I Against I

I Against I is the third studio album by the American rock band Bad Brains. It was released on November 21, 1986[1] through SST Records with the catalog number SST 065. The best-selling album in the band's catalog, I Against I finds the band branching out from their early hardcore punk style to touch on funk, soul, reggae and heavy metal. It is also included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. The title track was a Paul Rachman-directed video (Rachman would go on to direct the documentary film American Hardcore).

This article is about the Bad Brains album. For the band, see I Against I (band). For the Massive Attack song, see Special Cases. For the Jedi Mind Tricks song, see Violent by Design.

I Against I
Studio album by
Bad Brains
ReleasedNovember 21, 1986[1]
Genre
Length31:53
LabelSST (065)
ProducerRon Saint Germain
Bad Brains chronology
Rock for Light
(1983)		 I Against I
(1986)		 Live
(1988)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
Pitchfork9.3/10[4]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[5]
Spin Alternative Record Guide9/10[6]
The Village VoiceB−[7]

The title I Against I presumably refers to the common Rastafarian phrase I and I, which is used in place of the first-person plural (i.e. we) to signify the union of the speaker, audience, and Jah (God) in love and peace.

At the producer's suggestion, the vocals to "Sacred Love" were recorded over the phone from the prison where H.R. was serving time on a marijuana distribution charge.

Track listing

All songs written by Paul Hudson, Darryl Jenifer, and Gary Miller except where noted.

  1. "Intro" (Jenifer, Miller) – 1:02
  2. "I Against I" – 2:50
  3. "House of Suffering" (P. Hudson, Miller) – 2:29
  4. "Re-Ignition" – 4:16
  5. "Secret 77" – 4:04
  6. "Let Me Help" – 2:17
  7. "She's Calling You" (P. Hudson, Jenifer) – 3:42
  8. "Sacred Love" – 3:40
  9. "Hired Gun" – 3:45
  10. "Return to Heaven" – 3:19

Legacy

I Against I has influenced diverse rock artists. Ska punk band Sublime and its follow-up project, Sublime with Rome, frequently cover "House of Suffering" and bassist Eric Wilson said that I Against I inspired them to blend different genres.[8][9] The Dillinger Escape Plan singer Greg Puciato named it one of the four albums that changed his life, as well as "a critical step" in shaping his vocal style.[10][11] Max Cavalera of Sepultura states that the beginning of 1996 song "Straighthate" was probably inspired by "I Against I" since his band admired the Bad Brains.[12] According to Harley Flanagan of the Cro-Mags, the verse riff in 1986's "The Age of Quarrel" was based on the last part of "I Against I".[13] Tim Commerford of Rage Against the Machine mentioned the album as one of his biggest influences.[14] Danko Jones called the title track "one of the greatest songs ever written as far as I'm concerned."[15] Beppo of German punk band Spermbirds affirmed, "I Against I had a huge impact on us, they taught us that you can also be hard by playing slow."[16]

"I Against I" was covered by Jeff Buckley in 1992,[17] BoySetsFire and Brother's Keeper in 1999,[18][19] and Lamb of God in 2018;[20] "House of Suffering" has been covered by Sublime in 1995,[21] Machine Head in 1999[22] and The Bled in 2005;[23] "Let Me Help" was covered by Potshot in 2000;[24] and "Sacred Love" was covered by Storm Large in 2014.[25] In 2019, Bad Brains rerecorded the title track with rapper Denzel Curry as a guest vocalist for a Spotify single.[26]

"Re-Ignition" has been sampled on "Daddy's Home" by Chubb Rock,[27] "Ice Man Cometh" by 2 Black 2 Strong MMG, "Ultrasonic Sound" by Hive (which later appeared on The Matrix soundtrack), and on a remix of the 2004 song "Roll Call" by Lil Jon and Ice Cube.[28] A live version of "Re-Ignition" was featured in Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock.[29] "Re-Ignition" appeared on a 2019 episode of Black Lightning.[30] The Canadian teen drama Degrassi: The Next Generation, which names each episode after a 1980s song, named an episode after the song "I Against I".

