7. “Black Coffee” – Black Flag: An Artist A Week/A Song A Day – A History of Alternative Music

7. “Black Coffee” – Black Flag

(From the album Slip It In)

1984

Black Flag’s third record of 1984 was Slip It In, an album that took the harder, metal-fused punk of My War to even further extremes. While the music still has the general feel and aggression of harcore punk rock, on Slip It In Black Flag has abandoned the classic trappings of punk; namely short, simple songs played with great speed but minimal instrumental skill. On Slip It In Black Flag regularly extends the song lengths much longer than most punk did. Indeed, only one song on the record clocked in under four minutes and three of the tracks are six minutes or longer. These longer running times allow room for greater musical complexity, changing time signatures, and more instrumental experimentation. Make no mistake, this is still Black Flag, not Queen or Van Halen, but Ginn especially is given room to show his increased skill on the guitar and his interest in genres other than punk. One of the standout tracks is “Black Coffee”, a powerful track that merges Ginn’s metallic riffing (and new bassist Kira Roessler’s excellent playing) with Rollins’ fiery aggression. “Black Coffee” falls somewhere in between harcore punk and the emerging thrash metal scene that had recently emerged. “Black Coffee” leans more toward punk and doesn’t have the speed of thrash metal, but a listen to Black Flag’s Slip It In and Metallica’s recent debut album Kill ‘Em All finds a lot of similarities and shared influences that one might not expect as both draw on punk and metal, just in different proportions and helps explain both why Metallica was often a hit with punk fanzines in their early days and why Black Flag is often cited a a key influence by the grunge bands of the late 80’s and 90’s. Following the release of Slip It In Black Flag continued its revolving cast of members as bassist Kira Roessler was let go (she had been attending college and working around her schedule was causing tension within the band) and drummer Bill Stevenson moved on. Ultimately, this meant that Black Flag moving forward was basically reduced to a core duo of band founder and guitarist Greg Ginn and vocalist and frontman Henry Rollins. This duo, along with whoever else they decided was in the band at that moment, recorded two more albums, 1985’s Loose Nut and 1986’s In My Head, both of which were sludgy blues/punk/proto-grunge records. Greg Ginn decided to end the band in the summer of 1986 and informed Rollins of such via a phone call. Since that time all of the various members have continued to work in the rock world, Henry Rollins most visibly as the leader of The Rollins Band. Greg Ginn has worked with several other groups in the years since and has played a handful of Black Flag reunion shows with either Reyes or Cadena on vocals. In 2013 Ginn announced he was reforming Black Flag with vocalist Ron Reyes (who had sang on the early Jealous Again EP), drummer Greg Moore, and bassist Dave Klein. The version of the band released the album What The… later that year.

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6. “My War” – Black Flag: An Artist A Week/A Song A Day – A History of Alternative Music

6. “My War” – Black Flag

(From the album My War)

1984

While not a commercial breakthrough, Black Flag’s debut album Damaged became one of the touchstones of the American punk scene but due to legal issues they could not immediately follow it up properly. By the time Black Flag were able to release another record the band had changed in several key ways: Henry Rollins was established as their vocalist and focal point, Dez Cadena had become the group’s second guitarist which allowed the band to become heavier and more diverse (although he would leave the band around this time), and bassist Chuck Duckowski had left the group to focus more on the business side of the band. Ultimately, it would be the trio of Rollins, Ginn (now on guitar and bass), and Bill Stevenson on drums, that would record 1984’s My War, the follow-up to Damaged.  My War opens with the title track, a brutal song written by Duckowski (who still maintained a working relationship with his former bandmates) that feels like a continuation of the aggression and themes explored on Damaged. However, “My War” finds this harder edge by melding punk with heavy metal in a way that punk rock had rarely done before. Black Flag’s fan base were divided over this heavier, somewhat less traditionally punk direction, but the truth is that it is a perfect musical base for the iron force that is Henry Rollins on vocals. Rollins has cut out the silliness and irony that sometimes colored early Black Flag recordings and “My War” has that same hard and lean, no-nonsense edge to it. My War however would just be the first of three new albums that Black Flag would release in 1984 and the following two – Family Man and Slip It In – would prove to move the band even further from their early punk sound, without ever completely abandoning it. Family Man, the immediate follow-up to My War really pushed Black Flag in to new directions with one side of the album being Henry Rollins’ spoken work performances set to the band’s music, while the other side showcased the improved playing of the band via several jazz/metal inspired instrumental tracks. Family Man also introduced Black Flag’s new bassist Kira Roessler to the world. Slip It In would move the band back toward the punk/metal fusion of My War while also moving it further down that road by extending song lengths far beyond punk’s traditional brevity, adding complexity, and generally giving Greg Ginn’s guitars more room to experiment and show off.

