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Black Flag “Who’s Got the 10-1/2?”

sfilzen — Wed, 05 Nov 2025 18:52:11 +0000

Black Flag “Who’s Got the 10-1/2?” 1986. SST Records. Last night we saw “Black Flag” perform at X-Ray Arcade. The quotes are because it’s just Greg Ginn (on guitar) from the OG lineup(s) and three other young musicians who look about the same age as my kid. It was good…it was weird. The kids did a good job and absolutely put their heart and snarl into the show but it was grandpa with the grandkids. Again, weird. The Queers opened and they’re also down to just original member, Joseph P. King aka Joe Queer. At least the rest of his band felt a bit more age appropriate. (The Queers were fun, though their sound got pretty repetitive quickly, but it’s short, sharp, dumb and silly punk so I didn’t mind.) We only stayed for the first half of Black Flag (OMG there was an intermission! Like we were at the fucking opera or something) so I’m not sure what they played during the second set but we got “Nervous Breakdown,” “Damaged,” “Six Pack” and “Wasted” during the first half.

Who’s Got the 10-1/2? is a live LP recorded in August 1985 at Starry Night in Portland, Oregon. This is Rollins-era Flag (the back cover of the LP has him in those tiny, sweaty 80’s athletic shorts) so deep screamy yet guttural vocals over Ginn’s shred and the hardcore rhythms of bassist Kira Roessler (the only other woman in Black Flag until the current singer, Max Zanelly) and drummer Anthony Martinez. For an 80’s live punk album, the quality is surprisingly good, especially Side B’s “My War” and the long mashup of “Slip It In” with “Gimmie, Gimmie, Gimmie.”

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Rollins Band “Do It”

sfilzen — Thu, 17 Sep 2020 00:26:04 +0000

Rollins Band “Do It” 1987. Texas Hotel Records, produced by Ian MacKaye. Do It is technically an EP, but it doesn’t feel like one; it’s the same length of many of its contemporary punk LP’s (probably longer – Rollins is not generally known for his brevity). It has three cover songs on Side A: the title track “Do It” originally by Pink Fairies, an almost unrecognizable “Move Right In” by Velvet Underground and a punk-blues version of “Next Time” by Louis Prima. Quite an eclectic mix, though I guess not surprising because, well, Rollins. Side B is all live tracks from a show in Deventer, Holland on October 22nd, 1987. Do It was released after the Rollins Band first LP Life Time, also in ‘87, after Black Flag broke up in ‘86. A couple of the live tracks from Holland also appear on Life Time, including “Lonely,” “Wreckage” and “Hot Animal Machine I” (well, on Life Time it’s “Hot Animal Machine II” recorded live at a show in Belgium).

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Black Flag “Louie Louie”

sfilzen — Tue, 15 Aug 2017 16:32:30 +0000

Black Flag “Louie Louie” b/w “Damage I” 1981. Posh Boy Records. This is Dez Cadena era Black Flag (post-Keith Morris and Ron Reyes, pre-Henry Rollins) before he blew out his voice with his scream-growl singing style. Side A is a lightning-fast, irreverent punk cover of the classic “Louie Louie” (originally written in 1958 by Richard Berry but made popular – and controversial – by The Kingsmen in 1963); Black Flag notoriously performed an extended version of “Louie Louie” after Ron Reyes quit the band mid-gig at their ‘80 show in Redondo Beach, inviting the audience up on stage to sing. Black Flag’s main songwriter Greg Ginn and Dez darkly rework the famously misinterpreted lyrics into a punk lament that are pictured on the single’s cover, “You know the pain/That’s in my heart/It just shows/I’m not very smart/Who needs love/When you’ve got a gun/Who needs love/To have any fun.” Side B’s “Damage I” is a long (in punk minutes) sludgy screamer that would be reworked into “Damaged II” (sung by Henry Rollins) on Black Flag’s LP Damaged.

