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Jan 31, 2024 Web Exclusive By Matthew Berlyant

After several years of lovingly reissuing classic albums by 7 Seconds, Circle Jerks, and others, Trust has done the impossible and made many a hardcore fan’s dreams come true here by reissuing The Kids Will Have Their Say by SS Decontrol (aka SSD). Initially released in 1982 on guitarist and main songwriter Al Barile’s X-Claim label in a split release with then fledgling D.C. label Dischord and limited to only 1,900 copies, this seminal album has never been officially reissued in any form until now, more than 40 years later. And I can tell you, given the mastering (lovingly handled by Dave Gardner), the packaging, and everything else, it was well worth the wait and the endless bootlegs over the years to get to this point.

Now available in a variety of colors and variants and through retailers like Generation Records and Newbury Comics in exclusive form, it’s really nice to see anyone who wants one of these now able to hear it in its original form and get a copy. And make no mistake, this sub-20 minute blast of hardcore punk is as influential as you’ve been led to believe and not just because they are the first audibly “straight edge” band on record. Youth of Today this is not, since the hardcore punk scene was smaller and wasn’t yet divided into factions, so there are songs like “War Threat” and the amazing “Police Beat” that deal with decidedly non-edge topics that were on many folks’ minds then and now.

Most of this is lightning fast, but when they slow it down, like on the aforementioned “Police Beat” and on the standout “How Much Art?” (written by singer Springa), they stand out even more and prove that they weren’t just a one-dimensional band. Nevertheless, it’s hard to imagine most of what could be categorized as “grindcore” or “power violence” a decade later without Springa’s growling vocals and Barile’s unruly, noisy guitar tone, which would get even gnarlier on 1983’s landmark Get It Away (of which a reissue is in the works!), inspired by the G.E. plant where he worked as a machinist at the time. Kudos once again to Trust Records for this release. Now we eagerly await their Get It Away! (www.trustrecordscompany.com/products/ssd-the-kids-will-have-their-say-vinyl)

Author rating: 7.5/10