American Hardcore: A Tribal History
By Steven Blush
One of the least talked about subcultures, Hardcore, got the full spa treatment in 2001 thanks to insider Steven Blush and his desire to make sure the mainstream understood one concept –Hardcore wasn’t just about bands who looked different, turned the volume up, and told a different tale, it is a lifestyle.
The original was meant to be a detailed overview of what Blush deems the golden age of Hardcore, 1980-1986. If you are looking for a Hardcore compendium that took an entire movement and breaks it down by region, includes more famous participants ranging from Black Flag and the Misfits to mainstream artists Beastie Boys, and has one of the most extensive discography that covers vinyl and cassette, this is the book for you.
Blush takes his love of the music, his experience as a promoter of bands and tours in the subcultures heyday, and his skills as a descriptive writer with a flare for remembering details, and kicks out this awesome tome about the movement.
Feeling the need to correct what he feel may have been wrongs and omissions, Blush revisits this classic for an updated Second Edition. According to the author, “I knew I always wanted to rework the book... When I first wrote this in 1995, it was pre-internet. There really was no information out there about the hardcore punk scene… I had guys approaching me and asking ‘What about my band?’ You know, they were probably right. I was and am man enough to own up to my mistakes and oversights.” (http://www.therockpit.net/Articles/2010%20Interviews%20Articles/Interview%20Blush.php)
According to Feral Press, “The Second Edition has over 100 new pieces of artwork, hundreds of new band bios and a radically expanded discography. The first edition, which became the Sony Classics released documentary of the same name, was 328 pages; the new edition clocks in at 408 pages.”
These are 408 pages of great reading if you ever wanted to know more about the movement that took America by surprise in 1980.
Thanks to Steve Karas at SKH Music and Jessica Parfrey at Feral House Publishing for the review copy and the interview with Blush.
4 out of 5 stars
Todd Jolicoeur
