Customer Reviews

Complete Discography

5 star:		(189)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

The first time i listened to Minor Threat, frankly, I didn't like it. The music was too fast and it was devoid of any melody(that i heard at the time). Ian's vocals were screamed so fast and unintelligibly, that it turned me off at first. At the time I was listening to Rancid, The Clash, and The Sex Pistols. I bought the Blue Minor Threat tape, thinking it would be along those lines. It wasn't. But there was something infectious about the music that kept me coming back for more. I didn't know what straight edge meant at the time,(i thought it was some reference to cocaine) and I wan't sure what the hell Ian was talking about. Then I started analyzing the lyrics. They cut with such razor sharp poingancy and heartfelt honesty that the music started to make my stomach churn. I finally got it. This music blew away my old punk records. Minor Threat presented rage in an honest and beautiful way, whereas the Sex Pistols were just out to shock people. Musically these guys were tighter than 95 percent of the hardcore bands of their day, and the music stands up. Ian's lyrics stand as some of the best, dare I say it, "rock" lyrics of all time. I can only imagine how revolutionary this band must have been when they came out, both musically and politically. All I know is that I can still put this record on in my room and roll around like an idiot, get all sweaty, and sing along, and love every second of it. This record transcends punk, hardcore, or any B.S. label like that. This music is timeless, and it WILL live forever, albeit, a little Out of Step...

Ian Mackaye and the boys deliver one of the best albums to have come out in the 80s punk scene. Think about it, in a time where most bands were singing "hungry like the wolf" they were talking about individualism, fighting the desire to conform to the assimilating establishment--an idea lost on many new and upcoming punk bands. Labelled as straight edge and not your typical lager lout, debauchery-loving guys this album is more of a tribute to ideals than to the pervading mediocrity of so many "punk" bands (read:Blink 182,Green Day, Offspring). Songs like: I Don't Wanna Hear It, In My Eyes, Out of Step instills that wrathful energy that only punk can saturate in your psyche. This is one of the remaining compilations left of a band whose influence sustained and took our music into a totally intellectual sphere. Piercings and tatooes don't make you punk kids, your brain does.

You should be happy that your kid is listening to Minor Threat instead of, say, Limp Bizkit. The lyrics are socially responsible. Isn't that what you want your kid to be? As for the language, your kid probably uses the words in the songs anyways, so you can't protect them. The album is definatly one of the best punk rock album ever. It's better than "Nevermind the Bullocks" by a thousand miles! It changed my life, and it will most likely change your's. The music and lyrics are encredibly powerful and rocking. I hate kids who think KoRn or Limp Bizkit are hardcore. This is hardcore.

I'm in my 30s, not 13 or younger, but I'm pissed and didn't want to leave my email address. To that kid who called Minor Threat talentless posers and said listen to Good Charlotte and Sum 41 instead, you have got to be f***ing kidding me. If you think that Good Charlotte is punk, than you don't know what punk is. It's not a fashion statement, it's a lifestyle and an attitude. You little Hot Topic posers have ruined what used to be a great scene, a scene that actually once meant something. And you know what else? Real punk bands hate you little bastards. I know this because I am friends with many of them and we laugh at you. Minor Threat is one of the greatest, most influential punk bands of all time. Instead of whining about how their dad sucks or how much they love their girlfriend, their lyrics actually mean something. Instead of being obsessed with money and getting laid, they cared about the music and making a difference. That, my young friends, is punk.

Minor Threat is the definitive hardcore punk band, at least for 1981-1982. They rank just behind the Dead Kennedys for me, and that's saying a lot, considering how great they are. They got their start from the debris of one of the DC scene's first hardcore bands, the Teen Idles. They, just like Minor Threat, took their influences from the Bad Brains, one of the first hardcore punk bands anywhere, and British punk, like the Sex Pistols, and the Damned. These are also great bands, check em out. But Minor Threat was something special. They weren't only more accomplished players than they had been in Teen Idles, but they also incorporated the idea of straight edge into their songs, which Ian Mckaye always was but dodn't sing about. Look at almost any song here and you'll see straight edge. "In My Eyes", "Minor Threat", "Out of Step", "Bottled Violence", and obviously "Straight Edge". You'll also see many critiques of the DC scene, which wasn't very supportive of their reunion just a few months after their breakup. Especially the last four, in which McKaye has realized that his beloved DC scene is changing (especially Salad Days). These were recorded after they had decided to break up. His voice sounds resigned, except in Stumped, when the question "Why did we go?" rings out. This sharply contrasts to the younger band on the first half of the album, where they seemed so full of hope. If you like punk at all, buy this. Its awsome. Also, check out the book Dance of Days, for more info about the band and also the DC scene as a whole.

