Jealous Again - EP

Album Review

When the four-song vinyl EP Jealous Again came out in 1980, Black Flag had yet to provide a full-length LP or hire Henry Rollins as its vocalist. But even in those pre-Rollins days, Black Flag was regarded as one of the most important bands on the Los Angeles punk scene — and rightly so. In fact, it's safe to say that no 1980 release captures the raw, explosive anger of L.A. punk better than Jealous Again. Black Flag's second vocalist, Chavo P******t (the one who came after Keith Morris and before Rollins), has no problem expressing his rage on such in-your-face classics as "No Values," "White Minority," "Revenge," and "You Bet We've Got Something Against You!." In 1980, some fans of corporate rock couldn't begin to understand the appeal of a punk band like Black Flag and dismissed this EP as unmusical. But to criticize Jealous Again (whose contents would, in the 1990s, be placed on SST's CD reissue of Damaged) for its lack of chops or technique completely misses the point: punk wasn't about technique, it was about feeling. Punk was rock & roll stripped down to its rawest, most naked, gut-level emotions. And on this EP, those emotions make for some compelling moments.