Having spent the better part of my day yesterday listening to Black Flag and then reading the chapter on Black Flag from the (so far really great) book 'Our Band Could Be Your Life: Scenes from the American Indie Underground,1981-1991,' I was pleased to see this on Amazon Prime Instant Video and immediately started watching it. Once my viewing began, I was bombarded with all the fury and excitement one could expect from what may have been the quintessential Hardcore Punk band of the 80's. Henry Rollins' insane, energetic performance sticks out like a sore thumb among all else in the video. Our bassist, guitarist, and drummer are all playing with lightening-like intensity, but they all seem relatively reserved in comparison to the unhinged Rollins who bobs his long hair with more strength I can imagine mustering, his furiously sweating body glistening in the artificial light above, his vocals ranging from loud to literal screaming. It's an incredible performance. The video and audio quality are both mixed at best, but it adds to the whole charm of it. If this were some slick, perfectly produced video, it would not at all represent the spirit of hardcore; as the video is, it embodies the hardcore spirit better than any other film out there.
3 Reviews
Interesting "Slip It In"-era show marred by poor sound
InjunNose2 March 2018
Greg Ginn and Company play nearly all of the "My War" and "Slip It In" albums in this very intense live performance, along with a smattering of highlights from their earlier EPs. (Bizarrely, this set bypasses the band's career-defining longplayer "Damaged", jumping straight from the 1981 A-side 'Six Pack' to 1984's "My War".) Unfortunately, the audio is conspicuously poor. While less-than-perfect sound is forgivable and even expected in a punk live recording, the mix here is so bad (bootleg quality, in fact) that it constitutes a hindrance. Still fun to watch, but mute the volume on your TV and play Black Flag's "Live '84" instead: it's the same setlist with vastly superior sound.
One Unmoving Camera
nafps17 January 2022
A cynical cash grab, as Greg Ginn became notorious for. Anything to squeeze out a few more dollars from fans, quality be damned.
Yes, this is just one camera filming this concert. And it never moves. You see Rollins singing, in and out of camera range. The rest of the band you catch occasional glimpses.
Sound is muddy. By this time Flag were getting self indulgent. Blistering song followed by extended jamming followed by...repeat until end of show. By next tour they were a punk version of the Grateful Dead, Ginn's favorite band.
Skip this. Not even the biggest fan will like this.
Yes, this is just one camera filming this concert. And it never moves. You see Rollins singing, in and out of camera range. The rest of the band you catch occasional glimpses.
Sound is muddy. By this time Flag were getting self indulgent. Blistering song followed by extended jamming followed by...repeat until end of show. By next tour they were a punk version of the Grateful Dead, Ginn's favorite band.
Skip this. Not even the biggest fan will like this.
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