''Bad Religion'' (also referred to as ''The Bad Religion EP'') is the first official recording by the

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wor ...

punk rock band Bad Religion. It was released in February 1981 by guitarist

Brett Gurewitz Brett W. Gurewitz (born May 12, 1962), nicknamed Mr. Brett, is an American musician best known as the lead guitarist of Bad Religion. He is also the owner of the music label Epitaph Records and a number of sister labels. He has produced albums ...

's record label

Epitaph Records Epitaph Records is an American independent record label owned by Bad Religion guitarist Brett Gurewitz. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, most acts signed to the label were punk and pop punk acts, while there are many post-hardcore and em ...

, with the catalog number EPI 001.

Recording

The recording sessions for the EP took place in October 1980 at a demo studio called Studio 9, located above an office and drugstore in

Sunset Boulevard Sunset Boulevard is a boulevard in the central and western part of Los Angeles, California, that stretches from the Pacific Coast Highway in Pacific Palisades east to Figueroa Street in Downtown Los Angeles. It is a major thoroughfare i ...

and Western Avenue. The EP was mastered by Stan Ross at

Gold Star Studios Gold Star Studios was an independent recording studio located in Los Angeles, California, United States. For more than thirty years, from 1950 to 1984, Gold Star was one of the most successful commercial recording studios in the world. Founded ...

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywoo ...

. At the time of the EP's release, vocalist

Greg Graffin Gregory Walter Graffin (born November 6, 1964) is an American singer and evolutionary biologist. He is most recognized as the lead vocalist and only constant member of punk rock band Bad Religion, which he co-founded in 1980. He embarked on a ...

and bassist

Jay Bentley Jay Dee Bentley (born June 6, 1964) is the bassist and co-founding member of the punk rock group Bad Religion. He has played with the band through its whole existence with a small break between 1983 and 1985. Along with vocalist Greg Graffin, Be ...

were both 16 years old, while Gurewitz and drummer Jay Ziskrout were both 18.

Reissues

The ''Bad Religion'' EP has been reissued a number of times, mostly on vinyl. It was initially released on 7-inch vinyl, and reissued in 1984 as a 12-inch with a different sound mix. In West Germany, a 7" bootleg limited edition of the EP was released in 1989, packaged with then-current album '' No Control''. The EP was also pressed on compact cassettes, but those editions are rare. While the ''Bad Religion'' EP has never been released as a standalone CD, it was included on the 1991 compilation album ''

80–85 ''80–85'' is the first compilation album by Bad Religion, released in 1991. It is a collection of their early recordings, predating their third studio album '' Suffer'' (1988), excluding their controversial 1983 album '' Into the Unknown''. Bac ...

'', and on the 2004 CD reissue of the group's 1982 debut studio album ''

How Could Hell Be Any Worse? ''How Could Hell Be Any Worse?'' is the debut studio album by American punk rock band Bad Religion, released on January 19, 1982 by Epitaph Records. Released almost a year after their self-titled EP, it was financed by a $3,000 loan by guitaris ...

'', which featured the same track listing as ''80–85''. The EP was reissued on April 18, 2009 in conjunction with

Record Store Day Record Store Day is an annual event inaugurated in 2007 and held on one Saturday (typically the third) every April and every Black Friday in November to "celebrate the culture of the independently owned record store". The day brings together fa ...

, in a limited edition of 1,000.

Reception

At the time of the original release, the ''Bad Religion'' EP received positive reviews from various

fanzines A fanzine (blend word, blend of ''fan (person), fan'' and ''magazine'' or ''-zine'') is a non-professional and non-official publication produced by fan (person), enthusiasts of a particular cultural phenomenon (such as a literary or musical genre) ...

. Brenda Jamrus of the punk rock magazine ''Ripper'' called the EP "a real powerful six song EP from Bad Religion". She added that "when so many bands are moving away from political overtones, these four guys are keeping politics alive" and described the songs as "fast and solid". Dave Stimson reviewed the EP for the 16th issue of '' Touch and Go''. In it, he said, "Unlike many LA based bands where all it takes is one listen and you're already dripping slobber on the floor, Bad Religion takes some time before winning over their legion of fans, which must be many cuz 'sic''">sic.html" ;"title="'sic">'sic''this is a great record. When you first hear it, you say same old LA-styled punk, good, but nothing to get excited about. Now that's where you're wrong. This is perhaps the best debut record since '' Nervous Breakdown A mental disorder, also referred to as a mental illness or psychiatric disorder, is a behavioral or mental pattern that causes significant distress or impairment of personal functioning. Such features may be persistent, relapsing and remitt ...

Recording

Reissues

Reception

Track listing

Personnel

References