Reagan Youth

Senator John Kerry at left

It was not hard for me to decide to do my first post on Reagan Youth.  For a fantastic band with a classic sound that was active during the vibrant early NYHC scene, I do not think they get the credit they deserve.  They did not make as much of an impact as Agnostic Front or the Cro-Mags, but they deserve to be mentioned alongside them.

I was a young punk when I first heard Reagan Youth on the New Red Archives "At War With Society" sampler CD (which cost $.99 as a super punk diss to the samplers from Epitaph and Fat which were so popular).  I immediately picked up the "A Collection of Pop Classics" CD which combines their 1984 EP "Youth Anthems for the New Order" (here called Volume 1) with the heavy metal oriented Volume 2.  Most of this post will focus on Volume 1

Boots with chains, a furry hat, and a young Jimmy Gestapo

This is quintessential old school hardcore punk.  Fast and energetic, irreverent and political, straightforward yet ironic.  The shouts of "Sieg Heil" in the eponymous track "Reagan Youth" would be utterly cringeworthy nowadays, but it works here (this could be applied to a lot of moments in old school hardcore/punk).  The music is not poppy, but it's also not super mean sounding.  The production is raw but not weak.  Great snotty vocals that tie everything together.  One of my all time favorite guitar tones, lo-fi and drenched in fuzz but not blown out.  It sounds like they found the sound they wanted then accidentally bumped one of the knobs all the way up without noticing.  I mean come on, listen to this:

"I might not climb the social ladder, but I can climb the schoolyard fence"

My good friend Zach used the above quote as his senior quote in high school before going to MIT and eventually graduating with a perfect GPA.  I think the reason we get into punk and hardcore is because we relate, to the lyrics, the music, or both.  This song + lyric are instantly relatable, if you aren't some stuck up asshole.  Even Zach the scientist can relate to that fantastic lyric.

"I as in M-E fucking ME!"

Another great song.  When the fighting ends the war is won.  Hate is a wasteful emotion and it is a boring subject and such an easy thing for people to use as a lyrical theme.  Very few bands have pulled it off.  It is much more interesting to go beyond your hate and talk about THAT.  I would argue that generally, the great motivator in the best hardcore/punk bands has been anger, not hate.  

This song became the song played by the band in "Airheads," which still sort of blows my mind, but the truth is it is a damn rocking tune.  Check that fantastic guitar solo, really tuneful and well written.  You could tell early on that the guitarist had something going for him, and even though most of Reagan Youth's later heavy metal stuff is not that great, it does have some great Hendrix-inspired soloing:

This song is awesome but overall, the later Reagan Youth songs are too depressing for me to listen to.  It is heroin-soaked Led Zeppelin worship that makes me think of how the band had turned from energetic punks to doped up messes.  It is especially sad considering singer Dave Insurgent's downward spiral and eventual suicide

Oh yeah, couldn't complete this post without posting this fantastic cover of  "Degenerated" from some weird band called Puzzlehead, on the God's Chosen People compilation.  Get past the intro and it's a really creative, but also faithful cover.

Welp, that about wraps this up.  You made it to the end.  I will get another post up in the next day or two.  Thanks for reading. -H