Negative Approach “Tied Down”
Negative Approach “Tied Down” 1983. Touch and Go Records. The first (and only) LP by the Detroit hardcore punk pioneers. Relentlessly tough, angry and growling. We saw Negative Approach play a couple of years ago when they toured with 7 Seconds; though not the original lineup which disbanded after Tied Down‘s release and tour. Singer John Brannon seemed just as intense and ragey as he reportedly was back in the day.
Negative Approach at X-Ray Arcade 2022
Negative Approach at X-Ray Arcade 2022
Tied Down is super-aggressive, even for early 80’s hardcore standards. The roary/screamy style of singing has never been my jam so about half of the tracks on this very short album are a bit much. But, I really do like a few of them: the title track “Tied Down” is great, and “Nothing” slows down just enough to make it a real ass-shaker punk anthem. (While “Evacuate” also slows down, it goes all the way to sludge and mud mode). The vocals on “Live Your Life” are actually (mostly) understandable and the riff is catchy! (It’s still brutally hardcore though).
Daily (maybe) pulls from the vault: 33-1/3, 45, 78, old, older, classic, new, good, bad. Subjective. Autobiographical. Occasionally putting a record up for sale.
