- Released: 1982
- Origin: Hawthorne, California
- Label: Smoke 7/Frontier
- Best Track: White Trash
With the arrival of September, it’s dawned on me that we’ve only got a third of year left and, being about 15 albums behind schedule, I’m once again listening to quickfire punk that doesn’t take too long to listen to, absorb and review.
Born Innocent is the debut album from Redd Kross (technically, spelled more conventionally as ‘Red Cross’ at the time of its release). It clocks in at well under half an hour, even with one or two bonus tracks being added on the version I’m listening too.
It’s a solid early ’80s American punk record. Tracks are both angry and fun, evoking the simplicity and hedonism of The Ramones with their three-chord wonders. That’s not to say it’s throwaway though, with tracks like ‘White Trash’ pretty pertinent at a time when racist fuckwits were starting to infiltrate punk gigs.
‘Burn-Out’ is fast and grinding, ‘Self-Respect’ even more so at just 42 seconds. While not the most original hallmark of the genre and era, Born Innocent is certainly a rewarding escape.