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5. “TV Party” – Black Flag: An Artist A Week/A Song A Day – A History of Alternative Music

5. “TV Party” – Black Flag

(From the EP TV Party)

1982

Black Flag had originally released the song “TV Party” on their debut album Damaged, released in December of 1981. “TV Party” was rerecorded and released as a de facto single when the “TV Party” EP was released in March of 1982. In some ways “TV Party” serves as the end of an era for Black Flag as the arrival of Henry Rollins would move the band’s music is a direction that was more intensely serious and less humorous and ironic. That, however, is happily not the case on “TV Party” which is a bratty, almost silly (and fairly catchy), look at how television is helping to shape a whole generation of lazy, disengaged alcoholics who care more about their favorites shows and characters than their own life. Rollins is the vocalist on the track but he was still new enough to the group to not have influenced the direction of the music as much as he later would. “TV Party” would be one of the last times that Black Flag would play the role of snotty brats rather than angry revolutionaries (although that latter streak had always been in their music) and “TV Party” would become a fan favorite because of its silly lyrics, group chorus vocals, and shouted titles of favorite TV shows. The band even recorded a music video for the song. Ultimately, “TV Party” would be rerecorded a third time to be used in the 1984 film Repo Man, and while none of these versions became a true hit “TV Party” is one of the Black Flag songs to have the biggest cultural impact.

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4. “Rise Above” – Black Flag: An Artist A Week/A Song A Day – A History of Alternative Music

4. “Rise Above” – Black Flag

(From the album Damaged)

1981

Black Flag had several very chaotic early years but 1981 saw many things solidify for the band. First, vocalist Dez Cardena moved from being Black Flag’s vocalist to the band’s second guitarist, which both toughened up the group’s sound and would allow them to expand their sound moving forward. Second, the band was finally able to end their revolving door of vocalists when they offered the job to Henry Rollins, a fan from the Washington D.C. area. Third, Black Flag finally signed a record deal, with MCA subsidiary Unicorn Records. Things seemed to finally be settling in and looking up for Black Flag, who had no illusions about mainstream success but did think the record deal would increase the band’s exposure. However, upon hearing the finished debut album Damaged Unicorn Records refused to release it, fearing that the album was too violent and vulgar (and possibly due to serious financial issues as well). Unable to get Unicorn to release Damaged Ginn and company decided to release it on his own label SST instead. Unicorn then sued Black Flag for breach of contract and the resulting law suit meant that Black Flag could not release any new material under the Black Flag moniker for almost two years. However, Damaged was now out in the world and it would almost universally be considered Black Flag’s masterpiece. The album opens up with the ferocious blast of “Rise Above” which finds Greg Ginn’s guitar and Chuck Duckowksi’s bass driving forward a punk classic, while drummer Robo keeps firm time. Over it all are the vocals of Henry Rollins; not that different from Black Flag’s earlier vocalists and yet somehow still the missing piece that Black Flag needed. “Rise Above” is one of the classics of hardcore punk and an announcement to the world that Black Flag had arrived and was taking no prisoners. This same attitude fueled the band’s legal battle with Unicorn Records as well. Unable to release new material under the Black Flag name or logo the band simply released a trove of older material without the Black Flag name or logo (the cover listed the names of all the bandmembers) under the title Everything Went Black. In the end Unicorn Records went bankrupt before a legal decision was made and so the rights to the Black Flag name and logo reverted to the band and they were finally able to move forward.

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3. “Six Pack” – Black Flag: An Artist A Week/A Song A Day – A History of Alternative Music

3. “Six Pack” – Black Flag

(From the EP Six Pack)

1981

“Six Pack” would go on to become one of Black Flag’s signature songs due to the dual aggression of Greg Ginn’s music and Henry Rollins’ vocals creating a brutal and powerful commentary on alcoholism. However, the version on Black Flag’s debut album Damaged is not the original version. Earlier in 1981 Black Flag released the Six Pack EP with Dez Cadena on vocals and an earlier version of the song with Cadena on vocals is equally vicious and aggressive (in fact, I personally prefer this version). Cadena had no experience or formal training as a vocalist however and the strain of touring quickly wore out his voice. This fact, combined with Cadena’s own desire to be a guitarist rather than a vocalist led to Cadena staying with the band as a second guitarist, and Black Flag once again needing a new vocalist. Black Flag turned to the Washington D.C. based Henry Rollins (their fourth vocalist in under four years), who would be the vocalist later in the year when Black Flag finally released their debut album Damaged, which would include the version of “Six Pack” with Rollins on vocals. However, this is the version from the earlier Six Pack EP with Cadena on vocals.

