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7 Seconds “Walk Together Rock Together”

sfilzen — Thu, 24 Mar 2022 17:35:16 +0000

7 Seconds “Walk Together Rock Together” 1986. BYO Records. Today, March 24th, is Kevin Seconds’ birthday (b. Kevin Marvelli, 1961). Last night we saw 7 Seconds at the X-Ray Arcade, the first time I’ve seen them live since 1988 and it was epic! I scored a great spot right at the stage and, elbows sharpened against the push of the pit, managed to get some great shots and videos; I even got to scream “I’m gonna stay young until I die!” when Kevin put the mic to my face during “Young ’til I Die.”

Photo courtesy of my friend, Chuck, aka Melissa aka my front row buddy

The crowd energy was amazing and the band seemed genuinely thrilled to be playing to such an enthusiastic and sold-out audience. Part of the reason I loved seeing 7 Seconds so much back in the 80’s was (and is!) that they are super-positive and inclusive; last night they played another fave “Not Just Boys Fun” which is about making sure the girls/women at their shows get a chance to be up front and dance without getting pummeled – at least that’s what I think I recall Kevin saying in an interview at some point (at that last show I saw in ’88 my friend, another small girl, and I got to sit on the stage during the show because things were getting too nuts in the pit). We all remember how great that energy felt back in the day so last night was sort of an 80’s punk rock reunion: I saw a bunch of my Fox Valley friends, some of whom I haven’t seen in years, including my friends Shawn and Allyson who were at all the 7 Seconds shows; after one of those shows – I believe in ’87 – the band came down to Allyson’s house for a party. That was a doubly epic night.

Shawn, me, Allyson. Photo taken by Joe on Shawn’s phone

So many highlights from the show, but my favorite were definitely songs from Walk Together Rock Together, one of my most-listened to punk records of the 80’s. (Walk Together Rock Together, produced by Ian MacKaye, is an expansion of the same-named 1985 EP and includes studio and live recordings.) Top show moments: “In Your Face,” “New Wind” and the title track “Walk Together Rock Together” – so much audience participation and whoa-whoa-whoaing. And in a beautiful act of universe synchronicity, today also happens to be the birthday of Nena (b. Gabriele Susanne Kerner, 1960) of “99 Luftballoons” fame. One of 7 Seconds most beloved songs – and one of their only covers – is a rendition of “99 Red Balloons” which was the final encore of the show. You can, as long as you have Facebook, watch the entire concert here:

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7 Seconds “Walk Together Rock Together”

sfilzen — Tue, 31 Mar 2020 01:15:45 +0000

7 Seconds “Walk Together Rock Together” released 35 years ago, 1985. Better Youth Organization (BYO Records)/Positive Force Records. Produced by Ian MacKaye. In quarantine lots of folks turn to comfort food but I’m turning to comfort music, which for me is 80′s punk (and other stuff, too). Today I’m diving into my metaphorical bowl of mac-n-cheese and spinning this hardcore gem – the original Walk Together Rock Together. 7 Seconds released a second expanded version in 1986 which includes all of the tracks on this EP plus a few other studio and live songs. The tracks are surprisingly relevant 35 years later for our current world pandemic situation. “In Your Face” isn’t really about admonishing people to socially isolate (it’s about friends being assholes I think) but the the lyrics “If I can give a fuck/you better start so use your head. Be aware. Give. A. Fuck!!!” seem super-fucking timely. “Strength” is super-short without many lyrics at all so the whole song feels like a timely pep-talk (shout): “If what you see is what you get/Just look toward us and never fret. I’ll sing this ‘til I can’t no more. A part of what I’m waiting for. It’s there so strong and you can see/A force. And what we have is strength! All we need it’s what we got!” And while we cannot actually walk together, nor rock together, “Walk Together, Rock Together” is a great reminder in these times of extreme difficulty that we all need to work together to end the threat. Finally, 7 Seconds’ cover of Nena’s “99 Red Balloons” is not only the best version of the song (and that includes the awesome original, in German of course – the English version isn’t as good) but is a glimpse into the post-apocalyptic world we could be facing if this shit isn’t dealt with effectively…. “It’s all over and I’m standin’ pretty in the dust that was a city/If I could find a souvenir just to prove the world was here/And here it is a red balloon/I think of you and let it go” (ending with the signature Whoah-whoah’s that punctuate nearly every single 7 Seconds song). However, “Spread” is exactly the opposite of what we want right now: “But what I’d like to see most in the world today/We’ve got to spread it! Spread it!” (They’re not really talking about disease of course, but love and affection and emotion)

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7 Seconds “Walk Together Rock Together”

sfilzen — Tue, 03 Nov 2015 15:57:47 +0000

7 Seconds “Walk Together Rock Together” 1986. BYO Records. Last night I dreamed about going to a 7 Seconds show – it was present day and only like 4 people showed up to see them. I was bummed for them but thrilled I could get right up to the stage to take some GIF-worthy shots on my phone of their performance (which lasted 2 songs ‘cos they were pissed at the poor turnout). So today I’m listening to my all-time favorite 7 Seconds record. I listened the shit out of this album in the mid-1980′s as 7 Seconds played shows in our area what seemed like monthly from ‘85-’89. The highlights of each and every show were tracks from this LP: “Walk Together, Rock Together,” “New Wind” and the BEST cover-song ever, Nena’s “99 Red Balloons.”

Walk Together Rock Together is an expansion of the same-named 1985 EP and includes studio and live recordings. Produced by Minor Threat’s Ian MacKaye, the record has a crispness that was often lacking on similar-era hardcore punk recordings while still conveying the exuberant energy of a 7 Seconds’ live show.

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