Bad Religion: Suffer [EPITAPH]

Why you'll love it

This Epitaph LP comes with the original lyric sheet insert and the Boy on Fire cover. Kerrang! named it the 99th most influential rock album of all time, and LA Weekly put it at No. 6 among the greatest punk albums.

This edition

• Lyric sheet insert
• Original Boy on Fire cover art

About the album

By 1987 Brett Gurewitz had taken a raft of odd jobs and become a studio engineer with his own room, Westbeach Recorders. When the band asked if he fancied getting Bad Religion back together, he said yes, and in April 1988 Greg Graffin, Gurewitz, Greg Hetson, Jay Bentley and Pete Finestone walked into Westbeach and made Suffer in eight days, recording and mixing included.

It set the template for melodic hardcore: blistering tempos, choirboy harmonies and lyrics with a dictionary close at hand. "You Are (The Government)" kicks the door in, "How Much Is Enough?" and "Land of Competition" barely pause for breath, and "What Can You Do?" is Rancid's Tim Armstrong's favourite Bad Religion track. Members of L7 drop by too, with Donita Sparks and Suzi Gardner on guitar for "Best for You" and Jennifer Finch singing backup on "Part II (The Numbers Game)."

NOFX's Fat Mike called it the record that changed everything, and his band later nodded to its Boy on Fire cover with the Surfer EP. Eight days, start to finish, which is roughly how long it takes us to agree on what to put on the shop stereo.

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

Tracklist

Listen

On Epitaph (cat# E-86404), a reissue of the 1988 album.