MINOR THREAT- FIRST DEMO TAPE E.P DISCORD RECORDS 2007.
The tracks on this E.P were the bands first attempt at recording in a studio and was made just three or four months after the young band first formed. Originally the recorded tracks were hoped to be good enough to make it on to the bands first record but were scrapped in favour of recordings that were made roughly a month later.
When you first think about the E.P its easy to get put off by the fact that the band was still quite a new one and that even they didn't feel that it was good enough to be released. but the songs have recently been re-mixed while leaving its 'rough edges'. But that takes nothing away from the record which is in reality not a bad record by any ones standard, sure there is the recording sound which still leaves a lot to be desired but that doesn't stop the musics energy, attitude and good songs from shining through one bit making this a great single.
And although a couple of the tracks do come across as being a bit 'outdated' others on the E.P don't, making this a welcome addition to early U.S hardcore history.
The songs tear along at a pace that would become the standard style of hardcore in the states during the 1980's but the band don't come across as yet another 'copycat' band but one of the bands who showed others how it is done, and despite the band members only being young they sound like they had been having the same musical dreams for years because even at such a young stage in the band and their age's the band knew exactly what they were doing and playing.
And if you were one of those people who ever had your own school punk band then this record will be sure to spark up some long lost memories, sounding like i said a teenage school punk band.
The seven inch eight track (well worth the money!) starts off side one with the tracks
1. minor threat, stand up, seeing red, bottled violence.
and side two has the tracks...
2. small mouth-big man, straight edge, guilty of being white*, i don't want to hear it.
*guilty of being white was covered by SLAYER, the song becoming quite a favourite of the band.
On the back of the singles cover are the words "though previously unreleased these songs sound similar to the first E.P. (this i assume was put there so not to put off MINOR THREAT fans who already own the 'first' E.P).
Their first single E.P was was made from a tape a month later that came from the bands second time in the studio.
One point of interest was the 'mates' who went into the 'basement studio' to help with the recording and who appeared on the single singing backing vocals, one of the 'mates' was non-other that a certain HENRY GARFIELD. This MR GARFIELD was to go on to find fame in his own right as the singer of a popular beat combo who went by the name of BLACK FLAG although MR GARFIELD had (rather sensibly) by then changed his last name to the more 'muscular' sounding 'ROLLINS'.
But back to the single, this is a record that i like and reccomend to anyone because in its songs you can hear not only enthusiasm, you aso get the impression that the band are playing the songs because they like them. This is another reason to buy the record.
MINOR THREAT, first demo tape is available on DISCHORD RECORDS who can be reached at www.dischord.com.
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