Crucial Youth The Power of Positive Thinking...

Crucial Youth 'The Power of Positive Thinking (It might just change your life!)' (Released Emotion Records, 1989)

It's quite ironic that joke metal so sickens me, but 'The Power of Positive Thinking' remains one of my favourite hardcore records of all time. I'm sure there will be Bold fans two stepping on my grave for such heresy, but this record is pretty much unbeatable. Every single song has a massive sing along, a mosh part, a fast part and brilliant Youth Crew vocals that are part Ian MacKaye and part Matt Warnke (Crucial Youth are undoubtedly a tribute/parody of 'Crippled Youth') .

The interviews in between the radio session on side two are hilarious, especially regarding the lyric writing process to 'Mosh Mosh' and the four rules the band live their lives by; 'Be Straight, Don't be late, Bench your weight, Don't masturbate'. I can't help but laugh, sing along and mosh it up every time I hear this record.

Crucial Youth parodied the straight edge scene, particularly the 'Boy Scout', clean living, ultra positive movement that followed in the footsteps of Minor Threat. They were a pre cursor to the inferior and much less funny Good Clean Fun. By the time Good Clean Fun had decided to ridicule straight edge, it had, unfortunately, become a parody of itself with the growth of totalitarian hardline advocates of 'living clean'.

The accompanying comic is a masterpiece; like a whole issue of Viz dedicated entirely to straight edge. Well observed comic strips advise readers on 'Safe Mosh Do's and Don'ts with Safety Squirrel!' and the negative aspects of cursing, drinking, dropping out of high school and not rewinding video tapes!

The comic also contains the hilarious lyrics to classic after classic; 'I pity the fool who takes LSD, I pity the fool who takes PCP, I pity the fool who doesn't learn, I'll kick their heads in when they smoke herb' (Be Just Like Me and Mr. T), 'Stay away from me when you are drinking your coffee, Stay away from me when you are drinking your tea, Stay away from me, now don't you harm me, When you are under the influence of Caffeine' (Caffeine), 'You didn't learn, you didn't try, hair on your palms, Don't ask me why, cause I know you, And all of your kind, I tried to warn you, But now you have gone blind' (The Scarlet M) and so it goes on!

I can't believe I have Paul Angus, of all people, to thank for introducing me to Crucial Youth, but I congratulate him for ensuring that I've had a 'Positive Dental Outlook' since 1989.

Take out the Youth Brush and find a hippy to clean up.

Peace