Nervous Breakdown is the debut EP by the American hardcore punk band Black Flag, released in January 1979 by SST Records. It was the label's first release, and the only non-compilation release to feature Keith Morris on vocals.
The EP was a pivotal release in the development of the hardcore punk genre.
Recording
The recording was financed by Greg Ginn with proceeds he had earned from his mail-order ham radio electronics business, Solid State Tuners (SST).
The recording was originally supposed to be released by Bomp! Records, but the band felt that the label was taking too long to put the record out. Eventually, the band took the master rights back, and Ginn put some more earnings from his ham radio business, located a pressing plant in the phone book, and co-founded SST Records with Black Flag bassist Chuck Dukowski, borrowing the label's name from his business.
|rev2 = Spin Alternative Record Guide
|rev2score = 8/10
In Our Band Could Be Your Life, Michael Azerrad said, "It could well be their best recording; it was definitely the one by which everything after it would be measured. With music and lyrics by Ginn, the record is rude, scuzzy, and totally exhilarating. With his sardonic, Johnny Rottenesque delivery, Morris inflates the torment of teen angst into full-blown insanity."
Track listing
Personnel
Adapted from the album liner notes.
Black Flag
- Keith Morris – vocals
- Greg Ginn – guitars
- Gary McDaniel – bass
- Brian Migdol – drums
On the first pressings of the original 7", Black Flag's second drummer Robo is credited instead of Brian Migdol, despite not performing on the EP, as Migdol had left the group a few months before the EP's release.