Black Flag
In 1977 their demo reached local indie label Bomp, who after over
six months decided not to release Black Flag's debut 45, Nervous
Breakdown. Instead, Greg Ginn and Chuck Dukowski (with their
sound men, Mugger and Spot) formed their own label, SST (Solid
State Tuners), issuing the single in 1978.
By the time Black Flag's debut LP, Damaged, was
released in 1981 the group had suffered label difficulties with
MCA who didn't like the outrageous content of the tracks. Numerous
personnel changes had also occurred, mainly the substitution of
Keith Morris with the harder looking - and now legendary - Henry
Rollins (real name, Henry Lawrence Garfield). Morris meanwhile
formed the Circle Jerks.
SST took the major label to court and although the pivotal
hardcore group won, they had to pay out a six figure sum. The
influential label went on to help kick-start the careers of many
hardcore/alternative acts such as Hüsker Dü,
Minutemen, Dinosaur Jr and Meat
Puppets.
Meanwhile, Black Flag (now with Ginn and Rollins at the helm)
completed a series of near brilliant albums. Rollins even
contributed a spoken word side on the album Family Man
(1984), a thing that he would do more when he took off on a
successful solo venture later that year.
Ginn and cohorts completed two more mid-80s sets, In My
Head and Who's Got The 101/2, before Ginn too
pursued a solo sojourn.
Black Flag was one of the first US acts to take DIY punk into
hardcore, a hybrid sound that would later be revered by metal fans
who picked up on the 90s US hardcore/punk bands like Bad Religion
and The Offspring.
|
