•
Rating:
When it comes to Bad Religion, one cannot forget the value they have had within the punk/hardcore scene, both for the level of their compositions and for the influence they have had on future generations. Conceptually and musically, they can be seen as worthy heirs and epigones of political/social invectives like those once proposed by Dead Kennedys, Crass, and GBH; from a musical standpoint, they created the most melodic strand of hardcore, but this does not make it any less hard and fast than other bands of the era. On the contrary, Bad Religion further pushed the concept of speed, delivering music that gets straight to the heart of the matter without mincing words, bearing witness to and raising the flag of uncompromising hardcore.
Today, unfortunately, this is almost entirely faded, with bands that emerged from the underground now seeing their photos displayed in industry magazines and elsewhere, often not for their musical merit.
But let's talk about this No Control, which is universally recognized as their masterpiece, blessed year 1989. This album is composed of unforgettable and unforgotten tracks for every true punk rocker who respects themselves. Indeed, hearing the titles might still bring a tear to one's eye: "You," "Automatic Man," "Sometimes I Feel Like," "Henchman," and the splendid "I Want To Conquer The World" combine anger and nihilism with a truly impressive melodic and compositional flair; it's impossible to stay still and not scream with rage in front of these timeless anthems; Hardcore Punk Rock'n'Roll played at lightning speed, never a drop in tension, never a slowdown.
Only hardcore played with guts and the spirit of those who, at that time, firmly believed in certain values.
Tracklist Lyrics Samples and Videos
01 Change of Ideas (00:56)
Well the sheaves have all been brought
But the fields have washed away
And the palaces now stand
Where the coffins all were laid
And the times we see ahead
We must glaze with rosy hues
For we don't wish to admit
What it is we have to lose
Millennia in coming
The modern age is here
It sanctifies the future
Yet renders us with fear
So many theories, so many prophecies
What we do need is a change of ideas
When we are scared, we can hide in our reveries
But what we need is a change of ideas
Change of ideas, change of ideas
What we need now is a change of ideas
03 No Control (01:47)
Culture was the seed of proliferation
But it has gotten melded
Into an inharmonic whole (2x)
Consciousness has plagued us
And we can not shake it
Though we think we're in control (2x)
Questions that besiege us in life
Are testament of our helplessness
There's no vestige of beginning
No prospect of an end
When we all disintegrate
It will all happen again, yeah
Time is so rock solid in the minds of the hoards
But they can't
Explain why it should slip away (2x)
History and future are the comforts of our
Curiosity but here we are
Rooted in the present day (2x)
Questions that besiege us in life
Are testament of our helplessness
There's no vestige of beginning
No prospect of an end
When we all disintegrate
It will all happen again, yeah
If you came to conquer you'll be king for a day
But you too will deteriorate and quickly fade away
And believe these words you hear
When you think your path is clear
We have no control (2x)
We have no control
We do not understand
You have no control
You are not in command
We have no control (2x)
No control (2x)
You have no control
05 Automatic Man (01:40)
He's the latest superhero with powers so profound
He can leap a dotted line in just a single bound
I know you must have seen him in the books and magazines
He's the quintessential mindless modern epicene
His life is meaningful
Because he gets things done
Bang bang he's dead
(Bang bang he's dead)
Chalk up another triumph for our hero
The automatic man
It's true you must have met him
He's your best friend and your foe
His opinions are determined
By the status quo
A true creature of habit
He smokes 3 packs a day
When he has an original thought
He forgets it right away
He's the automatic man
He's a paradigm of carefree living
He's our mentor disturb him if you can
He's the answer if your peace of mind is lacking
He's our savior he is the common man
So if you are troubled by the daily bump and grind
Then take another look around and brother you will find
The automatic man
06 I Want to Conquer the World (02:19)
Hey brother christian, with your high and mighty errand
Your actions speak so loud, I can't hear a word your saying
Hey sister bleeding heart, with all of your compassion
Your labors soothe the hurt, but can't assuage temptation
Hey man of science, with your perfect rules of measure
Can you improve this place with the data that you gather?
Hey mother mercy, can your loins bear fruit forever?
Is your fecundity a trammel or a treasure?