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Black Flag “My War”

sfilzen — Mon, 13 Feb 2017 15:39:11 +0000

Black Flag “My War” 1983. SST Records. Today, February 13th, is Henry Rollins’ birthday (b. Henry Garfield, 1961). Rollins joined Black Flag in 1981, taking over vocalist responsibilities from Dez Cadena (who had taken over after Keith Morris left in 1979) A Black Flag fan, Rollins had joined the band onstage briefly in 1980 while the band toured the east coast and then famously quit his job at Haagen-Dazs in DC (where he worked with Ian MacKaye) and moved to L.A. to join the group. Internal band tensions and Rollins’ hyper-macho antagonistic stage personality changed the band from a straight-up west coast punk band to a sludgy heavy-metal infused hardcore group, resulting in My War. (Dez Cadena had left Black Flag by this point and Greg Ginn fired bassist Chuck Dukowski and took over the bass parts on My War). According to a wiki article, the change in musical style, members and hair (now long), Black Flag fans were pissed and “focused their displeasure on Rollins by punching him in the mouth, stabbing him with pens, or scratching him with their nails, among other methods. He often fought back, dragging audience members on stage and assaulting them. During a Black Flag concert, Rollins repeatedly punched in the face a fan who had continuously reached for his microphone.” The change in musical style did, however, have a profound influence on later 80′s/early 90′s grunge, inspiring the punk-metal fusion sound of bands like Mudhoney and Nirvana (Kurt Cobain’s first punk show was Black Flag during the My War tour and he cited the album among his favorites).

Side A of My War is filled with screaming guitar solos, screaming Rollins, and a few relatively upbeat, albeit dark and menacing, punk songs, especially the title track “My War” (which, incidentally, was written by the now-fired Dukowski). Allmusic calls the B-side “a totally worthless second side. Featuring three tracks [“Nothing Left Inside,” “Three Nights,” and “Scream”] of slower-than-Black Sabbath muck with Henry Rollins howling like a caged animal, it was self-indulgence masquerading as inspiration and about as much fun as wading through a tar pit.” That said, it is easy to hear the direct link to the more ponderous grunge recordings that came later that decade.

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Black Flag “Nervous Breakdown”

sfilzen — Mon, 06 Jun 2016 16:30:58 +0000

Black Flag “Nervous Breakdown” b/w “Fix Me” “I’ve Had It” and “Wasted.” 1978. SST Records. The trajectory of Black Flag’s debut 7″ EP pretty much sums up the week I expect to have (work = insane).

This is pre-Rollins Black Flag, with Keith Morris on vocals: all sneer and sounding like what Allmusic describes as being “a graduate from the Johnny Rotten school of diction.” Side A’s “Nervous Breakdown” is a punk classic and the longest track on the EP, taking up a whopping 2:55 to fill one side of vinyl! Side B’s tracks are little nuggets of hardcore gems; “Wasted” has always been one of my favorites and I’m really hoping “I’ve Had It” does not become the week’s theme song for me or for you.

I can’t go to work
The boss is a jerk
I ain’t got time for this school
The fuckers are fools
I’m going to…explode
I’ve had it!

I lie around with the tv on
I don’t do nothin’, I just hang around
Waitin’ for your call
But I don’t know where to fall
I’m going to…explode
I’ve had it!

It’s no use
I can’t take no more abuse
I’m tired of the fuckin’ lines
I’m losing my mind
I’m going to…explode
I’ve had it!

Killin’ all your dreams
Really who remembers?
I play guitar for my car
And I won’t get very far
I’m going to…explode

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Black Flag “Jealous Again”

sfilzen — Wed, 06 May 2015 14:01:06 +0000

Black Flag “Jealous Again” 1980. SST Records (the label’s third release). 5 song EP. Original vocalist Keith Morris quit the band during its initial recording and Black Flag replaced him with Red Kross’s Ron Reyes (vocal credits on the album given to “Chavo Pederast” who is actually Reyes). Reyes’ version of the EP almost didn’t make it – he quit the band in the middle of a show and Dez Cadena (also from Red Kross) temporarily took over vocal recording – but Reyes finally returned to complete the project.

“White Minority” is probably the most recognized and popular song on the EP, appearing in the documentary “The Decline of Western Civilization,” (the song an attack on racism and white supremacy rather than an advocation). The track “You Bet We’ve Got Something Against You!” reflects the internal band strife: bassist Charles Dukowski rewrote and recorded the lyrics to “I Don’t Care,” ranting against Keith Morris’ departure from Black Flag and taking – then recording – “I Don’t Care” (which was originally slated to appear on “Jealous Again”) and “Wasted” which Morris then played with his new band The Circle Jerks.

You don’t have anything personal against me do you?
You bet I’ve got something personal against you!

We know you stole our song
You were there
every touch is wrong
You were there fuckin’ wrote it all down
You regret everything you’ve done now

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