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| | The First Four Years | | | Music Artist : | | Black Flag | | Music Style : | | General | | Record Label : | | Sst Records | | Release Date : | | 1990-10-25 | | Store Price : | | $16.98 | | Artistopia's Price: $16.98 | | Usually ships in 24 hours | | |
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CD Tracks/Songs
Disc 11. Nervous Breakdown
2. Fix Me
3. I've Had It
4. Wasted
5. Jealous Again
6. Revenge
7. White Minority
8. No Values
9. You Bet We've Got Something Against You!
10. Clocked In
11. Six Pack
12. I've Heard It Before
13. American Waste
14. Machine
15. Louie, Louie
16. Damaged I
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Other Artist Albums
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Customer Reviews of This Album/CD |
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 The Embryonic Stage
Submitted on: 2008-05-18 |
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| Regardless of the attestation by ardent punks with little scope- this was NOT Black Flag at its peak. This compilation instead illustrates a musical outfit with potential yet didn't fully separate itself from the rest of the pack and whose best work had yet to come. "Jealous Again," "Nervous Breakdown," "Six Pack," and "Wasted" by and large lack the intesity of an embittered Henry Rollins but are still nonetheless well written gems by Greg Ginn which have aged rather well after almost thirty years! If you must restrict your collection to Black Flag only in its infancy- then at least purchase "Damaged" as well to accompany this. |
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 The First Four Years and the First Four Singers
Submitted on: 2007-09-17 |
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| This is a solid choice and show cases, in my opinion, the best that the Flag has to offer. I personally prefer Keith Morris and Ron Reyes (Chavo Pedarist)over Dez Cadena and Henry Rollins. Best songs; Nervous Break Down, Wasted, No Values, White Minority, Revenge, Jealous Again, You Bet I've got something Personal Against You, etc.. |
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incredible
Submitted on: 2007-07-13 |
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| Black Flag were an incredible hardcore band before hardcore had a name. Along with the Germs and several other california bands they did the genre at least a hundred times better than the DC kids who came along later and claimed to invent it while simultanously beating the crap out of anybody who didnt adhere to their militant straight edge philosophy(ironically this practice left straight edge founder and Minor Threat vocalist Ian MacKaye mortified). This cd best shows Black Flag's hardcore beginings. If you like it buy the Everything Went Black compilation and then if you still want more get Damaged(even though I never found it to be that great, people say it's a masterpeice). Then go on to My War and the more experimental stuff if you still care. |
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The absolute real deal
Submitted on: 2006-12-11 |
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| Before Henry Rollins came along, Black Flag was slamming forward with a force to be reckoned with. Guitarist and founder Greg Ginn orchestrated a sound that was far from pleasant or catchy. The grinding, shredding sound of hardcore punk that can be heard on "The First Four Years" should come with an advisory for those who have never jumped in the waters that Black Flag swum in; because this music is not for the faint of heart. Don't believe me? Listen to "Nervous Breakdown", "Fix Me", "I've Had It", "Wasted", "Revenge", "White Minority", "Six Pack", and "I've Heard It Before", and decide for yourself. Every track on this disc is loaded with attitude and heart that is very rarely matched in any genre of music, helping cement Black Flag not only as pioneers in the world of hardcore and punk, but as one of the most immitated, but never duplicated, bands over the past couple decades. And as much as I enjoy their later material with Henry Rollins, I must say that this is some of the best music that I have ever heard, period. A masterpiece in every way, shape, and form; Black Flag is the absolute real deal in hardcore punk rock. |
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Still whoops me today almost 30 years later.
Submitted on: 2006-03-26 |
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I've always considered the Nervous Breakdown 7" to be the finest 7" ever made, which is saying a lot and, actually, virtually impossible to say considering there's so many amazing ones out there. But this one is something special. And when you hear it with the other 3 records here it shows you that BLACK FLAG created some of the finest hardcore punk rock ever. In fact, after their first album, Damaged, they stormed off the charts themselves, into some sorta experimental punk yuk, excluding, of course, the wonderful 2xLP, Everything Went Black of these same songs done by a variety of their earlier singers.
I'm old now. 51. When I heard these songs as they came out in the late 70's and early 80's each record tore our heads off. The intensity, the pure punk, the distinct guitar and nihilistic lyrics all came smashing together as a pillar of punk as it formed in those years.
They had some difficulty with some record label that caused them to not release maybe as many records as they might otherwise have over those first four years. We can at least be thankful that these records exist as well as the favor they did us releaseing Everything Went Black. There's not too many live shows floating around from that period either, a real loss.
Let's review the songs shall we?
Nervous Breakdown is so intense. The whole 7" benefits by having Keith Morris on vocals, the perfect match. I still get worked up when this song comes on.
Fix Me. An excellent plea for mental health services, in a very punk rock way. Abrupt, sharp, short. Punk rock man.
I've Had It. And I mean it maan. Pure power, pure punk.
Wasted says it all. Drugs, out of control and blasting into a brick wall.
Jealous Again. One of the beauties of punk rock is that it takes the antithisis of rock when it comes to love songs. Funny thing is, this is a love song, well, you can't tell cuz it's a punch in the face too. Love with a cobra. In all its glory.
Revenge. Who can ask for more vocally? The total punk package.
White Minority. RAW POWER in Italy covers this song with an Italian accent. Wonderful.
No Values. Nihilism in the extreme. Another song that just blasts me off still.
You Bet We've Got Something Personal Against You! One of the finest lyrical openings of a song ever.
Six Pack. I barely drink but I get so into this song. It's the power and intensity and perfection of punk rock that they deliver. I'm bellowing 'six pack' at the end.
I've Heard It Before. Ever get frustrated? Wanna release? Just listen here and sing along. The cure comes and so quickly.
American Waste. Ya want politics? The beginning of the end for BLACK FLAG but at least this 7" and the Damaged LP still had guts and musical intensity, not that nonesense of the later albums.
Machine. I'm not a machine. Ode to industrial living.
Louie Louie. I think most of us were surprised they covered this back in the day. No body covered old songs like that, least punk bands, not that I remembered. But they did it with pinnache. Possibly an effort to get on the radio. That's ok. Everything they did in the first four years was punk heaven.
Damaged I. The Henry influence begins its terrible journey. I'm so intense. Fortunately, he didn't drag them totally down and out yet, or whomever's fault those later albums were.
If yer a punk and you don't own this (or the 3 7"s and the 12") then your punkness is incomplete. I don't know how they came up with these songs but they're as perfect as punk ever got. All hardcore. Short songs. Angry. Intense. Powerful in every sense. Thank you BLACK FLAG. This music will live as long as humans do. I'm just wondering what I'll think of it if I make it to 71 or 91? Probably just laugh. A lot. chrisbct@hotmail.com |
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