Alive & Kicking (1985 D.C. Hardcore EP)
Dave Grohl (of Nirvana and Foo Fighters fame) made his first released recording in 1985 at age 16, as part of a hardcore punk band from Springfield, Virginia called Mission Impossible. The track, titled "I Can Only Try", was part of a six-song 7-inch vinyl EP titled Alive & Kicking, which was issued by the Washington, D.C.-based punk label WGNS and the D.C.-area hardcore fanzine MetroZine. This EP compiled six tracks by various underground bands from the D.C. hardcore scene. It makes for a potent 13-minute listen.
Mission Impossible's track "I Can Only Try" is basically a minute-and-a-half of primitive hardcore fury. But as an early showcase for the teenage Grohl, it doesn't disappoint. Grohl played drums on the track, and already proved himself to be forceful and formidable, showing the same fierce energy that he would later bring to Nirvana and to the first Foo Fighters album. He was well matched by the repetitive guitar riffs, although the band's singer was standard hardcore issue. Does the track bear any resemblance to the work of Grohl's famous future bands? Not really -- but it's fun to imagine the way the song might have sounded if either Nirvana or the Foos had later picked it up.
Speaking of which, a track called "Walk The Line" by Gray Matter sounds very much like something that a pre-fame, pre-major label Nirvana might have recorded a few years later. Singer/guitarist Geoff Turner sounds amusingly proto-Cobain. Even though it was made on the other coast, "Walk The Line" could almost be mistaken for an early example of Seattle grunge. Fans of that genre who search out this EP because of the inclusion of Grohl's track may actually enjoy the Grey Matter track the most.
Another high point of the EP is "Knife" by Cereal Killers, who seemed to be aiming for the early Pistols and Clash punk sound (with a fake British accent, no less). "Sensations Fix" by United Mutations has a fairly unique sound involving horns, and a very barbaric-sounding shouter in Mike Brown. Beefeater's chaotic "Wars In Space" sounds like something recorded by a spastic Alice Cooper.
The EP's final track is a song called "Marginal Man" by a band of the same name. Clocking in at over three minutes -- actually making it the EP's longest track by far -- "Marginal Man" has very competent instrumentation for a hardcore track, but the more amateurish speed-singing by Steve Polcari makes it clear what genre it belongs to.
Various Artists "Alive & Kicking" EP (WGNS Recordings / MetroZine DM-5023) 1985
Track Listing:
1. United Mutations - Sensations Fix
2. Gray Matter - Walk The Line
3. Beefeater - Wars In Space
4. Mission Impossible - I Can Only Try
5. Cereal Killer - Knife
6. Marginal Man - Marginal Man
For those who want more of Mission Impossible, they also recorded three tracks for a 7-inch split-single with another youthful D.C.-area punk band called Lünch Meat. For their side of this disc released by Dischord, titled Thanks, Mission Impossible basically offered more of the same: primitive hardcore with impressively forceful drumming by teenage Grohl, and attention-grabbing guitar chords, with the weakest link being wimpy-sounding singer Chris Page. For their side, Lünch Meat contributed three raw and rowdy garage punk tracks. Lünch Meat's bassist Chris Thomson went on to join another Dischord-distributed punk outfit called Ignition. (Note: This same EP was issued again the following year in 1986, under the title Getting S**t For Growing Up Different).
Lünch Meat / Mission Impossible "Thanks" EP (Sammich 1 / Dischord 17 1/2) 1985
Track Listing:
1. Lünch Meat - Looking Around
2. Lünch Meat - No Need
3. Lünch Meat - Under The Glare
4. Mission Impossible - Helpless
5. Mission Impossible - Now I'm Alone
6. Mission Impossible - Into Your Shell
Mission Impossible's track "I Can Only Try" is basically a minute-and-a-half of primitive hardcore fury. But as an early showcase for the teenage Grohl, it doesn't disappoint. Grohl played drums on the track, and already proved himself to be forceful and formidable, showing the same fierce energy that he would later bring to Nirvana and to the first Foo Fighters album. He was well matched by the repetitive guitar riffs, although the band's singer was standard hardcore issue. Does the track bear any resemblance to the work of Grohl's famous future bands? Not really -- but it's fun to imagine the way the song might have sounded if either Nirvana or the Foos had later picked it up.
Speaking of which, a track called "Walk The Line" by Gray Matter sounds very much like something that a pre-fame, pre-major label Nirvana might have recorded a few years later. Singer/guitarist Geoff Turner sounds amusingly proto-Cobain. Even though it was made on the other coast, "Walk The Line" could almost be mistaken for an early example of Seattle grunge. Fans of that genre who search out this EP because of the inclusion of Grohl's track may actually enjoy the Grey Matter track the most.
Another high point of the EP is "Knife" by Cereal Killers, who seemed to be aiming for the early Pistols and Clash punk sound (with a fake British accent, no less). "Sensations Fix" by United Mutations has a fairly unique sound involving horns, and a very barbaric-sounding shouter in Mike Brown. Beefeater's chaotic "Wars In Space" sounds like something recorded by a spastic Alice Cooper.
The EP's final track is a song called "Marginal Man" by a band of the same name. Clocking in at over three minutes -- actually making it the EP's longest track by far -- "Marginal Man" has very competent instrumentation for a hardcore track, but the more amateurish speed-singing by Steve Polcari makes it clear what genre it belongs to.
Various Artists "Alive & Kicking" EP (WGNS Recordings / MetroZine DM-5023) 1985
Track Listing:
1. United Mutations - Sensations Fix
2. Gray Matter - Walk The Line
3. Beefeater - Wars In Space
4. Mission Impossible - I Can Only Try
5. Cereal Killer - Knife
6. Marginal Man - Marginal Man
For those who want more of Mission Impossible, they also recorded three tracks for a 7-inch split-single with another youthful D.C.-area punk band called Lünch Meat. For their side of this disc released by Dischord, titled Thanks, Mission Impossible basically offered more of the same: primitive hardcore with impressively forceful drumming by teenage Grohl, and attention-grabbing guitar chords, with the weakest link being wimpy-sounding singer Chris Page. For their side, Lünch Meat contributed three raw and rowdy garage punk tracks. Lünch Meat's bassist Chris Thomson went on to join another Dischord-distributed punk outfit called Ignition. (Note: This same EP was issued again the following year in 1986, under the title Getting S**t For Growing Up Different).
Lünch Meat / Mission Impossible "Thanks" EP (Sammich 1 / Dischord 17 1/2) 1985
Track Listing:
1. Lünch Meat - Looking Around
2. Lünch Meat - No Need
3. Lünch Meat - Under The Glare
4. Mission Impossible - Helpless
5. Mission Impossible - Now I'm Alone
6. Mission Impossible - Into Your Shell
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