Succes didn't come overnight, but suddenly it happened. What had been cherished by a small insider group rapturously became plubic property. Advance orders of their records on 5-figure level and no thought of it beginning with a "1". Audience summarize to 15.000 for a short tour...when will they go stadium? After all, this is only a Punk band, great one, true, but who'd thought they'd become big deal? I'm waiting for the moment SPIN'll pick up on them, but they are - right now - more concerned with old-timers or the HAPPY MONDAYS. Perhaps we ought to tell SPIN people how Epitaph is selling the European distribution. Coming over auctioning the stack of recs to the highest bidder. After their CBS feature it sure would be a nice headline of modern sales strategies. Congratulations to those who won...hopefully they still made a bargain, so that they can do it again and supply people with what they need.
BAD RELIGION always had a Hardcore following, rightly so, after all they play high energy streetpunk, faster than most bands, harder than most bands. So what?
The Hardcore scnene isn't a small one, but it's neither a big one, so who's the other people in the picture? Family men? University students? Chimney sweepers? Teenybopper having a look at real men, men that wear skater pants? Or is it Jimmy Jones and myself, enchanted by some magic spell or backwards message on their record taking from us our will? We've all been there when they were playing and the wild bunch was zig-zagging across in front of the stage and me an' Jimmy standing in the back having a shower of rocknoise. The hard edge for the boys in front, the melodies for Jimmy'n'me and the philosophies for the students and the legs for the teenyboppers. That leaves sweeping the arena afterwards for the chimney sweeps.
Gosh, and now these guys are growing beards (no moustaches, though). The philosophy of the beard, the mysticism of the hair getting longer. Are they preparing, knowing that all good children go to heaven? What are they going to teach us now? Offer me eternity, and I'll trade a cupe of coffee and a dime. The chemicals of growth? People aren't getting any wiser, are they? But they would still walk on hands just to tell us, wouldn't they? Isn't it that they won't give in, until the deed is done? They are all determination, so will you please lie down and light that candlestick and they'll blow it...out. Don't expect them to have undergone a change, they've stepped a bit further, aware that their mission isn't yet over. And what they're good at they're good at and that's matter of fact. So we keep hollerin', screamin' and spittin' and they'll get those words be heard, however fast they try. Might have added some reverberated chorus that everybody can hear, but still despise pomp and show, integrity means a lot to us...so again they're sending out that S.O.S. and it's for your own rescue. You can still be healed. (******) Shut off the TV...now!
BAD RELIGION "Against The Grain"
US Epitaph LP/CD 86409-1 1990 (distr. Semaphore)
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