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Bad Brains: God of love
21/04/11 || InquisitorGeneralis
Born from the waste of the 70’s and fueled by the insanity of the 80’s, there truly is no other band like Bad Brains. If you know of another punk/hardcore/reggae/metal crossover band out there who can melt your face one minute and make you want to share a spliff with Jimmie Cliff the next, please let a brother know about ‘em. I first was introduced to teh Brains while working at a summer shack restaurant with a bunch of old punk stoners and surfers back in my college days.
See I spent my summers partying down the beach which was a nice break from the school year, spent partying in The Bronx. When I wasn’t spending the night in Ocean City, Maryland in jail or driving my Jeep into telephone poles, I smoked a lot of dope and listened to a lot of music that I had previously been unexposed to. Classic Reggae like Gregory Isaacs, Black Uhuru, Burning Spear, and Toots and the Maytals began to break down the strong metal walls that had been erected around my brain. Only one band, Bad muthafucken Brains, mixed the music I previously liked with the new buds that were being rolled into the blunt of my everyday musical existence.
While most others smack their boners to Bad Brains’ earlier material like “Rock for Light” and “I Against I”, I am drawn to the more modern, polished sound of later material like “God of Love”. I wholeheartedly agree that the band’s early material is much more groundbreaking and influential, but “God of Love” is my personal favorite release. One of the strongest reasons for this is great production courtesy of none other than mister I’m too fucking ugly to bang a supermodel himself, Ric Ocasek. He might look like death, and The Cars might be annoying as fucking sometimes, but Ricky-O made this album sound fantastic, especially when compared to Bad Brains early records which sound like they were recorded in some Jamaican dude’s basement. “God of Love” also featured a reunion of the four original Brainiacs. Sure, they self-imploded not long after its release but that’s what Bad Brains do and Jah love ‘em for it. This album is flawed but still enjoyable, just like the men that produced it.
“Rights of a child” is the perfect blend of Bad Brains’ multiple influence. It starts off with a reggae vibe during the refrains that turns into something harsher during the more aggressive choruses. It is a truly unique song. “Praise jah” is the track that initially got me into “God of Love” and is more of a straightforward rocker. The title track also brings heaviness. This is definitely more of a hard rock album than a punk or hardcore one. I think that is another reason why I like this record and old-school Bad Brainers do not. “Cool mountaineer” starts off with some hardcore-esque thrashing but finds its mellow side, again during the chorus. “Over the water” is 100% reggae but still very fucking enjoyable.
H.R. definitely has one of the most unique voices in rock and punk music. He sings, sneers, praises Haille Selassie, and screams all at the same time. Dr. Know knows how to play guitar and he switches up styles with skill. There are problems though, several of the tunes on here scream Filler! and definitely feel cobbled together. Still, the good ones are good and hold things up for the slackers and bowl packers. Also, there is more reggae on here than usual so if that aspect of Bad Brains turns you off, your dick will remain limp for about 35% of “God of Love”.
Is this a perfect record? No way, Rastafar-a. But, it has always stuck with me more than Bad Brains’ early, more seminal material. I will let some other disciple of early D.C. hardcore tell you about those records. Me, I like “God of Love” in spite of its flaws and will recommend it to anyone who is looking for a genre-bending record that goes way beyond and normal sense of rock, punk, or reggae.
- Information
- Released: 1995
- Label: Maverick
- Website: www.badbrains.com
- Band
- H.R.: vocals
- Dr. Know: guitar
- Darryl Jenifer: bass
- Earl Hudson: drums
- Tracklist
- 01. Cool Mountaineer
- 02. Justice Keepers
- 03. Long Time
- 04. Rights of a Child
- 05. God of Love
- 06. Over the Water
- 07. Tong Tee Tie
- 08. Darling, I Need You
- 09. To the Heavens
- 10. Thank Jah
- 11. Big Gun
- 12. How I Love Thee
