American Hardcore (The History of American Punk Rock 1980-1986) ---Soundtrack to Film

For those new to the hardcore punk scene of the 1980s, the soundtrack to the film American Hardcore is a pretty good place to start. The movie it is based on is an interesting retrospective look at the burgeoning punk scene of the early 1980s. Being born in 1986, sadly I missed out on being part of the movement. Still, for anyone who listens to contemporary punk rock music, this album should be required listening. It is far from perfect, but it does show the roots of the majority of bands that encapsulate the Warped Tour generation. There are some glaring omissions but for the most part, it serves its purpose of chronicling the major players of the original hardcore scene.

True to the genre on which it is based, the album blasts through 26 songs in less than 39 minutes. It is these short blasts of intensity that characterized hardcore during that time period. Honestly, not much has changed, but it seems like most hardcore today is an imitation of the hardcore of 30 years ago. It is not a style of music that has seen much innovation lately, but the bands of the 1980s were so original that it’s really hard to improve upon the products that bands like Bad Brains and Flipper produced during that time period.

As good as this album is for people who are interested in the punk rock genre; it’s also not for everyone. The songs are fast paced bursts of distortion with slurred/screamed vocals. Those who are not a fan of punk rock will probably pass this album off as a bunch of noise without any artistic merit. In all honestly, some of this is true. Many of the bands were not the most adept musicians on their instruments, but punk rock was/is not totally about technical proficiency, more about the message in the lyrics.

The high points on this album are probably from the bands who could actually play their instruments. I hate to re-name bands in the same review, but Dr. Know of Bad Brains is a good guitarist as is Greg Ginn of Black Flag. They are two of the most influential guitarists in punk rock, and are still going strong today. Most of the bands on this album are forgettable in the grand scheme of things. At the same time, they highlighted different interpretations of the movement, so I guess in that respect they are necessary. American Hardcore is a good album for a person new to punk rock or who wants to get a taste of the beginning of the genre. For most others, the album isn’t the best pick-up.

Grade---B-(for a fan) C- (all others)