Accolades
Year Publication Country Accolade Rank
1989OORNetherlands "The Best Albums of the 80s"29[31]
1995Alternative PressUnited States "Top 99 Of '85 to '95"9[32]
1995BigOSingapore "The 100 Best Albums from 1975 to 1995"99[33]
1999Tylko RockPoland "100 Albums that Shook Polish Rock"39[34]
2000TerrorizerUnited Kingdom "100 Most Important Albums of the Eighties"—[35]
2002RevolverUnited States "The 69 Greatest Metal Albums of All Time"32[36]
2003BlenderUnited States "500 CDs You Must Own Before You Die"—[37]
2004Les InrockuptiblesFrance "50 Years of Rock'n'Roll"—[38]
2005Robert DimeryUnited States 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die—[39]
2006Gary MulhollandUnited Kingdom "261 Greatest Albums Since Punk and Disco"—[40]
2008VOLUMEFrance "200 Records that Changed the World"—[41]
2008Tom MoonUnited States "1000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die"—[42]
2016LoudwireUnited States "Top 80 Hard Rock + Metal Albums of the 1980s"49[43]
2016Classic RockUnited Kingdom "The 10 Essential Funk Rock Albums"—[2]
"—" denotes an unordered list.

Personnel
Bad Brains
Production

Release history
Region Date
United States November 21, 1986
United Kingdom February 1987

