They are considered by many to be the greatest hardcore band of all time; Dave Grohl has said he learned how to play drums by bashing on pillows along with their records, and a mural of the band was painted in 2024 across the street from the site of their frequent haunt CBGB in New York. While the group was as fractious interpersonally as they were musically — they split up many times, usually when they were on the verge of a breakthrough — their early albums and particularly their explosive live shows contain some of the most powerful rock music of the ‘80s.
(Photo by Al Pereira/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
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The recordings were remixed by Minor Threat/ Fugazi co-founder and longtime friend Ian MacKaye — who has been on an archival binge recently, having worked with Henry Rollins to restore the catalog of psychobilly legends the Cramps — and will be available on vinyl, cassette, and digital. The EP joins the group’s full catalog, much of which was out of circulation for many years but recently got a proper reissue treatment and now is available on streaming services.
It includes a previously unreleased recording of the band’s legendary debut single, “Pay to Cum,” which is released today with video footage filmed ay CBGB in October of 1979.
