Harley’s War – Hardcore All-Stars
Harley’s War – Hardcore All-Stars CD/DVD (MVD Audio)
Harley, of course, is Harley Flanagan of (wait for it, and bow down while doing so…) Cro-Mags. (OK, you can stop bowing now. But just until you get this record, at which point you’ll be doing that Wayne’s World ‘we’re not worthy’ thing every time you even glance at the packaging.) As the title implies, Harley is joined by an all-star cast of hardcore warriors for this release, which presents a wide variety of material. The first 12 tracks are brand-new recordings that more than hold their ground in the world of NYHC. Harley provides all vocals and bass, with Rocky George (Suicidal Tendencies) and assorted members of Agnostic Front, Warzone, Murphy’s Law, Sick Of It All, Bad Brains, Leeway, Dog Eat Dog, Merauder, and more (including Vinnie Stigma and Phil Caivano!) joining the fray. The next 4 tracks are rare solo demos from 1982 that feature Harley doing it all on tracks like ‘Don’t Tread On Me’ and ‘Dead End Kids’, followed by a 16-track live performance at CBGB’s (just before it closed its doors forever). Among the new tracks are a few destined to be NYHC classics, including ‘Hardcore NYHC-OG’ and ‘NYHC Xmas’ (which just has to be heard to be believed, and seems to feature the entire NYHC scene on gang vocals). The disc is packaged with a full-length DVD featuring the full 21-track show at CBGB’s, 2 songs live in Germany, 2 more (plus wacky antics) live in Japan, an interview with Harley, a documentary on the final days of CBGB’s, and videos for 2 of the new songs. Poseurs need not apply, but for the TRUE hardcore: buy or die. The Impaler
