Live '84

As Black Flag transformed from a hardcore punk band into a tough, atonal free-jazz-metal outfit, the emphasis was clearly on the group’s improvisatory abilities. With newer bassist Kira Roessler, Descendents’ and full-time Flag drummer Bill Stevenson and guitarist Greg Ginn pulling together behind singer Henry Rollins’ angst-ridden howls, the band had become a perfect live animal whose studio albums could only hint at their primal power. Live ‘84 was recorded in one night in San Francisco and features the band in their unvarnished mid-‘80s glory, pulling many tracks from their then current albums, My War, Slip It In and Family Man, while also including obvious crowd-pleasers such as “Nervous Breakdown,” “Six Pack” and “Jealous Again.” Perversely, and completely in line with Black Flag’s determination to challenge their audience, things begin with the then-unknown instrumental “The Process of Weeding Out” that for eight-and-a-half minutes rips like a festering sonic scar. As usual, do NOT file under “easy listening.”