Rock for Light

Rock for Light
Studio album by Bad Brains
Released	April 15, 1983
Recorded	1983 at Synchro Sound Studios, Boston, Massachusetts
Genre	Hardcore punk, reggae
Length	38:18 (vinyl) 42:04 (CD)
Label	PVC (original), Caroline (re-issue)
Producer	Ric Ocasek
Bad Brains chronology
Bad Brains (1982) Rock for Light (1983) I Against I (1986)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
Robert Christgau	(B+)[2]
Yahoo! Music	(favorable)[3]

Rock for Light is the second full-length album by hardcore punk pioneers Bad Brains, released in 1983. A previous album, Bad Brains, was released in 1982 but only on cassette, therefore making Rock for Light Bad Brains' first proper album. It was produced by Ric Ocasek of The Cars. The 1991 re-issue was remixed by Ocasek and bass player Darryl Jenifer. The re-issued version has some extra tracks, an altered track order, significantly different mixes and, on most tracks, a speed increase of the master which results in a raising of the pitch by one-half step.

The album contains a number of re-recorded songs from the band's first album, Bad Brains, as well as a number of new hardcore punk and reggae tracks. The only tracks from Bad Brains that did not get re-recorded for Rock for Light are "Don't Need It", "The Regulator", "Jah Calling", "Leaving Babylon", "Pay to Cum" and "I Luv Jah". It was the last Bad Brains album to feature only these two styles of music, as the band eventually experimented with funk, soul and heavy metal.

As Bad Brains broke up after the release of Rock for Light, it was the band's last album for three years. This was the first of several such break-ups during their career.

The original mix is only available on the out-of-print PVC Records version and 1987 CD-versions.^[4] However, some of the original mixes appear on the recent Banned in D.C. compilation.

Kurt Cobain listed it in his top fifty albums of all time.^[5][6]

Track listing

Original vinyl issue

Side A

1. "Coptic Times" − 2:11
2. "Attitude" − 1:12
3. "We Will Not" − 1:39
4. "Sailin' On" - 1:50
5. "Rally 'Round Jah Throne" − 4:39
6. "Right Brigade" − 2:13
7. "F.V.K." − 1:00
8. "Riot Squad" − 2:07
9. "The Meek Shall Inherit the Earth" − 3:35

Side B

1. "Joshua's Song" − 0:33
2. "Banned in D.C." − 2:03
3. "How Low Can a Punk Get?" − 1:55
4. "Big Takeover" − 2:35
5. "I and I Survive" − 5:17
6. "Destroy Babylon" - 1:23
7. "Rock for Light" − 1:40
8. "At the Movies" − 2:18

Remixed CD re-issue

1. "Big Takeover" − 2:29
2. "Attitude" − 1:09
3. "Right Brigade" − 2:07
4. "Joshua's Song" − 0:32
5. "I and I Survive" − 5:13
6. "Banned in D.C." − 1:57
7. "Supertouch" − 2:20
8. "Destroy Babylon" − 1:19
9. "F.V.K. (Fearless Vampire Killers)" − 0:58
10. "The Meek" − 3:37
11. "I" − 1:55
12. "Coptic Times" − 2:06
13. "Sailin' On" − 1:45
14. "Rock for Light" − 1:36
15. "Rally 'Round Jah Throne" − 3:58
16. "At the Movies" − 2:16
17. "Riot Squad" − 1:59
18. "How Low Can a Punk Get?" − 1:49
19. "We Will Not" − 1:34
20. "Jam" − 1:15

Personnel

• H.R. – throat (vocals)
• Darryl Jenifer – bass, backing vocals, percussion, Prophet 5
• Earl Hudson – drums, backing vocals, percussion
• Dr. Know – guitar, backing vocals, piano, organ
• Dave Id – backing vocals on "Destroy Babylon" and "Coptic Times"

References