Black Flag is an American hardcore punk band formed in 1976 in Hermosa Beach, California. The band was established by Greg Ginn, the guitarist, primary songwriter, and sole continuous member through multiple personnel changes in the band. They are widely considered to be one of the first hardcore punk bands. Like other punk rock bands of the late 1970’s and early 1980’s, Black Flag voiced an anti-authoritarian and non-conformist message, in songs punctuated with descriptions of social isolation, neurosis, poverty, and paranoia. These themes were explored further when Henry Rollins joined the band as lead singer in 1981. Most of the band’s material was released on Ginn’s independent label, SST Records. (More from Wikipedia)
The frontwoman for Fur is Holly Ramos, a musician and actress from New York City. As revealed in a 2003 interview with Glitzine – a glam/punk/pop online fanzine that has evidently been around for 40 years – Ramos was into the New York punk scene at an early age: “In grade school I started to get interested in 1977 type punk, the Ramones, Blondie, Patti Smith. And in high school I got into hardcore (Black Flag/Bad Brains, etc). I am interviewed for the book American Hardcore, a book about the history of that music.” The book was written by Steven Blush and was the basis for an acclaimed 2006 documentary by the same name, American Hardcore that was directed by Paul Rachman.
(June 2013/2)
On one of my Atlanta shopping trips to the Criminal Records store, I found one of the most delightful albums I have purchased in the past five years: a collection of early 1980’s punk rock simply called The D.I.Y. Album. (The album is described as using the “Han-O-Disc” recording process, whatever that means). On it is the first known song by the band that later became Concrete Blonde: “Heart Attack” by the Dreamers. This song was made even before they took the name Dream 6 in 1982. Johnette Napolitano’s reedy but compelling vocal on “Heart Attack” could hardly sound more different from the way it is on the Deviants’ version of “You’re Gonna Need Somebody on Your Bond”. As a result of these two recordings, I have gained a whole new respect for Concrete Blonde and Johnette Napolitano.
Mainly on the strength of this Dreamers recording (though there are other terrific songs as well, including an early song by Black Flag), The D.I.Y. Album brought $50 at auction on eBay in 2006 (I paid maybe half that much myself!), according to popsike.com – a great resource if you are interested in what original vinyl recordings have been bringing at auction and in private sales.
(August 2013)
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