How Could Hell Be Any Worse? - The debut studio album of the punk band Bad Religion , released in 1982 by Epitaph Records . [1] Released almost a year after EP Bad Religion, the album was funded by Brett Gurevich's father in the amount of $ 3,000. It unexpectedly sold well at 10,000 copies in a year.
| How Could Hell Be Any Worse? | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album Bad Religion | ||||
| Date of issue | January 19, 1982 (Reprints: 1988, 1991, 2004) | |||
| Genres | Punk Rock , Hardcore Punk | |||
| Duration | 29:54 55:28 (2004 reissue) | |||
| Producer | Bad religion | |||
| A country |  USA | |||
| Label | Epitaph records | |||
| Professional reviews | ||||
| Timeline of Bad Religion | ||||
| ||||
How Could Hell be Any Worse? was recorded over two periods at Track Record Studios in North Hollywood , California , between October and November 1980 and then in January 1981. [2] After the first recording session, drummer Jay Ziskrut left the band and was replaced by Pete Feinstone, with whom the band recorded the second part of the album. Still not a former member of the band, Greg Hetson, who was playing Circle Jerks at the time, played a guitar solo in Part III. How Could Hell be Any Worse? was also the last album recorded with Jay Bentley as a bass player, right up to the 1988 Suffer album.
The album cover was made by photographer Edward Colver near the Hollywood Bowl , while the back side is one of Gustave Dore 's illustrations for Dante's Divine Comedy . [2]
Content
Record
Bad Religion made at least two attempts to record a full-length album after the eponymous EP . [3] Due to lack of money, the group recorded most of the album for free at Track Record Studios from October 31 to November 1, 1980. 7 songs were recorded on the first night and processed the very next day. [2] Throughout November, the band recorded new material and after some time, drummer Jay Ziskrut left the band and was replaced by Pete Feinstone. Vocalist Greg Graffin commented on Jay’s departure [4] :
It was for some absolutely stupid reason. Something like "you are not listening to me, I dump." He left the studio, stopped doing drums. We were halfway through the completion of How Could Hell be Any Worse? and left without a drummer.
Original textIt was for some really stupid reason. Like 'you guys don't listen to me enough, fuck you, I quit.' He walked out of the rehearsal studio, and left his drums and everything. We're halfway finished with How Could Hell Be Any Worse , and Bad Religion was without a drummer.
After a little practice in the garage, Graffin's mothers Bad Religion went back to recording How Could Hell be Any Worse? in January 1981 and finished the album over the weekend. [2]
Perception
Critics have taken How Could Hell be Any Worse? positively. AllMusic's Johnny Loftas assigned the album 3 stars out of 5 and said How Could Hell be Any Worse? it's "like you put your ear to the door of the band's rehearsal garage." [five]
Zack de la Rocha from Rage Against the Machine talked about Bad Religion with the Orange County Register on the band's 2010 anniversary year. Speaking of How Could Hell be Any Worse? he said [6] :
I remember the first time I heard How Could Hell be Any Worse? in 1985, I was then fifteen. The first thing I remember is when I took out the record and saw a cover with Los Angeles covered in red shroud. I must admit, then I was scared. I did not know what to expect. When the needle went down the record, it was a decisive moment for me. The music was much darker than all the punk that I had heard before. It was almost Gothic; there was real sadness in the melody. I remember I was shocked by the text. It was not like a revelation that God did not exist ... it was more like a portion of sad reality. That our condition is the result of our own mess ... and at fifteen I really got scared. I didn’t read Sartre or Nietzsche, and I’m sure, if I read, it would not have had such an effect on me. Throughout the recording, there was no relief other than one: "there are only two things you can do ... turn around and fight ... or go into the night." This is truly one of the best bands in Los Angeles.
Original textI remember hearing BR's How Could Hell Be Any Worse? for the first time in 1985, I was fifteen. The first thing I remember is pulling the insert from the sleeve of the record and seeing those drawings from Dante's Inferno, and that red wash over the blurry shot of Los Angeles, and I admit I was scared. A little terrified even. I had no idea what to expect. When the needle hit the record I have to say it was a defining moment for me. The music was darker than most punk records I had heard. It was almost gothic, and there was a genuine sadness to the melodies. Listening to the words I remember being overwhelmed. It wasn't some revelation that god didn't exist ... it was more like an injection of the sad truth. That our condition is the product of the mess of our own making ... and at fifteen that was as scary as the inferno drawings. I wasn't reading Sartre or Nietzsche, and I'm convinced now that if I was it wouldn't have had the same effect. Throughout the record there was very little relief from the sad truths except one: 'there are two things you can do ... one is to turn and fight ... the other's to go headlong into the night.' Truly one of the greatest LA bands.
