Discography release from legendary New York youth crew bruisers
Straightedge. The very term elicits two strongly contrasting opinions – a noble sacrifice in the pursuit of physiological and mental purity, or a violently intolerant culture of wife-beaters sporting skinheads with 'x's on their wrists. OK so there is a third response – confusion – but for those of you who are scratching your head, we're not talking about a ruler or a setsquare here. Straightedge is not something that you'd use to draw a straight line, but instead refers to a lifestyle choice that involves abstaining from drink, drugs and (gasp) sex (although not all sex - just lurve of the promiscuous variety). Its origins are to be found in the punk/hardcore scene of the early 1980's, with many believing that the term itself was created by Minor Threat (now Fugazi) frontman Ian MacKaye with their debut album song of the same name.
After a meteoric rise that saw straightedge take it's place as the plat de jour of the rock world, as is always the case with fashions and trends - tastes changed. The late 80's saw the movement collapse, as what was once a brotherhood of like-minded individuals had become a fad of image-conscious youths that used straightedge imagery as window dressing to disguise their hollow ideals. It wasn't all bad news though, as what was undoubtedly one of the most damaging times for straightedge was simultaneously responsible for the creation of what was arguably one of the scene's most important bands - Judge.
Along with Youth Of Today and the aforementioned Minor Threat they became hardline straightedge anti-heroes, and even to this day their name is whispered in revered tones; a band that is surrounded by myth, misunderstanding and legend.
Ask most people for one word that describes Judge, and more often than not the response will simply be "violent". Their live shows were notorious for fights breaking out amongst the crowd, as the music would whip people into a frenzy that couldn't be satiated by circle pits alone. Frontman Mike Judge; an ex builder who was built like an entire terrace of brick shithouses, would often be right there in the thick of it – it's fair to say that he loved a bit of a scrap. Never was this more apparent than when, just as the band were set to go on tour with Walter Schreifel's legendary Gorilla Biscuits, Mike beat someone up. No big deal you may think, but one of the stipulations of his plea bargain was that he had to see a psychiatrist on a regular basis, and was unable to leave the country. They missed the tour.
This ever-escalating violence would ultimately lead to the band's demise, as guitarist Porcell recalls – "The last show of the tour was in Florida, where skinheads pulled out guns and beat up a black kid in the pit. And these were our fans! It had to end." And end it did, with the band calling it a day after barely two years.
'What It Meant – The Complete Discography' displays a Ronseal-like accuracy of title, compiling everything ever recorded by Judge – their debut EP 'New York Crew', the 'Bringing It Down' LP (recorded at Normandy Sound – also home to the New Kids On The Block and "Marky" Mark Wahlberg records), the 'There Will Be Quiet' EP and the 'Chung King Can Suck It' LP. It's certainly comprehensive, but now that the band are no more does this release simply serve as a museum-piece documenting the life of a long-lost relic, or are the feelings and emotions still as relevant with today's indifferent youth?
Well to be honest it does sound a little dated – Judge weren't doing anything radically different or inventive even for those fairly regimented times, but then again that wasn't the point. In fact it was precisely the opposite, as they set out with the intentions of being "the most blatant in-your-face straightedge band to ever hit the scene" – an incarnation of an almost pantomimic stereotype designed to confront (and judge) 'edgebreakers' and other opponents to the sXe way of life. It is therefore important to remember that this is not another band casting a retrospective glance to the hardcore punk old school – they are old school; it's just how music sounded when they were around.
The recent popularisation and commercialisation of extreme music means that Judge sound somewhat tame by today's standards, but they're still very fast, very frantic and very obviously pissed off. Perhaps their biggest strength is their honesty – when Mike shouts and screams his way through tracks like 'Fed Up' and 'Bringin' It Down' there's no doubt that he means every word, as he vents fury and resent to the people who have turned their back on what he holds so sacred.
They may never have achieved widespread popularity, but the mark they left on sXe is definite and indelible, and for anyone remotely interested in the scene's history or in the wider influences of modern punk & hardcore, then this release is nothing short of vital.