Discharge

[version sound]

Best hardcore band of all time? Probably. If you don't own at least Why, Hear Nothing, See Nothing, Say Nothing and Never Again (LP, not single), what's wrong with you? Seriously, I would like go know.

[Gary]

Best hardcore band of all time? Probably.

It's kinda hard to argue against that.

[gregpolard]

Legit not sure I've ever listened to Discharge.

[James]

Legit not sure I've ever listened to Discharge.

Word? Get on that shit!

[MXV]

Maybe it was when I first heard the band in comparison to other hardcore bands of that era but I wouldn't even put them in my top 100. They just never did it for me.

[version sound]

Seriously, Greg, HNSNSN is basically a perfect record.

[gregpolard]

Seriously, Greg, HNSNSN is basically a perfect record.

Will do! I'm sure I'll dig...just for some reason they were never on my radar much.

[version sound]

Maybe it was when I first heard the band in comparison to other hardcore bands of that era but I wouldn't even put them in my top 100. They just never did it for me.

I can't understand that at all. I've owned HNSNSN for 30 years (same copy, which says something considering how few hardcore records I DIDN'T sell over the years), and it still blows me away. The guitars are MASSIVE. There must be three or four stacked guitar tracks on each track. It sounds miles ahead of anything else from that era.

[yourenotevil]

yeah, great band. i think i have all of the original singles, or close to it at this point. would love to see an og reunion, but it prolly would have happened all ready. i can't say much for their fans or most of the bands they inspired though. in the 90s, dis- bands became a bad living joke.

[James]

Maybe it was when I first heard the band in comparison to other hardcore bands of that era but I wouldn't even put them in my top 100. They just never did it for me.

I can't understand that at all. I've owned HNSNSN for 30 years (same copy, which says something considering how few hardcore records I DIDN'T sell over the years), and it still blows me away. The guitars are MASSIVE. There must be three or four stacked guitar tracks on each track. It sounds miles ahead of anything else from that era.

You might think this is lame, but I discovered Discharge after hearing Anthrax's cover of Protest And Survive on "Attack Of The Killer B's". I've never told anyone that before.

[yourenotevil]

Legit not sure I've ever listened to Discharge.

if you don't listen to discharge right now and put on fall out boy or paramore instead i would personally fly to philly and have you tarred and feathered.

[gregpolard]

Legit not sure I've ever listened to Discharge.

if you don't listen to discharge right now and put on fall out boy or paramore instead i would personally fly to philly and have you tarred and feathered.

I listen to FOB probably every day in some capacity. I blame my kids.

[version sound]

FYI: only the first 14 songs of the YouTube posted is HNSNSN. The rest is singles, EPs, etc...all of it is great, but its probably best to initially experience the LP without all the extras.

Some Dis bands are good, some aren't. None come close to the real thing. It's crazy how little attention they get these days. All said and done, they were probably the most influential hardcore band of all time, with influence that reached from Bad Brains to Metallica, to nearly every Japanese and Scandinavian hardcore band of the last 30 years.

[Bill]

I don't even think of Discharge as a hardcore band. They're just Discharge, alone amongst everything else.

[James]

in the 90s, dis- bands became a bad living joke.

[tango fistula]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_bvouD5Fqg

[xxxMidgexxx]

I can remember driving in my car and a friend popping a Discharge tape in. I thought....wow....that's some heavy heavy shit!

[version sound]

Best hardcore band of all time? Probably.

It's kinda hard to argue against that.

Obviously, it only applies to when they were playing hardcore. GNW is actually pretty decent, except for the shitty lyrics. Even with the shitty lyrics, it could have been great if Cal used his punk voice instead of his metal voice. The 2 or 3 records after that one were pretty good. Not old school Discharge good, but good.

[WrEtcH]

it was Ron Quintana over here that played a lot of DISCHARGE on Rampage Radio that caught the ears of METALLICA and a lot of metal heads that was the early phases of crossover even though DISCHARGE wasn't really a metal influenced punk act (if that made any sense,) but yeah that's how I got into DISCHARGE and most punk (along w/ the RAMONES & other punk acts.)

Loved "Hear Nothing" and "Never Again." Saw 'em during that infamous "Grave World" gig at the Farm w/ D.R.I. ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT and POSSESSED where a garbage can was thrown on stage while DISCHARGE was playing. when they reunited w/o Cal fared better.

[JGJR]

Maybe it was when I first heard the band in comparison to other hardcore bands of that era but I wouldn't even put them in my top 100. They just never did it for me.

I'm glad I'm not the only one. They are OK, but are seriously the most overrated HC band of all time IMO aside from maybe SSD or YoT.

