Stalag 13 – In Control – Vinyl Record

Description

Stalag 13 – In Control – Vinyl Record

Stalag 13’s In Control compresses the speed, discipline and restless intelligence of early Oxnard hardcore into a remarkably efficient program. The original album appeared in 1984, during the period when the city’s emerging scene was establishing the identity later known as Nardcore. Singer Ron Baird, guitarists Dave Casillas and Blake Cruz, bassist John Morris and drummer Larry White play with the velocity expected of the style, but the record is not a shapeless rush. Its short songs turn on precise changes, audible bass movement and a rhythm section capable of making every abrupt transition feel deliberate.

“Conditioned” and “No Excuse” establish that approach immediately. Baird’s vocal is forceful and plainly articulated, while the band keeps the music tight enough for each stop, acceleration and guitar accent to register. “Black Stix/Silver Badge” lasts barely more than a minute, and “Sometime” is shorter still, yet neither feels like a fragment. The musicians understand how to build a complete statement from a few concentrated ideas. That economy continues in “Clean Up Your Act,” one of the album’s defining performances, where the direct lyric and sharply controlled playing give the song more impact than a longer arrangement would provide.

The middle of the record shows why In Control stands apart from many period documents. “Black and Gray” and “What Are You Looking For?” are driven by John Morris’ active bass and Larry White’s quick, articulate drumming rather than by guitar blur alone. Casillas and Cruz use compact riffs and brief leads to add shape without slowing the record’s momentum. “The Choice Is Yours” and the title track connect personal agency to the band’s disciplined sound. The lyrics reflect the straight-edge current within early Southern California hardcore, but the playing keeps the message from turning into a lecture; the songs move too quickly and hit too cleanly to feel static.

Four additional tracks extend the program beyond the nine songs on the original vinyl. “Selfish,” “Violence in America” and “I Don’t Need It” are minute-long or shorter bursts that preserve the group’s economy, while “Make a Change” allows the ideas more room to develop. Together they bring the reissue to thirteen tracks and just over twenty minutes. Their inclusion is useful because Stalag 13’s initial run was brief, lasting from 1983 into 1984. The bonus material adds context without changing the record’s essential scale or interrupting the concentrated character that defines the original album.

This Dr. Strange and Puke N Vomit vinyl edition makes the expanded In Control sequence available as a single LP. The cover art by Jaime Hernandez also connects the release visually to Southern California punk culture, while the music captures an early Oxnard lineup playing at full strength. In Control is valuable as a scene document, but it does not require historical interest to work. The rhythmic precision, compressed songwriting and absence of wasted motion remain immediately convincing. It is a short record with a strong internal identity, joining speed and control in exactly the manner its title promises.

Brand new, never played and still sealed in the factory plastic

Track Listing

Conditioned
No Excuse
Black Stix/Silver Badge
Sometime
Clean Up Your Act
Black and Gray
What Are You Looking For?
The Choice Is Yours
In Control
Selfish
Violence in America
I Don't Need It
Make a Change