Wasted…Again isn’t a proper studio album, it’s a compilation released on SST Records in 1987, after Black Flag had already broken up. The idea is straightforward: gather scattered tracks from across the band’s different eras around a loose theme centered on drinking and getting wasted. That means multiple singers, multiple lineups, multiple sonic approaches colliding, resulting in a record that feels inherently patchwork rather than a unified statement.
Sound and production
Because the material spans different sessions and periods, the sound here swings between the raw, dry aggression of the early years and heavier, more sludge-influenced textures from later stages of the band. This lack of sonic consistency isn’t necessarily a flaw, it actually mirrors Black Flag’s restless, ever-shifting trajectory, capable of jumping from blunt hardcore attack to slower, crawling structures within minutes. But for anyone discovering the band through this release, cohesion is definitely not the selling point.
Highlights
The drinking theme running through the tracklist gives the whole thing an almost jokey tone, which contrasts sharply with the tense, furious image usually attached to the band. The riffs remain sharply angular, the rhythms jagged, but overall it plays more like a compilation for getting drunk with friends than a hardcore manifesto. Some songs stand out through sheer efficiency, others feel more like thematic filler than genuine artistic choices. That’s the core issue with this kind of release: the selection logic takes precedence over musical flow, leaving listeners bouncing between genuine highlights and more forgettable moments.
You can also sense SST’s intent to keep milking the catalogue after the band’s demise, which isn’t scandalous by itself but gives the record a strange in between status, part tribute, part cash grab. Still, even repackaged this way, Black Flag retains a punch that outclasses most of its hardcore peers. This is clearly not the place to start with the band’s discography, but for longtime fans it offers an amusing, occasionally insightful re-reading of a chaotic career.
Verdict
Wasted…Again is a curious artifact, neither essential nor entirely pointless. It works as a fun footnote within Black Flag’s discography, aimed more at converted fans than newcomers. You can appreciate the boldness of the thematic concept while still regretting the inevitable lack of unity it produces.
