Rollins Band
Does anyone long for the days when Henry Rollins used to be “dangerous”? Before he was an ubiquitous talking head on VH-1? Before he displayed his questionable acting talents? Before he had a special on Comedy Central? Before he became another bland “rockstar” releasing one limp LP after another? Anyone else, or is it just me? I’m specifically talking about that time frame between the end of Black Flag and the beginning of Henrypalooza, that stretch between ‘86 and ‘89 when Henry sounded completely unglued, the band was tight, and the material solid. While I did continue to enjoy some cuts from later LP’s, the Rollins Band reached a zenith with the release of 1988’s Life Time LP and 1989’s Do It follow up EP. (Repackaged into one disc minus the live tracks)
Rollins Band - Wreck-Age.mp3
Rollins Band - If You’re Alive.mp3
Life Time is up there in my list of all time albums, if only for personal reasons. While it doesn’t have the same visceral effect on me as it did when I was 16, it still stands in contrast the rest of the Rollins Band material. Later albums would be burdened by overly long songs, boring arrangements, and “musical maturity”. Life Time features concise, edgy songs, piledriving production, and hellacious vocals.
Rollins Band - Move Right In.mp3
1989’s Do It 12″ featured 3 studio songs recorded during the Life Time sessions and the best songs off of Hot Animal Machine and Life Time recorded live in 1987. The studio songs are all covers, the best being the 7+ minute version of the VU’s “Move Right In”, which is a nice work out that shows off the band’s chops. (the ‘band’ being bassist Andrew Weiss and drummer Sim Cain from Gone and guitarist Chris Haskett). Iron Butterfly on steroids, perhaps?
While I was formulating this post I happened to find this site (via datajockey)
Sad but true. Has anyone died yet from Rollins overload?
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I too was a Rollins mark up until and including “Do It”. After that it was straight down the shitter. I saw him play at the original Exit here in Chicago during the “lifetime” tour and he put on a hell of a show. I recently listened to those Rollins albums again though and they didn’t hold up as well to me over the years.
A bit of Rollins trivia for you: Lifetime came on super limted pink vinyl. The only copy I have ever seen is the one I own, I have no idea how many they made of it.
yeah, Rollins went off the boil badly..one thing of his i loved was the Henrietta Collins and the Wife Beating Child-haters mini-album and ,soon after that, well he just played it too straight… i always thought he could’ve done with some better collaborators…
It all went downhill when he cut his hair and started working out.
And additionally… the more I think about it, I think LIFETIME was the best and last good album for RB — these cuts confirm that.
What are you guys talking about? ‘Hard Volume’ fucking destroys….it sounds like a punishing mixture of early Swans and Black Flag. His later albums are all pretty damn good too…..surely not as intense, but still undeniably rockin’. If his 2001 album “Nice” with Mother Superior doesn’t make you wanna go nuts, I don’t know what will. And he seems to be using his counter-culture celebrity status to actually speak out for things without being censored (check his show out, Hank hasn’t changed a bit since the Flag days).
Rollins is still the fucking man. Don’t let anyone tell you different. Those newer records may sound a little lame, but track down Rollins + Mother Superior footage from Sessions at West 54th and know that he still fucking brings it live. Hoping reunited Melvin Gibbs Rollins Band will schedule more dates.
Lifetime is fantastic. Hard Volume is sometimes difficult to listen to. Check out the earlier pressings with the “Joy Riding With Frank” live cut. Rad!