Black Flag - Louie Louie (CD)

All Music Guide

Of the more than 1500 commitments of Richard Berry's "Louie, Louie" to wax, including interpretations by Motörhead, Thee Headcoats, the Kinks, Toots and the Maytals, Joan Jett, Iggy Pop, and the original American frat/garage band, the Wailers (whose version was famously misinterpreted by the group who launched it into contentious rock roll immortality, the Kingsmen), Black Flag's volatile take on the song is incomparable. No strangers to controversy themselves, the band pummels the song with their trademark pre-Rollins-era guitar sludge, while singer Dez Cadena spits out his nihilistic rewording of the most misunderstood lyrics in rock history. He grunts, "You know the pain/that's in my heart/It just shows/I'm not very smart/Who needs love/When you've got a gun/Who needs love/To have any fun." Also on this single is the early, four-plus-minute version of "Damaged I," which eventually appeared in truncated form on the L.A. punk legend's landmark debut, Damaged. - Bryan Carroll, All Mus...ic Guide Read more Less