The six-song 1979 session lands digitally on November 6 through Trust Records. Mixed for release by Ian MacKaye, it includes the first studio recording of ‘Pay To Cum’.
Bad Brains’ earliest known studio recordings are getting their first official release this Friday, 47 years after the session. Are You Ready: The First Studio Recording (Inner Ear – March 1979) arrives digitally on November 6 through Trust Records.
First, though, they had to find the studio.
Alec MacKaye’s liner notes recount a wrong turn before the session, according to the release announcement published by Blabbermouth. The band drove to the wrong address. By the time they reached Inner Ear Studios in Arlington, Virginia, just an hour remained on their booking.
They used it to record six songs.
The tapes then circulated unofficially among fans for decades. This authorised release reaches further back than two familiar collections of the band’s early work. It predates the later 1979 recordings issued as Black Dots and the 1980 material released on The Omega Sessions.
Before ‘Pay To Cum’ Became Their Debut Single
That chronology matters for anyone who already owns the early demos. Are You Ready includes a version of ‘Pay To Cum’ recorded more than a year before its release as Bad Brains’ debut seven-inch in 1980.
Ian MacKaye newly mixed the session at Inner Ear. Pete Lyman handled mastering at Infrasonic, while Alec MacKaye supplied liner notes for the physical edition. The official release listing credits each separately.
Alongside ‘Pay To Cum’, the collection features ‘Jammin’ At The Atlantis’, ‘Don’t Bother Me’, ‘Black Dots’, ‘Migraine’ and ‘Send No Flowers’.
The official ‘Pay To Cum’ video pairs the early studio recording with Barry Masterson’s footage from CBGB on October 24, 1979. The audio and live footage capture separate performances from the same formative year.
Apple Music lists the digital release for November 6, but vinyl buyers should check their chosen edition. Both the band’s store and Trust Records currently list December 18 shipping for the transparent black pressing.
Pre-save and pre-order options are collected on Trust’s official release page.
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