Boston Hardcore Legends SSD Reissue Their Debut Album

It's not every day I get to write about a seminal Boston hardcore act. The SSD reissue of The Kids Will Have Their Say has arrived.

For the uninitiated, SSD (short for Society System Decontrol) formed in Boston in 1981 with Al Barile on guitar, Jamie Sciarappa on bass, Chris Foley on drums, and Springa on vocals. They're Boston's seminal straight edge hardcore band, and their debut album The Kids Will Have Their Say is widely accepted as one of the most important Boston punk albums of that era.

The album was released in 1982 as a split venture between X-Claim Records and legendary D.C. punk label Dischord Records. There were only 1000 copies pressed and it was never re-pressed (there was a bootleg version circulated in the late '80s, but that doesn't count), so if you have an original, you have a collectors item. And if you don't it just got easier (and less pricey) to get your own.

Trust Records spearheaded the reissue, which is out as of November 17, 2023. If you hit the Trust Records website, you'll see that the different variants sold out during pre-order. So your best bet in picking up a copy is hitting your local record store. I'd be willing to bet Newbury Comics will have plenty of copies. And I have a list of a bunch of other local records stores here for you to peruse.

The band is celebrating the release, too. From their Instagram: "For decades, Thanksgiving Eve has been a “reunion” time for high school classmates. This year, it’s a reunion for punk and hardcore friends! Join all 4 members of SS Decontrol at Newbury Comics, 348 Newbury St., Boston, to celebrate the Trust Records reissue of SSD’s The Kids Will Have Their Say record!" Flyer below.

Recently, I asked you about your favorite debut albums from Boston bands. You spoke, so now we put it all to a vote.

This is the 12-Inch Poll, my weekly exercise where we argue about things like what's the best summer vacation spot in New England, or what's the best summer music festival. I keep my Polls up indefinitely, so feel free to tap away at those links and cast your votes whenever you feel the urge. It's more fun and productive than doomscrolling because you'll actually be thinking and remembering. Fun!

This week's Poll grew out of a little something I put together last week. It was an anniversary look-back at The Cars self-titled debut album. In the piece, I came to the realization that it might just be the second-best debut album ever released by a Boston band (next to Boston's debut album, of course). I then used that realization as a jumping-off point for a conversation with you.

Over on the ROCK 92.9 Facebook page, I asked: "What's the greatest debut album by a Boston band?" And a fair number of you weighed in. Enough at least to put together a decent field of beloved Boston rock releases from over the years. You can scroll through the full list here (once you've liked the page, of course). And feel free to add yours pick if you don't see it in the comments.

In the meantime, let's take a look at the albums that made the cut. I wanted a good cross-section not only of Boston rock eras but of styles, so you'll find a bit of everything here, from classic rock to hardcore to new wave to alternative rock. Scroll through, vote for your favorite, then pass it along to your Boston rock friends so they can do the same.