Bad Brains
photo: jason anfinsen · cc by-sa 2.0 ↗Formed in Washington, D.C. by musicians with jazz-fusion roots, Bad Brains became one of the fastest, most technically ferocious bands in hardcore punk, then startled their own scene by folding in Rastafarian-inflected reggae between the blasts of noise. Fronted by the volatile, magnetic H.R., they built a reputation as one of punk's great live bands and influenced a generation of hardcore, metal, and alternative acts that followed.
Seeing Bob Marley perform live in 1980 pushed Bad Brains toward Rastafarianism and reggae, and from that point on they alternated their hardcore blitz with dub-and-reggae-influenced tracks.
listen forListen to Bob Marley's 'Get Up, Stand Up' and then Bad Brains' own reggae-inflected 'Leaving Babylon' — both trade a hardcore band's usual sprint for a rolling, off-beat reggae groove.
Bad Brains took their name directly from the Ramones song 'Bad Brain,' and the band's original lineup formed around the same buzzsaw, breakneck two-minute song structure the Ramones pioneered.
listen forPlay the Ramones' 'Bad Brain' next to Bad Brains' own 'Sailin' On' — both are short, fast, and stripped to a driving guitar riff and a shouted vocal, with barely a wasted second.
Bad Brains' original singer brought Sex Pistols records into the band's rehearsal space, and the Pistols' raw, confrontational speed and sneer set a template Bad Brains pushed even further and faster.
listen forListen to the Sex Pistols' 'Anarchy in the U.K.' and then Bad Brains' 'Banned in D.C.' — both open with a snarled vocal over a driving, distorted guitar built to provoke, though Bad Brains plays it at nearly double the speed.