Black Flag

Henry name-checking Black Sabbath during the intro to "Annihilate This Week" is only topped by his incredible stand up routine during "Slip It In." Ginn plays guitar like he'd moved beyond normal human capabilities (which he had), bass ninja Kira is in the fold and Rollins, as usual, is riveting. Who's Got the 10 1/2? is proof that by the time this was recorded, in the summer of 1985, Black Flag had emerged as a truly ferocious rock band, with long hair and everything. Half the joy of this album is just listening to them play together. Henry practically screams his eyes out. He even gets away with rapping during "Louie, Louie."

My War, Slip It In, the Live '84 tape, the instrumental sides, Henry's poetry readings--it was all too much, the excess production of bohemian businessmen ready to shove any old sh*t up the wazoos of their presold believers. So I hardly heard the 1985 studio LPs Loose Nut and In My Head, which prove their sharpest since Damaged, with Loose Nut especially showing off Greg Ginn's fangs as lyricist and riffmaster. The demented acceleration and guitar squiggles of this live date improve most of the hottest songs from the '85 albums. And while introducing the band members by cock size may protest their belated obsession with sex too much, I can't complain when the answer to the title question is Kira, who plays bass so stalwartly she deserves all the credit she can get. (Grade - A-)