AGE OF QUARREL/BEST WISHES(Reissue) [Import]

Cro-Mags | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 3, 2004)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: New York Hard Core Records
• ASIN: B0002T654Y
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #51,294 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

This twofer compendium--which contains all the songs from the Cro-Mags' first two albums--can serve as an ideal introduction to this tough-as-nails Gotham band, which swerved from brute-force hardcore to slightly more sophisticated thrash between the recordings. The Age of Quarrel material, sung by John Joseph, is pure street-thug hardcore--"Show You No Mercy," "Do unto Others"--that's heavy on both declarations of scene unity and threats against those who aren't part of the scene. Most tracks clock in under two minutes. The band stretches out on the Best Wishes songs, which see bassist Harley Flanagan taking over on vocals. More metallic in tone, à la Anthrax, the "new, improved" Cro-Mags prove themselves capable of kicking out the jams guitarwise and even provoking some thought through Flanagan's Krishna-conscious lyrics. --David Sprague

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Krishna Skinheads Make Short Hair and Metal OK, January 15, 1999

By 

Waxhaw Outdoorsman "methodairman" (Waxhaw, NC United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Age of Quarrel / Best Wishes (Audio CD)

1986 was the year that hardcore got heavy thanks to the Cro-Mags. The two-guitar thrash assault of Parris Mayhew and Doug Holland(ex-Kraut axeman) combined with the growl and scowl vocals of John Joseph defined the sound of this band. The low-end theory provided by Mackie's drums and Harley Flannigan's base rounded out a sound that kept the gritty energy of hardcore, but polished up with some better song structure and production values. Their message was one of self-reliance and street-toughness peppered with a new interpretation of Krishna religion that stood out in a time when punk rock and hardcore were preaching Peace through Anarchy and other quasi-hippie philosophy. Age of Quarrel, is in my eyes, hardcore's finest hour. This record got you fired up and ready to take on the world and made no apologies of its philosophies.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars oh yeah!, November 17, 2007

By 

cmo (sask,canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: AGE OF QUARREL/BEST WISHES(Reissue) (Audio CD)

some classic NYHC,this best of will surely make you a fan of this punk-metal crossover band,if your not already.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Survival of the streets"..., March 9, 2005

By 

Y. SEMENIC (BELFORT France) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Age of Quarrel / Best Wishes (Audio CD)

I bought these two huge hardcore albums more a decade ago (LP versions...) and I still find it to be essentials of that very special musical style... "So, don't miss the occasion to get them in one CD!" Just because Cro-Mags was at his apogee during the eighties, and these guys were real... and not fake! They were talking about what they were really experiencing : pain, anger and hunger! You should see these two albums as a testimony concerning the new york city hardcore scene of that period...

1 - The Age of Quarrel : If you like oldschool hardcore, I guess you probably have this one in your possession but if you are eager to discover what hardcore meant in the late eighties (raw, fury, political lyrics and INSPIRED music!), you shouldn't ignore 'The Age of Quarrel'... All is said in fifteen 'bullets'. John Joseph is the definitive frontman of Cro-Mags. He is really mesmerizing in it. With the help of Harley Flanagan and Parris Mayhew, he delivers an astonishing performance we can hardly forgot... This album is so good that it's really hard to name the best songs... Just an example : the intro of the 'We gotta know' is simply amazing... No less than that...

2 - Best Wishes : more metal oriented and Flanagan is now singing (quite good, I have to admit). The band clearly refused to do a "The age of quarrel : the return" or "part II..." and decided to explore new musical territories with excellent results. I had some difficulties to accept it then. But now, I think it was the best thing they could have done and "Best Wishes" contains superb hardcore-metal classics... ('Death camps' is my favourite but 'The only one' is a great and touching (!) song too...

Needless to say, with these two superb albums, The Cro-Mags influenced innumerable hardcore bands around the world...