Bad Brains Unearth Original Demo Tape; Remastered Debut Launches November 6
Legendary D.C. punks Bad Brains are issuing their long‑sought‑after first demo tape. Recorded in 1979 at Arlington, Virginia’s Inner Ear Studios and newly remastered by Ian MacKaye, Are You Ready: The First Studio Recording (Inner Ear – March 1979) will be released on vinyl LP, cassette, and digitally on November 6 via Trust Records. Below, listen to the early studio version of Bad Brains’ debut seven‑inch, “Pay to Cum,” accompanied by footage of the band performing at CBGB’s in October 1979.
In a press statement, bassist Darryl Jenifer said, “The riff for ‘Pay to Cum’ began as a stream of punk rock vibes fueled by the Ramones, The Damned, and Return to Forever. It served as a springboard into our sound—pure, straight‑ahead three‑chord mayhem with occasional breaks and a stop. The title was essentially nonsense to us; it was merely a fun‑filled play on words.”
Bad Brains’ final album, Into the Future**, appeared in 2012. Since then, several members have dealt with serious health issues: drummer Dr. Know was hospitalized for cardiac arrest, Paul “H.R.” Hudson underwent brain surgery, and original singer Sid McCray died in 2020. Anticipating the release of Are You Ready, this year will also feature a conversation between Jenifer and MacKaye on November 5 at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library, D.C., and an archival Bad Brains exhibition opening at the city’s Lost Origins Gallery on November 6.
Bad Brains: ARE YOU READY: THE FIRST STUDIO RECORDING (Inner Ear – March 1979)
Are You Ready: The First Studio Recording (Inner Ear – March 1979):
01 Pay to Cum
02 Don’t Bother Me
03 Black Dots
04 Migraine
05 Send No Flowers
06 Jamming at the Atlantis
