Build a Nation

Bad Brains returning with singer H.R. in tow of course has the makings of greatness, but H.R.’s former fury is replaced by half-hearted murmurs. Producer Adam Yaunch of the Beastie Boys can’t save the lacklustre vocal performance, but on the five reggae songs here, Bad Brains get the production they always deserved, and H.R. finally comes out of his shell. The rest of the band is inspired thro... read more

Description: These African-American Rastafarians didn't just originate DC hardcore in the late 1970s with their incredibly fast and brilliant "Pay to Cum" single; they set the bar impossibly high. That the group is not hugely millionaires-with-jets popular is one of the music industry's travesties. But they've always had as much a penchant for pissing off the shaven headed moshers at their shows (playing lengthy dub songs) as for giving them what they want (supersonic riffage). Much of the album employs the metal-tinged sound the group's been flirting with since they were on SST in the late '80s. A third of the tracks are reggae nu These African-American Rastafarians didn't just originate DC hardcore in the late 1970s with their incredibly fast and brilliant "Pay to Cum" single; they set the bar impossibly high. That the group is not hugely millionaires-with-jets popular is one of the music industry's travesties. But they've always had as much a penchant for pissing off the shaven headed moshers at their shows (playing lengthy dub songs) as for giving them what they want (supersonic riffage). Much of the album employs the metal-tinged sound the group's been flirting with since they were on SST in the late '80s. A third of the tracks are reggae numbers, and while you're not going to sell off all your Culture LPs after hearing those, they are definitely serviceable. Build a Nation is not as great as the ROIR cassette, but it's the best album they've made in years, and shows the band in awesome form. This is thanks in no small part to the production efforts of the Beastie Boys' Adam Yauch. As this is their second best-sounding proper album--the first being 1983's Ric Ocasek-produced Rock for Light--it's clear that the band should work only with their celebrity musician-fans at the helm from now on. --Mike McGonigal

Track Listings
1. Give Thanks and Praises
2. Jah People
3. Pure Love
4. Natty Dreadlocks 'Pon the Mountain Top
5. Build a Nation
6. Expand Your Soul
7. Jah Love
8. Universal Peace
9. Roll On
10. Until Kingdom Comes
11. In The Beginning
12. Send You No More Flowers
13. Peace Be Unto Thee ... (more) (less)