[JGJR]

i can't say much for their fans or most of the bands they inspired though. in the 90s, dis- bands became a bad living joke.

I think that ultimately this is part of my problem with them, though I know it's not their fault. I mean I heard them a few years before all that dis-band mania, but had I heard them in '82 like VS, I might actually appreciate them more.

[JGJR]

DISCHARGE wasn't really a metal influenced punk act (if that made any sense,)

They were if you consider Motorhead to be a metal band (I know Lemmy doesn't, but still...). I'm not much of a crossover fan, so that's another part of my issue with them...

[version sound]

Maybe it was when I first heard the band in comparison to other hardcore bands of that era but I wouldn't even put them in my top 100. They just never did it for me.

I'm glad I'm not the only one. They are OK, but are seriously the most overrated HC band of all time IMO aside from maybe SSD or YoT.

Who's the deaf one now? Soul Side is great and Discharge and SSD are overrated...uh huh, suuuuure.

[JGJR]

Maybe it was when I first heard the band in comparison to other hardcore bands of that era but I wouldn't even put them in my top 100. They just never did it for me.

I'm glad I'm not the only one. They are OK, but are seriously the most overrated HC band of all time IMO aside from maybe SSD or YoT.

Who's the deaf one now? Soul Side is great and Discharge and SSD are overrated...uh huh, suuuuure.

I stand by that. Sorry, but I'm like you these days. I love good hardcore/punk, but I'd rather hear indie/Brit-pop/'60s stuff/garage/post-punk (and other genres or subgenres) most of the time and Hot Bodi-Gram is much closer to that than Get It Away or HNSNSN.

[SamDBL]

Maybe it was when I first heard the band in comparison to other hardcore bands of that era but I wouldn't even put them in my top 100. They just never did it for me.

I don't know if I'd go all that far. But I certainly wouldn't say they're in my top 20 favorite hardcore bands. I think Poison Idea would take up about 8 slots.

[version sound]

DISCHARGE wasn't really a metal influenced punk act (if that made any sense,)

They were if you consider Motorhead to be a metal band (I know Lemmy doesn't, but still...). I'm not much of a crossover fan, so that's another part of my issue with them...

See, the fact that you even mention crossover tells me that you don't know WTF you're talking about (no offense) WRT Discharge. They were NEVER a crossover band. They made one record of ill-considered heavy metal, but never played crossover. They influenced metal more than it ever influenced them.

[James]

it was Ron Quintana over here that played a lot of DISCHARGE on Rampage Radio that caught the ears of METALLICA and a lot of metal heads that was the early phases of crossover even though DISCHARGE wasn't really a metal influenced punk act (if that made any sense,) but yeah that's how I got into DISCHARGE and most punk (along w/ the RAMONES & other punk acts.)

Loved "Hear Nothing" and "Never Again." Saw 'em during that infamous "Grave World" gig at the Farm w/ D.R.I. ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT and POSSESSED where a garbage can was thrown on stage while DISCHARGE was playing. when they reunited w/o Cal fared better.

I heard they were supposed to play here on that tour, but the show was canceled due to poor advance ticket sales. I guess word spread fast about how awful they were.

[john stabb]

Bravo, MXV I'm with you, brother. Why would anyone even listen to their records after seeing them live That would be my question. For the 1st Hardcore matinee ever in '82: Scream & G.I. opened & blew their limey ASS back to the UK. One of the most boring punk bands I've ever seen. Mr. Porcupine head & his not so merry band just stood there the entire time upon 9:30 club's stage. I figured at least with all that screaming "WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY?!" (really creative on the lyrics, eh Wattie? "Maggie/You Cunt/Maggie/You Cunt/Maggie Maggie Maggie/You fucking Cunt") you would've thought they'd actually jump around a bit. Nope. I should've done more than blew my nose/wiped my butt on their Giant Banner that afternoon. Next

[WrEtcH]

DISCHARGE wasn't really a metal influenced punk act (if that made any sense,)

They were if you consider Motorhead to be a metal band (I know Lemmy doesn't, but still...). I'm not much of a crossover fan, so that's another part of my issue with them...

See, the fact that you even mention crossover tells me that you don't know WTF you're talking about (no offense) WRT Discharge. They were NEVER a crossover band. They made one record of ill-considered heavy metal, but never played crossover. They influenced metal more than it ever influenced them.

if yer pertaining to me, I knew that. I always lumped DISCHARGE w/ G.B.H. & EXPLOITED. what they did was gain a metal audience in these parts and like you mentioned, influenced many metal bands and many crossover act.

if yer talking to JGJR, never mind my blabber

[Welly]

Best hardcore band of all time? Probably. If you don't own at least Why, Hear Nothing, See Nothing, Say Nothing and Never Again (LP, not single), what's wrong with you? Seriously, I would like go know.

