bidhardcore.com

Hello - just a little foreword here, my daily schedule is in the process of a revamp, and as such, I’m still figuring out when I can hit the blog scene. For the time being I’ll hit it whenever I can, and hopefully I will get a routine down. Also, for the time being, if you want to read my thoughts on home recording once a month, check out the Basement Screams column in MRR. This is strictly for the amateur lo-fi/no-fi/beginner crowd. I will not be reviewing the latest guitar center gear, nor will I be giving you tips on the safest way to dumpster dive.

For now - Pick Your King on clear

It’s a classic but also a starting point for one of the most prolific and important music careers of the last 30 years. Jamming it now as I type it’s still a shocker how stripped to the bone everything is. One guitar track without much distortion on one side, a fuzzed out bass on the other, a meaty snare drum behind them, and hoarse shouts in the middle. Riffs are just a few chords crashing into each other, Discharge style simplicity and speed, with the snot nosed obnoxiousness of early Black Flag. 13 songs that just blow by in their speed and simplicity but already have the beginnings of Poison Idea’s tuneful and “song-oriented” approach that eventually came into full bloom later. Observe “Pure Hate” which injects some mid-paced rock ‘n roll tendencies into their otherwise thrashed out tendencies, or the noodling goof-off verse of “Reggae (I Hate)” (one of the best song titles ever). Don’t be fooled though, there’s plenty of 30-60 second string grating throat shredding slammers like Think Twice, Thing Called Progress, or Cult Band.

The original pressing of Pick Your King is on clear vinyl, and comes in a white sleeve. The sleeve itself is one of the best examples of the hardcore “found art” aesthetic. One side has Elvis, the other Christ, and both pose the challenge “Pick Your King”.