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2. “Jealous Again” – Black Flag: An Artist A Week/A Song A Day – A History of Alternative Music

2. “Jealous Again” – Black Flag

(From the EP Jealous Again)

1980

Black Flag needed to fill the vacancy left by the departure of their vocalist Keith Morris quickly as the band had already booked a tour in Vancouver, Canada. To fill that vacancy Black Flag turned to Ron Reyes, a street kid and fan of the band who they knew. Reyes’ time in Black Flag was brief but impactful as it was during this time that Black Flag began to extensively tour the west coast and so it was this version of Black Flag with Reyes’ on vocals that most fans outside of Los Angeles first experienced. Reyes, whose vocal style was darker-toned and less British sounding than Morris’ was, helped Black Flag create a heavier and more “Americanized” version of punk rock. Reyes was the vocalist for Black Flag’s second EP Jealous Again which showed the band hammering out its own distict identity while earning them a growing punk fan base (as well as the enmity of the Los Angeles Police Department). Reyes also is the Black Flag vocalist who is with the band in The Decline of Western Civilization, Penelope Spheeris’ impactful documentary about the L.A. punk scene (which earned even greater notoriety when Chief Daryl Gates of the LAPD wrote a letter demanding the film never be shown in Los Angeles again). In spite of Black Flag’s momentum and reputation building during Reyes time with the band Reyes followed original singer Morris out the door in 1980 when he walked off the stage in the middle of a show in Redondo Beach, California due to escalating violence around the band generally and specifically at that show. Most bands with a modicum of success don’t survive the departure of two singers but Black Flag quickly recruited Dez Cadena, a fan of the group, as their new vocalist and moved forward without much trouble. This was due in large part to the fact that the core duo of primary songwriter and guitarist Greg Ginn and bassist and in-band manager and promoter Chuck Duckoski still formed the core of the group (a group where the singer mostly just did a lot anger-filled yelling). Indeed, Ginn and Duckowski were pioneering a complete “do-it-yourself” aesthetic that became a key part of the punk equation, as they served as Black Flag’s managers, promoters, publicists, tour managers, etc. Ultimately, Ginn would also create SST Records, a childhood electronics business turned into a punk rock label, that would sign and support likeminded bands and serve as one of the most important and influential indie labels of the 1980’s. 

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1. “Nervous Breakdown” – Black Flag: An Artist A Week/A Song A Day – A History of Alternative Music

1. “Nervous Breakdown” – Black Flag

(From the EP Nervous Breakdown)

1978

Black Flag’s first offering to the world was their 1978 EP Nervous Breakdown. This initial version of the band consisted of guitarist Greg Ginn, bassist Chuck Duckowski, drummer Brian Migdol, and vocalist Keith Morris, although ultimately Ginn would be Black Flag’s only consistent member. Inspired by both the visceral power of The Stooges and the manic energy of The Ramones (although Morris’ vocals have a debt to Johnny Rotten of The Sex Pistols as well) Black Flag became pioneers of both the L.A. punk scene and of American hardcore punk generally. “Nervous Breakdown” sounds like the work of a fledgling band as one can hear their key influences. That said, there is no denying the rage, contempt, and muscular riffing, that Black Flag fused into something that was their own, even if they wore their influences on their sleeve  (although, in fairness, in 1978 most people weren’t aware of the bands that Black Flag was influenced by). Few bands, if any, would have a bigger musical and cultural impact than Black Flag did, built off of such a small commercial presence. That legacy was still in the future though; a future that quickly seemed in doubt when vocalist Keith Morris left the band a year later due to creative differences with Ginn and his own cocaine addiction. Morris would ultimately form Circle Jerks and a rivalry would form between the two bands. Morris’ departure also left Black Flag with a key vacancy that needed to be filled and it would take some time and effort for the band to ultimately find their long-term solution.

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7. “4th Of July” – X: An Artist A Week/A Song A Day – A History of Alternative Music

7. “4th of July” – X

(From the album See How We Are)

