Yeah, my dad is definitely setting me up with this one. In case you didn’t know or haven’t guessed, I have a thing for band shirts. My obsession is actually kind of a problem—I’d say that I have more than thirty, and that’s not including the ones that I’ve outgrown or that have been ripped to shreds at concerts. And as anyone who’s ever been to a show that involved at least a single guitar knows, Black Flag’s logo is one of the easiest to find on the shirts of punks, hipsters, and dads alike. Whether seeing Andrew Jackson Jihad or Matt & Kim perform, you’re guaranteed to spot at least one dude rockin’ that staggered stripe logo.
I find it kind of funny that such a key punk band (punk being a movement that’s all anti-establishment whatnot) has fans so willing to serve as walking billboards, but whatever.
I will admit, however, that it is a pretty cool logo, which goes along well with this angry and fast-paced music. Henry Rollins is the definite centerpiece of this record. He completely overshadows everything else that’s going on with his vocal-cord-shredding shouts and angsty lyrics. For a 2012 listener checking this stuff out for the first time, it’s interesting to see just how important these guys were to punk rock. I easily could have been listening to a Bomb the Music Industry! record for quite a few of these songs, minus the ska influence.
That being said, I don’t think I would willingly listen to Damaged again. Popular logo or no, it offers nothing that my modern angry music can’t do better. I must commend Black Flag’s ability to burn through 15 songs in 35 minutes, though—you’ve got to love that.
Swole Ear 