I think we all have a copy of this record. It almost reminds me of that scene in Wayne's World 2 when Cassandra shows Wayne a copy of Frampton Comes Alive - "Exqueese me? Have I seen this one before? Frampton Comes Alive? Everybody in the world has Frampton Comes Alive. If you lived in the suburbs you were issued it. It came in the mail with samples of Tide". Maybe not quite, but as hardcore records goes, it's pretty much standard-issue.
The first time I heard Minor Threat was in the form of Silverchair covering Minor Threat as the b-side to some Freak Show-era single. I knew the name somehow but I enjoyed what I heard. As a statement about the band, that minute and a half song summed everything up pretty well. Except people did pay "mind" to them, and 30 years later they still are doing so. I love how the song almost downplays their role, especially looking back on it now. A year and a bit later, I picked up the First Demo Tape cd in my local HMV and had the chance to properly listen to Minor Threat by the way of eight cheaply recorded songs. It was pretty exciting stuff back then. A year or so after that, I found this copy of Minor Threat for £5 in Replay Records in Bristol (along with this copy of Screaming Life by Soundgarden). Even though I had most of the songs, I wanted to have them on vinyl and I was keen to hear a few more. Plus, I knew it was a classic before I even played it.
What's to say about the songs? Well, almost certainly nothing that hasn't been said before. Straight Edge is probably the simplest answer to the question "what does straight edge mean?", I Don't Wanna Hear It and Small Man, Big Mouth are classics of the genre. Despite knowing full well the story behind Guilty of Being White and that Minor Threat aren't in the slightest bit racist, I still can't help but feel a little awkward listening to it. I love Steppin' Stone for it's beat and terrible recording. They're not easy-listening songs, and probably sound horrible to people who don't enjoy heavy music, but I wish everyone could appreciate them for at least the piece of history that they are.
To finish I should mention In My Eyes, which always struck me the hardest out of all the songs here. When Ian sings (or screams) "What the fuck have you done?" I can't help but feel that he's aiming that sentence directly at me and I'm left thinking "well, what the fuck have I done?". It's even more soul-destroying coming from a cornerstone of the DIY punk world. I can't be the only one either. I wonder how many people he's broken over the last 30 years with just that one line? I love that a record can have that effect.
Format: 12", 11x22" insert
Tracks: 12
Cost: £5 second hand
Bought: Replay Records, Bristol
When: 10/12/04
Colour: Black
Etching: Side A: "Down and out, up and over..." Side B: "Over and over, over and out"
mp3s: no
