I Against I

This article is about the album of Bad Brains. See also Massive Attack - I Against I.
For the band, see I Against I (band).
I Against I
Studio album by Bad Brains
Released November 1986 (United States)
Genre Hardcore punk, heavy metal
Length 31:53
Label SST Records
Producer Ron St. Germain
Professional reviews

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Bad Brains chronology
Rock for Light
(1983)		 I Against I
(1986)		 Live
(1988)

I Against I is the third official full-length studio album by Bad Brains, released in 1986 as SST Records number 65. The best-selling album in the band's catalog, I Against I is a critically acclaimed album of American hardcore punk mixed with funk, soul, reggae and heavy metal. It is also included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. The album featured an MTV video for the title track directed by Paul Rachman who later went on to direct the documentary feature film American Hardcore.

The title I Against I presumably refers to a common Rastafarian phrase, I and I, which is used in place of the first-person plural (i.e. we) in order to signify the union of the speaker, audience, and Jah (God) in love and peace.

The vocals to "Sacred Love" were recorded over the phone from prison, while H.R. was serving time on a marijuana distribution charge. This was due to suggestion from the producer.

There is song collaboration of Massive Attack and Mos Def with the same name, and another by Jedi Mind Tricks.

The popular Canadian teen drama Degrassi: The Next Generation, which is known for naming each episode after an 1980s hit song, named an episode after the song "I Against I".

Contents

Track listing

All songs written by Hudson, Jenifer, and Miller except where noted.

  1. "Intro"(Jenifer, Miller) – 1:02
  2. "I Against I" – 2:50
  3. "House of Suffering"(Hudson, Miller) – 2:29
  4. "Re-Ignition" – 4:16
  5. "Secret 77" – 4:04
  6. "Let Me Help" – 2:17
  7. "She's Calling You"(Hudson, Jenifer) – 3:42
  8. "Sacred Love" – 3:40
  9. "Hired Gun" – 3:45
  10. "Return to Heaven" – 3:19

Accolades

Year Publication Country Accolade Rank
1989 OOR Netherlands "The Best Albums of the 80s" 22 [5]
1995 Alternative Press United States "Top 99 Of '85 to '95" 9 [6]
1995 BigO Singapore "The 100 Best Albums from 1975 to 1995" 99 [7]
1999 Tylko Rock Poland "100 Albums that Shook Polish Rock" 39 [8]
2000 Terrorizer United Kingdom "100 Most Important Albums of the Eighties" * [9]
2002 Revolver United States "The 69 Greatest Metal Albums of All Time" 32 [10]
2003 Blender United States "500 CDs You Must Own Before You Die" * [11]
2004 Les Inrockuptibles France "50 Years of Rock'n'Roll" * [12]
2005 Robert Dimery United States "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die" * [13]
2006 Gary Mulholland United Kingdom "261 Greatest Albums Since Punk and Disco" * [14]
2008 VOLUME France "200 Records that Changed the World" * [15]
2008 Tom Moon United States "1000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die" * [16]
"*" denotes an unordered list.

Personnel

Bad Brains
Additional personnel

Release history

Region Date
United States November 1986
United Kingdom February 1987

References

  1. ^ Anderson, Rick. "allmusic ((( I Against I > Review )))". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=A2qotk6sx9krf. Retrieved February 2, 2010. 
  2. ^ Brackett, Nathan (February 2, 2010). Bad Brains. Rolling Stone. http://books.google.com/books?id=lRgtYCC6OUwC&pg=PA298&vq=fishbone&dq=revised+rolling+stone&source=gbs_search_s&cad=0#v=onepage&q=bad%20brains&f=false. Retrieved 2009-05-20. 
  3. ^ Christgau, Robert. "Bad Brains". robertchristgau.com. Retrieved on February 2, 2010.
  4. ^ Scaruffi, Piero. "Bad Brains". pieroscaruffi.com (Spanish). Retrieved on February 2, 2010.
  5. ^ "OOR - The Best Albums of the 80s". OOR. http://www.muzieklijstjes.nl/80s.htm. Retrieved 2010-02-02. 
  6. ^ "Alternative Press - Top 99 Of '85 to '95". Alternative Press. http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/apress.html#Alternative%20Press%20%2810th%20Anniversary%20Issue%29%20July%2095. Retrieved 2010-02-02. 
  7. ^ "Blender - The 100 Best Albums from 1975 to 1995". BigO. http://www.acclaimedmusic.net/Current/A689.htm. Retrieved 2010-02-02. 
  8. ^ "Tylko Rock - 100 Albums that Shook Polish Rock". Tylko Rock. http://pub37.bravenet.com/forum/3172289350/show/455503#. Retrieved 2010-02-02. 
  9. ^ Eighties "Terrorizer - 100 Most Important Albums of the Eighties". Terrorizer. http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/terroris.htm#The Eighties. Retrieved 2010-02-02. 
  10. ^ "Revolver - The 69 Greatest Metal Albums of All Time". Revolver. http://www.acclaimedmusic.net/Current/A689.htm. Retrieved 2010-02-02. 
  11. ^ "Blender - 500 CDs You Must Own Before You Die". Blender. http://www.acclaimedmusic.net/Current/A689.htm. Retrieved 2010-02-02. 
  12. ^ "Les Inrockuptibles - 50 Years of Rock'n'Roll". Les Inrockuptibles. http://pub37.bravenet.com/forum/3172289350/show/425345. Retrieved 2010-02-02. 
  13. ^ Dimery, Robert - 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die; page 856
  14. ^ "Gary Mulholland - 261 Greatest Albums Since Punk and Disco". Gary Mulholland. http://pub37.bravenet.com/forum/3172289350/show/696586. Retrieved 2010-02-02. 
  15. ^ "VOLUME - 200 Records that Changed the World". VOLUME. http://pub37.bravenet.com/forum/3172289350/show/878084. Retrieved 2010-02-02. 
  16. ^ "Tom Moon - 1000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die". Tom Moon. http://www.1000recordings.com/pdf/1000-recordings.pdf. Retrieved 2010-02-02. 
Bad Brains
Studio albums
EPs
Live albums
Compilations
DVDs
Singles
  • "Pay to Cum"
  • "Sailin' On"
  • "Attitude"
  • "Banned in D.C."
  • "F.V.K. (Fearless Vampire Killers)"
  • "Big Take Over"
  • "I Luv I Jah"
  • "Joshua's Song"
  • "Destroy Babylon"
  • "At the Movies"
  • "Riot Squad"
  • "How Low Can a Punk Get?"
  • "I and I Survive"
  • "The Meek"
  • "I Against I"
  • "Re-Ignition"
  • "Sacred Love"
  • "Soul Craft"
  • "With the Quickness"
  • "The Prophet's Eye"
  • "Rise"
  • "God of Love"
  • "Give Thanks and Praises"
  • "Jah Love"
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