Most influential, I'd say yes, 'best' is a flawed concept.

[Janelle]

Best hardcore band of all time? Probably. If you don't own at least Why, Hear Nothing, See Nothing, Say Nothing and Never Again (LP, not single), what's wrong with you? Seriously, I would like go know.

Good call! One of my favorite bands!

You probably won't condone it, VS, but (I don't think I mentioned it on here; if I did I'm sorry to repeat!), but I saw them at CB's of course after the fact, in like '03 or '04 (the night BEFORE Vibrators played) with Rat from the Varukers singing so it may be like, "that's not Discharge!!!!!!!!!!!!" Anyway, I did an interview with him actually for Discharge and of course I had to talk a little about the Varukers and I mentioned that the latter-day Varukers had a total Discharge vibe. I'm like it got progressively more Discharge ha. And he agreed. Okay, that's all...

[version sound]

if yer pertaining to me, I knew that. I always lumped DISCHARGE w/ G.B.H. & EXPLOITED. what they did was gain a metal audience in these parts and like you mentioned, influenced many metal bands and many crossover act.

if yer talking to JGJR, never mind my blabber

I was talking to JGJR. You know exactly what was up on the punk/metal front.

[tango fistula]

Never been a big fan of British punk circa 1981-1985 so Discharge
never really moved me. I like/liked Rudimentary Peni better.

Poison Idea to me took the Discharge template and made it a true monster.

[Janelle]

Never been a big fan of British punk circa 1981-1985 so Discharge
never really moved me. I like/liked Rudimentary Peni better.

Poison Idea to me took the Discharge template and made it a true monster.

Poison Idea = awesomeness!!

[version sound]

John, while you are entitled to your opinion about their live show, I don't know if you're confused about the details, or just plain wrong. Wattie was in the Exploited. To the best of my recollection, Discharge never mentioned "Maggie" in a single song. You are seriously going to criticize their lyrics circa 1982? At worst, they had a one track mind, as all their lyrics were (broadly speaking) about war. The lyrics on HNSNSN are almost poetic in their concision and impact. I'm not sure there was ever a more effective line in punk rock than "Q: And children? A: And children" in a song about the horrors of war. For the record, here are the ridiculous lyrics for "Why?":

Beside her man she kneels Holds him tight and begins to cry
Why why why but why
Her loved one's just another piece of meat On the battlefields
Why why why but why
Her cries break out into screams As she now becomes hysterical with grief
Why why why but why
Her loved one's just anotherpiece of meat On the battlefields
Why why why but why

Not as masterful or deep as the kind of teen drama most hardcore bands were writing about, I know.

[yourenotevil]

DISCHARGE wasn't really a metal influenced punk act (if that made any sense,)

They were if you consider Motorhead to be a metal band (I know Lemmy doesn't, but still...). I'm not much of a crossover fan, so that's another part of my issue with them...

See, the fact that you even mention crossover tells me that you don't know WTF you're talking about (no offense) WRT Discharge. They were NEVER a crossover band. They made one record of ill-considered heavy metal, but never played crossover. They influenced metal more than it ever influenced them.

i think they definitely had a little metal influence though. it should be said that they made the best transition ever from a demo to a record, that thing is pretty weak.

[xxxHunterxxx]

John, while you are entitled to your opinion about their live show, I don't know if you're confused about the details, or just plain wrong. Wattie was in the Exploited. To the best of my recollection, Discharge never mentioned "Maggie" in a single song. You are seriously going to criticize their lyrics circa 1982? At worst, they had a one track mind, as all their lyrics were (broadly speaking) about war. The lyrics on HNSNSN are almost poetic in their concision and impact. I'm not sure there was ever a more effective line in punk rock than "Q: And children? A: And children" in a song about the horrors of war. For the record, here are the ridiculous lyrics for "Why?":
Beside her man she kneels Holds him tight and begins to cry
Why why why but why
Her loved one's just another piece of meat On the battlefields
Why why why but why
Her cries break out into screams As she now becomes hysterical with grief
Why why why but why
Her loved one's just anotherpiece of meat On the battlefields
Why why why but why

Not as masterful or deep as the kind of teen drama most hardcore bands were writing about, I know.

Okay, but you have to admit that Sid Vicious' bass playing on all of those Discharge records was fucking horrible.

[version sound]

I'm not a huge fan of the early EPs, which is what most of the Dis bands seemed to base thier sound on. I don't think they really hit their stride until Decontrol. I don't know how influenced they were by metal early on. There really weren't many metal bands playing like that before HNSNSN. They weren't afraid of guitar leads or heaviness, which weren't typical hardcore traits at the time. Was anyone in metal or punk playing those fast atonal solos before Discharge, other than Ginn?

