alt.music.hardcore

7 Seconds includes: Kevin Seconds (vocals).
Producers: Sean Greaves (tracks 1-9); 7 Seconds, Bix Bigler (10-16); Jim D. (tracks 17-18).
Recorded in Reno, Nevada between 1982 and 1985.
All songs written by members of 7 Seconds except "The Kids Are United" (Pursey/Parsons).
Although its dated title makes 1995's ALT.MUSIC.HARDCORE sound like a collection of punk tracks about the dot-com boom, the 18-track collection actually presents sides that originally appeared on 7 Seconds EPs released on the Better Youth Organization label from '82 to '85. On these early sessions, the Nevada-based band, led by frontman Kevin Seconds, exudes youthful enthusiasm and energy, churning out aggressive proto-hardcore that still manages to convey positive messages and a surprising sense of melody within its limited three-chord parameters.
The defiant tunes on offer include "No Authority," "I Hate Sports," "Fight Your Own Fight," and "Aggro," which all display the group's ferocious delivery and straight-edge identity politics. The disc also features a blistering live rendition of Sham 69's "If the Kids Are United" (here entitled "The Kids Are United"). Though 7 Seconds opted for a much more accessible direction in the late '80s, the ensemble would look back to this no-frills sound when catching its second wind in the mid-'90s.