Complete Discography

by

Minor Threat

Edit

The first time i listened to Minor Threat, frankly, I didn't like it. The music was too fast and it was devoid of any melody(that i heard at the time). Ian's vocals were screamed so fast and unintelligibly, that it turned me off at first. At the time I was listening to Rancid, The Clash, and The Sex Pistols. I bought the Blue Minor Threat tape, thinking it would be along those lines. It wasn't. But there was something infectious about the music that kept me coming back for more. I didn't know what straight edge meant at the time,(i thought it was some reference to cocaine) and I wan't sure what the hell Ian was talking about. Then I started analyzing the lyrics. They cut with such razor sharp poingancy and heartfelt honesty that the music started to make my stomach churn. I finally got it. This music blew away my old punk records. Minor Threat presented rage in an honest and beautiful way, whereas the Sex Pistols were just out to shock people. Musically these guys were tighter than 95 percent of the hardcore bands of their day, and the music stands up. Ian's lyrics stand as some of the best, dare I say it, "rock" lyrics of all time. I can only imagine how revolutionary this band must have been when they came out, both musically and politically. All I know is that I can still put this record on in my room and roll around like an idiot, get all sweaty, and sing along, and love every second of it. This record transcends punk, hardcore, or any B.S. label like that. This music is timeless, and it WILL live forever, albeit, a little Out of Step...

I own this, and I'm old enough to remember when it was new. It is admirable based on attitude and passion, but at some point you do have to have the chops and song skills to put it across. Minor Threat falls short most of the time on those counts. The other trap of course is the preachiness that they fall into with the lyrics. Preachy is preachy no matter what you are espousing. The brilliant thing that many early punk bands did was mix in an occasional knowing wink, with the content and attitude. Minor Threat is so unrelenting that it all becomes static to any but the most totally committed.

The reason I say the guy who called sum 41 true punk an inadvertent genius is because he baited many other reviewers into responding and demonstrating the overly self seriousness that a lot of hardcore suffered from. Lighten up guys, then you might realize when you're being toyed with for the amusement of others. Black Flag had it right with a mix of statement like "Rise Above", but also humor mixed in like "TV Party."