Bad Religion No Control

1989's No Control (remastered in 2004) is the zenith showcase for the watertight twin guitars of Brett Gurewitz (lead) and Greg Hetson, the yearning, melodic vocals of Greg Graffin, and the cynical lyrical exhortations they became known for. ("Don't be a henchman — stand on your laurels! Do what no one else does and praise the good of other men.") The group's members have ebbed and flowed over the years, but this line-up (with Jay Bentley on bass and Pete Finestone on drums) was the epitome of a tight, focused, and impassioned Bad Religion. The songs on No Control burrowed just a bit deeper to bite where it hurt, to hook listeners with classics-in-the-making like "Big Bang" and "Automatic Man" (one still marvels over the breakneck speed of those guitars) while at the same time getting them to sit through Social Crit 101 and at least fleetingly ponder the evils of greed and power. A large order, to be sure, but mixing the message with hammering rhythms and impossibly infectious vocals wrapped around soaring, stinging guitars delivered like mini-bombs in two-minute blasts proved to be a consistently winning formula.