Bad Brains: I Against I (Punk Note edition, alternate cover) [ORG MUSIC]

Why you'll love it

This Punk Note edition swaps in new cover art by Stealworks designer John Yates over a fresh remaster. I Against I is the band's best-selling album, and it made the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.

This edition

• Punk Note edition
• Alternate cover art by John Yates
• Remastered
• Stereo mix

About the album

By 1986 Bad Brains had already proved they could play hardcore faster than almost anyone in Washington, D.C. So they slowed down a bit, which turned out to be the most radical thing they could have done. I Against I keeps the speed and fury but lets funk, soul, reggae and heavy metal in through the side door, and the title nods to the Rastafarian phrase 'I and I.'

H.R.'s voice swoops from a croon to a scream, Dr. Know's guitar sounds like it has been plugged into the mains, and Darryl Jenifer and Earl Hudson lock in like a soul rhythm section. "House of Suffering" and the title track are pure muscle, "Re-Ignition" grooves, and producer Ron St. Germain had H.R. sing "Sacred Love" down a telephone line. ORG Music's reissue relaunches the band's own Bad Brains Records imprint.

Sublime covered "House of Suffering," Jeff Buckley and Lamb of God took on the title track, and Rage Against the Machine's Tim Commerford calls it a major influence. Very few vocals have been phoned in quite this literally, and fewer still have sounded this good.

Also at Kops: more Bad Brains on vinyl · browse Punk

Tracklist

Listen

On ORG Music / Bad Brains Records (cat# ORGM-2187), a reissue of the 1986 album.