Big Black - The Rich Man's Eight Track Tape

Big Black was the loudest scariest meanest angriest band ever. Because that's what they intended to be. There's nothing about any of the members of Big Black that speaks to any sort of "talent" or "skill", and i wouldn't have it any other way. I listen to Big Black not to be impressed by any sort of tricky guitar solos or the like, i listen to Big Black just hear something loud in my ears and then to feel that ringing that sticks around in my skull after i pull my headphones off. In my high school years, i often thought that if i were to ever go deaf i'd want it to be because Big Black blew my ear drums out. Big Black is such a sonic high point in my personal music listening history that every other 'angry rock band' that has come after has been "not as good as Big Black". I try to listen to metal bands that attempt the same loudness, meanest, the same rage, but really nothing can touch this shit as far as i'm concerned. There's something different about Big Black for me, my appreciation is almost physical, whereas everything else can only linger in the cerebral. It's like tensing a muscle, like shock therapy.

Rich Man's Eight Track is a compilation, i'm putting it up because it has a lot of good songs on it, but you should really just listen to all of their everything if you like even one song. I've included a live version of 'Cables' that is different from the one that's supposed to be on the disc, because it's better. That track in particular was a very important piece of noise to me. Something about the way the bass kicks in, the drums and Albini's scream "i don't know why we come here" punctuated by a stab of feedback. That moment is one of my favorite things in music period. You can barely hear him screaming, which somehow makes his screams more powerful. Almost like he's not actually on mic, like his voice is loud enough to crack through the rest of the sound and be heard for miles still. And it doesn't matter what he's screaming, you can't make much out anyway, it's all about how loud he's screaming it.

The lyrics to Big Black songs are almost always fucked up, there's some real dark and tragic backwoods stuff going on.

"

You are not mine
You ugly thing
You ugly thing
You are not mine
Not my face
Not my seed
Not my child
You are not mine
You are my monster

"
Steve talking about the story behind 'My Disco'


All of this stuff is actually separate from the listening experience for me, it's something i appreciate about the music, but doesn't factor in when i'm actually listening. It's like looking at a photo of a car accident, and then reading the caption and accompanying article laying out all the gruesome details. But the real meat is in the photograph, that's what sticks with you, that's what you see when you close your eyes, that's why you're even bothering with the article. The sound is the photograph.

The last 3 tracks before the very last are the 3 most perfectly placed songs on an album ever. The songs themselves are of course perfect, but the fact that My Disco, Grinder, and Ready Men were all put together in that order is fucking genius to me. They almost blend into one long god-like track, it's kind of incredible. When i make mix cd's for people, and i think about including any of those songs, it feels almost criminal to not give them the other two to compliment it.

I think there's something to be said for a band's intent, especially when it comes to this band. These fuckers didn't "compose" music, they just played really loud and really fast and screamed at each other until what could be called a song would happen. They didn't even bother getting a drummer. It sounds like they're breaking their instruments. It sounds like there's blood involved.

It's safe to say attending a Big Black show will be at the top of my list of things to do when i get my goddamn time machine.

"guess i just needed the bang"