Grapthar's Song of the Day: Bad Brains - 'Redbone in the City'

Bad Brains - Redbone in the City

Bad Brains are probably the single most

influential of the American Hardcore Punk bands to emerge in the late 'night 70s/early '80s, whose sound helped define the genre and inspire countless artists and bands that came after. They were formed in 1977 in Washington, D.C. by singer HR, guitarist Dr. Know, bassist Daryl Jennifer, and drummer Earl Hudson, after initially performing as a jazz fusion group under the moniker Mind Power. When they discovered punk (specifically, the Sex Pistols), they were blown away, and immediately took their group in a new direction. Their early music is clearly much more similar to the UK brand of early punk, but as the years progressed, they became faster, and much more intense, which eventually would be the defining feature of American Hardcore Punk. The group also incorporated reggae songs and ideas into their albums and sets, which gave them an incredibly unique edge amongst other groups who tended to all sound the same, from song to song.

Listen to Redbone in the City by Bad Brains here.

This song was recorded by the band

in 1979, during an early session at Inner Ear Studios, which, at the time, was just the basement of their friend Don Zientara's home. These songs were not released at the time, but came out as a compilation titled Black Dots in 1996. If you're a fan of the group, but have never heard these early sessions, I highly recommend them. There are a number of tracks (like this one) that never appeared on later recordings, but there are also loads of others that you will absolutely recognize. However, they were a bit slower, and more 'rock' oriented at this time, but you can hear how they would eventually evolve into the legendary tracks we know today.