In an effort to reminisce, or perhaps inspire younger kids to fill in some gaps in their music education, we’re excited to bring you reviews of much beloved albums from the yesteryear.
Today’s classic review is for 1984’s “The Crew” by 7 Seconds, written by former Tomorrows Gone and Faded Grey vocalist and noted 7 Seconds enthusiast Lance Wells, who details the importance and continued relevance of this iconic hardcore record.
“Hey, it’s 1984…” The punk rock prez, Ronnie Reagan, was in office, trickle-down economics were taking a heavy toll on lower/middle class families everywhere, the arms race was spiraling out of control, and most of us thought we were going to be incinerated by the Russians in one big atomic fireball. While I wasn’t old enough to have discovered punk rock in ‘84, I still felt a lot of the same apprehension and fear of growing up in the early/mid 1980’s as I struggled with my own apocalyptic visions.
Three years later I discovered punk rock and skateboarding simultaneously (thank you Thrasher Mag) and I soon fell in love with the magic of bands like 7 Seconds. By the time I heard the album The Crew in the summer of 1989, communism was losing its grip in Eastern Europe and the Berlin Wall would fall only a few short months later. In the USA, however, the heat of summertime was upon us and we were taking part in our own American riot. No calm youth in Boulder City.
Talk about an epic summer for our little skate crew in BC. We barged an abandoned tennis court on the high school property, filled it with makeshift skate obstacles, and rigged the lights to stay on 24 hours a day, which they did until the school staff returned at the very end of August (only two of us got shocked while working as “electricians”). I also came upon some really crucial punk rock that summer through my friend’s girlfriend who was visiting BC from Ohio.
Now for the life of me, I can’t remember her name, but she had a shaved head which was very unusual for a girl at that time. She also had a killer cassette collection which included some mind-blowing stuff like Minor Threat, Subhumans (UK), and 7 Seconds. I already had a dubbed copy of the 7 Seconds EP Walk Together, Rock Together, but now I had my hands on a tape of The Crew complete with artwork and lyrics.
The first thing that struck me was the cover art which featured a live shot of Kevin Seconds sporting his trademark eye black and “The Crew” on stage with him. I didn’t know anything about sing alongs or stage dives at that time, but no doubt I was intrigued. I completely envisioned myself in that mob of punks as Kevin Seconds sang, “The crew is me, the crew is you, yeah we’re the crew!”
Which brings me to the meat and potatoes of the album: the music and lyrics. Before I discovered punk rock, Iron Maiden was probably my favorite band, and while I certainly consider their music intelligent, I was looking for something I could relate to on a more personal level. Bands like 7 Seconds gave me the same type of aggression, energy, and melody as Maiden coupled with lyrics that were a little more applicable to my life as a struggling teenager in a “punks & skaters vs them” kind of world.
Musically, The Crew was right on the same page as the Walk Together… EP that followed. Hardcore played fast and melodic with tons of energy and great breakdowns would become my bread and butter for years to come, and 7 Seconds helped to create a musical blueprint with their early records that is still followed today. With Kevin’s intelligible vocals, Dan Poz playing some catchy power chords, Steve Youth’s crazy bass fills, and Troy Mowat beating the shit out of the trap, it’s really no surprise that so many bands have referenced 7 Seconds as a source of musical inspiration.
But that inspiration also comes from the message found in the lyrics. Positive hardcore may be a tired cliche for some in 2012, but for the youth out there looking for something real, it lives and breathes to this day. The lyrics I found in songs like “Here’s Your Warning,” “Definite Choice,” and “Clenched Fists, Black Eyes” were a call to arms for a 15 year old who thought he was ready to take on the world, and I know these songs continue to light a fire for many, myself included.
From top to bottom, The Crew is lyrically solid, but three songs really stand out for me. Obviously, “Young ‘Til I Die” still holds a very special place in my heart, especially as an aging punk rocker that still believes in the power of hardcore to change lives. Granted, I went to college and grabbed a wife before I was 35, but I’m still very much alive and I do my best to keep up with the new bands. With its timeless credo, “Young ‘Til I Die” continues to appeal to both younger and older fans, and it wouldn’t be a stretch to say that this jam is one of the top 10 hardcore anthems of all time.
“Not Just Boy’s Fun” is another song of special importance, even more so when you consider the context of a very male dominated 1984. Sure, the battle for equal rights between men and women probably began at the dawn of time, but sexism wouldn’t become a hot topic in hardcore until the early 1990’s. I know many females who took direct inspiration from the lyrics and became actively involved in the underground scene and beyond, which speaks volumes about the impact of this simple HC song. Even as a very naive 15 year old with a lot to learn, I can say that I personally felt the message as I hated the way the jocks at my school treated girls as a “passive piece of meat.”
Last but not least is the final cut on the album, “Trust.” With HC love songs coming few and far between, I know I’m not the only one who put this song on a mix tape made just for that special someone. That said, I’ve also dedicated “Trust” to dear friends of the platonic persuasion who have “inspired me intensely without any doubt,” and if you heard this heartfelt tune on a cassette mix I made then I am probably still friends with you or at least think about you to this day.
The fact that 7 Seconds was also from Nevada (albeit Reno) was just icing on a very tasty cake, and nearly 30 years later, The Crew still stands up against the best HC records of all time. Kevin Seconds and his crew are still playing and recording music to this very day, and while the band has seen its fair share of changes over the years, I have remained a faithful fan through it all. I think the back cover of The Crew sums up it all up nicely with the following: “Dedicated to the thousands of kids who have believed, still believe, and will always believe in being positive, aware, free thinking individuals-together!”
I’m proud to say that I’m still a member of The Crew.
-Lance Wells
You can catch 7 Seconds live at the Punk Rock Bowling Music festival in Las Vegas on Monday May 28th. 7 Seconds frontman Kevin Seconds is playing an acoustic set the night before at the Bunkhouse Saloon with Chuck Ragan, Tim Barry and Blag Dahlia. Information on both shows can be found at Punkrockbowling.com.
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