Rhino gets punk with soundtrack to American Hardcore

By Patrick Luce Oct 6, 2006, 14:56 GMT

Soundtrack for the movie American Hardcore: The History of American Punk Rock 1980-1986 ...more

Emerging in the early 1980s, hardcore punk championed independent thought and a f**k-you attitude - all with a fierce "Do-It-Yourself" aesthetic. More than just loud, fast music driven by primal aggression, bands like Bad Brains and Black Flag helped launch an underground social movement that tapped into the disaffection of misfit kids who came of age in the Reagan era.

Filmmaker Paul Rachman and writer Steven Blush capture the spirit of this subculture with their documentary ‘American Hardcore’ and Rhino Records delivers the hard-hitting soundtrack.

‘American Hardcore – The History of American Punk (1980-1986) – Motion Picture Soundtrack’ is now available as a download at all digital retail outlets on September 26th and on store shelves on October 10th for a suggested retail price of $15.98.

Inspired by his book American Hardcore: A Tribal History, writer and producer Steven Blush teamed with director Paul Rachman for the documentary ‘American Hardcore: The History of American Punk Rock 1980-1986.’

The film is being distributed through Sony Pictures Classics and has opened in New York, Los Angeles and Irvine. It opens nationwide on October 13th.

Combining interviews and performance footage, the film reinvents the explosive energy of the movement while simultaneously suggesting how the music can only be read against the restrictive, repressive social consciousness of American life during "the Reagan years" - a political climate eerily reminiscent of today's.

True to hardcore's lean form, the soundtrack features 26 tracks and clocks in at a dizzying 37 minutes. The album contains music featured in the film recorded by the subculture's pioneers from different scenes across the country. The Washington D.C. scene is represented with icons Bad Brains and Minor Threat; the Cro-Mags rep the New York scene; and the Boston scene is showcased with tracks from Jerry's Kids, Gang Green, and SS Decontrol. The West Coast scenes in Southern California (Black Flag, Circle Jerks, Adolescents), Northern California (DRI, Flipper) and the Pacific Northwest (D.O.A.) are all represented as well.

‘American Hardcore’ also spotlights other influential songs and artists such as "I Remember" by MDC (aka Million Dead Cops), "Bad Attitude" by Articles Of Faith, "Think For Me" by Die Kreuzen, "My Minds Diseased" by Battalion Of Saints and "I Hate Sports" by 7 Seconds.

‘American Hardcore – The History of American Punk (1980-1986) – Motion Picture Soundtrack’ is now available at Amazon. Visit the soundtrack database for more information and a complete track listing.