Thanks to Turn Up That Volume! for reminding us that Black Rebel Motorcycle Club’s debut album B.R.M.C. turns 15 today.
Fifteen years ago an utterly cool trio, out of San Francisco, dropped one of best debut rock & roll albums of this century. School friends Robert Levon Been (bass & vocals) and Peter Hayes (guitar & vocals) were joined by British drummer Nick Jago in 1998 (who left the band in 2008 and was replaced by Leah Shapiro). Originally called The Elements, they changed their name, after discovering that another band had the same name to BLACK REBEL MOTORCYCLE CLUB, after Marlon Brando‘s motorcycle gang in 1953 movie The Wild One. The band had it all. Black leather jackets, confident looks and an overwhelming sonic impact. Debut album B.M.R.C. contained a series of scorching killer anthems. Powered with over-amped guitars, booming drums, and piercing vocals. Nasty riffs and giant choruses. Imagine the darkest moments of The Jesus and Mary Chain fused with the forceful tumult of Detroit punks The Stooges . Yes, bloody impressive! The start of a long career with ups and downs, with intensity and honesty, with imposing rock and dazzling roll. Here are three of my favorite highlights of that stunning debut LP…
Here’s a bit from more recent review of the album by DrunkenWerewolf:
Originally released in 2001, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club’s self-titled debut came to fruition off the back of Peter Hayes’ departure from The Brian Jonestown Massacre. Confronted with the comparison BRMC would probably hate it, but the album owes a lot to Anton Newcombe’s unholy dirge of psychedelic sound. The difference between the haphazard collective and San Francisco’s own dirty purveyors is that the latter were largely held together, and that sense of direction is more than evident on their debut.
There’s a photo of the Japanese version to the right from eil.com, which just had a few bonus tracks including the one this site is named after:
| Black Rebel Motorcycle Club Black Rebel Motorcycle Club Japanese CD album (CDLP) | ||
| Tracklisting / Additional Info: | 1. Love Burns 2. Red Eyes And Tears 3. Whatever Happened To My Rock ‘N’ Roll (Punk Song) 4. Awake 5. White Palms 6. As Sure As The Sun 7. Rifles 8. Too Real 9. Spread Your Love 10. Head Up High 11. Salvation 12. Screaming Gun – Bonus Track 13. At My Door – Bonus Track 14. Down Here – Bonus Track |
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As a little bonus, here’s a scan of the track list of their 1999 demo that helped get them that deal for the 2001 debut:
