''Bad Brains'' (also known as ''The Yellow Tape'' or ''Attitude: The ROIR Sessions'') is the debut

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records c ...

recorded by American

hardcore punk Hardcore punk (also known as simply hardcore) is a punk rock music genre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots can be traced to earlier p ...

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...

band

Bad Brains Bad Brains are an American rock band formed in Washington, D.C. in 1976. Originally a jazz fusion band under the name Mind Power, they are widely regarded as pioneers of hardcore punk, though the band's members have objected to the use of this t ...

. Recorded in 1981 and released on the cassette-only label

ROIR ROIR (pronounced "roar"), or Reachout International Records, is a New York City-based independent record label founded in 1979 by Neil Cooper. Background ROIR was founded the same year that the Sony Walkman launched, and initially, the label ex ...

on February 5, 1982, many fans refer to it as "''The Yellow Tape''" because of its yellow packaging, much in the way that

the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

' self-titled record is often called " The White Album". Though Bad Brains had recorded the 16 song ''

Black Dots ''Black Dots'' is a demo album by the American rock band Bad Brains, released in 1996 by Caroline Records. It consists of one of the band's earliest recording sessions, which took place in 1979 at Inner Ear Studios with recording engineer Don Zien ...

'' album in 1979 and the 5-song '' Omega Sessions'' EP in 1980, the ROIR cassette was the band's first release of anything longer than a single. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas
"Bad Brains: Artist Biography by Stephen Thomas Erlewine"
. ''

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Music ...

''. Retrieved February 2, 2017.

Background and recording

After being banned from all the major clubs in their hometown of

Washington, DC ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morg ...

, Bad Brains moved to New York City in 1981.Logan, Ben; Stein, Mandy (2012)
''Bad Brains: A Band in DC''
(documentary). Plain Jane Productions. In addition to their regular gigs at

CBGB's CBGB was a New York City music club opened in 1973 by Hilly Kristal in Manhattan's East Village. The club was previously a biker bar and before that was a dive bar. The letters ''CBGB'' were for '' Country'', '' BlueGrass'', and '' Blues'', Kri ...

, the band frequented Jerry Williams' 171-A Studios in

Alphabet City Alphabet City is a neighborhood located within the East Village in the New York City borough of Manhattan. Its name comes from Avenues A, B, C, and D, the only avenues in Manhattan to have single-letter names. It is bounded by Houston St ...

. Named for its location between 10th and 11th Streets on Avenue A, 171-A was a 60-foot room with a stage at one end and an elevated sound-proof booth at the other. When the Bad Brains played a gig at 171-A in May 1981, Williams recorded it on

reel-to-reel tape Reel-to-reel audio tape recording, also called open-reel recording, is magnetic tape audio recording in which the recording tape is spooled between reels. To prepare for use, the ''supply reel'' (or ''feed reel'') containing the tape is plac ...

. The band liked the sound and returned to 171-A to record between August and October 1981. 12 of the 15 tracks on the album came from these sessions, while "Jah Calling", "

Pay to Cum "Pay to Cum" (titled "Pay to Cum!" on the record cover) is the debut single by Washington, D.C.-based hardcore punk band Bad Brains. It was released in June 1980 on Bad Brain Records. The single was recorded in New York City by Jimi Quidd at his ...

" and "I Luv I Jah", were from Williams' live recording in May.

Release

''Bad Brains'' was originally released on February 5, 1982 in cassette-only format on Reachout International Records (ROIR). The cover art depicts DC's Capitol Building being struck by a bolt of lightning. The original cover art unfolded to include a photo of the band, album credits, lyrics to all the songs, and liner notes by then '' New York Rocker'' and '' Soho News'' critic

Ira Kaplan Ira Kaplan (born January 7, 1957) is a co-founder, vocalist, guitarist and songwriter in the American indie rock band Yo La Tengo. He is married to the band's co-founder Georgia Hubley. A graduate of Sarah Lawrence College, Kaplan formed Yo La T ...

