''Bad Religion'' (also referred to as ''The Bad Religion EP'') is the first official recording by the

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

punk rock Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...

band

Bad Religion Bad Religion is an American punk rock band, formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1980. The band's lyrics cover topics related to religion, politics, society, the media and science. Musically, they are noted for their melodic sensibilities and ...

. It was released in February 1981 by guitarist

Brett Gurewitz Brett W. Gurewitz (born May 12, 1962), nicknamed Mr. Brett, is an American musician and record producer, best known as the co-founder and guitarist of the Punk rock, punk band Bad Religion. He is also the owner of the music label Epitaph Records ...

's record label Epitaph Records, with the catalog number EPI 001.

Recording

The recording sessions for the EP took place in October 1980 at a demo studio called Studio 9, located above an office and drugstore in

Sunset Boulevard Sunset Boulevard is a boulevard in the central and western part of Los Angeles, California, United States, that stretches from the Pacific Coast Highway (California), Pacific Coast Highway in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles, Pacific Palisad ...

and Western Avenue. The EP was mastered by Stan Ross at

Gold Star Studios Gold Star Studios was an independent recording studio located in Hollywood, Los Angeles, Hollywood, California. In its entire history, Gold Star was one of the most successful commercial recording studios in the world. Founded by David S. Gold ...

in Hollywood. At the time of the EP's release, vocalist Greg Graffin and bassist

Jay Bentley Jayson Dee Bentley (born June 6, 1964) is the bassist and co-founding member of the punk rock group Bad Religion. He has played with the band through its whole existence with a small break between 1983 and 1985. Along with vocalist Greg Graffin, ...

were both 16 years old, while Gurewitz and drummer Jay Ziskrout were both 18. The EP was financed by a loan from Gurewitz's father, Richard Gurewitz, who is listed as co-producer under the moniker 'Big Dick'. The song "Drastic Actions" is influenced by the Germs' track "Shut Down (Annihilation Man)".

Reissues

The ''Bad Religion'' EP has been reissued a number of times, mostly on vinyl. It was initially released on 7-inch vinyl, and reissued in 1984 as a 12-inch with a different sound mix. In West Germany, a 7" bootleg limited edition of the EP was released in 1989, packaged with then-current album '' No Control''. The EP was also pressed on compact cassettes, but those editions are rare. While the ''Bad Religion'' EP has never been released as a standalone CD, it was included on the 1991 compilation album '' 80–85'', and on the 2004 CD reissue of the group's 1982 debut studio album, ''

How Could Hell Be Any Worse? ''How Could Hell Be Any Worse?'' is the debut studio album by American punk rock band Bad Religion, released on January 19, 1982, by Epitaph Records. Released almost a year after their self-titled EP, it was financed from the sales of the self t ...

'', which featured the same track listing as ''80–85''. The EP was reissued on April 18, 2009, in conjunction with

Record Store Day Record Store Day is a semi-annual event established in 2008 to "celebrate the culture of the independently owned record store". Held on one Saturday (typically the third) every April and every Black Friday in November, the day brings together f ...

, in a limited edition of 1,000.

Reception

At the time of the original release, the ''Bad Religion'' EP received positive reviews from various

fanzines A fanzine (blend word, blend of ''fan (person), fan'' and ''magazine'' or ''zine'') is a non-professional and non-official publication produced by enthusiasts of a particular cultural phenomenon (such as a literary or musical genre) for the pleas ...

. Brenda Jamrus of the punk rock magazine ''Ripper'' called the EP "a real powerful six song EP from Bad Religion". She added that "when so many bands are moving away from political overtones, these four guys are keeping politics alive" and described the songs as "fast and solid". Dave Stimson reviewed the EP for the 16th issue of '' Touch and Go''. In it, he said, "Unlike many LA based bands where all it takes is one listen and you're already dripping slobber on the floor, Bad Religion takes some time before winning over their legion of fans, which must be many cuz 'sic''">sic.html" ;"title="'sic">'sic''this is a great record. When you first hear it, you say same old LA-styled punk, good, but nothing to get excited about. Now that's where you're wrong. This is perhaps the best debut record since '' Nervous Breakdown A mental disorder, also referred to as a mental illness, a mental health condition, or a psychiatric disability, is a behavioral or mental pattern that causes significant distress or impairment of personal functioning. A mental disorder is ...

Recording

Reissues

Reception

Track listing

Personnel

References