Though known for their use of Ku Klux Klan and Nazi Party imagery, Reagan Youth were a very anti-fascist/racist band, playing with such black bands as Bad Brains. The band expressed its political views through irony, using images from the two hate groups for their album/CD covers. Their intention was to draw the audience's attention to the perceived parallels between the policies of Ronald Reagan and the Religious Right and the beliefs of the hate groups. Their songs included "Jesus Was a Communist," a stab at the Christian fundamentalists in the United States, and "New Aryans," an anti-Ronald Reagan/yuppie and also anti-racist anthem. It should be noted that Dave Rubinstein was well aware of the irony and shock value inherent in these images and lyrics; both of his parents were Holocaust survivors.
Musically, the band played hardcore punk, but other songs have more mellow rhythms with slower tempos, including guitar riffs and solos not seen in many other punk bands at the time.
tracklist
reagan youth
new aryans
are you happy
no class
i hate hate
degenerated
go nowhere
u s a
anytown
in dog we trust
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1 comment:
I love this band and album, but I thought you & your readers might want to know that what you have posted is the New Red Archives remastered & compiled LP, "A Collection of Pop Classics vol. 1". The mix is very different from their first release, the "Youth Anthems" 12" EP; several tracks are even different takes. I'm a fan of the original mixes, and would recommend that anyone who digs this band track the files down, especially since the original vinyl is way out of print and fetches $60-100 on ebay or at record boutiques.
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