Band:	Minor Threat
Album:	Complete Discography
Style:	Hardcore
Release date:	1989

01. Filler
02. I Don't Wanna Hear It
03. Seeing Red
04. Straight Edge
05. Small Man, Big Mouth
06. Screaming At A Wall
07. Bottled Violence
08. Minor Threat
09. Stand Up
10. 12XU [Wire cover]
11. In My Eyes
12. Out Of Step (With The World)
13. Guilty Of Being White
14. Steppin' Stone [Paul Revere & The Raiders cover]
15. Betray
16. It Follows
17. Think Again
18. Look Back And Laugh
19. Sob Story
20. No Reason
21. Little Friend
22. Out Of Step
23. Cashing In
24. Stumped
25. Good Guys (Don't Wear White) [The Standells cover]
26. Salad Days

There is a reason why Minor Threat are so well remembered and revered in the hardcore scene all these years later, even though they only lasted three years. The band upped the tempo in the genre and brought straight edge to a wider audience. This compilation brings together all twenty-six songs the band released (amazing to think how small an amount could have such a big impact) so you can have them all in one place.

Press play and hang on is all I can really advise, the band blitz through the songs at a rate of speed that sees your adrenaline flow through your veins at an equal speed. While the band fly through the tracks, they never forget to make each song identifiable and catchy; even at such high speeds, you can hear clearly and get caught on their hooks as they pass you by in quick succession. While the speeds seem tame now when you look back in a world where grindcore and speed metal make anything less than warp speed seem pedestrian, Minor Threat lose none of their charm; their ability to craft such memorable hooks means they are more than just a one trick pony.

Tracks like "Screaming At A Wall", "Out Of Step" and "Straight Edge" are merely the first amongst equals, as each track holds it own and then some; the primal energy of every song is as infectious as the last.

As a result of this being a collection of EPs and LPs, the quality of the production does switch up between the tracks; it's not a natural change up and does come as a small bump as you listen. Everything is still lo-fi though; if you compare the differences between "Small Man, Big Mouth", "In My Eyes" and "Look Back And Laugh", you can hear a variation between the tracks, but at the same time continuity in the band's stylings. None are bad and you will be able to enjoy each change up; it will just jar your attention and keep you on your toes just as you settle into the groove.

Preslar and Baker put their guitars through their paces; powerful yet fuzzy in equal measure, the six string assault is unrelenting. Nelson's drums provide a wall that the rest of the band bounce off of; he sits firm like set in concrete and gives the band a solid ground on which they can jump off of and into each track. Baker and Hansgen use the bass to contain the madness that is the rest of the band; rather than the chaotic nature of the songs dissipating in the atmosphere, the bass caps the music and refocuses its direction back at your ears. MacKaye is pure distillation of anger and injustice at the world, rather than channel his anger through complex structures, MacKaye just aims directly between your eyes and lets go.

An essential album in anyone's hardcore collection.