, who would later front the band

Yo La Tengo Yo La Tengo (YLT; Spanish for "I have her") is an American indie rock band formed in Hoboken, New Jersey, in 1984. Since 1992, the lineup has consisted of Ira Kaplan (guitars, piano, vocals), Georgia Hubley (drums, piano, vocals), and James M ...

. Rather than label the tape's sides A/B or one/two, the band designated them Side 1/Side A. The original edition of the cassette had a white spine on the

J-card A J-card is the paper card inserted in the plastic storage case of most audio cassette releases, as well as being latterly wrapped around the outside of many Blu-ray and DVD steelbooks and similar special editions. The J-card usually contains an im ...

and a red or yellow cassette shell. Subsequent editions had an all-yellow J-card with either red, gold, or green cassette shells, in a nod toward the band's

Rastafari Rastafari, sometimes called Rastafarianism, is a religion that developed in Jamaica during the 1930s. It is classified as both a new religious movement and a social movement by scholars of religion. There is no central authority in control o ...

an leanings. Later versions appeared in solid white, solid orange, solid yellow and transparent red tape shells. Because the yellow cassette shell was most common and it came in a matching yellow package, many fans referred to it as "''The Yellow Tape''".

''Bad Brains'' EP

In 1981 the

Dead Kennedys Dead Kennedys are an American punk rock band that formed in San Francisco, California, in 1978. The band was one of the defining punk bands during its initial eight-year run. Dead Kennedys' lyrics were usually political in nature, satirizing ...

' record label

Alternative Tentacles Alternative Tentacles is an independent record label established in 1979 in San Francisco, California. It was used by Dead Kennedys for the self-produced single " California Über Alles". After realizing the potential for an independent labe ...

opened an office in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...

to issue special editions of records by American punk bands for the UK market. The single version of "

" had appeared on the Alternative Tentacles compilation '' Let Them Eat Jellybeans!'' and with the ROIR sessions available, a few songs were selected for a 1982 UK release as a 12" EP. The record's sleeve featured the same lightning-strikes-the-Capitol art that appeared on the ROIR cassette, and the back cover had the inner J-card's band photo, credits, lyrics, and Kaplan's liner notes. The record also mimicked the tape's Side 1/Side A aesthetic, differing in that one side was reggae and the other hardcore punk, unlike the cassette, which interspersed the two genres. Because Alternative Tentacles UK was a short-lived venture, the ''Bad Brains'' EP is rare, and for eight years was the only appearance of these songs on vinyl.

Track listing

Reception and influence

Reviewing for ''

The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, the ''Voice'' began as a platform for the cr ...

'' in 1982,

Robert Christgau Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most well-known and influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and ...

said, "Turn a fusion band into hardcore propheteers and you end up with fast heavy metal. The best kind for damn sure, especially since they turn their rage into Positive Mental Attitude. I like it fine. But great punks give up more than a salubrious blur." The album was a crucial step in the evolution of

and the eventual fusion of

hard rock Hard rock or heavy rock is a loosely defined subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the garage, psychedelic and blues rock movements. Some of the earliest ha ...

and reggae adopted later by bands like Sublime,

Fishbone Fishbone is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1979, that plays a fusion of ska, punk, funk, metal, reggae, and soul. AllMusic has described the group as "one of the most distinctive and eclectic alternative rock bands of the lat ...

, and

311 311 may refer to: * 311 (number), a natural number * AD 311, a year of the Julian calendar, in the fourth century AD * 311 BC, a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar * 311 (band), an American band ** ''311'' (album), band 311's self-titled album ...

Adam Yauch Adam Nathaniel Yauch ( ; August 5, 1964 – May 4, 2012), better known under the stage name MCA, was an American rapper, bass player, filmmaker and a founding member of the hip hop group Beastie Boys. Besides his musical work, he also directed ...

Beastie Boys Beastie Boys were an American rap rock group from New York City, formed in 1978. The group was composed of Michael "Mike D" Diamond (vocals, drums), Adam "MCA" Yauch (vocals, bass), and Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz (vocals, guitar, programming) ...

was quoted as saying that this album is "the best punk/hardcore album of all time". To this day, many people involved in the hardcore scene regard it as one of the greatest hardcore albums of all time and a groundbreaking release for the hardcore punk genre.

