The Process of Weeding Out is the fifth EP by American band Black Flag.[4] One of the most potent realizations of guitarist Greg Ginn's fascination with the avant-garde, The Process of Weeding Out is described by critic Chris True of AllMusic as "an interesting document of Greg Ginn's development from high-speed guitar 'sculptor' to one of the few punk artists to embrace 12-tone experimental music."[1] Because of the jazz influences by Ginn, all of the tracks are instrumental.
| The Process of Weeding Out | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| EP by | ||||
| Released | September 1985 | |||
| Recorded | March 1985 | |||
| Genre | Hardcore punk, free jazz, instrumental rock, punk jazz | |||
| Length | 26:28 | |||
| Label | SST (037) | |||
| Producer | Greg Ginn, Bill Stevenson, David Tarling | |||
| Black Flag chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [1] |
| All About Jazz | Positive[2] |
| Punknews | [3] |
The back cover has a quote from Ginn, reading, in part:
"...even though this record may communicate certain feelings, emotions, and ideas to some, I have faith that cop-types with their strictly linear minds and stick-to-the-rules mentality don't have the ability to decipher the intuitive contents of this record."
Reception
editRobert Palmer of The New York Times described the album as "what jazz-rock could have become if the best of the musicians who first crossbred jazz improvising with rock's sonic fire power had followed their most creative impulses."[4]
Byron Coley at Spin said, "An all-instrumental album, it’s the last to feature the drums of Bill Stevenson (who offers an uncharacteristically jazzy touch at times), and with its release, Greg Ginn heralds the fourth stage of his ascension to heaven via strings. A hypnotically churning stew pot of murk, riff, and raff."[5]
Track listing
editAll songs by Greg Ginn, except where noted.
Side one
- "Your Last Affront" – 9:39
- "Screw the Law" – 2:24
Side two
- "The Process of Weeding Out" – 9:58
- "Southern Rise" (Ginn/Kira Roessler/Bill Stevenson) – 5:00
Personnel
edit- Greg Ginn – guitar
- Kira Roessler – bass guitar
- Bill Stevenson – drums
- Raymond Pettibon – cover art
References
edit- ^ a b True, Chris. "Allmusic review". Allmusic. Retrieved September 10, 2012.
- ^ Jazz, All About. "Black Flag: Black Flag: Family Man & The Process of Weeding Out". All About Jazz.
- ^ Gentile, John (February 13, 2017). "Black Flag - The Process of Weeding Out [EP]". Punknews.org. Retrieved June 8, 2019.
- ^ a b Palmer, Robert (February 23, 1986). "Black Flag Adds A Soupcon of Sophistication to Punk Rock". The New York Times. Retrieved June 8, 2019.
- ^ Byron Coley (March 1986). "Spins". Spin. No. 11. p. 31.