Bambi left the band after tour to pursue other projects, and Gary Maloney of the Varukers took over the ever-rotating drum throne. The band recorded the Never Again EP, using an old anti-war poster image of a dove impaled on a bayonet as the now infamous cover image. The cover and title of the LP that followed came from the same book of Situationist art. The 14 tracks on 1982's Hear Nothing, See Nothing, Say Nothing LP were as furious, if not more so, than those on Why? This LP was supported by tours throughout Europe (including Sweden and Finland, where their aftershocks are still booming strong). They also headed west and toured the US and Canada with only a handful of import releases preceding them. After returning to England, the band fell apart. Terry rejoined his brother to form Broken Bones, and left Discharge behind. The remaining members recruited a new guitarist by the name Pooch Pyrtle, and started slowing down to the point where Cal's abrupt vocals, bathed in reverb, sounded awkward and out of place compared to the all-out attack of their earlier material. After the tours supporting the Warning... and Price of Silence EPs were done, Poodle and Gary split to do a metal band called Hells Bells. Clay released an outtake from the Warning session as the More I See EP, and followed it with an uneven, re-recorded singles collection LP confusingly titled Never Again. The two remaining Dischargers managed to put a band together and record one more EP in 1985 before things really went to shit. 1986's Grave New World is a sad testament to fucked priorities and bad judgement. This LP found Discharge reinvented as a poodle-coiffed spandex-clad hair metal act. Cal, now billed as Kelvin Morris, attempted to hit the high notes as his back up band (with Garry back on drums, his Crass tattoo covered by a dragon) went through the motions. The press kit bragged that it was the technically accomplished record you always knew these fine musicians could make. The record was a blatant, shameless about-face from the band's stated commitment to "noise not music." I don't know about you, but I'll take shouting and screaming, please. The fans in 1986 agreed, and the following tour was a disaster. New York fans were so outraged by the Grave New World tour that the show almost turned into a riot, with HR of Bad Brains allegedly joining in by dumping ice on the band from a balcony. I've heard stories of shows where the crowd heckled the band to the point where Cal left the stage and the other members then played the old songs without vocals. Ironically, it was the least musically talented member who refused to play the old songs. English fans were even less forgiving than in America, and a humiliated Discharge returned home and hung up the studs in 1987. Not satisfied with their first failed attempt at metal, another version of Discharge formed in 1991 for more punishment with the power-rock album Massacre Divine in 1991 and another in 1995. Then, finally getting the idea, the original Realities-era line-up got back together and a demo surfaced recently. I'm told there's not a D-beat on the whole thing. Oh well, even if the reunion is a dud, there's still plenty good Discharge available from Clay in the form of an endless stream of repackaging and reissues. Honestly, none of the original vinyl is very rare, but for the digital set I'd look for the first two LPs and the Punk Singles Collection. Destroy fanzine (po box 1122. bristol. bs99 2hx. england. uk) also did a great issue that reprinted several Discharge interviews which helped flesh out this biography a bit. Discharge is more than essential listening - it is fucking punk. |
DISCOGRAPHY Releases REALITIES OF WAR 7" (Clay, 1980) FIGHT BACK 7" (Clay, 1980) DECONTROL 7" (Clay, 1980) WHY 12" (Clay, 1981) NEVER AGAIN 7" (Clay, 1981) HEAR NOTHING SEE NOTHING SAY NOTHING LP (Clay, 1982) STATE VIOLENCE STATE CONTROL 7" (Clay, 1982) WARNING 12" (Clay, 1982) THE PRICE OF SILENCE 7" (Clay, 1983) THE MORE I SEE 12" (Clay, 1983) IGNORANCE 7" (Clay, 1985) GRAVE NEW WORLD LP (Clay/Rock Hotel/Profile, 1986) LIVE AT THE CITY GARDEN, NEW JERSEY (Clay, 1989) MASSACRE DIVINE (Clay, 1991) SHOOTIN UP THE WORLD (Clay, 1995) LIVE - THE NIGHTMARE CONTINUES (Clay, 1996) Reissues NEVER AGAIN LP (Clay, 1983) 1980-1986 LP (Clay, 1987 - "best of" collection) PUNK AND DESTROY LP (singles collection) THE CLAY PUNK SINGLES COLLECTION CD (Clay - another singles collection) HARDCORE HITS CD (Cleopatra - "best of" collection) VISIONS OF WAR 2CD (?) Bootlegs DEMO (1977) Compilations DRIVEN TO DEATH LP (Clay, 1990) INFO Lyrics to Why 12" Discharge Website This site has a good band history, a lyrics page, and a link to photos from Finland in 1983; most of the rest of the page is dead links though. Hear Nothing See Nothing Say Nothing Website A French-language version of the above site, but this one has a little more - pictures, album covers, lyrics in French and English, etc. |