References
  1. "Bad Brains on Instagram: "i Against i, the third studio album from Bad Brains was released in November of 1986. 33 years later in November 2019, here we are listening to this album recalling the whole process of creating and recording it so many years ago. We updated i Against i with new visuals on our youtube channel. Many people, musicians and non-musicians alike, have pointed to this album as a major influence of theirs over the years and continue to do so.. Have listen, and if this album was a significant influence on you, please let us know how! #iagainsti #pma #badbrains #punkrock"".
  2. McIver, Joel (July 24, 2016). "The 10 Essential Funk Rock Albums". Classic Rock. Archived from the original on June 6, 2019. Retrieved February 5, 2020.
  3. Anderson, Rick. "I Against I – Bad Brains". AllMusic. Retrieved July 8, 2012.
  4. Ayers, Nabil (July 26, 2020). "Bad Brains: I Against I". Pitchfork. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
  5. Frere-Jones, Sasha (2004). "Bad Brains". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 34–35. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  6. Stovall, Natasha (1995). "Bad Brains". In Weisbard, Eric; Marks, Craig (eds.). Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. pp. 22–24. ISBN 0-679-75574-8.
  7. Christgau, Robert (May 5, 1987). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Archived from the original on November 24, 2020. Retrieved September 17, 2013.
  8. Bienstock, Richard (June 6, 2019). "'Blessings': Rome Ramirez of Sublime with Rome Talks New Album, Gear and the Band's Legacy". Guitar World. Archived from the original on June 7, 2019. Retrieved February 1, 2020.
  9. Bickerdike, Jennifer Otter (May 14, 2018). "Why I Love… Bad Brains' I Against I – Eric Wilson". Longlivevinyl.net. Archived from the original on January 31, 2020. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
  10. Acharya, Kiran (September 28, 2018). "A Match Thrown On A Gasoline Field: Greg Puciato On Trauma, Dillinger And The Black Queen". Kerrang!. United Kingdom. Archived from the original on September 28, 2018. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
  11. Carter, Daniel P. (February 19, 2017). "#MusicRuinedMyLife with Greg Puciato from The Dillinger Escape Plan". BBC Online (audio). Event occurs at 5:22-5:44. Archived from the original on February 23, 2017. Retrieved February 5, 2020.
  12. Gerritse, Randy (December 24, 2016). "We are very percussive people". Metalonloud.com. Retrieved February 1, 2020.
  13. Flanagan, Harley. "Biting Off Thumbs In The Age Of Quarrel With The Cro-Mags". Kerrang!. Archived from the original on August 18, 2017. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
  14. Kerr, Dave (July 28, 2016). "Under the Influence: Tim Commerford". The Skinny. Archived from the original on July 31, 2016. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
  15. Prato, Greg (July 3, 2013). "Danko Jones". Songfacts. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
  16. Korac, Marko (June 21, 2014). "Scream Back: An Interview With Spermbirds". OCCII. Archived from the original on January 31, 2020. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
  17. Aston, Martin (Autumn 1992). "Jeff Buckley's first ever interview, 1992". New York (published June 30, 2014). Archived from the original on February 1, 2020. Retrieved February 5, 2020.
  18. Hundey, Jason. "Various Artists | Never Give In: A Tribute to Bad Brains". AllMusic. Archived from the original on June 4, 2012. Retrieved February 4, 2020.
  19. "Brother's Keeper | Forever Never Ending". AllMusic. Retrieved February 4, 2020.
  20. "Burn The Priest (Lamb Of God) release track 'I Against I', supporting Slayer in Europe". The Rockpit. May 11, 2018. Archived from the original on January 31, 2020. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
  21. Fredkin, Alex (July 2013). "Sublime 3 Ring Circus: Live at the Palace, October 21, 1995". Modern Drummer. Retrieved February 5, 2020.
  22. Flynn, Robb (August 7, 2017). "HAPPY BIRTHDAY "THE BURNING RED"!". Machinehead1.com. Retrieved February 4, 2020.
  23. "My Chemical Romance, Fall Out Boy Punk 'Hawk'". Billboard.com. August 23, 2005. Archived from the original on September 20, 2014.
  24. "TRIBUTE TO BAD BRAINS". Fril.jp. Retrieved February 5, 2020.
  25. Shapiro, Gregg (October 15, 2014). "Happiness is a chat with Storm Large". Bay Area Reporter. Retrieved February 5, 2020.
  26. Mench, Chris (July 31, 2019). "Denzel Curry Reimagines "I Against I" Alongside Hardcore Pioneers Bad Brains". Genius. Archived from the original on August 1, 2019. Retrieved February 5, 2020.
  27. Serwer, Jesse (October 16, 2012). "The 77 Best Rock Samples in Rap History". Complex. Archived from the original on October 19, 2012. Retrieved February 5, 2020.
  28. Nordeng, Jørgen (October 26, 2018). "En verkende byll på crossover-begrepets rumpe". ITromsø (in Norwegian). Archived from the original on November 24, 2020. Retrieved February 5, 2020.
  29. McElroy, Griffin (August 17, 2010). "Full Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock track list revealed". Engadget. Archived from the original on August 26, 2015. Retrieved February 5, 2020.
  30. Nichols, Anthony (October 27, 2019). "Black Lightning: The Puppet Master". Nayahscifi.com. Retrieved February 5, 2020.
  31. "OOR – The Best Albums of the 80s". OOR. Retrieved February 2, 2010.
  32. "Alternative Press – Top 99 of '85 to '95". Alternative Press. Archived from the original on March 31, 2018. Retrieved February 2, 2010.
  33. "Blender – The 100 Best Albums from 1975 to 1995". BigO. Archived from the original on June 21, 2010. Retrieved February 2, 2010.
  34. "Tylko Rock – 100 Albums that Shook Polish Rock". Tylko Rock. Retrieved February 2, 2010.
  35. "Terrorizer – 100 Most Important Albums of the Eighties". Terrorizer. Archived from the original on May 15, 2013. Retrieved February 2, 2010.
  36. "Revolver – The 69 Greatest Metal Albums of All Time". Revolver. Archived from the original on June 21, 2010. Retrieved February 2, 2010.
  37. "Blender – 500 CDs You Must Own Before You Die". Blender. Archived from the original on June 21, 2010. Retrieved February 2, 2010.
  38. "Les Inrockuptibles – 50 Years of Rock'n'Roll". Les Inrockuptibles. Retrieved February 2, 2010.
  39. Dimery, Robert. 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. p. 856.
  40. "Gary Mulholland – 261 Greatest Albums Since Punk and Disco". Gary Mulholland. Archived from the original on November 24, 2020. Retrieved February 2, 2010.
  41. "VOLUME – 200 Records that Changed the World". VOLUME. Archived from the original on November 24, 2020. Retrieved February 2, 2010.
  42. "Tom Moon – 1000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die" (PDF). Tom Moon. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 5, 2009. Retrieved February 2, 2010.
  43. "Top 80 Hard Rock + Metal Albums of the 1980s". Loudwire. January 13, 2016. Archived from the original on October 1, 2018. Retrieved February 5, 2020.
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