Red C / Black Flag - Demos CS

A new BARELY HUMAN bootleg that (re)rescues two releases from the archival dustbin: the unreleased 1981 demos by the short-lived RED C (best known for their appearance on Dischord's foundational hardcore comp 'Flex Your Head'), and the infamous 1982 demos by BLACK FLAG (a band so present in the subcultural consciousness that it almost feels trite to say their name). Both sets of recordings were made in the early years of punk's evolution/splintering into hardcore, and went unreleased for vastly different reasons.

RED C were contemporaries of the first Georgetown hardcore bands, swept up in the birth of Dischord Records. The four-piece recorded three times: once to contribute four tracks to the 'Flex Your Head' compilation, another reflected the sessions found on this tape, and a rumoured third recording session that has never been found. This tape collects both the compilation tracks, and the unreleased session, dubbed to tape from files that have long circulated bootleg communities. Each track has the qualities of a hallmark hit of the era, and despite having staying power on listening today, have been largely forgotten due to the band's short lifespan of only a small handful of shows. The early DC scene was known for the rapid turnover of bands (a practice replicated internationally today), with RED C's flash-in-the-pan lifespan betraying the quality of tracks like 'Pressure's On'. Though many of RED C's members moved on to other groups soon after the band's dissolution (including GOVERNMENT ISSUE and YOUTH BRIGADE), their place in hardcore history remains, largely due to the timing of placing tracks on a compilation that will be in perpetual circulation for punk fans.

BLACK FLAG's '1982 Demos' are a different story. These tracks have often been considered the 'true' second BLACK FLAG LP, intended to follow 'Damaged.' These demos were held back from release after BLACK FLAG was caught up in a legal dispute with Unicorn Records, the major label-aligned distributor that SST had signed on to in the early days of the label. Despite profiting off the early BLACK FLAG phenomenon, Unicorn soon ran into financial troubles and ceased paying their bills while headed into bankruptcy. With BLACK FLAG threatening to release this album outside of their contract with Unicorn (citing the fact that Unicorn weren't paying for the albums they sold on SST's behalf), both label and distributor would be tied up in a protracted legal dispute that lasted long enough for the band to change personnel, style, and plans. The tracks from the 1982 demos then, would end up re-recorded and scattered across ensuing albums 'My War', 'Slip It In' and 'Loose Nut', diluting the power of what would have been no-filler follow-up their storied debut.

Though both of these sessions have been bootlegged in various guises elsewhere over the years, none of those bootlegs appear to be in circulation outside of over-priced onsales. This tape then, collects both snippets of early hardcore history in the one place, on recycled cassette tapes for a low price.  - Barely Human