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Hi Sorry State fam! How’s it going? Things are pretty tame on my end. Although I’m still suffering with air conditioning problems so I’m sweating my ass off! And I missed last week’s staff pick, so I’m a week behind in formally welcoming Danny to the Sorry State team. So a big welcome to Danny! And with that, it’s time to rewind the clock over 40 years and get excited about records!
Recently my esteemed colleagues and I were discussing our top five 7” records, whether it be singles or EPs. A daunting task indeed. And somehow, I completely forgot about one of my favorite and most important 45’s. Important not only for the music itself and its contribution to punk, but as a physical record in my collection.
It’s Black Flag’s Nervous Breakdown EP. Released in 1979, the title is easily in my top 10 favorite punk tracks, and still gets me going to this day. What a song. I like that the band put only that song on the first side and the other three on the second. The track is a show stealer that you should sit with and digest for a few more seconds. And it’s also almost as long as the whole second side!
This is one of those records that is overwhelming to talk about because all the words have been said, all the adjectives have been used, and it’s more than clear how lauded and important this release was for punk. The year 1979 was a pretty big one for punk music. From the Clash to the Buzzcocks, to post-punk trailblazers like Joy Division. And on the west coast, in LA, a band called Black Flag would drop this five minute record that brought a new style and sound to the punk genre. It was a grittier, messier, and more manic breed of punk music.
Keith’s vocals play a large part in characterizing Black Flag’s unique sound on this EP. He sounds angry, sarcastic, helpless, frustrated, and completely unhinged. I’m a big fan of frantic, unpredictable vocals. It’s not all about how he sings, but the unique tone of his voice that grabs me. The title track really sets the tone for the second side and gives it a flexible foundation. They could express themselves however they wanted and it probably wouldn’t sound like too much of a departure from Nervous Breakdown.
This record as a piece of physical media has always been a little confusing but interesting to me, with the multiple different covers and jackets and labels. By the way, if I get any facts wrong, they’re probably just typos. Anyway, they started out with about 2,000 copies of the first pressing, and they quickly pressed another thousand copies, known as V2. The second version is distinguished by its blue versus the original black artwork. Version 3 (this one) is nearly identical to V2 but with a red cover. Although we don’t know for sure, they printed no more than a thousand for V3, and the remaining copies (est. at 2,000) would be used for V4. They used red artwork for V3 and V4, but starting with V4, they changed the shape of the outer cover.
The first three versions have an arc like shape at the top, said to be for easier access. Version 4 and subsequent reissues would use the standard outer cover cut straight across. It doesn’t stop there. Between 1980 and 1989, SST released six versions, each distinguished by aesthetic changes but no changes to the music or the recording. Actually, it is very easy to tell which version you have, as the Discogs notes section describes the differences very well. At the same time, this is the kind of stuff that makes record collecting exciting, and super fun to talk about.
Ok I’m gonna wrap this up and wish everyone a great week! Thanks for reading and nerding out with me. Until next time!
-Angela