Review #125: Minor Threat - In My Eyes (EP) (1981)

IN MY EYES (EP)

Year: 1981

Genre: Punk Rock
Sub-Genres: Hardcore
Label: Dischord Records
Tracks: 4
Length: 7 Minutes
Style: Angry/Rebellious
My Rating: 6/8

Minor Threat is one of the world's most famous hardcore punk bands and in the early '80s was considered the flagship band of the D.C. punk scene. After releasing their famous debut EP, "Minor Threat", later that year in 1981, they released a second EP with four songs entitled "In My Eyes".

1. In My Eyes
The tempo starts slow and then shifts to a speedier beat which collapses into noise. Then the first verse begins. The beat is pretty slow. The chorus is very fast, in typical Minor Threat fashion. The song puts down kids who do nothing but drink, get high, and have promiscuous sex. I for one don't think those things are ALWAYS bad, but Ian dislikes them, so I'll let him, heheh. However, I do agree that these things shouldn't be used as an excuse to be lazy, which is another point the song conveys.

2. Out of Step (With the World)
This is an earlier, dirtier version of the song that would later be on the band's "Out of Step" LP from 1983. It's a hyper-fast song that never takes breaks, with complete ferocity. Once again, it sings about Ian's reasons for living his Straight-Edge lifestyle. End of Side 1.

3. Guilt of Being White
This song's about how when Ian was in high school that he was often bullied by many of the black students for being white "for something I didn't do." Some early listeners mistook the song for being a racist song (similar to "White Minority" by Black Flag before it), but really it's just a song that shows that racism from all sides is always wrong.

4. Steppin' Stone
This iz a Monkees cover. And it's extremely catchy, at that. The song starts out in very low quality, almost as if it was being played on a radio, but then the bassier elements of the song come in and fill its consistency out. This song's about a guy who dates a poor girl who uses him as a "stepping stone", and before he knows it, she's become a glammed-up arrogant prick who's been "walking around like she's front page news". This one's just more of a fun song.

So, that's "In My Eyes". The second EP released in the same year. After this, the band recorded two songs for the "Flex Your Head" compilation in 1982 which featured Minor Threat and the Teen Idles among other various D.C. punk bands. In early 1983, they released their main LP, "Out of Step", which I have already reviewed (and the first EP). The band broke up later on that year, but they released another 3-song 7" in 1985. Eventually all of the Minor Threat songs were released together on one CD/LP in 1989. So yes, more good punk rock. You should listen to it, be it on the original 7" or on the CD with all of the Minor Threat you need. sdfjdsgfdgdfhghgfhfgl;f BYE BYE