Out of Step (album)
| Out of Step | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by Minor Threat | ||||
| Released | April 1983 | |||
| Recorded | January 1983 at Inner Ear Studios in Arlington, Virginia | |||
| Genre | Hardcore punk | |||
| Length | 21:36 | |||
| Label | Dischord | |||
| Producer | Don Zientara and Minor Threat | |||
| Minor Threat chronology | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide |  |
| Spin Alternative Record Guide | 9/10 |
Out of Step is the sole studio album by American hardcore punk band Minor Threat. It was released on 45 RPM vinyl in April 1983 through Dischord Records. Although Out of Step has only been released on CD in limited quantities, all tracks from the album are available on Minor Threat's 1989 compilation album Complete Discography.
After a temporary break-up in 1982, Minor Threat entered Inner Ear Studios in January 1983 to record Out of Step. Recording duties were handled by Don Zientara. While the lyrics on their early EPs were an outlet for MacKaye's message, the lyrics on Out of Step deal mainly with friendships and problems associated with them. The first vinyl pressing of the album (with plain black cover) is contained on the Complete Discography compilation. After the second pressing, the band remixed the album, which remained in print on vinyl into the 2000s. The most notable differences are that the guitar on the bridge and MacKaye's scream at the end of "Out of Step" are added to the remix, and an almost completely different mix of the lead guitars on the final track named "Cashing In" on the Complete Discography, though unnamed on the first two vinyl pressings. The remixed vinyl is distinguishable by a colored stripe with suggested retail price across the front, and "Dischord 10 UK" and "Utopia" in the dead wax. In the mid-2000s, the album was remastered on vinyl by Chicago Mastering Service, with no stripe.
Out of Step was met with positive reviews and ratings. Ned Raggett of AllMusic awards it four-and-a-half out of five stars and states: "Building on the promise and fire of the band's earlier singles, Out of Step instantly became iconic for American hardcore, not to mention for the D.C. scene, for years to come, as well as any number of bands who conflated personal and social politics."
Out of Step has received a number of accolades and is cited as a landmark album of the hardcore punk genre. It is mentioned in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. Pitchfork Media ranked the album number 100 on their list of the Top 100 Albums of the 1980s. In 2005, Out of Step was ranked number nine on Spin magazine's list of "Ten Reasons Why We Wish SPIN Had Started in 1984".
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