Track Listing

1. Suicide's An Alternative
2. You'll Be Sorry
3. Two Sided Politics
4. I Shot The Devil
5. Subliminal
6. Won't Fall Over Today
7. Instititionalized
8. Possessed
9. I Saw Your Mommy
10. Fascist Pig
11. I Want More
12. Suicidal Failure

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #121721 in Music
• Released on: 2002-09-09
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Original recording reissued
• Dimensions: .20 pounds

From Amazon.com
When punk rock met the formless rebellion that permeated L.A.'s working-class suburbs in the early '80s, a weird hybrid was born, drawing equally from heavy-metal thunder and Ritalin-generation aggression. Suicidal Tendencies' frontman Mike Muir was one of them, and they knew it immediately, latching onto the half-spoken, half-screeched brain bomb "Institutionalized" as an instant classic. That song is certainly the best-known track on this, the group's debut, but it's hardly the only essential one: "Fascist Pig," "I Shot the Devil," and "Possessed" all rage on mightily, the arcs of guitar from Rocky George and Mike Clark serving to push Muir to new heights of blind frenzy. In less powerful hands, this album would be little more than an extended temper tantrum, but in the mitts of Suicidal, it's something far, far more dangerous. --David Sprague

CD Description
On its 1983 self-titled debut, Suicidal Tendencies unleashed an angry, brooding set of hardcore/punk tunes that stood in sharp contrast to the group's sunny Southern California surroundings. Often credited with inventing the skate-punk style, the band lays down hard-charging riffs and rhythms that create the perfect platform for frontman Mike Muir's pointedrants. As any ST fan (or punk fan for that matter) will attest, the album's crowning moment is "Institutionalized", which mixes Muir's witty, disenchanted half-spoken/half-shoutedmusings with locomotive ferocity, and became an unlikely semi-hit on MTV. Other highlights of the record include the frenetic "Suicide's an Alternative/You'll Be Sorry" and "I Shot the Devil", which sports a blistering guitar solo that hints at the metal influence that would later come to define the band's sound. Although SUICIDAL TENDENCIES isn't as adventurous as the act's later recordings, it effectively establishes its rough-and-tumble aesthetic, and is regarded as a West Coast hardcore classic.

Customer Reviews

28 minutes of hardcore hell
you think you've heard the hardcore rock? You think you've heard the hardest hardcore? unless you have this album - you're wrong! This album hits you over the head with a large metal object and is it pumps out some of the fastest music ever produced. It doesn't get much harder then this, and it doesn't get much more hardcore. Buy this great album and prepare to take a brilliant roller coaster ride.

A worthy debut from a blistering live band
I came to this album after enjoying the wonderfully titled "How will I laugh tomorrow ... when I can't even smile today". You certainly see where Mike Muir got the moniker "Cyco". My personal fave has to be the gruesome "I saw your Mommy ..." (and your Mommy's DEAD). They don't make 'em like that anymore. I've seen Suicidal live a few times, but the best had to be in 1994, at the Forum in London, touring the excellent 'Suicidal for Life'. Some LA gob yobs (Rage Against the Machine) were in support, bu they were totally blown off the stage. It was truly an awesome night. The band have done some interesting stuff (check their alter-ego 'Infectious Grooves') and recent album 'Freedumb' and the new disc (forget the name) show a definate return to form. Go on, join the army ... ST!!

THIS WAS MY FIRST HARDCORE ALBUM BACK IN THE DAY!
It's fast, it's catchy & very, very angry!
There's a rawness but the sound is still decent, and the musicianship is equally good with shed loads of punky riffs & solos and lots of fast, infectious bass lines all over!
Lyrics are equally dark & humourous with some angry, political rants from Mike Muir, who is almost out of breath at times. Certain aspects have inevitably dated but it's not a problem.
It's 100% enjoyable and the 1993 rerecording failed to improve on this!
A real classic, alongside Misfits' Legacy Of Brutality & early DRI!