Bad Religion - Suffer (1988) [ORG] RESTORED

Along with such releases as NO CONTROL and AGAINST THE GRAIN, Bad Religion's 1988 release, SUFFER, is one of their finest. The band (which saw the original line-up reunite for the album's release) was improving and becoming more and more focused with each successive release, and SUFFER showed the band as one of the world's top thought-provoking punk outfits. Although many similar-sounding bands have taken Bad Religion's patented sound further chartwise, few have been able to truly top such Bad Religion classics as "You Are (the Government)", the title track ,"Do What You Want", and "What Can You Do?".

Suffer was always one of the band's strongest albums, marking the reunion of its original lineup, tighter playing, and the blazing erudition of cuts like "Land of Competition", "You Are (The Government)", and "What Can You Do?". The album also rings true aesthetically, especially in light of the factional muddle the punk and hardcore scenes find themselves in today. Suffer drives forward at a consistent, breakneck speed, the band's no-frills chording supporting Greg Graffin's still vital cautionary wordsmithing; it's not flashy, nor is it slick, but it gets the job done.

~ Johnny Loftus, all media guide

Although Suffer was not charted in Billboard, it is considered by many to be one of the best punk albums of the 1980s, as well as its follow-up No Control. After its release, Suffer quickly became Epitaph Records best seller and was the label's best-selling third album for a number of years, until the release of The Offspring's 1994 highly acclaimed album Smash. A plethora of third-wave punk bands cite this album as a major inspiration; NOFX's Fat Mike has called it "the record that changed everything".

Tracklist:

01. You Are (The Government)
02. 1000 More Fools
03. How Much Is Enough?
04. When?
05. Give You Nothing
06. Land Of Competition
07. Forbidden Beat
08. Best For You
09. Suffer
10. Delirium Of Disorder
11. Part II (The Numbers Game)
12. What Can You Do?
13. Do What You Want
14. Part IV (The Index Fossil)
15. Pessimistic Lines

all songs written by Graffin / Gurewitz


Produced and Arranged by Bad Religion
Engineered by The Legendary Starbolt and Donnell Cameron
Recorded at Westbeach Recorders, Hollywood, CA, in April 1988.

• Greg Graffin – lead & backing voices
• Mr. Brett – lead & rhythm guitar, backing vocals
• Greg Hetson – lead & rhythm guitar
• Jay Bentley – bass guitar, backing vocals
• Pete Finestone – drums

Original Release Date: September 8, 1988
CD Release Date: September 28, 1992
Format: Original Recording Reissued
Label: Epitaph Records
Catalog No.: E-86404-2