Rise Above: 24 Black Flag Songs

by

Rollins Band

Edit

I first saw the documentary, Paradise Lost, many years ago. While I initially watched it because it had been the first movie which Metallica's music had been featured in (they had donated 3 songs). However, the precense of Metallica's music quickly became overshadowed by the injustice featured in the documentary. I'll spare you the details, since Henry has been so vocal about it, but pick up the book Devil's Knot and read about it yourself.

I was pleased to hear that Rollins was backing the West Memphis Three and was surprised to hear about his idea about this benefit record. Since Henry hasn't performed a Black Flag song since 1986, I figured he liked to keep the band in the back of his mind. However, when I first heard about the conception of this benefit album, I was intrigued. When the tracklisting surfaced, I became extremely excited. Mike Patton, Nick Oliveri, Tom Araya, Iggy Pop, and Lemmy all lending their voices to amazing Black Flag tunes. Of course, I wondered how the music would turn out... I love the current incarnation of Rollins Band, but there is always a sense of doubt when you're dealing with something sacred.

Let me just say this... this record harnasses the anger of the West Memphis Three case and channels it out tenfold. The Rollins Band perform each song to near perfection. The guitar tone is just right, and the rhythm section delivers constant shots to the kidneys. For the most part, each vocalist delivers. I'm not the biggest fan of Slipknot, but Corey Taylor's 'Room 13' is incredible. Other highlights? 'American Waste' w/ Neil from Clutch, 'Nervous Breakdown' w/ original Flag singer Keith Morris, 'Six Pack' by Mike Patton, 'Jealous Again' by Nick Oliveri, and Henry's look back on 'My War.' Hank III absoultely destroys 'No Values' and Lemmy's 'Thirsty & Miserable' sounds better than the original.

This album is required listening for any fan of the Flag and would honestly be a nice introduction to the band, as well. True... Greg Ginn is absent... but his songs are here in full force. Educate yourself on this case and RISE ABOVE!

Okay, not everybody is in agreement about the West Memphis Three. I don't see one iota of actual evidence that proves they're guilty.

That said, I'm here to review the music on this CD, not go on about my opinon.

Black Flag was of course a great band for a good 5 or 6 years.

Their last material was dire (witness 'Annihilate This Week'; nothing can make that song good folks, not to my ears).

The best covers on here partly belong to Henry Rollins himself, he of the classic Damaged. Never mind his self-congratulatory liners, when given the right material, he's awesome here. My War in particular is fantastic, maybe better than the original; the version of Slip it In with Inger Lorre of the Nymphs is also fantastic, with the lyrics ringing clearer than ever before in their meaning.

Rise Above, with Chuck D. (who I don't hear on it, except the intro!) is incredible, and best of all, is the great Keith Morris, of both Circle Jerks fame (Group Sex being the best hardcore punk album ever made), and also the original singer of Black Flag, on their finest moment, the Nervous Breakdown E.P. His re-recording of Nervous Breakdown is just F-----g INCREDIBLE. Worth it for that alone.

The others? Well, Police Story by Ice-T is quite good, surprisngly for me (never a fan of his), and um...

there's not much else, which is why I gave this three stars.

Lemmy's version of Thirsty and Miserable is fair, and of course all Motorhead completists must have this I guess.

Ryan Adam's Nervous Breakdown ("bonus track" --???) is nowhere near Keith Morris's, but it's fair.

The lyrics of Jealous Again are much clearer her as done by Nick Oliveri, but it's not a great version; I'll take the Everything Went Black version by Dez as the best one.

Most of these covers aren't that good, I give it three stars for the few truly incredible ones.

Interesting to hear Hank Williams III doing No values, but not any good either.

Iggy Pop tops them all in terms of sheer awfulness with his version of Fix Me, which has to be heard in all completion to see what a joke it, like he, is. Pathetic.

That all said, the songs on here that ARE done well are SO great, it's worth having if you're a Black Flag fan at all.

And if you believe they're innocent, well, there ya go...

I've definitely heard Worse benefit albums! By FAR.