The first time i listened to Minor Threat, frankly, I didn't like it. The music was too fast and it was devoid of any melody(that i heard at the time). Ian's vocals were screamed so fast and unintelligibly, that it turned me off at first. At the time I was listening to Rancid, The Clash, and The Sex Pistols. I bought the Blue Minor Threat tape, thinking it would be along those lines. It wasn't. But there was something infectious about the music that kept me coming back for more. I didn't know what straight edge meant at the time,(i thought it was some reference to cocaine) and I wan't sure what the hell Ian was talking about. Then I started analyzing the lyrics. They cut with such razor sharp poingancy and heartfelt honesty that the music started to make my stomach churn. I finally got it. This music blew away my old punk records. Minor Threat presented rage in an honest and beautiful way, whereas the Sex Pistols were just out to shock people. Musically these guys were tighter than 95 percent of the hardcore bands of their day, and the music stands up. Ian's lyrics stand as some of the best, dare I say it, "rock" lyrics of all time. I can only imagine how revolutionary this band must have been when they came out, both musically and politically. All I know is that I can still put this record on in my room and roll around like an idiot, get all sweaty, and sing along, and love every second of it. This record transcends punk, hardcore, or any B.S. label like that. This music is timeless, and it WILL live forever, albeit, a little Out of Step...

You should be happy that your kid is listening to Minor Threat instead of, say, Limp Bizkit. The lyrics are socially responsible. Isn't that what you want your kid to be? As for the language, your kid probably uses the words in the songs anyways, so you can't protect them. The album is definatly one of the best punk rock album ever. It's better than "Nevermind the Bullocks" by a thousand miles! It changed my life, and it will most likely change your's. The music and lyrics are encredibly powerful and rocking. I hate kids who think KoRn or Limp Bizkit are hardcore. This is hardcore.

As the above Amazon review states, this is the original gospel according to Ian MacKaye, but it is also more than that: this is the gospel of real punk rock. Vitrol fueled and seething with everything that made the punk rock movement of the 80's great, Minor Threat's "Complete Discography" is not only a punk rock masterpiece, but an excellent gateway for new fans of the band. "I Don't Wanna Hear It", "Seeing Red", "Straight Edge", "Stand Up", "In My Eyes", "Out of Step", "Sob Story", and "Salad Days" are some of the best pieces of music to ever come out of the punk scene from one of the greatest bands to ever emerge from the genre. Just like Black Flag's "Damaged", Dead Kennedys' "Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables", and the Misfits' "Walk Among Us"; this is an absolute masterpiece and entirely essential.

I remember listening to Minor Threat for the first time like 13 years ago and having my world rocked. A friend of mine gave me their tape and said 'prepare to be changed'. Man, was he right. The sheer ability that MT had to put such energy, power, and message together in a song that lasts all of 1:45 blew me away. This collection of their work is just incredible. Unlike other "punk" bands like Blink or Green Day, or "hardcore" bands like Limp or Slipknot, there is a reason behind Minor Threat's music. It's not just singing about high school and sex and cars and other crap like that. Unlike that junk, listening to Minor Threat not only adrenalizes you, but you get a message at the same time. You don't think so? Go REALLY listen to songs like 'Bottled Violence', 'Stand Up', and 'Out of Step'. It's more than just music. There's something else to it, something that has influenced many people in many ways.

I'll tell you like my friend told me that day. Do yourself a favor. Buy this CD, pop it in, and prepare to be changed.

Excerpts from my diaries: DAY 5 -- 23 OCTOBER 1981 8.53AM. `I've been listen to the Minor Threat ep for four days straight. The sun is shining through the shades of my window on what must be a glorious summer-like day. I've been self-incarcerated in my suburban prison cell room for what seems like forever, and will not be let myself out again until midday; four days of solitary confinement. How can a white suburban youth of seventeen resist this record? It is impossible. I will change my religion. I will have no religion. I will worship Minor Threat. I will not worship anyone. I will turn inward, and to my friends. This is the Western world in the twentieth century, not Turkey, not Nigeria, not Iran, but the USA. I will not be trapped by conformity'

TWENTY-TWO YEARS LATER -- OCTOBER 29 2003, after 22 years I am still listening to Minor Threat. Are they the best punk band in the world? Did they invent hardcore? They certainly perfected it, didn't they? Or was that the Bad Brains? Who cares? Life seems like a perjury trial lasting forever, and good music makes it tolerable. At least this music, which is so impassioned. Perhaps without it I might have turned into a violent criminal. If you don't get this record, you have no right to criticize me, or especially punk rock from Washington, DC, or the USA, circa 1981 through 1983.