Gang Green formed in 1980 on the cusp of the American punk scene, but by ‘87 they’d outgrown their hardcore roots and in a piece of synchronicity that captured the prevailing zeitgeist, the crossover scene became the perfect vehicle for their boozy brand of skate rock. During their tenure with Roadrunner Records they released a string of albums and EP’s which soundtracked countless nights of drunken debauchery and defined a whole generation of ne’er-do-wells. Those records have been compiled as We’ll Give It To You, a four disc box set that’s accompanied by a lavish booklet bursting at the seams with new interviews and pictures and, of course, some of the best music known to man.
Disc 1: You Got It
Born into a Boston straight edge scene that was almost puritanical in its sobriety, Gang Green’s love of alcohol (and other “substances”) made them something of a black sheep. Their refusal to be straitjacketed by any perceived “norms” gave them a lot of musical malleability and, as they started to move in a more metal direction, placed them at the forefront of the burgeoning crossover movement. Hitting the streets in 1987, You Got It sparkled and fizzed like a fresh Budweiser, and was equally appealing. The ultimate amalgamation of punk energy and gnarly metal solos ‘Haunted House’ made for a perfect opener, and could only be topped by the following ‘We’ll Give It To You’, a mission statement and a worthy title for this collection.
Unlike the piss-and-vinegar hardcore delivered by the Brits, the American variant had a strong groove and (dare I say) melodic sensibility bubbling beneath the surface, and that’s precisely the aesthetic Gang Green bring to You Got It. Despite being a riff heavy album, You Got It swings like a pendulum and it’s easy to hear why tracks such as ‘Ballerina Massacre’ and ‘Party With The Devil’ were favoured by both moshers and skateboarders. Both ‘Sick, Sex, Six’ and ‘Skate To Hell’ (added here as a bonus track) helped to coalesce what became known as “skate rock” and are tailor made for halfpipes and backflips, but if you want to relive the sound of 1987…You Got It!
Disc 2: Older…Budweiser
Gang Green’s second album for Roadrunner found them drifting further towards metal, yet Older…Budweiser is far more focused affair and one that hits far harder than its predecessor. That punchy sound is primarily due to producer Tom Soares who has turned the band’s three chord thrash into something more expansive. Bold as brass (which is exactly how Gang Green should sound) this album gets straight down to business with ‘Church Of Fun’, and while it’s true the band aren’t reinventing the wheel, never have songs about drinking sounded so vital. It could be argued that they were painting themselves in a corner with a tight lyrical focus, but certainly no more so than bands who sing solely about Satanism or other such stereotypical subjects. However, Gang Green definitely aren’t one-trick ponies and they serve songs about musical unity (‘We Can Go’), unprotected sex (‘Bedroom Of Doom’) and the anti-straight edge ‘Why Should You’. There is even strings (and cans popping in symphony) on the orchestrally arranged ‘The Ballad’, all of which made Older…Budweiser one of 1989’s best releases.
Disc 3: Can’t LIVE Without It (+ I81B4U)
A live Gang Green show was always a good excuse to get drunk, with the band often matching the crowd in terms of inebriation, but such behaviour was never used to mask a bad performance and no matter how many Buds they sunk, Gang Green always turned in a killer show. If proof were ever needed, then Can’t LIVE Without It will set the record straight. Recorded on a particularly rowdy night at London’s famous Marquee Club, this live album reads like a “greatest hits”, and from ‘Let’s Drink Some Beer’ to explosive closers ‘Another Bomb’ and (of course) ‘Alcohol’, Gang Green deliver a masterclass in stagecraft. Living up to their billing as the “World’s Loudest Drunkest Band”, everything becomes amped up to the max; it’s faster, and in the case of ‘Just One Bullet’, heavier. With the minimum of overdubs and studio trickery, this is an authentic live document…and not for the faint-hearted.
Released in between You Got It and Older…Budweiser, I81B4U (a play on Van Halen’s OU812) captured the transition between those two records; part punk, but mostly metal, it contained five devilishly good songs about drinking and women. There’s very little in the way of musical development, but who said that progress was such a good thing, anyway? In tracks such as ‘Bartender’ and ‘Cum In U’ Gang Green gave their fans exactly what they wanted, and you have to respect that. However, it’s a bonus track, a cover of Led Zeppelin’s ‘Living Loving Maid’, that sets the disc alight and it is a shame they never performed more covers, because they sound like the world’s greatest bar band.
Disc 4: King Of Bands
Given to Roadrunner as a parting gift after the band had fulfilled their contract, the compilation album King Of Bands presents 12 choice cuts, and is bookended two brand new songs. Seven of these cuts already appear on this box set in studio form, while the others make an appearance on LIVE. That just leaves the two new songs and the brief ‘Fuck In A’ exclusive to this disc. That doesn’t mean that this disc is superfluous, far from it, the running order is spot-on meaning that the songs flow in a completely new way, yet Kings Of Bands brings little new to the party. But if you want all the band’s key tracks on one handy collection, King Of Bands is just the ticket.
Along with Suicidal Tendencies and D.R.I., Boston’s Gang Green pioneered the fusion of punk and metal, and in doing so created a genre whose reverberations still echo in today’s alternative culture. Drinkers, but no slackers, Gang Green enlivened many an evening and if you’d like to relive a little of that magic, there’s no better place than with We’ll Give It To You.
- We’ll Give It To You is released via Cherry Red Records/Dissonance Productions and is available now (from here).
Track List:
Disc 1: You Got It
- Haunted House
- We’ll Give It To You
- Sheet Rock
- Ballerina Massacre
- Born To Rock
- Another Bomb
- L.D.S.B.
- Whoever Said
- Party With The Devil
- Somethings
- The Climb
- Sick, Sex, Six
- Skate To Hell (Bonus Track)
Disc 2: Older…Budweiser
- Church Of Fun
- Just One Bullet
- We Can Go
- Tear Down The Walls
- Flight 911
- Bedroom Of Doom
- Casio Jungle
- Why Should You
- I’m Still Young
- Ballad
Disc 3: Can’t LIVE Without It (+ I81B4U)
- Let’s Drink Some Beer *
- Bartender *
- Lost Chapter *
- We’ll Give It To You *
- We Can Go *
- Have Fun *
- Last Chance *
- Just One Bullet *
- Born To Rock *
- Rabies *
- Voices Carry *
- Sold Out *
- Bedroom Of Doom *
- Another Bomb *
- Alcohol *
- Bartender **
- Lost Chapter **
- Rent **
- Put Her On Top **
- Cum In U **
- Living Loving Maid ***
* Can’t LIVE Without It
** I81B4U
*** Living Loving Maid 12” single
Disc 4: King Of Bands
- Thunder
- Alcohol
- We’ll Give It To You
- Bartender
- Ballad
- Fuck In A
- Just One Bullet
- Another Wasted Night
- Another Bomb
- Put Her On Top
- Church Of Fun
- Rub It In Your Face