1987

X had been pioneers and leaders of the west coast punk scene, inspiration for the whole cowpunk subgenre, and had tried a glossy crossover attempt in a bid for mainstream stardom, and none of it had made the band stars. If anything, as they went into writing and recording their sixth album, 1987’s See How We Are, X found themselves at an uncomfortable crossroad where they were being pulled from two directions. X decided to deal with it by meeting in the middle. The band hired producer Alvin Clark who helped the band tack backward a little and helped X shape a sound that landed somewhere in between the rockabilly-fueled punk of their early career and the glossy mainstream rock of Ain’t Love Grand! On paper this sounds unappealing but in practice it allowed X to create a sound that tied together the various strands of their career into a sensible whole. In the end, See How We Are sounds similar to the roots rock meets Americana of Bruce Springsteen. This sound can be heard well in the song “4th of July”, one of the standout tracks from the album. Written by Dave Alvin, former guitarist for The Blasters who was briefly in the band after Billy Zoom left, “4th of July” feels like a lost Springsteen gem and earned the band some moderate airplay. However, See How We Are found even less success than previous albums, and X dedicated to take a lengthy hiatus following the release of the record (although the band did have a very unexpected taste of the success they had been chasing in 1989 when their cover version of “Wild Thing” – recorded back in 1984 – was used as in the movie Major League and was the lead single from the soundtrack) and would not come back until the release of Hey Zeus! in 1993. By 1993 grunge and alternative rock, much of which was inspired at least indirectly by X, had come into vogue and so it seemed a perfect moment for X to finally get their due. Hey Zeus! however suffered from fairly weak songwriting and the album only spawned middling success. A few years later X would tour to promote an anthology album meant to serve as a farewell to the band and original guitarist Billy Zoom returned for these shows. X then disbanded. However, in 2004 the original X line-up reunited to tour and has done so steadily in the years since. X finally returned to the studio in 2020 and released the critically acclaimed album Alphabetland, their first new album in 27 years.

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6. “Burning House Of Love” – X: An Artist A Week/A Song A Day – A History of Alternative Music

6. “Burning House of Love” – X

(From the album Ain’t Love Grand!)

1985

By 1985 X had released four albums that were all critically acclaimed but only moderately successful. X had become one of the most popular bands in Los Angeles and had some success in the college rock scene emerging at the time but had not really even come close to having a breakthrough hit. X decided it was time to shake things up and do something different so for their fifth album Ain’t Love Grand! and so the band parted ways with Ray Manzarek, who had produced their first four albums, and turned to producer Michael Wagener. Wagener came from the glam rock and heavy metal world (he had produced, mixed, or engineered Motley Crue, Great White, Alice Cooper and would go on to work with Skid Row, Warrant, and Ozzy Osbourne) and he would take a similar sonic approach with X, polishing up their sound and aiming for the 80’s mainstream in a way that X never had before. This new approach can be heard on the album’s lead single “Burning House Of Love”. The switch in production of style had mixed results. “Burning House Of Love” did not succeed in breaking through to the mainstream as hoped but it did reach #27 on the Billboard Rock Chart which suggests the new production style did help the song reach more traditional rock fans than their earlier, more punk-oriented material had. However, Ain’t Love Grand! did not sell any better than any of X’s previous albums. In fact, the album peaked slightly lower than both More Fun In The New World and Under The Big Black Sun had. Ain’t Love Grand! also divided both critics and fans of the band, many of whom disliked the new sound and direction X had pursued. The lack of success also led to the departure of guitarist Billy Zoom following the release of the album. He would initially be replaced by Blasters guitarist and friend of the band Dave Alvin and then, more permanently, by Tony Gilkyson. X had tried to fit in with the prevailing sound of the 80’s scene and the result seemed to be a result that nobody was completely satisfied with. The songs themselves were still strong, but the production style didn’t fit the band and it left them in a strange no man’s land where X weren’t quite punk or glam rock, and therefore didn’t strongly appeal to anyone. X would have some decisions to make moving forward.

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5. “The New World” – X: An Artist A Week/A Song A Day – A History of Alternative Music

5. “The New World” – X

(From the album More Fun In The New World)

1983

X realized their previous album Under The Big Black Sun was very good, even if it hadn’t made the band stars, and for its follow-up More Fun In The New World the band wisely decided to change very little. Like its three predecessors, More Fun In The New World was once again produced by Ray Manzarek and he and the band, for the most part, decided to not shake up the formula much. More Fun In The New World is slightly more polished and draws more explicitly on folk influences in a few places, but these are all just tweaks to their sound, not reinvention. While still rooted in punk rock this folk influence can be heard clearly on the album’s quasi-title track “The New World”. “The New World” follows in the tradition of Woody Guthrie, Bob Dylan, and Bruce Springsteen by highlighting the harsh realities of those who have been overlooked or left behind. Mixing punk with politics was not new but X was focused on the difficulties faced by the people themselves more than on challenging the system and this made their songs, like “The New World”, more personal than those of The Clash or The Sex Pistols. “The New World” deals directly with the disillusionment of those left behind by Reagan’s trickle-down economics and “morning in America” as they face another election day that will change nothing for them. More Fun In The New World was once again a moderate success (peaking at #86) but also once again came nowhere near breaking X into the mainstream. The lack of success would cause the band to decide to shake things up a little for their next album.

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