig it.
Well, that was quicker than I expected Group Sex to be. Hard to believe this doesn't carry some explicit warning, but it was a different time. I did enjoy it though.
Was prepped to hate this given the name but I loved it. Interestingly short but it reminded me of so many great punk bands all rolled up together.
Hardcore punk and some of its hardcore punkiest. It is a bit uneven at times, but if you don't like a song it will be over before you know it.
Wow. 14 songs in less than 16 minutes it's a proof of how fast they play. Good record. Powerful band. A true classic.
I think I was just in a good mood yesterday because I liked this far more than I reasonably should have from an objective standpoint. Probably actually a 3.5.
Compared to Bad Brains, Black Flag, Dead Kennedys, and Minor Threat, Circle Jerks has been seemingly overlooked as pioneers of hardcore punk. Group Sex is incredibly brief, wasting no time. Get the idea out there and move on. It's incredible. If you know your punk history, you'll trace lead singer Keith Morris back to Black Flag's early days, specifically the fantastic EP Nervous Breakdown. For me, that early Black Flag energy was something to behold, so I thoroughly enjoyed Morris' energy on this album. Every song on here fucks. There's no doubt in my mind they just threw together songs that wee fast and raw and left it at that. Excellent. That's punk in it's purest form.
You've got to applaud the Circle Jerks for their brevity. I mean, wow. What a perfect 15-minute nugget of hardcore that burns brilliantly without overstaying its welcome. All muscle, no fat, minimal brains. What a blast. Fave Songs: Behind the Door, I Just Want Some Skank, Live Fast Die Young, Deny Everything, Back Against the Wall
I love punk that is able to not take itself too seriously while also not falling into parody.
Täydellinen hc-levyn pituus: 15,5 min! Onhan tää rumaa ja suttuisen sotkuista, sekä tosi teiniä, mutta samalla tää on taas niitä peruspilareita jotka on näyttänyt suuntaa. Tykkään tosi paljon. Annan nelosen vaikka periaatteessa oikeen vihasena päivänä tää yltäis kyllä femmaankin. 4/5
Reippaita biisejä ja ihanan lyhyitä - ei mitään ylimääräistä vaan juuri sopivasti energiaa. Laulajan ääni oli hivenen tylsä, siksi kenties bändi ei ole tämän kuuluisampi. Tai ehkä en vain itse ole törmännyt. Hyvä kuitenkin että törmäsin nyt, levy ehti soida kolme kertaa ennen kuin viitsin vaihtaa.
A true classic of the HC-Punk wave. A fun listen too. A bit short though, and the sound is pretty bad, but thats to be expected.
Surprised by how much I enjoyed this. I can't believe it was released in 1980. 4/5
That's it. Nice and easy. Just slam down for thirty seconds and get it over with. No edging on this record. A straightforward angry wank and you're out.
Last post, I compared punk/Hardcore to Heavy dark metal, in that Metal sometimes takes themselves too seriously and punk at least has a sense of humour and is angry music in a different way. I was directly thinking of the Circle Jerks, probably the first hardcore punk band I liked and was amused by their political and social messaging in their songs. Group Sex is my first exposure to the Jerks and boy did it make an impression! There 14 songs in just over 15 minutes, yet this is an epic record that remains one of the best of it's genre. It's tight, it's fast and it actual made me laugh a few times because of the absurdity of the songs and the pure raw energy of the band. Back in the day, I put this album and Wild In The Street on one side of a 90 minute cassette (Buzzcocks on the other side) and it was probably my most played tape. Still play it to this day!