Following a teaser campaign that featured a new photo of seminal punk outfit Bad Brains, the band has confirmed the re-release of their earliest known recordings, ARE YOU READY: THE FIRST STUDIO RECORDINGS (Inner Ear - March 1979).
The session rarity among punks in the know will now get a first official release, newly mixed by Ian MacKaye and, in cooperation with Bad Brains. The release catoured a moment in time across six songs. Initially recorded in just a single hour at Inner Ear Studios in March 1979, the collection of songs forever preserved the power and enduring influence of one of punk's most formative voices.
Along with the news of the pending re-release BAD BRAINS have shared the previously unreleased original studio recording of the iconic, “Pay to Cum.” The early version of the foundational song was recorded more than a year prior to its release and established the template of everything hardcore punk would come to be.
“The riff for ‘Pay to Cum’ started as a stream of punk rock vibes fueled by the Ramones, The Damned, and Return to Forever,” explained Bad Brains bassist Darryl Jenifer.
“It was a gift that served as a springboard into our sound - sheer, straight-ahead three-chord mayhem with a few breaks and a stop. The title actually meant nothing to us; it was just a fun-loving play on words.”
The release is coupled with a new visual from Barry Masterson which features footage from the legendary CBGB's during the band's explosive October 24th 1979 appearance.
In celebration of the Trust Records re-release of BAD BRAINS earliest recordings, Darryl Jenifer and Ian MacKayewill appear for an in-person discussion at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library on November 5ht.
To celebrate the official release date on November 6, aa BAD BRAINS archival exhibition will open featuring items and memorabilia from the band's personal archives. Darryl Jenifer, Alison Braun, BJ Papas, Lucien Perkins, Alec MacKaye, Roger Gastman, and more have contributed to the collection. The display will continue through November 22nd.
ARE YOU READY: THE FIRST STUDIO RECORDINGS (Inner Ear - March 1979) arrives November 6th via Trust Records. Order the release - HERE
