Monday, November 24, 2008

69. Circle Jerks - Group Sex

Talk about anthems. I was 18 when this album out. When you’re 18 you fluctuate between feeling like you're going to live forever and feeling like you want to die. Those two things kind of lend themselves to each other when you spend every night doing some sort of damage to your body and your brain cells and your life expectancy, and you really just don’t give a damn about growing old. So you sit around thinking. what is the point when the world is going to shit anyhow? And you pop Group Sex into the cassette player and you spend the next hour screaming live fast, die young and you think, hell yea. That’s what I’m gonna do. Live fast, die young!

We see how that worked out.

This whole album is a blast of adrenalin. It starts off with 28 seconds of speed with Deny Everything and Keith Morris takes you through at this frenzied pace. Each song is a perfect example of the punk mantra, which is that you can say what you have to say in just about a minute. Short, fierce and to the point.

Favorite song: World Up My Ass
Official site

2 comments:

ThunderDolt said...

I love that your review mimics the pace of these songs.

I have to admit that I kinda bought this album so I could look hardcore. I didn't establish a true appreciation for the Circle Jerks until 2 years after Wild in the Streets comes out. Wild in the Streets is my introduction, so I buy Group Sex to expand my Circle Jerks selection, but I think I have played this album a sum total of 5 times since buying it 86 or 87. Well, except that one night where I was perceived as hardcore by a young 'un who had me play this album somewhere around 6 times that night alone.

So, while it sets the stage for The Minutemen, and early Meatmen, I give it a strong meh.

michele said...

I really need to get a Meatmen review up here.