Negative FX formed in 1981, with 18 tracks, clocking in under just 20 minutes, were recorded in April and November of 1982 at Radiobeat.
Originally Negative FX was just going to just record that first time and leave it as a radio tape, and
record again for the record. This because they just did it 8 track in the first recording session but
they wanted to record 16 track for the record. Then Jack Kelly hurt his knee, and things never really
got back together. So any record never saw the light of day.
The material was, however, released in 1984 by Curtis Casella's then newly founded Taang! Records label.
The Negative FX album was Taang! Records' fifth release and the first LP ever issued by the label.
The cover features a picture of notorious serial killer Charles Manson but instead of the swastika in his
forehead, there's a Negative FX logo. Numerous reissues followed...
Negative FX was, along with DYS and SS Decontrol [and after Negative FX split up also Last Rights],
at the core of the so-called Boston Crew. They were a group of about 20-30 people who used to follow
SS Decontrol everywhere they went [and would crew for each other if not all bands were not playing].
There are numerous stories about what they did. One is how they used to roll into New York shows in
SS Decontrol's black windowless van with X's painted on their heads. And if they saw a kid in the pit
without an X on his head, they'd punch him as he was from New York.
Yes, there was a lot of tension between the Boston and the New York scene. Boston had, along with
the DC scene, a Straight Edge mentality and a suburban upbringing. The New York scene was based around
the lower East side and seemed very street and violent compared to Boston. It also had beggars,
Krishnas and other oddities.
Negative FX only played 5 shows [but there are 6 flyers, however]. Their most notorious one was
at Mission Of Burma's last show in 1983. 4000 showed up and within minutes after Negative FX took
the stage the soundman pulled the plug and there was a riot. Jack Kelly's shouted "We ain't gonna stop!
Fuck you!" and the soundman got a bass over his head.
This moment was captured on video and is featured on the Taang! Records' video compilation TaangTV volume 1
that can be bought from Taang! Records.
Taang! Records reissued the Negative FX album along with the only 6 tracks Last Rights ever recorded on a CD
in 1996. The last track on the CD is an audio sample of the Mission Of Burma show incident [this track was
not included on the original release].
