Black Flag - Everything Went Black

Released as both a clearing house and as a stopgap release in 1982, Everything Went Black would end up informing both Black Flag’s past and future. Originally released without the name “Black Flag” on the cover, and only the band members' names, the compilation was SST records attempt to fly under the radar and generate some income during the perilous Unicorn/Black Flag lawsuit. It didn’t work. The band was nabbed in the act and a few members and associates actually wound up doing some time for violating the court order preventing the band from releasing material.

Against all odds, Black Flag continued and grew despite the change in lead singers. How many bands can claim this title with a single lead singer change- never the less three change overs? Yet, despite the repeated recording of these same songs, Black Flag never really had a definitve singer. Greg Ginn would later on go to claim that this proved that he was the band, and not the singers or anyone else, for that matter. Yet, Everything Went Black demonstrates that Black Flag did not have a definitive singer due to lack of talent- rather, the band had four iconic singers due to a baffling amount of good luck (and perhaps planning). Most bands struggle for one “good” singer. Black Flag had four of the greatest singers ever. How delicious is it that this very thing is proved by a release that, in its credits, foolishly goes out of its way to try diminish those very singers?