Description
Firehose – Ragin’ Full One – Vinyl Record
fIREHOSE – a band born from the ashes of punk, infused with the freedom of jazz, and grounded in DIY ethics. Their debut album, Ragin’, Full-On, released in 1986 on SST Records, is a raw and electrifying introduction to a trio that refused to be pinned down by genre or expectation.
To understand Ragin’, Full-On, you have to go back to the tragic end of Minutemen, the beloved post-punk trio from San Pedro, California. After the sudden death of guitarist and vocalist D. Boon in a car accident in 1985, the band came to a halt. Devastated but determined to keep playing, bassist Mike Watt and drummer George Hurley were approached by a young, intense fan from Ohio named Ed Crawford (often referred to as “ed fROMOHIO”), who had heard they were done and wanted to start something new with them. Initially skeptical, Watt and Hurley gave it a shot, and thus, fIREHOSE was born.
Released just a year after Boon’s death, Ragin’, Full-On carries the emotional weight of that loss while pushing forward with a new, almost manic energy. The album is a fusion of punk’s urgency, funk’s fluidity, folk’s intimacy, and free jazz’s unpredictability. The trio didn’t just pick up where the Minutemen left off — they redefined what a power trio could be.
The album’s sound is fast, intricate, and spontaneous, driven by Mike Watt’s virtuosic, melodic basslines and Hurley’s dynamic drumming. Ed Crawford brings a fresh, youthful enthusiasm, with his jangly, energetic guitar work and a voice that’s part idealist, part shouter, part troubadour.
Key Tracks & Sounds
“Brave Captain” – The opener is an absolute mission statement: frenetic, melodic, and confident. It’s one of fIREHOSE’s most enduring tracks, powered by a catchy chorus and Watt’s signature basslines that weave in and out of the rhythm like a second lead instrument.
“Under the Influence of Meat Puppets” – A nod to another SST band, this track’s title alone tells you where fIREHOSE’s heads were at. It’s groovy, weird, and wonderfully off-kilter, mixing cowpunk looseness with jazzy progressions.
“Making the Freeway” – A more introspective moment, showcasing Watt’s ability to inject emotion and storytelling into even the briefest songs.
“Chemical Wire” and “The Candle and the Flame” – These lean more into the abstract, punk-poetry tradition of the Minutemen, with abrupt changes, minimalistic guitar textures, and strange lyrical images.
The entire album is marked by short songs — most under 2 minutes — that still feel complete. fIREHOSE had the Minutemen’s knack for saying a lot with a little, and that comes through loud and clear here.
Lyrically, the album swings between abstract, poetic imagery and direct emotional expressions. Watt and Crawford both contribute vocals and lyrics, often leaning into themes of freedom, confusion, resilience, and identity. There’s a strong sense of movement throughout the record — sonic, physical, and existential.
Where Minutemen’s lyrics often had a political edge, fIREHOSE felt more inward-looking and open-ended. The writing on Ragin’, Full-On is less confrontational and more reflective, still socially aware but filtered through personal lenses.
Ragin’, Full-On was crucial in keeping the DIY punk spirit alive in the mid-to-late ’80s. It proved that experimentation and emotional sincerity could coexist within the punk framework — or break out of it entirely.
The album also marked the beginning of a new chapter for Watt and Hurley. fIREHOSE would go on to release several more albums, each expanding on the hybrid style introduced here. But Ragin’, Full-On remains a fan favorite and an essential document of grief turned into momentum, of punk growing up without losing its edge.
If you’re new to fIREHOSE, Ragin’, Full-On is the perfect entry point — a raw, emotional, virtuosic blast of creativity. It’s a deeply human record, pulsing with the drive to keep going, to keep creating, and to find joy in the noise. It’s an album of rebirth, and it still rages on with relevance nearly four decades later.
Brand new, never played and still in the factory plastic sealed
Track Listing
Brave Captain
Under The Influence Of Meat Puppets
It Matters
Chemical Wire
Another Theory Shot To Shit
On Your Knees
Locked In
The Candle And The Flame
Choose Any Memory
Perfect Pairs
This…
Caroms
Relatin’ Dudes To Jazz
Things Could Turn Around
