Bad Brains

Nearly 50 years after their formation, iconic hardcore pioneers Bad Brains are about to serve up an official pressing of their long-bootlegged-and-tape-traded first recording session. Partnering up with archival imprint TRUST, the D.C.-bred veterans are about to pop off the six-song ARE YOU READY: THE FIRST STUDIO RECORDING (Inner Ear – March 1979), and they’re hyping it with a remixed version of first wave hardcore anthem “Pay to Cum.” The recording sessions took place in March of 1979 at Inner Ear Studios in Arlington, Virginia, and resulted in the earliest known recordings of Bad Brains — predating the band’s Black Dots archival release comprising Inner Ear sessions recorded later that same year. The ARE YOU READY songs were recently mixed by Minor Threat/Fugazi member Ian MacKaye. Leading off the collection is a raw and punchy version of “Pay to Cum,” with the Inner Ear version having been recorded a year ahead of the version that graced the band’s two-song debut 7-inch from 1980. “The riff for ‘Pay to Cum’ started as a stream of punk rock vibes fueled by the Ramones, the Damned, and Return to Forever,” says bassist Darryl Jenifer commented. “It was a gift that served as a springboard into our sound — sheer, straight-ahead three-chord mayhem with a few breaks and a stop. The title actually meant nothing to us; it was just a fun-loving play on words.” While technically slower than the 7-inch version (and substantially lower in BPMs compared to jolted take on their self-titled 1982 cassette), lead vocalist H.R. is still energized and motor-mouthed, and drummer Earl Hudson hits the holy hell out of that cowbell. Strikingly, guitarist Dr. Know has a bit more breathing room to throw in additional rock-and-rolling guitar licks. You can sample the remixed rarity via the live footage-loaded music video, which contains footage filmed by Barry Masterson at CBGB’s on October 24th 1979. ARE YOU READY: THE FIRST STUDIO RECORDING (Inner Ear – March 1979) is out November 6th, but you can pre-order an exclusive vinyl copy on “Translucent White with Vaseline”-colored wax (limited to 400 copies) in Revolver’s shop, where you can pick up other items from the hardcore band’s legendary catalog. On November 5th, Jenifer and MacKaye will appear at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library in D.C. to discuss the first Inner Ear session and Bad Brains’ legacy. An exhibition on the band, featuring contributions from the “personal archives” of Jenifer, Alison Braun, BJ Papas, Lucien Perkins, Alec MacKaye, Roger Gastman and more, opens at D.C.’s Lost Origins Gallery on release day. More info can be found here. ARE YOU READY: THE FIRST STUDIO RECORDING tracklisting:Pay to CumDon’t Bother MeBlack DotsMigraineSend No FlowersJamming at the Atlantis