For the Whole World to See

Death | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (February 17, 2009)
• Original Release Date: 2009
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Drag City
• ASIN: B001NY71F4
• In-Print Editions: Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #11,013 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #29 in Music > Alternative Rock > Hardcore & Punk > American Punk
  • #39 in Music > Alternative Rock > American Alternative > General
  • #56 in Music > Alternative Rock > Hardcore & Punk > Proto Punk

Editorial Reviews

Death were a black power trio from Detroit who released a single in 1975 and pretty much disappeared after that. Inspired by the raw Rock 'N' Roll of The Stooges and MC5, the three brothers moved away from their Funk/R&B roots into a new realm. ...For The Whole World To See features the two songs from the single ('Keep On Knocking' and 'Politicians In My Eyes') and five other tracks. Drag City. 2009.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

43 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars easily one of the greatest reissues / finds I have ever heard..., March 6, 2009

By 

Joseph Broze (chicago) - See all my reviews

This review is from: For the Whole World to See (Audio CD)

So of course lots of reviews are going to compare this band to early Bad Brains. Besides the fact that they are all African-American, I don't think that is completely accurate. It's not proto-hardcore here...it's more proto-punk and more on, just straight, brutal Detroit punk rock here.

Songs 6 & 7 feature some of the same vocal peculiarities that the Bad Brains had but this is still 16th note, closed hi-hat punk rock and NOT hardcore ala Middle Class, Discharge, Bad Brains, Minor Threat, Die Kreuzen, etc.

These 1975 sessions were cut at the same time the Ramones were cutting their demos in NYC. Totally mindblowing, fast punk here. Hard to believe it was recorded in '75.

If you like Ramones, Johnny Thunders, Dead Boys, Mitch Ryder, Stooges, MC5's 2nd LP, Chuck Berry, Bad Brains' "Black Dots," and a million more things. These 7 songs coming out of the blue like this are truly one of the most historic discoveries of the punk / psych / post-punk / KBD -era to have ever been found.

YOU HAVE TO HEAR THIS TO BELIEVE IT. BUY NOW!

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What a great album, March 22, 2009

By 

Ryan N. Holloway (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: For the Whole World to See (Audio CD)

Wow this is a GREAT album. If someone played this for me w/o knowing anything about the band, I would say this is just awesome, really old school sounding punk that sounds way BETTER then MC5/STOOGES and would give it a very, very solid 4.5/5. The history behind how this album came to be released and me being a punk fan puts this into a very solid 5. Every track is good, most being great, 3 being into my favorite off all time rotation. I'll let you listen to this and form your own opinion and wont break them down individually. With the amount of crap coming out today you NEED to pick this up and give it some serious rotation, it will put a smile on your face.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Album of the year, May 29, 2009

By 

Maxtone Witherball - See all my reviews

This review is from: For the Whole World to See (Audio CD)

Man, these guys could write songs. And they could play. From the awesome riffs to the squealing solos to the sharp bass and tight drumming and pitch-perfect vocals, the original Death (not to be confused with Chuck Schuldiner's seminal death-metal group) was one heck of a rock n' roll band. (I hesitate to call them punk rockers, or even proto-punk, because that would only partly capture who they were. Like the Stooges, while Death excelled at the fast, loud, and brutal, they also flirted with more delicate sounds.)

Incidentally, even though the album's technically not a reissue, since it was never previously released, and even though what you have here are demos, the sound quality is excellent and the mix is very well balanced.

[UPDATE (3/7/2010): If you prefer to download your music, you can get a FLAC (i.e., lossless) copy of the album from the Drag City Web site for a minuscule premium over the MP3s.]