Out of Step is the third EP<!--- Before changing, please talk about in the talk page. !--> by American hardcore punk band Minor Threat. It was released on vinyl in April 1983 through Dischord Records. All tracks from the album are available on Minor Threat's 1989 compilation album Complete Discography.

It is considered a critical release in punk rock, particularly the hardcore subgenre. Many critics and magazines have cited it as one of the best progressions in the history of rock music, which specifically helped shape the path of many genres of underground musical currents alternative music). Its influence is notorious in future bands that would boost the youth crew movement, also in other genres such as grunge, post-hardcore, 1990's skate punk and thrash metal, as well in the development of the New York hardcore music scene and aesthetics style.

Music and lyrics

This album's increased complexity in songs, with more elaborate riffs and arrangements, is its main distinguishing factor compared to the band's previous recordings. The bass octaves retain the dynamics of the guitar line. Brian Baker became second guitarist for the album, and Steven Hansgen joined the bass.

Describing the album as an "ode to feeling alienated," Tom Connick of NME explains that the album "fizzes with the fury of feeling different to those around you." The lyrics of most songs focus on themes such as self-reflection, youth frustration, personal problems, and difficulties with friendships. This is in contrast to Minor Threat's first recordings, which had a politically critical message and did not revolve around drug use.

Background, recording and reissues

After a temporary break-up in 1982, Minor Threat entered Inner Ear Studios in January 1983 and recorded Out of Step in three days. The album was produced and engineered by Don Zientara. Many of the songs dealt with conflicts between MacKaye and other people in the Washington, D.C. punk scene, and MacKaye has gone on to state that Out of Step "very much a scene politics record."

The first vinyl pressing of the album (with plain black cover) appears on the Complete Discography compilation. After the second pressing, the band remixed the album and this version remained in print on vinyl until the 2000s. The latter is distinguishable by a colored stripe with suggested retail price across the front, and "Dischord 10 UK" and "Utopia" in the dead wax. The biggest differences between the original mix and the remixed version are in the songs "Out of Step" and the initially untitled "Cashing In".

In the mid-2000s, the album was remastered on vinyl by Chicago Mastering Service, with no stripe.

In 2022, while digitizing master tracks in Inner Ear Studios, MacKaye and Zientara discovered re-recorded versions of Minor Threat songs "In My Eyes" and "Filler".

Out of Step was met with positive reviews and ratings. Ned Raggett of AllMusic awards it four-and-a-half out of five stars and states: "Building on the promise and fire of the band's earlier singles, Out of Step instantly became iconic for American hardcore, not to mention for the D.C. scene, for years to come, as well as any number of bands who conflated personal and social politics."

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| Spin

| Ten Reasons Why We Wish SPIN Had Started in 1984

| 9

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| Loudwire

| Top 80 Hard Rock & Metal Albums Of The 1980s

| 19

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| FACT

| The 100 Best Albums of the 1980s

| 7

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| NME

| The 15 Best Hardcore Albums of All Time

| unranked list

|-

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|}

Track listing

All songs written by Minor Threat.

Personnel

  • Ian MacKaye – Vocals
  • Lyle Preslar – Lead Guitar
  • Brian Baker – Rhythm Guitar
  • Steve Hansgen – Bass
  • Jeff Nelson – Drums

Production

  • Don Zientara, Minor Threat – Producers
  • Skip Groff – Mixing
  • Don Zientara − Engineer
  • Cynthia Connolly − Cover art
  • Jeff Nelson – Graphic Design

References

Notes

Citations

<!-- This is a licensed stream for the album, which is allowed under Wikipedia polices -->

  • Out of Step (Adobe Flash) at Radio3Net (streamed copy where licensed)