536. Minor Threat - Out Of Step (1984)

















Track Listing

1. Betray
2. It Follows
3. Think Again
4. Look Back and Laugh
5. Sob Story
6. No Reason
7. Little Friend
8. Out of Step
9. Cashing In

Review

Do you like Black Flag? Chances are you'll like Minor Threat. Yes, unfortunately this album is nothing really that new, it last for only 23 minutes and sounds like Black Flag. The lyrics are supposedly more political but as you can't understand that much of what is being sung, you'd do better to look at a lyrics sheet.

If you are into hardcore punk this might very well be for you. There are, however, some things here that annoy me. The whole idea of Straight Edge seems to define people I don't trust, I can't trust anyone who has no vices and Minor Threat's advocacy of clean living just pisses me off. It just ain't human.

The music is however pretty good, like a very good, very short Black Flag album, and track by track it might beat Damaged in terms of quality, but while Henry Rollins is a character I can very easily empathise with Ian MacKaye not so much. So meh.

Track Highlights

1. Cashing In
2. Look Back And Laugh
3. Out Of Step
4. Betray

Final Grade

8/10

Trivia

From Wikipedia:

The original vinyl version of this album is quite different from the one on the Complete Discography compilation; most notably, the guitar on the bridge and Ian's scream at the end of Out of Step are entirely removed from the CD compilation. It was ranked 100 on Pitchfork Media's list of the 100 best albums of the 1980s.

Out Of Step, with helpful inter-titles: