In on the kill taker by Joe Gross

In on the kill taker by Fugazi is my favourite album. I bought it on cassette on the day of its' release. I can't even imagine the number of times I've listened to it in the quarter of a century since then.  Fugazi were a unique band and this is a great record.

Gross has written about it as part of the long running 33 1/3 series. This volume is thicker than many of the other entries in the series and takes material from new interviews with the band members.  We get insight into the genesis of many of the songs and lyrics and great detail about the recording process. I've heard the Steve Albini demo session but I was unaware of the existence of earlier studio recordings of both Instrument and Rend It.

Reading this book made me want to investigate the online Fugazi live series archive further. I have several shows from the archive but it would be interesting to follow the evolution of a few of these tracks.  The personalities and philosophy of the band members shine through as well. These guys tried to live their lives in an honest way and treat people fairly. There is an interesting anecdote about the difference in opinion on ticket pricing between MacKaye and Jeff Nelson which was one of the many factors that led to the demise of Minor Threat.

I was lucky enough to see Fugazi on this tour and two more times and also to see the Evens once. I'm lucky to have experienced so much amazing music in the last 4 decades, Fugazi were massive and a major success on their own terms.

If you are already a fan of the band this book is worth a read. If you haven't heard Fugazi this record is where to start.