Top 5 Midwest Hardcore Records

When people think about hardcore punk, they think of L.A., N.Y.C., Boston and D.C. When you think of the Midwest, other than Detroit and Chicago, you think of "amber waves of grain", farmers, Bibles and, as Die Kreuzen said, "Cows and Beer".

Kinda like this...

Anywho, the Midwest not only had a punk scene (like 1977 original punkers the Dead Boys) but some of hardcore's most important bands came from here! And of course there were sizable scenes in Chicago and 'Detroit Rock City' there were many other bands spread all over that used their isolation to their advantage and created their own loud fast sounds and did not follow what was fashionable in the "scene" with great results.

Honorable mentions must go out to Screeching Weasel, Hüsker Dü, The Replacements, Zero Defex, The Pagans, Big Black, The Effigies, The Fix, Crucifux, Meatmen and Impulse Manslaughter (whose album 'He Who Laughs Last, Laughs Alone' is a real thrashing treat).

1. NEGATIVE APPROACH - Negative Approach EP

"DON'T ASK ME STUPID QUESTIONS I DON'T HAVE THE ANSWERS TO. DON'T TELL ME ABOUT YOUR PROBLEMS CAUSE I'LL JUST IGNORE YOU. SICK OF TALK. I'M SICK OF TALK. DON'T TALK TO ME AT ALL."

Okay, let's get this over with... UGLIEST FUCKING COVER EVER!!! When I look at Linda Blair's face on this it scares me more than when I was actually watching that scene in The Exorcist! Whew... that's over. Now... Negative approach lives up to it's name. Very angry, spiteful and pessimistic. Not unusual for hardcore but like fanzine writer Barbara Rice from Truly Needy stated "something sets N.A. apart from the others... the band is great but John Brannon's vocals stand out. His voice sounds like a fleet of Mac trucks rumbling down a gravel road." Enough said. This music isn't just angry, it's straight up HATEFUL and MEAN. Negative Approach doesn't want to be your friend, they want to club you over the head like a baby seal. [You can find this EP and their excellent LP 'Tied Down' on their complete discography CD 'Total Recall' released by Touch & Go Records.]

"Another Touch & Go midwest classic along the lines of the Fix and the Necros. All then songs are manic, even when they aren't totally fast, but, uh... the lyrics will make you understand their name, because they're sick sick sick of all this pressure pressure pressure or something something something."
-Tim Yohannon (from Maximum Rock'n'Roll, January/February 1983)

NEGATIVE APPROACH ~ Can't Tell No One

 2. DIE KREUZEN - Die Kreuzen LP

"I DON'T THINK FOR YOU. YOU DON'T THINK FOR ME. I WON'T CHANGE YOU. AND YOU, YOU CAN'T CHANGE ME!!!"

This is an album that defies easy description. Apparently Tim Yohannon at Maximum Rock'n'Roll thought so too since is the review he wrote of it (and I quote) "This is fucking great! This is fucking great! This is fucking great! This is fucking great! This is fucking great! This is fucking great! This is fucking great! This is fucking great! This is fucking great! This is fucking great! This is fucking great! This is fucking great!" Well... what can you say after that? Squeling feedback, vocals so raw you can almost hear blood splattering the mic, complex bass-lines and song arrangements all thrown together at blinding speeds and even when they aren't breaking the sound barrier with their untamed velocity they remain powerful and intense. After this they became a sort of mellow post-punk band. I really don't know what to say about this album because it just seems to be shallow and pale compared to the listening experience it gives.

"This is probably one of the most savagely brutal assaults of thrash ever recorded. Very fast and powerful music with vocals that are about as raw as you can get without vomiting blood. There are 22 songs here including reworkings of all 6 songs from their "Cows and Beer" EP and the 3 cuts they have on the "Master Tape" LP. There is no letting up on this one - turn it up!"
-Greg C. (from Task, March 1985)

DIE KREUZEN - Rumors

 3. ZERO BOYS - Vicious Circle

"WELCOME TO THE VICIOUS CIRCLE!!! WELCOME TO THE VICIOUS CIRCLE!!!"

Zero Boys started out as garage/punk combo with their EP "Living In The '80s". While that was a pretty sweet record, this is where the Zero Boys truly took off. What you get is the snotty 1, 2 punch of the Circle Jerks blended with some amazing pop sensibility and melody. This album is not only great but it is a really fun album to listen to. Any time. It's a shame that a band this good and catchy is nearly forgotten by the world. One of the best forgotten classics of American hardcore. [The reissue of this album includes 8 tracks from compilations and some of the stuff from their old EP]

"The best band from Hoosier territory since the Panics and the early Gizmos. The Zero Boys have managed to combine elements from the 60's punk-Stooges axis of their first EP (especially the great vocals) and 80's thrash without losing anything in the process. This well-recorded album is varied enough to hold the interest of punk aficionados from all eras, no small achievement."
-Jeff Bale (from Maximum Rock'n'Roll, July/August 1982)

ZERO BOYS ~ Vicious Circle

4. ARTICLES OF FAITH - What We Want Is Free

"BAD ATTITUDE'S WHAT I'VE BEEN TOLD SINCE I WAS JUST FIVE YEARS OLD. AND DIDN'T BUY WHAT THEY HAD SOLD. RIGHT IN MY PLACE."

YEOW!!! Articles of Faith is a helluva band and this, in my opinion, is their best ever and that is saying a lot. Very political writing and impassioned singing from vocalist Vic Bondi. Articles of Faith has one characteristic other than their viciously catchy and fast political thrash attack that makes them unique. Their production is such a close facsimile of the high-treble yet crystal clear production of D.C.'s Dischord Records (run by Minor Threat frontman and straight-edge originator, Ian MacKaye) that you could almost swear that they were signed to Dischord as well! Dischord style production is amazing for straight-forward speed of sound punk rock without any metal influence. It doesn't make the music suffer as it would with a more metallic punk band such as Discharge or Broken Bones who require low frequencies for full power. It gives a crystal clear picture of the sound and vocals which is great for this record since the songwriting, performance and lyrics are sheer class. [This record can be found on Complete History Vol. 1 which when combined with Vol. 2 collects all of AoF's recordings from the 1980's.]

"A really solid guitar-bass-drum attack anchors these highly intelligent blasts by a new Chicago band arising out of the ashes of Direct Drive. The singing is gravelly as hell, the music fast yet tight, and the songs infectious. A sure winner."
-Jeff Bale (from Maximum Rock'n'Roll, November/December 1982)

ARTICLES OF FAITH ~ Bad Attitude

5. NECROS - IQ-32

"STUPID CORN ALL IN ROWS, SIT AROUND AND WATCH IT GROW. YOU'VE GOT NOTHING TO SHOW. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, IQ 32!!! IQ 32!!!  IQ 32!!! MIDWEST FUCK YOU!!!"

 Like Articles of Faith, this band has a very speedy and treble heavy hardcore attack. However, unlike AoF, the Necros were signed to Dischord but suffers from lower production values even though it was recorded by Ian MacKaye himself. That does not stop the Necros high speed and infectious rants about high-school, prejudice, peer pressure, war and how much their hometown sucks from bringing the rage and ruin to your eardrums. Teenage attitude on vinyl and it's great. Also, make sure to check out their first full length LP 'Conquest For Death' which has a better quality (and heavier) production and some killer songs to boot!

"This isn't very original, it's very DC-influenced but the Necros really are a great band. They have a lot of energy and they have progressed a great deal since the last single. "Race Riot" is one of the best songs of the year by far."
-uncredited (from Decline of Art, 1982)

NECROS ~ IQ-32 EP