"We don't have no gimmick, I ain't no gimmick man.
You see the Clash on stage and they're all high on some kind of speed.
If I want some energy, I just drink some orange juice
and go out and rock harder than all of them." -Darryl Jenifer
The band that became known as the Bad Brains began in the late 70's as a jazz-fusion group called Mind Power. It was composed of bassist Darryl Jenifer, guitarist Dr. Know, and brothers Earl and Paul "HR" Hudson on drums and vocals.
When friend Sid McCray introduced the band to the blossoming punk scene in 1978, the Bad Brains were born. Taking their name from a Ramones song, their earliest influences were groups like the Sex Pistols and the Clash (from who they supposedly first heard Reggae). After a brief stint with McCray as their singer, the Bad Brains began to develop their own sound, playing faster and tighter than any band to come before. Shows in the D.C. area, while sometimes resulting in the group being banned from the venue, inspired bands such as the Teen Idles (later to become Minor Threat and Youth Brigade) and SOA, and the Bad Brains were very influential to the developing harDCore sound. One particularly incredible show opening for the Damned led to an offer to tour the U.K.; however, when the band flew to London, their visas were denied and they were forced to return to the States. Also at this time, HR discovered Napoleon Hill's self-help book "Think and Grow Rich", and the group began to preach the P.M.A. ("Positive Mental Attitude") doctrine.The Bad Brains made one trip to a recording studio for a demo (which was eventually released in 1996 as Black Dots) before moving to New York City. There, the band lived and practiced at 171-A in Manhattan's East Village. In 1980, they recorded the Pay to Cum EP and released it on their own label, Bad Brains Records. Arguably the first "hardcore" record (at least on the East Coast), the title track is a blazing display of speed and energy, and set the standard for hardcore punk in the early 80's and beyond.
The next couple years were the high point of the Bad Brains' musical career. Hailed by many who saw them as "the best band on Earth," the Bad Brains stunned audiences with their unique and ultrafast style of punk rock and their intense live performances. In 1982 the band recorded their landmark first album, a classic in every sense of the word. It was released on tape by New York label ROIR. By this time, the band, and HR in particular, had been seriously influenced by Rastafarianism. All the members dredded their hair, and references to Jah and Babylon started appearing in lyrics and interviews.
Whether or not any members of the Bad Brains had homophobic views prior to their conversion is hard to say, but becoming Rastafarian certainly did not improve their attitudes towards homosexuality. While they kept these views out of their lyrics (at least until the infamous "Don't Blow Bubbles" on 1989's Quickness), it soon became apparent to the punk scene. The controversy stems mainly from an incident on their first nationwide tour in 1982. The Bad Brains played in Austin, Texas with local legends the Big Boys. Things turned ugly after the show when HR discovered the Big Boys' singer was queer, and the next morning got into a heated confrontation with MDC's Dave Dictor. When the band left town, instead of paying money owed to the Big Boys, HR left a note saying something to the effect of "burn in hell bloodclot faggot." While the debt was eventually paid, the incident threatened to ruin the Bad Brains. MDC persued the issue in the punk community with their song "Pay to Come Along." Also complicating matters was the band's decision to cut hardcore from their set, change their name to Zion Train, and focus only on reggae. Furthermore, the Bad Brains' manager and the owner of 171-A lent the band money on tour which was never repaid, and therefore failed to pay rent and was evicted.This might have been the end of the Bad Brains - if it were not for Ric Ocasek. Ocasek, frontman of New Wave band The Cars, had seen the group play in Boston, and asked them to record an album. Having arrived back from tour with no place to live and no equipment, the Bad Brains took him up on his offer. The result was Rock For Light, released on the large independent label PVC/Jem (who also released the Cure's first album).
Releases
PAY TO CUM EP (Bad Brains, 1980)
BAD BRAINS tape (ROIR, 1982)
I LUV I JAH 12" (Alternative Tentacles, 1982)
DESTROY BABYLON 12" (Bad Brains, 1982)
ROCK FOR LIGHT LP (PVC, 1983)
HOUSE OF SUFFERING 7" (SST, 1987)
LIVE LP (SST, 1988)
QUICKNESS LP (Caroline, 1989)
THE YOUTH ARE GETTING RESTLESS LP (Caroline, 1990)
SPIRIT ELECTRICITY (SST, 1991)
RISE CD (Epic, 1993)
GOD OF LOVE CD (Maverick, 1995)
Reissues
BAD BRAINS LP (Dutch East India, 1990 - ROIR sessions on vinyl)
WORLD AT WAR split 7" w/ BLACK MARKET BABY (Yesterday and Today, 1990)
BLACK DOTS LP/CD (Caroline, 1996)
OMEGA SESSIONS 10"/CD (Victory, 1997)
Compilations
BEST OF LIMP LP (Limp, 1980) "Don't Bother Me"
LET THEM EAT JELLYBEANS LP (Alternative Tentacles, 1981) "Pay to Cum"
NEW YORK THRASH tape (ROIR, 1982) "Regulator", "Big Takeover"
UNDERGROUND HITS 1 LP (Aggressive Rockproduktionen, 1982)
RAT MUSIC FOR RAT PEOPLE LP (Go!, 1982) "How Low Can a Punk Get?", "Don't Bother Me"
INFO
I-fficial Website
I don't think this is actually the official Bad Brains home page, but it has a bunch of interviews, pictures, and whatnot.
Interview from Damaged Goods Vol. 2 No. 7
From the Punkfix.net website, an interview from 1981.
Interview from Ripper #7
An early interview, from 1982, when the Bad Brains were on their first US tour. Gives you an idea how much HR was influenced by religion, even in the beginning...
Interview from Forced Exposure #2
This interview (on the excellent Dementlieu Punk Archive) is from 1982, and shows the band after their 1982 tour.
Interview from Suburban Voice #21
This interview is a good example of what I see as HR's lack of touch with reality. I read another one a couple years ago (about the Soul Brains), and it was very similar. This interview with Al Quint is from 1987.