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Alive and Kicking

October 21st, 2005 | Posted by: Eric | Category: Various Artists, 80's Hardcore


So here’s another great DC hardcore comp - Alive and Kicking. Released in 1985 on local DC label (and studio) WGNS. This one is pretty solid from beginning to end. United Mutation kick it off with a blast of their twisted, rocking hardcore mayhem, complete with sax. Gray Matter’s “Walk The Line” is a rougher, less intense rendition than the version that would appear on the Take It Back 12″. Beefeater’s track is more punk than funk, Tomas Squip almost sounds like HR at moments on this one. Mission Impossible, featuring a teenage Dave Grohl on drums, play some quality emo-infused DC hardcore (the MI split with Lunchmeat coming in a future post). Marginal Man’s eponymous track is rawer than the version on their Identity 12″. The only real clunker on the whole comp is Cereal Killer, which plays like KBD toss-off. Take a listen:

United Mutation - Sensation Fix.mp3
Gray Matter - Walk The Line.mp3
Beefeater - War In Space.mp3
Mission Impossible - I Can Only Try.mp3
Cereal Killer - Knife.mp3
Marginal Man - Marginal Man.mp3

11 Comments so far

  1. Emerson October 22nd, 2005 10:49 am

    With all due respect, sir, as someone with the moral superiority of having bought Alive & Kicking while living IN DC back IN THE DAY, “Knife” by Cereal Killer is one hip, happening little ditty.

  2. brad October 22nd, 2005 8:40 pm

    anybody have info on cereal killer? any other tracks perhaps? knife pretty much dominates this compilation

  3. Phil October 22nd, 2005 8:58 pm

    I’ve always loved that Marginal Man song, thanks for posting this. I hadn’t heard this version before.

  4. Emerson October 22nd, 2005 9:06 pm

    Cereal Killer (1984)
    Alec Bourgeois - guitar / Tom Berard - bass / Emery Oleya - drums / Greg McGaha - vocals

    Alec was in another dc band called The Capital City Dusters.

    Gleaned this from Google.

  5. Jeff October 22nd, 2005 9:17 pm

    i love that DC hardcore scene. looking forward to that MI/lunchmeat split. been trying to find that on ebay for a while.

  6. everythingwentblack October 23rd, 2005 7:56 am

    Alec Bourgeois also was in Severin with Mark Haggerty from Grey Matter and Alex who was the drummer for Swiz. Alec worked at Dischord for many years - a very nice guy.

    Thanks for this post - I sold my copy of this many years ago.

  7. Scott October 23rd, 2005 7:05 pm

    Good one, I don’t have this comp. :)

  8. Forrest October 28th, 2005 8:12 pm

    Great Comp.Man this brings back some good memories.I also bought this in DC back when it originally came out.Beefeater was one incredible live band.Fred Smith a GREAT guitarist.Thank you.

  9. Skottie Phaust April 30th, 2006 7:01 pm

    grohl was in a band called DAIN BRAMAGE from Bailey’s in 1985…with reuben radding of age of consent.

    great stuff here.

    i’m loving the site

  10. Larry-bob July 14th, 2006 5:38 pm

    Thanks for posting this — I’d lost my cassette copy of this comp.

  11. drywall November 5th, 2006 1:11 pm

    thanks for posting the copy my friend made for me in 10th grade had a skip in the cereal killer song–I’ve never heard it without it

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