Musicians - Bad Brains

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	Musicians - Bad Brains

The Bad Brains are an American all-black hardcore punk and reggae band, originally formed in Washington, DC in 1977. They are considered pioneers of hardcore punk.

Originally formed as a jazz fusion ensemble, the Bad Brains developed a very fast and intense punk rock sound, which was both musically complex and more extreme than most of their punk rock contemporaries. The Bad Brains are arguably the first hardcore punk band. They were also an adept reggae band, in a sort of Jekyll-and-Hyde arrangement, while later recordings featured elements of funk and heavy metal. The Bad Brains were also notable as religious Rastafarians.

The Bad Brains broke up and reformed several times over the years (most recently as The Soul Brains), sometimes with different singers and/or drummers. But the group's classic line-up has been singer H.R., guitarist Dr. Know, bass guitarist Darryl Jennifer, and drummer Earl Hudson.

History

The band was first founded as a fairly ordinary jazz-fusion ensemble called Mind Power, with singer Sid McCray, in the mould of bands such as Chick Corea's Return to Forever and John McLaughlin's Mahavishnu Orchestra. Mind Power's members were talented musicians. In 1978 McCray introduced the rest of the band, who were already interested in bands such as Black Sabbath, to punk rock, including the Dickies, the Dead Boys, and the Sex Pistols.

Via McCray, Mind Power became obsessed with punk rock, and changed their name to the "Bad Brains", after the Ramones song "Bad Brain", but with the word "bad" in the sense of "powerful". Before the band recorded, McCray was replaced by singer H.R., brother of the drummer Earl Hudson. The band also soon converted to Rastafarianism, becoming devout followers of late Ethiopian emperor Haile Selassie I and reggae legend Bob Marley. Despite their burgeoning punk sound, the early Bad Brains also delved deep into reggae music.

The band developed an early reputation in Washington DC, due in part to the relative novelty of an entirely black band playing punk rock (though other all-black punk bands existed at the time, punk was largely a white phenomenon), but also due to their high-energy performances and their undeniable talent.

Their considerable musical technique, due in part to their jazz and progressive rock roots, set them apart from other Washington punk groups, who were typically earnest, but often amateurish performers. Bad Brains' emphasis on extreme speed, especially in their early records and performances, are often regarded as influencing or perhaps even establishing hardcore punk.

Their music still contained hints of their progressive rock past, with quick time changes and H.R.'s fluctuating vocal dynamics. H.R. was a muscular and unpredictable stage performer with a very wide vocal range, who often leaped into the audience or onto amplifiers.

In 1979 Bad Brains found themselves the subject of an unofficial ban among many Washington D.C. area clubs and performance venues (later addressed in their song, Banned in D.C.). The band subsequently relocated to New York City.

Their self-titled debut album was released on New York's ROIR Records in December 1981, followed in 1983 by Rock for Light, produced by Ric Ocasek of The Cars. These two albums, containing only hardcore thrash punk or mellow reggae, were landmarks, influencing an entire generation of musicians, including the Beastie Boys, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Living Colour, Rage Against the Machine, and arguably hundreds more.

The band fought constantly with volatile singer H.R., who is very expressive. H.R. seemed to reflect the Bad Brains' music: one minute calm and espousing peace and love, and the next minute an aggressive, sometimes violent man. In 1984, the Bad Brains broke up; it was the first of many splits. H.R. began a solo career devoted to reggae music (with Hudson on drums), releasing two albums in 1984 and 1985.

In 1986, Bad Brains were back. SST Records released I Against I, seen by some as their finest recording. As the title track demonstrated, Bad Brains could still play extremely fast, but there was also a new variety; there was much more melody, slower grooves, and straight-ahead heavy metal (but, surprisingly, no reggae). Dr Know sounded a bit like a punked-out Eddie Van Halen, there was an outright love song in She's Calling You, and H.R. famously providing the vocals over the phone from jail on Sacred Love. Also praised is H.R.'s performances: he "digs deep into his bag of voices and pulls them all out, one by one: the frightening nasal falsetto that was his signature in the band's hardcore days, an almost bel canto baritone, and a declamatory speed-rap chatter that spews lyrics with the mechanical precision of a machine gun". The title track's video was shown on MTV's then-new 120 Minutes program, for which the band appeared in promotional footage. Despite the success of I Against I, Bad Brains broke up again after spending most of 1987 on the road.

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Musicians - Bad Brains

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