De la Rocha said that "Fuck Armageddon ... This Is Hell" changed his life. [7]
List of Songs
| No. | Title | Author | Duration | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| one. | " We're Only Gonna Die " | Graffin | 2:12 | ||||||
| 2. | "Latch Key Kids" | Graffin | 1:38 | ||||||
| 3. | "Part III" | Bentley | 1:48 | ||||||
| four. | "Faith in God" | Graffin | 1:50 | ||||||
| five. | "Fuck Armageddon ... This Is Hell" | Graffin | 2:48 | ||||||
| 6. | "Pity" | Graffin | 2 a.m. | ||||||
| 7. | "In the Night" | Gurevich | 3:25 | ||||||
| eight. | "Damned to Be Free" | Graffin | 2:12 | ||||||
| 9. | "White Trash (2nd Generation)" | Gurevich | 2:21 | ||||||
| ten. | "American Dream" | Gurevich | 1:41 | ||||||
| eleven. | Eat Your Dog | Graffin | 1:04 | ||||||
| 12. | "Voice of God Is Government" | Bentley | 2:54 | ||||||
| 13. | "Oligarchy" | Gurevich | 1:01 | ||||||
| 14. | "Doing Time" | Gurevich | 3 o'clock | ||||||
| 29:54 | |||||||||
| 2004 Reprint | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Author | First appearance | Duration | |||||
| 15. | "Bad Religion" | Gurevich | Bad religion | 1:49 | |||||
| sixteen. | "Politics" | Graffin | Bad religion | 1:21 | |||||
| 17. | "Sensory Overload" | Gurevich | Bad religion | 1:31 | |||||
| 18. | "Slaves" | Graffin | Bad religion | 1:20 | |||||
| nineteen. | "Drastic Actions" | Gurevich | Bad religion | 2:36 | |||||
| 20. | World War III | Graffin | Bad religion | 0:54 | |||||
| 21. | Yesterday | Graffin | Back to the known | 2:39 | |||||
| 22. | Frogger | Hetson | Back to the known | 1:19 | |||||
| 23. | "Bad Religion" | Gurevich | Back to the known | 2:10 | |||||
| 24. | "Along the Way" | Graffin | Back to the known | 1:36 | |||||
| 25. | "New Leaf" | Graffin | Back to the known | 2:53 | |||||
| 26. | "Bad Religion" | Gurevich | Public service | 1:48 | |||||
| 27. | "Slaves" | Graffin | Public service | 1:07 | |||||
| 28. | "Drastic Actions" | Gurevich | Public service | 2:31 | |||||
| 55:28 | |||||||||
Reprint
How Could Hell be Any Worse? reprinted many times. The first reprint was recorded in 1988. [8] It was released on CD as part of the collection 80-85 of 1991 and contained all the material of the team from 1981 to 1985 (excluding Into the Unknown ).
Reprint How Could Hell be Any Worse? the CD was released in 2004 along with Suffer , No Control , Against the Grain , Generator, and a DVD reissue of their video Along the Way . Reprint How Could Hell be Any Worse? has the same listing as 80-85 .
Record Members
- Greg Graffin - vocals
- Brett Gurevich - guitar
- Jay Bentley - Bass Guitar
- Pete Finestone - drums in songs 1, 3, 4, 6, 7, and 13
- Jay Ziskrut - drums in songs 2, 5, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, and 14
- Greg Hetson - Guitar Solo in Part III
Notes
- ↑ How Could Heel be Any Worse?
- How Could Hell Be Any Worse? (eng.) . thebrpage.net. Date of treatment January 28, 2018.
- How Could Hell Be Any Worse? (eng.) . Discogs Date of treatment January 28, 2018.
- ↑ 1 2 3 4 History of How Could Hell be Any Worse? (eng.) . thebrpage.net. Date of treatment January 28, 2018.
- ↑ Bad Religion (the first EP ) . thebrpage.net. Date of treatment January 28, 2018.
- ↑ Addicted to the Opiate of the Masses . thebrpage.net. Date of treatment January 28, 2018.
- ↑ How Could Hell be Any Worse? at AllMusic AllMusic . Date of treatment January 28, 2018.
- ↑ Zack de la Rocha, Matt Skiba, Geoff Rickley and more weigh in on three decades of Bad Religion . Orange Country Register. Date of treatment January 28, 2018.
- ↑ Zack de la Rocha quotes . thinkexist.com. Date of treatment January 28, 2018.
- ↑ How Could Hell be Any Worse? at Discogs Discogs Date of treatment January 28, 2018.