Boston hardcore legends SSD are continuing their reissue campaign, with plans to press 1983's iconically aggro Get It Away EP on vinyl this summer for the first time in over 40 years. The remastered release from the "original straight edge band" arrives through archival punk imprint Trust Records on July 19th.
The five-song EP, which followed 1982's The Kids Will Have Their Say (re-released by Trust in 2023), marked a turning point for the group, with lead guitarist Francois Levesque added to the existing lineup of guitarist Al Barile, vocalist David "Springa" Spring, bassist Jaime Sciarappa and drummer Chris Foley.
The record notably begins with "Glue," a nastily stomp-forward classic that has gone on to be covered by generations of hardcore and punk kids, including Civ, Superchunk, Gel, and probably a billion other bands at your local VFW hall.
"When we were kids doing this stuff, I don't remember thinking about future relevance," drummer Foley said in a statement. "I've got to admit it's pretty cool nowadays to hear how much the album meant to them and many have it in their top five hardcore albums of all-time, which is a nice compliment."
Get It Away was recorded at Boston's Downtown Studios in with Mike Bastarche and Lou Giordano (Goo Goo Dolls, Hüsker Dü), and mixed furiously straight-edged hardcore songs ("Forced Down Your Throat," "Under the Influence," "Xclaim") with a closing cover of Buzzcocks' "No Reply."
Marking the first official pressing since Barile put it out on his own Xclaim imprint in 1983, the Trust Records reissue was remastered by Dan Johnson at Audio Archiving Studios, and features deluxe packaging.
The label likewise premiered a documentary on titled Get It Away: The Story of SSD at a Trust Records event in Los Angeles last night (June th), and the short film features interviews with band members and friends discussing hardcore shows, straight edge, clashing with Boston "townies" in the early eighties, d.i.y. ethics, and more.
The first part of the doc is streaming now, and you can check it out below.
