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As anyone reading this probably knows, the Bad Brains were one of the most important punk-rock bands of all time, Washington D.C.-bred pioneers of the sound that became hardcore. While they were a complete anomaly at the time —
four Black dudes in an overwhelmingly white music scene who seasoned their blistering rock songs with impressively authentic reggae — their impact was immediate and immense.
While the group was as fractious interpersonally as they were musically — they split up many times, usually when they were on the verge of a breakthrough — their early albums and particularly their explosive live shows contain some of the most powerful rock music of the ‘80s. They are considered by many to be the greatest hardcore band of all time; Dave Grohl has said he learned how to play drums by bashing on pillows along with their records, and a mural of the band was painted in 2024 across the street from the site of their frequent haunt CBGB in New York.
The group’s catalog is about to get an addition that is both old and new: On November 6, just in time to join the insurrection that will surely follow the midterm elections, a little-known recording of their first session in a proper studio will be released as “Are You Ready: The First Studio Recordings.” While an early demo recording was release in 1996 as the “Black Dots” album, this six-song session, recorded in an hour at Inner Ear Studios in March 1979, predates even that by three months.
The recordings were remixed by Minor Threat/ Fugazi co-founder and longtime friend Ian MacKaye — who has been on an archival binge recently, having worked with Henry Rollins to restore the catalog of psychobilly legends the Cramps — and will be available on vinyl, cassette, and digital. The EP joins the group’s full catalog, much of which was out of circulation for many years but recently got a proper reissue treatment and now is available on streaming services.
It includes a previously unreleased recording of the band’s legendary debut single, “Pay to Cum,” which is released today with video footage filmed ay CBGB in October of 1979.
“The riff for ‘Pay to Cum’ started as a stream of punk rock vibes fueled by the Ramones, the Damned, and Return to Forever,” says Bad Brains bassist Darryl Jenifer, reflecting the band’s unusual combination of inlfuences. “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.” Listen/share “Pay to Cum” here and watch the video – with footage was filmed by Barry Masterson at CBGB’s October 24th 1979.
On November 5, a day before the album’s release, Jenifer and Ian will appear in conversation at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library, discussing the session and the band’s formative years. From November 6 through the 22nd, an exhibition of archival Bad Brains material will open, featuring contributions from the archives of Darryl Jenifer, Alison Braun, BJ Papas, Lucien Perkins, Alec MacKaye, Roger Gastman, and more.
