BAD RELIGION
Out of all of the Southern Californian hardcore punk bands of the early '80s, Bad Religion stayed around the longest. For over a decade, they retained their underground credibility without turning out a series of indistinguishable records that all sound the same. Instead, the band refined their attack, adding inflections of psychedelia, heavy metal, and hard rock along the way, as well as a considerable dose of melody.
Between their 1982 debut and their first major-label record, 1993's Recipe for Hate, Bad Religion stayed vital in the hardcore community by tightening their musical execution and keeping their lyrics complex and righteously angry.
Bad Religion formed in the northern suburbs of Los Angeles in 1980, comprising guitarist Brett Gurewitz, vocalist Greg Graffin, bassist Jay Bentley, and drummer Jay Ziskrout. Gurewitz established his own record company, Epitaph, to release the band's records. Between their self-titled EP and their first full-length record, Pete Finestone replaced Ziskrout as the group's drummer.
Into the Unknown, their debut album, was released in 1983 and gained them some attention on the national U.S. hardcore scene. After its release, the group's line-up changed, as bassist Paul Dedona and drummer Davy Goldman joined the group. In the meantime, the band's line-up was undergoing some more shakeups. Gurewitz had to take 1984 off to recover from various substance abuse problems, leaving Graffin as the band's only original member.
In addition to Graffin, the 1984 incarnation of the band featured former Circle Jerks guitarist Greg Hetson, bassist Tim Gallegos, and returning drummer Pete Finestone. Bad Religion's next release, the harder, punkier Back to the Known EP restored faith among the group's devoted fans. After its release, the group went on hiatus for three years.
When Bad Religion returned in 1987, the band featured Gurewitz, Graffin, Ziskrout, Hetson, and Finestone. They released Suffer the following year, a record that re-established the group as prominent players in the U.S. underground punk/hardcore scene. They followed with No Control (1989) and Against the Grain (1990). By the time of their 1993 album, Recipe for Hate, alternative rock had become popular with the mainstream; in addition, the band's following was quite large.
These two factors contributed to Bad Religion signing a major-label contract with Atlantic Records. Recipe for Hate was originally released on Epitaph, but it was soon re-released with the support of Atlantic. The group's first proper major-label album was 1994's Stranger Than Fiction; it was also Gurewitz's last album with the group.
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Before the release of Stranger Than Fiction, Epitaph had an unexpected hit with the Offspring's Smash, causing Gurewitz to spend more time at the label; reports also indicated that he was displeased with Bad Religion's major-label contract. The group replaced Gurewitz with hardcore veteran Brian Baker for their supporting tour, which proved to be their most successful to date.
Bad Religion released their second major-label album, The Gray Race, in early 1996, but it didn't achieve the same results as its predecessors. No Substance followed in 1998, and two years later the band returned with New America, which was produced by Todd Rundgren. Although it featured Bad Religion's best work in years, Atlantic subsequently dropped the band, and they returned to Epitaph.
In the summer of 2001, Gurewitz rejoined the line-up after a six-year absence, and the group began work on The Process of Belief. The album appeared in February the following year, and was widely hailed for its recalibration of the Graffin/Gurewitz axis.
Bad Religion's next project was the re-mastering and issuing of their early catalogue. The discs began appearing in April 2004 with the release of Generator and How Could Hell Be Any Worse? The former included relevant 7" material from the era, while Hell took the place of 80-85, which had previously accounted for the band's earliest output. Both were fully re-mastered, as were subsequent reissues of Suffer, No Control, and Against the Grain.
Bad Religion then returned in June of that year with The Empire Strikes First, a typically acerbic LP that reflected the surge of anger and defiance in the punk and indie music communities toward the policies of the Bush administration. The powerful New Maps of Hell, released in 2007, continued on the path of discontent and railed at what the band saw as rampant apathy in the face of global crisis. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
For The Record:
Members include Brian Baker, guitar; Jay Bentley, bass; Peter Finestone, drums; Tim Gallegos, bass; Greg Graff in (Education: UCLA, Cornell Univer sity), lead vocals; Brett Gurewitz, guitar, vocals; Greg Hetson, guitar, vocals; Bobby Schayer, drums; Jay Ziskrout, drums.
Formed in Los Angeles, CA, in 1979; Gurewitz started the prominent independent label, Epitaph; released Into the Unknown, 1983; Back to the Known, 1984; Suffer, 1988; No Control, 1989; Against the Grain, 1990; 80-85, 1991; Recipe for Hate, 1993; Stranger than Fiction, 1994; All Ages, 1995; TheGrayRace, 1996; Total, 1997; NO Substance, 1998; provided research grants for col lege students studying the natural sciences; band toured with the 1998 Vans Warped Tour.
Awards: Maximum RockNRoll and Flipside Album of the Year for Suffer, 1988.Addresses: Record company—Epitaph Records, Epitaph Records, 2798 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90026, phone: (323) 413-7353, fax: (323) 413-9678. Website—Bad Religion homepage.
Discography:
Bad Religion, Epitaph, 1981.
How Could Hell be Any Worse?, Epitaph, 1982.
Into the Unknown, Epitaph, 1983.
Back to the Known, Epitaph, 1984.
Suffer, Epitaph, 1988.
No Control, Epitaph, 1989.
Against the Grain, Epitaph, 1990.
80-85, Epitaph, 1991.
Generator, Epitaph, 1992.
Recipe for Hate, Epitaph, Epitaph/Atlantic, 1993.
Stranger than Fiction, Atlantic, 1994.
All Ages, Epitaph, 1995.
The Gray Race, Atlantic, 1996.
No Substance, Atlantic, 1998.
Source: http://www.artistdirect.com/; Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide; eNotes.
This information is provided as a brief overview and not as a definitive guide, there are other sources on the net for that. If however you have a story or information that is not generally known we would love to hear from you. Content@rokpool.com
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