Minor Threat Albums Ranked

Minor Threat was an American hardcore punk band, formed in 1980 in Washington, D.C. by vocalist Ian MacKaye and drummer Jeff Nelson. MacKaye and Nelson had played in several other bands together, and recruited bassist Brian Baker and guitarist Lyle Preslar to form Minor Threat. They added a fifth member, Steve Hansgen, in 1982, playing bass, while Baker switched to the second guitar. Along with the fellow Washington, D.C. hardcore band Bad Brains and California band Black Flag, Minor Threat set the standard for many hardcore punk bands in the 1980s and 1990s. All of Minor Threat’s recordings were released on MacKaye’s and Nelson’s own label, Dischord Records. The Minor Threat EP and their only full-length studio album Out of Step have received a number of accolades and are cited as landmarks of the hardcore punk genre. Here are all of the Minor Threat albums ranked.

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5. First Demo Tape (2003)

“The songs are almost just like you remember them, with two exceptions. Lyle’s guitar tone is amazingly better; it actually sounds like a guitar now and not a buzzsaw (not to slag the other versions). This is how a Les Paul Standard is supposed to sound. The other thing is Ian’s vocal performance. It seems that in the month between when MT recorded this and the sessions for the Minor Threat 7″, Ian practiced a lot and altered his style a bit.”

4. Minor Threat (EP) (1981)

“MINOR THREAT played with such ferocious abandon that many people (including early 80’s metalheads) wrote them off as pure trash. Their unbelievable speed, screamed-out vocal delivery and downright pummeling guitar sound paved the way for hundreds of Punk bands and helped influence the then fledgeling Thrash Metal movement, pioneered by Metallica and Slayer. Their “Complete Discography” sums up thier short, albeit, hugely influential career.”

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3. Minor Threat (1984)

“This album pulls out a big bag of expletives so I don’t recommend it for the faint of heart. Plus the faint of heart don’t have good taste in music anyway. Some of the highlights of this album are seminal Straight Edge which passes by in just forty-six seconds, the song Minor Threat which sums up their political ideals pretty quickly, In My Eyes (My personal favorite) is probably the angriest song on the album and his full of just pure energy.”

2. Out Of Step (1983)

“One of the best records of all time. Anyone who likes aggressive music of any type should have this in their catalog. Intense and straight forward straight edge hardcore with all the elements for hardcore punk fans. Absolutely classic album.”

1. Complete Discography (1989)

“Classic songs to look out for in this album “Stepping Stone”, “Salad Days”, “Good Guys”, and “Filler”. Oh yes…this is the real thing. If you are an old-timer like myself then this is a good collection piece. If you are a kid discovering why we have alternative music today, Minor Threat is a good way to learn history on why your mom and dad walked around with mohawks, chains, and leather jackets. It wasn’t about fashion and being cool back then…it was all about ATTITUDE and the social environment America was sinking in during those days.”