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Bad Brains
Many of the original English punks were reggae fans, but it took American punk much longer to discover Jamaican music. The exception was the groundbreaking band Bad Brains, formed by guitarist Dr. Know (a.k.a. Gary Miller) in Washington, D.C. around 1979. Despite never quite breaking out of cult status, the band smashed cultural, racial, and musical barriers, becoming a seminal influence on a generation of musicians from DJ Spooky to Fugazi to Beastie Boys. Fronted by intense vocalist H.R. (born Paul Hudson), the lineup also included bass player Darryl Aaron Jenifer and drummer Earl Hudson. Touring up and down the East Coast, Bad Brains quickly earned a reputation for incendiary live shows, though it had released only a limited-edition single by 1982. That year, however, the band's thrash-and-dub powered not only a self-titled debut full-length (on the cassette-only label ROIR) but also a few EPs. Ric Ocasek produced the 1983 follow-up, Rock For Light, but spotty distribution ensured that few copies could be found outside of large cities.

It took Bad Brains three more years to record its monumental third album, I Against I, and by this time the group was suffering internal turmoil. Dr. Know's burgeoning interest in metal/hard rock clashed with H.R.'s and Hudson's continuing commitment to reggae, and the pair finally left for good in 1989. Singer Israel Joseph-I and drummer Mackie Jayson replaced them, just as the mainstream was catching up to alternative rock. The new version of Bad Brains signed to Epic Records, but after the poorly received 1993 album Rise, the label promptly dropped the band. Maverick coaxed the original lineup back together for 1995's God of Love, but disappointing sales once again lost the band its contract. For the rest of the decade, Bad Brains toured sporadically, breaking up and reuniting countless times (later under the name Soul Brains) as the members launched other projects. In 1997, Victory Records released Omega Sessions, a five-song EP of early Bad Brains demos.


Bad Brains	Sailin' On	MP3	Punk
Hyperkinetic speed demons -- now known as Soul Brains -- blaze through a frenzied two-minutes worth of mad melody. Fast and furious fun.
Bad Brains	Stay Close To Me	MP3	Punk, Reggae
This raw but powerful 1980 demo track documents the beginnings of one of America's seminal bands. If you missed them 20 years ago, here's your chance to play catch up.