Reissues

In 1989, In-Effect Records released a CD version, with the same

track Track or Tracks may refer to: Routes or imprints * Ancient trackway, any track or trail whose origin is lost in antiquity * Animal track, imprints left on surfaces that an animal walks across * Desire path, a line worn by people taking the shorte ...

listing, titled ''Attitude: The ROIR Sessions''. In 1990,

Dutch East India Trading Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People ...

, through its

imprint Imprint or imprinting may refer to: Entertainment * ''Imprint'' (TV series), Canadian television series * "Imprint" (''Masters of Horror''), episode of TV show ''Masters of Horror'' * ''Imprint'' (film), a 2007 independent drama/thriller film ...

Homestead Records Homestead Records was a Long Island, New York-based sublabel of music distributor Dutch East India Trading that operated from 1983 to 1996. The label was known for not paying its artists and not spending any money on promotion. History The l ...

, was the first label to release the album on vinyl in the United States. In 1996, ROIR

reissue In the music industry, a reissue (also re-release, repackage or re-edition) is the release of an album or Single (music), single which has been released at least once before, sometimes with alterations or additions. Reasons for reissue New aud ...

d the original album on CD, featuring a hidden bonus track, followed by an on LP version the following year. Bad Brains regained the rights to the album from ROIR in 2020, and reissued the album on vinyl, CD, and digital outlets on their own Bad Brains Records imprint via a pressing and distribution with ORG Music. A limited edition pressing of the album with

Blue Note Records Blue Note Records is an American jazz record label owned by Universal Music Group and operated under Capitol Music Group. Established in 1939 by Alfred Lion and Max Margulis, it derived its name from the blue notes of jazz and the blues. ...

-inspired cover art and layout scheme, designed by former Alternative Tentacles graphic artist John Yates, was released at the same time as the original cover's reissue, on translucent green vinyl.

Re-recordings

Many of the album's tracks were re-recorded for their 1983 follow-up, ''

Rock for Light ''Rock for Light'' is the second full-length album by hardcore punk pioneers Bad Brains, released in 1983. It was produced by Ric Ocasek of The Cars. The 1991 reissue, re-issue was remixed by Ocasek and bass player Darryl Jenifer. The re-issued v ...

'', with the exception of "Don't Need It", "The Regulator", "Jah Calling", "Leaving Babylon", "Pay to Cum", "I Luv I Jah". The instrumental final track on ''Bad Brains'', titled "Intro", became the first nine seconds of ''Rock for Lights title song.

Cover versions

* Ho99o9 has played "Attitude" live on multiple occasions and continues to do so. "Attitude" was also covered by H₂O on their album Don't Forget Your Roots. * "Leaving Babylon" was covered by

Jesse Malin Jesse Malin (born January 26, 1967) is an American rock musician, guitarist, and songwriter. Starting his performing career in the New York hardcore band Heart Attack, and rising to prominence as vocalist of D Generation, a solo recording arti ...

on his covers album, '' On Your Sleeve''; by

for their 1999 album '' Soundsystem''; and live by

Living Colour Living Colour is an American rock band from New York City, formed in 1984. The band currently consists of guitarist Vernon Reid, lead vocalist Corey Glover, drummer Will Calhoun and bassist Doug Wimbish (who replaced Muzz Skillings in 1992). St ...

and HIM. * Sublime often performed Bad Brains tunes during live shows. The deluxe edition of their '' Sublime'' album included "I Luv I Jah", reworked with different lyrics as "I Love My Dog". The DVD of their ''

Everything Under the Sun ''Everything Under the Sun'' is a 2006 box set of rarities from the band Sublime. It is composed in large part of tracks that can be found on previously released bootleg albums. The collection features material from throughout the band's career, ...

