“All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” That is the first line of Leo Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina (1877). However, this observation may equally apply to musical groups, especially an act like Bad Brains, the storied Washington, DC hardcore outfit whose influence has reached far and wide over the past four decades. Originally released on SST in 1986, the new reissue of I Against I is a reminder of the power of their music and its explosive nature, reflecting Bad Brains’ unstable personal chemistry.
Founded in 1976 as a jazz fusion project named Mind Power, they became Bad Brains in 1977 with their lineup consisting of vocalist H.R. (Paul D. Hudson), guitarist Dr. Know (Gary Miller), bassist Darryl Jenifer, and drummer Earl Hudson. Named after a song by the Ramones, this shift from jazz to punk was augmented by an additional Bob Marley-inspired commitment to Rastafarianism. This unlikely juxtaposition of styles showed up on their self-titled 1982 debut, where hardcore tracks like “Attitude” and “Banned in DC” are mingled with the reggae numbers “Jah Calling” and “Leaving Babylon”.
Their second LP, Rock for Light, followed in 1983, which included re-recorded versions of songs from their first album and was improbably produced by the Cars‘ Ric Ocasek. Nonetheless, the result was a cleaner sound without sacrificing Bad Brains’ confrontational energy. The same can be said of I Against I. The distinguishing feature of their third LP is its metal sound, which is readily apparent on the opening track, “Intro”, and is sustained throughout the record.
It should be said here that Dr. Know is an amazing guitarist. His quicksilver pacing, nuanced grasp of tension, and streetwise, graffiti-like approach with tones and heavy power chords contribute to the power of Bad Brains mentioned earlier. These elements come together on the classic, stage-setting title track, the methodical metal-funk of “Re-Ignition”, and the atmospheric, new wave sheen of “Secret 77”.
The best tracks on I Against I include the playful “She’s Calling You”, with its flirtatious back-and-forth chemistry between Know’s guitar and Hudson’s insistent percussion, and “Sacred Love”, which famously has vocals telephoned in from H.R. while he was serving a prison sentence on a drug charge. H.R.’s vocals have always been unusual, operating on an unconventional scale that snakes into tight corners of expressiveness. The penultimate track, “Hired Gun”, has a guitar intro that exudes urbane sexiness, while the closer, “Return to Heaven”, has a hard rock saunter and vocal trash-talking that seemingly prefigures the early style of Axl Rose and Guns N’ Roses on Appetite for Destruction (1987).
That’s to say that Bad Brains stretched their hardcore pedigree on I Against I. Yet, circling back to Tolstoy, this shift in direction tested them. The Hudson brothers left before the LP’s tour had ended to pursue reggae, and these tensions remained during the recording and touring of subsequent albums, including Quickness (1988), Rise (1993), and God of Love (1995), leaving Bad Brains with a rotating lineup over the years.
However, Bad Brains’ reputation had solidified with the success of acolytes like Fishbone and Living Colour, along with eminent fans like Beastie Boys. Their best-known song, “Pay to Cum”, from their first record, appeared in Martin Scorsese’ After Hours (1985), perhaps the only hardcore song in his filmography. Bad Brains remain active today, though health issues have limited their capacity to record and perform.
In contrast to European notions of time, Rastafarianism argues for an understanding of temporality that is non-linear and more cumulative in scope. The past is in the present. The future is also in the present. The future is also contained in the past. This alternative chronological perspective applies to this record. I Against I, whose title refers to both unity and difference, is both a document of a band and an elusive statement that defies fixation. Almost 40 years after its initial release, it is remarkable how timeless it sounds. Bad Brains remain as vital as ever.