[yourenotevil]

I'm not a huge fan of the early EPs, which is what most of the Dis bands seemed to base thier sound on. I don't think they really hit their stride until Decontrol. I don't know how influenced they were by metal early on. There really weren't many metal bands playing like that before HNSNSN. They weren't afraid of guitar leads or heaviness, which weren't typical hardcore traits at the time. Was anyone in metal or punk playing those fast atonal solos before Discharge, other than Ginn?

i don't think anyone else was, at least that i can recall. i like the early eps a lot, but i would lean towards why and the lp more.

[Bill]

[WrEtcH]

if yer pertaining to me, I knew that. I always lumped DISCHARGE w/ G.B.H. & EXPLOITED. what they did was gain a metal audience in these parts and like you mentioned, influenced many metal bands and many crossover act.

if yer talking to JGJR, never mind my blabber

I was talking to JGJR. You know exactly what was up on the punk/metal front.

okay, we're good

[JGJR]

DISCHARGE wasn't really a metal influenced punk act (if that made any sense,)

They were if you consider Motorhead to be a metal band (I know Lemmy doesn't, but still...). I'm not much of a crossover fan, so that's another part of my issue with them...

See, the fact that you even mention crossover tells me that you don't know WTF you're talking about (no offense) WRT Discharge. They were NEVER a crossover band. They made one record of ill-considered heavy metal, but never played crossover. They influenced metal more than it ever influenced them.

Please read what I wrote again. I never claimed that they were a crossover band, but merely that they ended up influencing a lot of bands that blended metal and punk in different ways (Anthrax doing "Protest and Survive" is a good example, as are the million and one crust punk bands that also seem to have a foot in metal). I rest my case.

[JGJR]

Poison Idea to me took the Discharge template and made it a true monster.

I couldn't agree with you more here. Discharge is like the punk version of Bruce Springsteen in that I like some of the bands they influenced (not just PI, but also Negative Approach and others) way more than the band/artist themselves. For instance, I like Graham Parker and Elvis Costello much more than Springsteen, but he also spawned lame imitators, too (just like Discharge did).

[Michele]

Best hardcore band of all time? Probably. If you don't own at least Why, Hear Nothing, See Nothing, Say Nothing and Never Again (LP, not single), what's wrong with you? Seriously, I would like go know.

Most influential, I'd say yes, 'best' is a flawed concept.

quite agree with this!

[version sound]

Poison Idea to me took the Discharge template and made it a true monster.

I couldn't agree with you more here. Discharge is like the punk version of Bruce Springsteen in that I like some of the bands they influenced (not just PI, but also Negative Approach and others) way more than the band/artist themselves. For instance, I like Graham Parker and Elvis Costello much more than Springsteen, but he also spawned lame imitators, too (just like Discharge did).

I'm guessing that this is just another case of you speaking before you really listen. "They are so overrated" often seems to equate with "I've never really listened to them much". Do you own HNSNSN? Have you ever?

[SamDBL]

I want my due credit for mentioning poison idea in this thread first.

[sonofa]

Love Discharge - my friend bought Grave New World back in 1986 because they were on Profile/Rock Hotel - the same as the Cromags. Needless to say that was my first experience with them and the record in my opinion still stands - killer riffs. I eventually heard their earlier material and was like "is that the same band?" But it all rocks.

[sonofa]

Given the Clay records Discharge vs. GBH - I will always go with GBH. My first son's initials are GBH.

[JGJR]

Poison Idea to me took the Discharge template and made it a true monster.

I couldn't agree with you more here. Discharge is like the punk version of Bruce Springsteen in that I like some of the bands they influenced (not just PI, but also Negative Approach and others) way more than the band/artist themselves. For instance, I like Graham Parker and Elvis Costello much more than Springsteen, but he also spawned lame imitators, too (just like Discharge did).

I'm guessing that this is just another case of you speaking before you really listen. "They are so overrated" often seems to equate with "I've never really listened to them much". Do you own HNSNSN? Have you ever?

I have never owned a physical copy of HNSNSN or any Discharge record. I have heard it, however, though admittedly in more recent years (I knew a few songs before that just via tape trading and stuff). Had I heard it in '82 like you did or when I first got into punk, I might feel differently. I just prefer other bands. That is all.

[john stabb]

VS, of course I know Wattie was The Exploited frontman & wrote "Maggie", which I was trying to make the point that Discharge lyrics I know of, SUCK And people like Guy & others went cuckoo over Discharge recordings + that gig. But not my thing & cannot understand the fascination in the band.