Fugazi (EP)

Fugazi, also known as the EP 7 Songs,[7] is the debut eponymous release by the American post-hardcore band Fugazi. As with subsequent release Margin Walker, Guy Picciotto did not contribute guitar to this record; all guitar was performed by Ian MacKaye. It was originally recorded in June 1988 and released in November 1988 on vinyl and again in 1989 on the compilation release 13 Songs along with the following EP Margin Walker. The photo used for the album cover was taken on June 30, 1988 at Maxwell's in Hoboken, New Jersey.

Fugazi
EP by
Fugazi
ReleasedNovember 1988
RecordedJune 1988 at Inner Ear Studios
Genre
Length23:06
LabelDischord (030)
ProducerTed Niceley, Fugazi
Fugazi chronology
Fugazi
(1988)		 Margin Walker
(1989)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[1]
MusicHound Rock[2]
OndaRock7.5/10[3]
Punknews.org[4]
Spin Alternative Record Guide9/10[5]
The Virgin Encyclopedia of Heavy Rock[6]

Content

The release features "Waiting Room" which is often seen as the band's most well-known song, notorious for "the attention-getting drop into silence that occurs at the 22-second mark," as well as for its "relentless ska/reggae-inflected drive",[8] and "Suggestion", a "Meters-meets-Ruts thrust."[8]

Reception

The band's entry in the Trouser Press record guide, written by Ian McCaleb, Ira Robbins and Mike Fournier, calls the EP an "impressive debut" which "blends a classic DC-core sensibility with a mature, objective outlook and crisply produced mid-tempo songs that are dynamic, aggressive and accessible." They write that MacKaye and Picciotto "trade raw emotionalism for an introspective, almost poetic vision, using abstractions in strongly structured compositions like “Bulldog Front” and “Give Me the Cure,” a contemplation on death."[9] Andy Kellman of AllMusic calls the EP "excellent".[7]

Legacy

Accolades

In 2018, Pitchfork ranked the EP at #45 on their list of "The 200 Best Albums of the 1980s", with Evan Rytlewski writing that while the band "would go on to release hours of the most inventive post-hardcore ever, [...] they never recorded anything else so instantly gratifying."[10]

Influence

According to Kim Thayil of Soundgarden, the band would regularly listen to cassettes of the Fugazi EP and Nirvana's Bleach whilst on tour.[11] Walter Shcreifels of Quicksand, in a feature for Revolver, ranked it the best post-hardcore album of all time and called it "ground zero for whatever's great about the genre."[12]

"Waiting Room" has been covered by a wide range of musicians since the EP's release. Tropical Fuck Storm covered "Burning" live.[13] Prong covered "Give Me the Cure".[14] Pearl Jam covered "Suggestion" in various concerts in the early 1990s, usually as a tag to another song or an improvised jam.[15] The track was also covered by Jonah Matranga[16] and Taina Asili (in collaboration with the Nuyorican hip-hop/punk band Ricanstruction).[17]

Track listing
No.TitleLead vocalsLength
1."Waiting Room"MacKaye2:53
2."Bulldog Front"Picciotto2:53
3."Bad Mouth"MacKaye2:35
4."Burning"Picciotto2:39
5."Give Me the Cure"Picciotto2:58
6."Suggestion"MacKaye4:44
7."Glue Man"Picciotto4:23

Personnel

References
  1. Kellman, Andy. "allmusic ((( Fugazi > Review )))". Allmusic. Retrieved March 17, 2010.
  2. Gary Graff, ed. (1996). MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide (1st ed.). London: Visible Ink Press. ISBN 978-0-7876-1037-1.
  3. Claudio Lancia. "Fugazi" (in Italian). Retrieved May 3, 2022.
  4. TomTrauma (March 13, 2018). "Fugazi [EP] (1988)".
  5. Weisbard, Eric; Marks, Craig, eds. (1995). "Fugazi". Spin Alternative Record Guide (1st ed.). New York: Vintage Books. ISBN 0-679-75574-8.
  6. Larkin, Colin (1999). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Heavy Rock. London: Virgin Books. p. 176. ISBN 0-753-50257-7.
  7. Dischord Records: Fugazi – 7 Songs
  8. Kellman, Andy. "13 Songs - Fugazi - Review". Allmusic. Retrieved April 5, 2011.
  9. "Fugazi". Trouser Press. Retrieved 2022-05-02.
  10. "The 200 Best Albums of the 1980s - Page 8". Pitchfork. 10 September 2018. Retrieved 2022-04-01.
  11. Prato, Greg (2009). Grunge is dead : the oral history of Seattle rock music. Internet Archive. Toronto : ECW Press. ISBN 978-1-55022-877-9.
  12. "QUICKSAND's WALTER SCHREIFELS picks 10 best POST-HARDCORE albums ever". Revolver. 2023-03-10. Retrieved 2023-03-10.
  13. "TROPICAL FUCK STORM @ Chevron Gardens gets 8.5/10". 28 February 2018.
  14. "Prong: Songs from the Black Hole". 17 April 2015.
  15. Schippers, Mimi (2002). Rockin' Out of the Box: Gender Maneuvering in Alternative Hard Rock. Google Books. ISBN 9780813530758. Retrieved 24 April 2020.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  16. "Listen: 'Everybody Wants Somewhere,' a 21-track tribute to Fugazi by California indie acts". 8 June 2017.
  17. Plitt, Amy; Samarth, Ro (8 December 2021). "The best feminist songs for a fierce playlist". Time out.
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