As the above Amazon review states, this is the original gospel according to Ian MacKaye, but it is also more than that: this is the gospel of real punk rock. Vitrol fueled and seething with everything that made the punk rock movement of the 80's great, Minor Threat's "Complete Discography" is not only a punk rock masterpiece, but an excellent gateway for new fans of the band. "I Don't Wanna Hear It", "Seeing Red", "Straight Edge", "Stand Up", "In My Eyes", "Out of Step", "Sob Story", and "Salad Days" are some of the best pieces of music to ever come out of the punk scene from one of the greatest bands to ever emerge from the genre. Just like Black Flag's "Damaged", Dead Kennedys' "Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables", and the Misfits' "Walk Among Us"; this is an absolute masterpiece and entirely essential.

I remember listening to Minor Threat for the first time like 13 years ago and having my world rocked. A friend of mine gave me their tape and said 'prepare to be changed'. Man, was he right. The sheer ability that MT had to put such energy, power, and message together in a song that lasts all of 1:45 blew me away. This collection of their work is just incredible. Unlike other "punk" bands like Blink or Green Day, or "hardcore" bands like Limp or Slipknot, there is a reason behind Minor Threat's music. It's not just singing about high school and sex and cars and other crap like that. Unlike that junk, listening to Minor Threat not only adrenalizes you, but you get a message at the same time. You don't think so? Go REALLY listen to songs like 'Bottled Violence', 'Stand Up', and 'Out of Step'. It's more than just music. There's something else to it, something that has influenced many people in many ways.

I'll tell you like my friend told me that day. Do yourself a favor. Buy this CD, pop it in, and prepare to be changed.

When someone asks me about what they think the best rock album ever is i can say a few records that come to mind, but it would be hard to pick out one album above all the rest, what with so many different styles and composure. The same goes for almost any type of music - rap, punk, ska... whatever.
But when someone asks me to pick the best hardcore album ever it's simple. Because this is the truth - Minor Threat's "Complete Discography" is the best harcore album ever.
There's no second thoughts in my mind. I don't even think of another album... no need to contimplate. There are tons of great hardcore records, but this album is something else... something amazing. It's 26 songs about growing up and mostly the straight edge movement (eg. No drugs or alcohol). From the start to the end, there is not a single track that will dissapoint. Packing so much meaning and thought into a 1 and a half minute song could never be pulled off by another band. I used to drink alcohol about 2-3 times a week and now i hardly touch a beer, if ever. I know it sounds like i'm preaching but it's simply the truth. They have been covered by the likes of the Beastie Boys, AFI, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, The Suicide Machines, NOFX, Sublime, Sick of it All, and Rage Against the Machine. So you know how influential they were and still are. You have to check out this album... even if you don't by it, it would be a shame to just forget about it.

Excerpts from my diaries: DAY 5 -- 23 OCTOBER 1981 8.53AM. `I've been listen to the Minor Threat ep for four days straight. The sun is shining through the shades of my window on what must be a glorious summer-like day. I've been self-incarcerated in my suburban prison cell room for what seems like forever, and will not be let myself out again until midday; four days of solitary confinement. How can a white suburban youth of seventeen resist this record? It is impossible. I will change my religion. I will have no religion. I will worship Minor Threat. I will not worship anyone. I will turn inward, and to my friends. This is the Western world in the twentieth century, not Turkey, not Nigeria, not Iran, but the USA. I will not be trapped by conformity'

TWENTY-TWO YEARS LATER -- OCTOBER 29 2003, after 22 years I am still listening to Minor Threat. Are they the best punk band in the world? Did they invent hardcore? They certainly perfected it, didn't they? Or was that the Bad Brains? Who cares? Life seems like a perjury trial lasting forever, and good music makes it tolerable. At least this music, which is so impassioned. Perhaps without it I might have turned into a violent criminal. If you don't get this record, you have no right to criticize me, or especially punk rock from Washington, DC, or the USA, circa 1981 through 1983.
Peace.

the great thing about minor threat is that they are more melodic than other hardcore, while still screaming, swearing, and blasting your ears out. Complete dicography is interesting because you can see the band evolve. By the end it is much more melodic, and the begining is insane hardcore. the philosophy is also very interesting, and ian's lyrics are increadible for a 19 year old kid. I dont agree with all of it, but after getting this album i went mildly straight edge. This is the most important hardcore album besides damaged(this might be better).