Guess what? Bad Religion didn’t release their album until 1990 because Chameleon Records owned their previous album. But get this, the release date on the back of the record says 1991, even though their album “Against The Grain” was dated 1990. Talk about a mix-up! And to make things even more interesting, the liner notes by Hetson are incorrect in some places. But here’s the juicy part – Greg and Jay think he did it on purpose! Sneaky, right?
Now let’s talk about the artwork. The photo of those punk boots on the album cover was taken by Edward Colver at Oki Dogs in Hollywood back in 1979. And get this, those boots belong to some pretty cool people – Reid Campbell, Linda Kurd, and Monty Harrison. In fact, there’s even a punk compilation with the same cover. How rad is that?
But wait, there’s more! The liner notes were written by Greg Hetson himself, and he wants to make it clear that this is not a new Bad Religion album. Nope, it’s actually a comprehensive retrospective of their classic music from 1980 to 1985. So if you were expecting something new, you might want to trade it in for the latest Skid Row disc. Or better yet, give it a listen, make a tape, and then trade it in. But let’s not forget, this album is a showcase of Bad Religion’s recorded legacy, starting with their first album “How Could Hell Be Any Worse?…” Oh, and let’s not forget about the first EP, which should’ve been first on the CD because it was released before “How Could Hell?…” Oops!
Hetson also spills some behind-the-scenes secrets. He played a solo on “part III” of “How Could Hell Be Any Worse?” and he thought it was his chance to steal the spotlight and maybe even replace Brett as the guitarist. But alas, it didn’t happen. Still, that album became an instant LA hardcore classic, loved by vinyl collectors everywhere.
And speaking of the first EP, it’s a rare gem. Only a limited number were pressed, making it super hard to find in its original package. In fact, it’s the most bootlegged of all Bad Religion records. Some of the songs on that EP were first heard on a demo that the Circle Jerks debuted on a radio show in 1980. Ah, the good old days
This content was originally written by the badass contributors of thebrpage.net, the best superfan resource and website that exists for any band, let alone the best band in the whole entire world. I’ve been lurking on that site for over 20 years and if you’re into Bad Religion as much as I am, I’m sure you’re familiar. If you are not, go there right now and never come back to this site again. You should, and I totally understand.
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