7 Seconds - Walk Together, Rock Together (1985)
Essentially an underground classic, and easily one of the more important bands in the 80's youth crew scene. 7 Seconds, from Reno, NV were one of the most positive bands of the era, lacking any tough guy machismo or hardline status. They were definitely advocates of a straightedge lifestyle, but they do not overwhelm with that idea. Instead they focus on unity and open-mindedness. Kevin Seconds is something of a spokesman for hardcore even today and despite their late 80's Soulforce Revolution era / U2 era they remain one of the best old-school hardcore bands in all of hardcores short existence.
I guess what really gets me with this one is that I used to listen to it while riding the bus to school, and I must've gotten this record inthe springtime, because my memories are of warm weather and positive vibes. Skateboarding and Hardcore ruled my life at such an impressionable age and whenever I hear this record, or any of their early records, I clearly, lucidly, think of the summertime, specifically the morning sun and dew on the grass. Yeah, that may sound weird, but the bus did pick us up quite early (7.30 if I remember correctly) and I would just rock my walkmen while leaning against the window watching the scenery roll by. I had not listened to this album in a very long time as I must have lost the original tape sometime in the transition to college. Maybe a friend of mine ended up with it, or maybe it got ruined in my car stereo, but nonetheless, I had a few tracks on my iTunes and as soon as I listened to them, I was taken back to my early teens. So fitting that it should be the advent of another summer and this record enters my life again.
Songs. Regress No Way has a meaty tone and its hard not to sing along when he sings "REGRESS, NO WAY!". The Spread is great with its stop during the chorus. We're gonna fight is an essential anthem for anyone; highschool student, working man (or woman ^_~), black, white, homeless, hippy, yippie...you name it, classic fight song.
Cant forget their cover of 99 Red Balloons by German artist Nena, complete with handclaps and "Whoas" and "Ohs". Totally 80's. And of course the extremely positive and influential clarion call for unity, Walk Together, Rock Together.
There is also a live set featuring songs from their 7"s and earlier material. The quality isnt that bad and the song Still Believe and This Is the Angry Part 2 stick out for me as being the best. And of course New Wind into We're Gonna Fight is amazing.
I will leave you with the lyrics for Walk Together, Rock Together as they should resound just as true today as they did back in 1985...
It's Not The Way We Look
It's Not Our Stance Our Style Our Hair
Forget Those Bullshit Barriers
Take Down That Flag You Wear
Just People Living On
With Different Hearts And Different Minds
If We Live In The Same World
Why Can't We Stand In The Same Line
If We Can Walk Together
Why Can't We Rock Together
No I Dont Care
If Your Into Different Bands
No Cause For So Much Hatred
I'm Just A Different Man
Pull Off The Cover I Will Too
And Learn To Understand
With Music Deep Inside
We'll Make This Unity Our Plan
If We Can Walk Together
Why Can't We Rock Together
A Label Is A Label
Definition, Nothing More
And Because Of Labels We Have Placed
We Live In Constant War
Destory All That Tradition
And Live Before You Die
Lets Rock Together From Now On
And Never Be Denied
posted by blend77 at 7:05 PM
3 Comments:
bustin out the classics. great album. my own personal fave is the New Wind album. personally i enjoyed their dance into college rock. i loved ourselves and soulforce revolution. i also loved seeing 7seconds in that era, fucking long hair and "faggy-baggy" shirts. its was great. the best part is that they had a huge tour bus, but kevin was the only one that used it. the rest of the band followed in a shitty little van so they could smoke pot. awesome. anyway, i thought the worst part of 7 seconds was them going back to punk rock. i completely lost interest. just when i started to really get into the "college rock" sound, kevin shaves his head and they are "punk" again and dont play fucking soulforce! haha. oh well, gotta make money somehow. check out the sullivan bro super post on my shitty blahg! haha
Yeah, Proven Hollow, I'm with you. I first heard New Wind when I was in seventh grade and it changed my life. I never understood the U2 comparison; I thought they were actually doing something quite new. And still do.
Incidentally, does anyone out there have either the 1+1 live LP or the Praise EP? Or, for that matter, Ourselves or Soulforce Revolution? I haven't heard any of that stuff in ages.
I saw 7 Seconds twice in the late 80s in Phoenix, both lifechanging experiences, and then when I was in college in Connecticut in 1995 I went to see them again (this was around the time "alt.music.hardcore" came out). I couldn't believe it--they were playing stuff from the The Crew and ignoring the last ten or twelve years of their music. Personally I never felt that stuff really stood the test of time at all.
my u2 comparison derives from when i was an angsty young teen in the early 90's and i bought soulforce expecting raging classics and instead got a watered down college rock 7 seconds..
i sold that record back and probably purchased some cro mags or judge and i have never again listened to it. so admittedly, my opinions are going on a decade + old...
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