Damaged Arkansas

Damaged

Black Flag

Unicorn / SST Records, 1981

REVIEW BY: Christopher Thelen

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: 08/27/2000

If punk rock was seen as the kind of music which gave the fingerto society, then Black Flag had to be the group which gave thefinger not only to society, but to punk rock's forefathers.

One of the earliest leaders of the Southern California punkscene, Henry Rollins and company merged punk with the roots ofheavy metal - and, dare we say it, a little bit of humor. Their1981 release Damaged remains a high-water mark for the band.

As subtle as a car crash at times, Rollins knew he packed powerin his delivery that would capture the listener. So, he knew whento turn on the intensity -- tracks such as "What I See" (whichdares to suggest the spoken-word angle that Rollins wouldoccasionally take later in the band's history), "Police Story" and"Depression" all demonstrate this well. And "Spray Paint" is aminute's worth of pure intensity that even suggested that BlackFlag knew the days of thrash metal were just around the corner.

This being said, even Rollins could occasionally turn up theintensity a little too far. Case in point: the album closer"Damaged I," a track which still frightens me today, 15 years afterI bought the record (and nearly 20 years since it came out). LikeJohn Lennon before him, this was Rollins's primal scream therapy -and it's uncomfortable to listen to. (It could also be I'm moreaccustomed to a version of "Damaged I", featuring then-lead singerDez Cadena, on the 45 of "Louie Louie".)