Reagan's In

Wasted Youth came out of the hardcore punk scene in Los Angeles in 1979 and were one of many bands that eventually crossed over into thrash metal in the later 1980s. While they unfortunately didn't get the recognition that their LA peers Suicidal Tendencies did, they still managed to leave us with with two EPs and one LP of great songs. Reagan's In is undoubtedly their most well known release.

The music on Reagan's In is generally fast paced and full of socially oriented lyrics, especially as is the case with Fuck Authority and Reagan's In. There a couple of slower sections such as the dirgey intro to Punk For A Day as well as Problem Child which features some very catchy bass playing. Youthful angst and adolescent issues are also recurring topics such as with the previously mentioned Problem Child and Uni-High Beefrag which appears to be about a popular girl masquerading as a punk. The socially aware lyricism and youthful energy fit the fast and frantic nature of this album and make it abundantly clear that this was music made by high school kids for high school kids.

The guitar and bass on Reagan's In both sound generally fast and distorted and the drumming is equally frantic. The general tone of the guitar and bass is very scratchy and muddy sounding as this was likely a very low budget recording but it's far from unlistenable. Don't expect Yngwie Malmsteen out of this, but don't expect Hellhammer either. The musicianship is rather basic as one would expect from a hardcore punk band but is by no means sloppy. While certainly youthful as the bands moniker would have you know this doesn't mean their playing ability is without merit. There are very few guitar solos to be found on Reagan's In and there aren't any complex drumming patterns or bass riffs but this does not detract at all from the quality of the music. Scranny Danny's vocals sound more spoken or yelled rather than sung which is very common in hardcore punk but it fits in with the overall feel of the music. His style is a of very mid-ranged speaking variety similar to Tony from The Adolescents and Darby Crash from The Germs. The sort of grainy production that was typical for hardcore records from the early 1980s is also well represented here. There is nothing polished about Reagan's In but isn't overly raw either and is still very listenable.

While probably not an essential like Black Flag's Damaged or the Circle Jerks' Group Sex I would still absolutely reccomend this to anyone interested in hardcore punk. If you are a fan of Angry Samoans, early Bad Religion or the first Suicidal Tendencies album then you will likely love Reagan's In.