'' also contained a live version of "Leaving Babylon". *

John Frusciante John Anthony Frusciante (; born March 5, 1970) is an American musician, best known as the guitarist for the Red Hot Chili Peppers across three stints since 1988. He has released 11 solo albums and 7 EPs, ranging in style from acoustic guitar to e ...

Red Hot Chili Peppers Red Hot Chili Peppers are an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1983, comprising vocalist Anthony Kiedis, bassist Flea, drummer Chad Smith, and guitarist John Frusciante. Their music incorporates elements of alternative rock, funk ...

covered "Big Takeover" on his first solo album, '' Niandra Lades and Usually Just a T-Shirt''. He also covered a short acoustic rendition of "Sailin On'" during a 1989 interview. * "Sailin' On" was covered by

No Doubt No Doubt is an American rock band from Anaheim, California, formed in 1986. For most of their career, the band has consisted of vocalist Gwen Stefani, guitarist Tom Dumont, bassist Tony Kanal, and drummer Adrian Young. Since the mid-1990s, ...

for the '' MOM: Music for Our Mother Ocean'' album series; by

Moby Richard Melville Hall (born September 11, 1965), known professionally as Moby, is an American musician, songwriter, singer, producer, and animal rights activist. He has sold 20 million records worldwide. AllMusic considers him to be "among the ...

for the ''Never Give In: A Tribute to Bad Brains'' (1999,

Century Media A century is a period of 100 years. Centuries are numbered ordinally in English and many other languages. The word ''century'' comes from the Latin ''centum'', meaning ''one hundred''. ''Century'' is sometimes abbreviated as c. A centennial or ...

)

tribute album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records c ...

; by

Soulfly Soulfly is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1997, and later based out of Phoenix, Arizona. Soulfly is led by former Sepultura frontman Max Cavalera, who formed the band after he left the Brazilian group in 19 ...

for the special edition of their album '' Conquer''; by HIM in a live version recorded for the record ''Uneasy Listening Vol. 2''; and live by Living Colour. Hardcore punk band Sailing On were also named for the song. * "I Luv I Jah" was covered live by

Long Beach Dub Allstars The Long Beach Dub Allstars are an American dub/ska/rock band formed in 1997 and disbanded in 2002, but reformed 10 years later. History Initial career (1997–2001) Eric Wilson and Bud Gaugh met in childhood (in 1979) and later started their ...

, featuring H.R. on vocals; it appeared on their rare 1998 first album, ''LBDA & Friends''. * "Supertouch/Shitfit" was covered by

Hatebreed Hatebreed is an American hardcore band from Bridgeport, Connecticut, formed in 1994. The band released its debut album '' Satisfaction is the Death of Desire'' in 1997, which gave the band a cult following. The band signed to Universal Records ...

on their covers album, ''

For the Lions ''For the Lions'' is a cover album by American metalcore band Hatebreed. The album was released on May 5, 2009 through Koch Records.

'', and was sampled by

experimental hip hop Progressive rap (or progressive hip hop) is a broad subgenre of hip hop music that aims to progress the genre thematically with socially transformative ideas and musically with stylistic experimentation. Developing through the works of innovati ...

group

Death Grips Death Grips is an American experimental hip hop group formed in 2010 in Sacramento, California. The group consists of Stefan Burnett, also known as MC Ride (vocals, lyrics), Zach Hill (drums, production, lyrics), and Andy Morin (keyboards, pr ...

on the song "Takyon (Death Yon)" from their mixtape ''

Exmilitary ''Exmilitary'', also known as ''Ex Military'', is the debut mixtape by experimental hip hop group Death Grips. It was released for free on April 25, 2011, through the band's website. Background The mixtape was released for free on April 25, ...

