Bad Brains: I Against I

Bad Brains: I Against I

1986

SST Records

Format I Own it On:  Compact Disc

Track Listing: 1. Intro  2. I Against I  3. House of Suffering  4. Re-Ignition  5. Secret 77  6. Let Me Help  7. She's Calling You  8. Sacred Love  9. Hired Gun  10. Return to Heaven

This was an album I originally  owned on cassette, which looked like this...

 This was my introduction to the Bad Brains. I bought this back in the early 90's and it seemed like this and "Quickness" were the only ones I could  find until the release of "Rise." Well, needless to say I chose this over "Quickness" because the title and cover art were so much cooler..."I Against I" sounded so mysterious. What could it possibly mean? At the time I had no idea about the Rastafarian practice of  using the phrase "I and I" (since Yourself and God are one united person or some jive) so the title merely sounded schizophrenic and awesome...I can still remember putting it on the tape-deck and hearing Dr. Know's bad-ass shredding "intro" which leads directly into the title track...and ohhhh boy, that title track.

This song is unbelievable...I can't believe they fit so much action in just under 3 minutes. The band switches gears constantly throughout the running time, showing just how versatile hardcore can actually be...I could praise it for a million years and it still wouldn't be enough to get across how much I love it.

H.R was always an interesting vocalist to say the least, but I think he takes it to another level here...Think of the vocals on the Faith no More and System of a Down albums that came in the following decades and realize this is where it all comes from. And Dr. Know is no slouch either...I don't think guitar playing of this type is particularly fashionable anymore, so his performances may make the record sound slightly dated, but no less fantastic...To be honest, I think why this sounds so odd now is that there's just not anybody out there who can play like this anymore...

Other tracks I never get tired of are the muted chop-metal of "Re-Ignition" and "Sacred Love" which features H.R. literally phoning-in his vocals...from Prison, no less. It works so well that I can't imagine the song with clear, well-recorded vocals...

 But yea, the Bad Brains shift from being the quintessential hardcore punk band to a sort of Thrash-metal/Punk/Funk hybrid...They even drop the reggae this time around... Punk and Metal purists might not be so much into this, but if you have an open-mind about music then there's a good chance you're  going to dig it after a couple listens. Who knows though...I was sold immediately...

Enough talking about it, let's listen to "I Against I" by the Bad Brains...Enjoy...