Bad Brains (album)
| Bad Brains | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
1996 CD reissue cover
|
||||
| Studio album by Bad Brains | ||||
| Released | February 1982 | |||
| Recorded | August – October 1981 May 16, 1981 |
|||
| Studio | 171-A | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 33:56 | |||
| Label | ROIR | |||
| Producer | Jay Dublee | |||
| Bad Brains chronology | ||||
|
||||
| Alternate cover art | ||||
1989 reissue as Attitude: The ROIR Sessions.
|
||||
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | |
| Spin Alternative Record Guide | 8/10 |
| The Village Voice | B+ |
Bad Brains (also known as The Yellow Tape or Attitude: The ROIR Sessions) is the debut studio album recorded by American hardcore punk/reggae band Bad Brains Recorded in 1981 and released on the cassette-only label ROIR in 1982, many fans refer to it as "The Yellow Tape" because of its yellow packaging, much in the way that the Beatles' self-titled record is often called "The White Album." Though Bad Brains had recorded the 16 song Black Dots album in 1979 and the 5-song Omega Sessions EP in 1980, the ROIR cassette was the band's first release of anything longer than a single.
After being banned from all the major clubs in their hometown of Washington, DC, Bad Brains moved to New York City in 1981. In addition to their regular gigs at CBGB's, the band frequented Jerry Williams' 171-A Studios in Alphabet City. Named for its location between 10th and 11th Streets on Avenue A, 171-A was a 60-foot room with a stage at one end and an elevated sound-proof booth at the other. When the Bad Brains played a gig at 171-A in May 1981, Williams recorded it on reel-to-reel tape. The band liked the sound and returned to 171-A to record between August and October 1981. 12 of the 15 tracks on Bad Brains eponymous album came from these sessions, while "Jah Calling", "Pay to Cum" and "I Luv I Jah", were from Williams' live recording in May.
Bad Brains was originally released in February 1982 in cassette-only format on Reachout International Records (ROIR). The cover art depicts DC's Capitol Building being struck by a bolt of lightning. The original cover art unfolded to include a photo of the band, album credits, lyrics to all the songs, and liner notes by then New York Rocker and Soho News critic Ira Kaplan, who would later front the band Yo La Tengo. Rather than label the tape's sides A/B or one/two, the band designated them Side 1/Side A.
...
Wikipedia