AS a troubled young man in the 80s, the RoS LP was a magical thing - I played and loved the shit out of that thing. I gave it a re listen about 10 years ago and it seemed a bit twee and overly anguished- and bagged down by the emo tags that got retrospectively stuck on it.

Gave it a run this morning on the way to work (it’s spring here in Australia!) and it is just a great record. Love the booming drums and the desperation… lots of small parts that just fall into line beautifully, and some songs that aren’t quite so aligned…

I link this album closely with two other great second wave Dischord albums - Faith - subject to change, and Gray Matter - take it back. They all mine similar territory and do it well.

What’s yr take?

It rules. The histrionics of it were a pretty radical move in its time and place. They recorded the LP fully live at Inner Ear with Don Zientara. They brought in a strobe light and made Don turn off all the lights. It was a whole thing.

That band has deserved their hype. I think Gray Matter deserves more love. Though, Geoff Turner readily admits Take It Back drew pretty heavily from RoS' well. They definitely came into their own later, but I love Take It Back.

If you haven’t already, check out Three. It's Turner with Jeff Nelson from Minor Threat.

I might have a huge soft spot for early emo/Revolution Summer bands as well as bands associated with Fugazi, so needless to say I love Rites of Spring. I love how their album opens with "Spring" which just one snare hit and straight to the action. I also really enjoy All Through a Life.

Definitely listened to that album a lot in high school but at this point would reach for the Happy Go Licky album instead. The lively sound of both bands certainly holds up better than a lot of the Marshall + chorus pedal stuff of that era.

FM Steve called them horrible during his co-interview with Ian MacKaye which is funny.

NC

Love the album, might actually like the One Last Wish record a smidge more.

tallchris wrote: Fri Mar 06, 2026 10:07 am Love the album, might actually like the One Last Wish record a smidge more.

yeah, I think One Last Wish might be a bit better. But both are tremendous.

penningtron wrote: Fri Mar 06, 2026 6:16 am Definitely listened to that album a lot in high school but at this point would reach for the Happy Go Licky album instead....

FM Steve called them horrible during his co-interview with Ian MacKaye which is funny.

A sort of reluctant not crap?

It's probably well known that I'm very much a No Trend/9353/Mission for Christ/United Mutation/Void sorta guy when it comes to '80s DC punk, and that the didactic rich-kid parochialism of a lot of that Dischord stuff rubbed me the wrong way. (Even though I dig and respect the ethics.) Never mind that the idea of really intense, earnest, sensitive, "emotional" hardcore is borderline nauseating to me.

That said, Rites of Spring are not awful, especially when taken as mere music sans all the cultural and "scene" baggage. Decent enough band that spawned a lot of poppier, watered-down terribleness (please don't ask me about Dag Nasty), but that's not their fault.

And yeah, the way weirder and looser Happy Go Licky, which is practically the same group, is actually downright interesting.

OrthodoxEaster wrote: Sun Mar 08, 2026 7:39 pm

penningtron wrote: Fri Mar 06, 2026 6:16 am Definitely listened to that album a lot in high school but at this point would reach for the Happy Go Licky album instead....

FM Steve called them horrible during his co-interview with Ian MacKaye which is funny.

A sort of reluctant not crap?

Oh NC from me. Steve could have some baffling wtf music opinions at times, and wasn’t afraid to blurt them out in front of the band’s biggest supporter/mutual friend. I get not being super into them but “terrible”?

And yeah: hearing this record at the peak of 90s navel gazing emo I was surprised to find that it was pretty much a hardcore album, albeit with lyrics about crying sometimes. The final ep struck me as tame college rock wheni heard it but maybe I should give it another chance.

Bands like Dag Nasty, Soulside, Embrace, etc have not aged well at all to my ear.

Happy birthday Brendan Canty (Fugazi, Messthetics, riot spray)

penningtron wrote:

OrthodoxEaster wrote: Sun Mar 08, 2026 7:39 pm

penningtron wrote: Fri Mar 06, 2026 6:16 am Definitely listened to that album a lot in high school but at this point would reach for the Happy Go Licky album instead....

FM Steve called them horrible during his co-interview with Ian MacKaye which is funny.

A sort of reluctant not crap?

Oh NC from me. Steve could have some baffling wtf music opinions at times, and wasn’t afraid to blurt them out in front of the band’s biggest supporter/mutual friend. I get not being super into them but “terrible”?

when was that interview.

steve always mentioned Rites of Spring as being one of the few good “emo hardcore bands” during our many discussions on the topic, listening to sunny day real estate in my basement. i mean. that reads like a joke, but it is true.