Quickness

Quickness was a crossover release that contained elements of several genres, including funk, hip hop, heavy metal, punk, and reggae, which made a notable return after being absent from its predecessor I Against I (1986). It has also been described as one of the first groove metal albums, being released a year before Prong's Beg to Differ and Pantera's Cowboys from Hell.

{{Album ratings

|rev1 = AllMusic

|rev1score = {{Rating|3|5}}{{cite web |last=Anderson |first=Rick |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/quickness-mw0000205406 |title=Quickness - Bad Brain |work=AllMusic |access-date=September 17, 2013 |archive-date=August 21, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130821013059/http://www.allmusic.com/album/quickness-mw0000205406 |url-status=live }}

|rev2 = Christgau's Record Guide

|rev2score = C+{{cite book|last=Christgau|first=Robert|author-link=Robert Christgau|chapter-url=https://www.robertchristgau.com/get_chap.php?k=B&bk=80|chapter=B|access-date=August 16, 2020|title=Christgau's Record Guide: The '80s|publisher=Pantheon Books|year=1990|isbn=0-679-73015-X|via=robertchristgau.com|archive-date=July 10, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200710220824/https://www.robertchristgau.com/get_chap.php?k=B&bk=80|url-status=live}}

}}

Dave E. Henderson of Music Week considered that with this album the band "should finally achieve greater notoriety". But on the other hand it is losing its identity while presenting "frenetic punk-metal with all the growling cliches from years gone by" instead of previous mix of reggae and punk.{{cite magazine|last=Henderson|first=Dave E.|authorlink=|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/1989/MW-1989-10-07.pdf|title=Review: Bad Brains – Quickness|magazine=Music Week|date=7 October 1989|access-date=24 January 2022|page=32|location=London|publisher=Spotlight Publications Ltd.|via=World Radio History|issn=0265-1548|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211102044816/https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/1989/MW-1989-10-07.pdf|archive-date=2 November 2021}}

Quickness generated controversy over the album's lyrics, some of which claim were homophobic. One of the songs, "Don't Blow Bubbles", had lyrics that were criticized as being homophobic and suggesting that AIDS was God's punishment for homosexuality. When asked about the song, guitarist Dr. Know said that "We wrote that song as kind of an angry warning to homosexuals. We didn't really mean to insult them, but a lot of people we knew seemed to be living with their eyes closed."{{cite web |url=http://everything2.com/index.pl?node_id=1523682 |title=Don't Blow Bubbles |work=Everything2 |date=March 4, 2004 |access-date=September 17, 2013 |archive-date=November 3, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121103222841/http://everything2.com/index.pl?node_id=1523682 |url-status=live }} In a 2007 interview where bassist Darryl Jenifer called their previous views "ignorant", he was asked about the song and the furor over the lyrics and replied "They don't understand that we've grown. Just like anyone, I'm not ashamed to say, 'Maybe I could have been…' Damn right, I was a homophobe! I shouldn't have to explain that to the world because everyone will do that. That's wisdom. You have to grow to be wise."{{cite web |url=http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/interviews/interviews/darryl_jenifer_of_bad_brains_i_want_to_be_the_soldier_of_my_music.html |title=Darryl Jenifer Of Bad Brains: 'I Want To Be The Soldier Of My Music' | Interviews |work=Ultimate-Guitar.com |date=July 12, 2007 |access-date=September 17, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090622083840/http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/interviews/interviews/darryl_jenifer_of_bad_brains_i_want_to_be_the_soldier_of_my_music.html |archive-date=June 22, 2009 |df=mdy-all }} On the 2022 reissue of the album, an instrumental version of "Don't Blow Bubbles" was included in place of the original version, with the song's title changed to "Instrumental".{{cite web |url=https://badbrainsrecords.com/collections/bad-brains/products/babrquicbl-lp |title=Quickness |access-date=April 22, 2022 |archive-date=May 27, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220527225854/https://badbrainsrecords.com/collections/bad-brains/products/babrquicbl-lp |url-status=live }}

1. "Soul Craft" (Miller, Jenifer, Hudson)
2. "Voyage Into Infinity" (Miller, Jenifer, Hudson)
3. "The Messengers" (Miller, Hudson, Hahn)
4. "With the Quickness" (Miller, Jenifer, Hudson)
5. "Gene Machine/Don't Bother Me" (Miller, Jenifer, Hudson)
6. "Don't Blow Bubbles" (Miller, Jenifer, Hudson)
7. "Sheba" (Miller, Hudson)
8. "Yout' Juice" (Miller, Jenifer, Hudson)
9. "No Conditions" (Miller, Jenifer, Hudson)
10. "Silent Tears" (Jenifer, Hudson)
11. "The Prophet's Eye" (Miller, Jenifer, Hudson)
12. "Endtro" (Miller, Jenifer)

;Bad Brains

• H.R. – vocals
• Dr. Know – guitar
• Darryl Jenifer – bass
• Earl Hudson – drums (credited, but does not appear on album)

;Additional musicians

• Mackie Jayson – session drummer

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Category:Bad Brains albums

Category:1989 albums

Category:Caroline Records albums

Category:Albums produced by Ron Saint Germain