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Rating: "...and so came the day when Henry Rollins, tired of writing books, releasing almost useless records with his Rollins Band, and roaming stages across half of America, remembered the days of his youth, when he was part of a band called Black Flag..."
From the "Gospel according to Jello Biafra"
Yes, because in 2002, mulling over the "West Memphis Three" case, good old Henry must have thought to himself, "Hey, why not organize a benefit for those three Poor Souls? I'll play the songs of my old band (as if he had written them), the one that gave me 97% of my (deserved) fame, and I'll give a fresh coat of paint to the production of the old tracks, which has always been a bit dull...".
Happy with his great idea, he makes a couple of phone calls and gathers some of the biggest Rockstars of the last 20 years (40, counting Iggy the Iguana Pop) and, between one drink and another, records the 24 tracks that make up this tribute-benefit album. Once the guests are sent home, he sits in front of big machines "that-when-he-was-in-the-Black-Flag-he-dreamed-of" and mixes his creation in a young and Rock way.
Et Voilà, this is the spirit with which this album was composed: a meeting of old punk-Hc music glories (but not only...), to honor one of the most important bands music has ever had. Those who loved the sense of precariousness, anger and frustration in Black Flag can live happily without listening to this album; but those who are curious to hear the songs they loved madly, revisited in a more modern and mainstream key (heavens god what an awful term), will find something for them here. "Thirsty & Miserable" with Lemmy from Motorhead, "Six Pack" with Mike Patton, and "Rise Above" with Chuck D do nothing but reaffirm the concept "I cover Black Flag songs because it's an honor and it's fun to reinterpret pieces of punk music history, but let's face it: I'm not angry as hell because I'm fighting a war I can't win".
Seen in this not strictly punk light, the album is definitely enjoyable and fun, also thanks to the slew of "luxury aides" that populate it (Tom Araya, Iggy Pop, Corey Taylor, Kira Roessler, Ice T, Tim Armstrong, and many others). The only point you can make against Henry R. is having ruined in an absolutely unforgivable way "My War", simply the most beautiful song ever written by the Los Angeles group, with a pathos that's hard to reproduce.
Well, if I ever end up in prison, I too would like a Benefit like this.
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