Red Cross

Album review

In 1977, the Dead Boys declared themselves Young Loud and Snotty, but three years later, Redd Kross had them beat on all counts -- they were younger, at least as loud, and their snottiness took a back seat to no one. In 1980, bassist Steve McDonald was all of 12 years old, and his brother Jeff was the soul of maturity at 16; being snotty is every kids' prerogative, and the band then known as Red Cross (prior to a threat of legal action from the International Red Cross) were more than happy to make productive use of it. Decades after Posh Boy first released Redd Kross' self-titled debut EP, the record sounds like a decent set of SoCal punk rock and a prankish parody of the genre at the same time, which was a more than fitting starting place for a career of skillfully balancing rock and playful wit. "Cover Band" and "Standing in front of a Poseur" show the McDonald brothers already had their pop culture world view in place, "S&M Party" sounds remarkably well informed considering the youth of the songwriters, "Annette's Got The Hits" and "Clorox Girls" are amusing observations of West Coast youth culture, and "I Hate My School" is sung with the sincerity of someone who still had to do homework. If Jeff and Steve still sound as if they were learning by doing, Greg Hetson's guitar and Ron Reyes' drumming are just solid enough to hold things together and just loose enough to not show up their bandmates. Running just under six-and-a-half minutes, Red Cross is quite literally this group's juvenilia; viewed in context, it's good fun and thanks to its playfulness has aged better than the average hardcore single released the same year. [In 2020, to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the EP's release, Redd Kross and Merge Records brought out an expanded reissue of Red Cross, boosting its running time from six-and-a-half minutes to 11-and-three-quarters. The unreleased bonus tracks are fine, though they only add so much to the listening experience beyond the pleasing snark of "Rich Brat" and a live take of "I Hate My School" that's tailor-made for anyone who didn't enjoy Spirit Week. This EP is a bit short of essential, and the deluxe edition doesn't change that. However, if you're a completist or a Redd Kross fan who somehow never heard this, a couple of spins are well worth your time.]
© Mark Deming /TiVo