Bad Brains: H.R. (vocals); Dr. Know (guitar, background vocals); Darryl Jennifer (bass, background vocals); Earl Hudson (drums, background vocals).

Recorded at 171-A Studios, New York, New York between May and October 1981. Includes liner notes by Ira Kaplan.

For fans of hardcore, many would agree that the holy grail of the genre is Bad Brains' self-titled album, originally released back in 1982 as a cassette-only release on ROIR. The ensuing years after its initial release haven't dulled the album's fury and rage in the least, and it's still impressive how the band can switch gears from red-hot hardcore to cool reggae dubs in the blink of an eye. All the classics are here: "Sailin' On," "Banned in D.C.," "Pay to Cum," "Right Brigade," as well as one of their strongest reggae tunes, "I Luv I Jah." The back of the album boasts a quote from the Beastie Boys' Adam Yauch, which sums up the proceedings simply, "the best punk/hardcore album of all time." [Although Bad Brains was available on CD on the now-defunct In Effect label in the late '80s (then titled Attitude: The ROIR Sessions with a different album cover), it's since been remastered and re-released with its original cover, as well as an untitled bonus track added at the end.] ~ Greg Prato

The Bad Brains were one of the most important voices of the East Coast hardcore scene during its halcyon days of the '80s. What they brought to the scene was nothing short of revolutionary--infusing the form's rage with the spiritual conviction of the Rasta tradition and the instrumental prowess of seasoned jazz players, they breathed new life into a genre in danger of stagnation, or worse, homogenization. Their album on the initially cassette-only ROIR label arrived like a new day, brimming with positivity and spirituality, as well as an unarguable mastery of the musical form of hardcore.

From the album's opening strains on "Sailin' On," the book was re-written, or at least opened a little wider. Vocalist H.R., one of punk's speediest singers, growls and screams his message like a man possessed. On the band's most recognizable classic, "Pay To Cum," his staccato delivery truly reaches breakneck speed, barely decipherable, the song is a torrent of sound, a hurtling juggernaut of boundless energy. He extols the praises of having the right mindset most effectively in "Attitude," a testament to the power of positivity. The band reaches deep into its Rasta roots on "Jah Calling" and "I Love I Jah," rounding out the ever-widening, ever-intense world of BAD BRAINS.