''. *

Santigold Santi White (born September 25, 1976), known professionally as Santigold (formerly Santogold), is an American singer, songwriter and record producer. '' Billboard'' presented her in 2022, saying: "Spanning punk rock, hip-hop, and dance music, S ...

and Diplo covered "Right Brigade" on their 2008 mixtape '' Top Ranking: A Diplo Dub''. * "I" was covered by Mark Kozelek on his 2013 covers album, '' Like Rats'', in a stripped-down acoustic version highlighting the lyrics. * "Sailin' On" was covered by Stone Sour on their second 2015 covers EP '' Straight Outta Burbank...'' * "Fearless Vampire Killers" was covered by

88 Fingers Louie 88 Fingers Louie is an American punk rock band from Chicago, Illinois, United States, which was formed in 1993. After disbanding in 1999, guitarist Dan Wleklinski and bassist Joe Principe formed the well-known punk rock band Rise Against. The b ...

on their 1998 ''Back on the Streets'' album. * "Right Brigade" has been regularly performed by the

Deftones Deftones is an American alternative metal band formed in Sacramento, California in 1988. They were formed by Chino Moreno (vocals, guitar), Stephen Carpenter (guitar), Abe Cunningham (drums), and Dominic Garcia (bass). During their first f ...

during their live shows. *

Cave In Cave In is an American rock band that formed in 1995 in Methuen, Massachusetts. The band's lineup solidified with the 1998 release of ''Until Your Heart Stops'' through Hydra Head Records, and their early albums were prominent in the metalco ...

covered "I Luv I Jah" for the ''Never Give In: A Tribute to Bad Brains'' tribute album. It also appeared on their compilation record Anomalies Vol. 1. * Ignite covered "Banned in DC" on their split 7" with Good Riddance in 1996. Their cover also appeared as a bonus track on the 2014 CD reissue of their 1996 EP

Past Our Means ''Past Our Means'' is a six track EP by Californian hardcore punk, Ignite. It was released on September 13, 1996 on Revelation Records. It follows the previous year's full-length album ''Call On My Brothers''. Overview Ignite, at the time of thi ...

. It appears on subsequent vinyl pressings as well.

Appearances in other media

In 2008, the song "Right Brigade" was included in the video game ''

Grand Theft Auto IV ''Grand Theft Auto IV'' is a 2008 action-adventure game developed by Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It is the sixth main entry in the ''Grand Theft Auto'' series, following 2004's '' Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas'', and the e ...

'', for its reproduction through the in-game radio station Liberty City Hardcore (LCHC).

Track listing

Personnel

Bad Brains *

H.R. Paul D. Hudson (born February 11, 1956), known professionally as H.R. (Human Rights), is an American musician who leads the hardcore punk band Bad Brains, and is an instrumental figure in the development of the genre. His vocal delivery has b ...

– lead vocals * Dr. Know –

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected strin ...

backing vocals A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are ...

Darryl Jenifer Darryl Jenifer (born October 22, 1960) is an American musician, widely known as the bassist for the hardcore punk band Bad Brains and for the rap-rock group The White Mandingos. He appeared in ''TV's Illest Minority Moments presented by ego trip' ...

– bass, backing vocals *

Earl Hudson Earl Hudson (born December 17, 1957) is an American musician, best known as the drummer for Bad Brains. Born in Alabama in 1957, Hudson is the younger brother of the band's lead singer H.R. Although he has rarely recorded or performed outside o ...

– drums, backing vocals Production * Jay Dublee – producer,

recording A record, recording or records may refer to: An item or collection of data Computing * Record (computer science), a data structure ** Record, or row (database), a set of fields in a database related to one entity ** Boot sector or boot record, r ...

, mixing * Bad Brains – mixing * Wayne Vlcan –

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the limit ...

* Stanley Moskowitz – mastering * Donna Parsons (from Ratcage) – cover art *

–

liner notes Liner notes (also sleeve notes or album notes) are the writings found on the sleeves of LP record albums and in booklets that come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or the equivalent packaging for cassettes. Origin Liner notes are desc ...

* Donnell Gibson; Jay Jones – logo design * Laura Levine – photography * Neil Cooper – cover concept

Notes

References

External links

Bad Brains official site

ROIR Records official site
* Norton, Justin M. (October 17, 2012)
"13 Essential DC Hardcore Albums: Bad Brains – Bad Brains (ROIR, 1982)"
'' Stereogum''. {{Authority control Bad Brains albums ROIR albums 1982 debut albums