And I want to conquer the world
Give all the idiots a brand new religion
Put an end to poverty, uncleanliness, and toil
Promote equality in all of my decisions
With a quick wink of the eye and a "God you must be joking"
Hey mister diplomat, with your worldly aspirations
Did you see your children cry when you left them at the station?
Hey moral soldier, you've got righteous proclamations
And precious tomes to fuel your pulpy conflagrations
And I want to conquer the world
Give all the idiots a brand new religion
Put an end to poverty, uncleanliness, and toil
Promote equality in all of my decisions
I want to conquer the world
Expose the culprits and feed them to the children
I'll do away with their pollution and then I'll save the whales
We'll have peace on earth and global communion
I want to conquer the world (4x)
07 Sanity (02:44)
There's a watch in my pocket and its hands are broken
The face is blank but the gears are turning
Confusion is a fundamental state of mind
It doesn't really matter what I'm figuring out
I'm guaranteed to wind up in a state of doubt
And sanity is a full time job
In a world that is always changing
And sanity is a state of mind
That you believe in sanity
There's a shadow on the wall where the paint is peeling
My body's moving forward but my mind is reeling
Depression is a fundamental state of day
It doesn't really matter how my day has turned out
I always end up living in this world of doubt
And sanity is a full time job
In a world that is always changing
And sanity will make you strong
If you believe in sanity
And sanity is a full time job
In a world that is always changing
And sanity is a state of mind
That you believe in sanity
08 Henchman (01:07)
stranded
in a life in which your struggle for acceptance
is a never-ending chore
upbraided
for your actions past and present and rewarded for ideas
of the future's bright open door
the henchman
is the human analogue of the suffering multitudes
who like good dogs sit and lick for their reward
so what good advice have I got for you
to insure against your likely metamorphosis into this reprobate?
don't be a henchman!
stand on your laurels
do what no one else does
praise the good of other men for good man's sake
and when everyone else in the world follows your lead
(although a cold day in hell it will surely be)
that's when the entire world shall live in harmony
11 Progress (02:14)
And progress
Is never intelligently planned
Its the facade of our heritage
The odor of our land
They speak of progress
In red, white and blue
It's the structure of the future
As demise comes seething through
It's progress
'Til there's nothing left to gain
As the dearth of new ideas
Makes us wallow in our shame
So before you go to contribute more
To the destruction of this world you adore
Remember life on earth is but a flash of dawn
We're all a part of it as the day rolls on
And progress
Is a message that we send
One step closer to the future
One inch closer to the end
I say progress
Is a synonym of time
We are all aware of it
But it's nothing we refine
And progress
Is a debt we all must pay
It's convenience we all cherish
It's pollution we disdain
And the cutting edge is dulling
Too many people to plow through
Just keep your fucking distance
and it can't include you
It's progress
'Til there's nothing left to gain
It's progress
It's a message that we send
And progress
Is a debt we all must pay
13 Anxiety (02:08)
It's a love song to the self, a story recapped every day
It's a world of bogus feelings and a world of slow decay
It's a world of laughter hidden by this world of fear and torment
It's a game of strange compulsion, our visceral convulsion
Anxiety for love of life, anxiety for pain
Anxiety a feeling that you know you can't contain
Anxiety destroys us but it drives the common man
Foundation of society, anxiety
Suppress it if you can
The caste of coffee-achievers didn't perform like they planned
The morning rush hour traffic is our play of false elan
So run around your frantic track and lay you down to sleep
Tomorrow's the redemption, we strive for that exception
Anxiety for love of life, anxiety for pain
Anxiety a fear that you have nothing more to gain
Anxiety destroys us but it drives the common man
Foundation of society, anxiety
Suppress it if you can
What are we angry for?
We all need a common cure
That common goal for which you strive
To have more than the other guy
The quest for truth, the quest for gold
We end up all the same
The common lie, the righteous cry
We end up all the same
The angry crowd, those lost and found
Everybody's all the same
The poet's pen, these words I lend
We all bend to
Anxiety for love of life, anxiety for pain
Anxiety a feeling that you know you can't contain
Anxiety destroys us but it drives the common man
Foundation of society, anxiety
Loading comments slowly
