Embrace (American band Embrace album)

Embrace
Studio album by Embrace
Released	September 1987
Recorded	November 1985 – February 1986
Studio	Inner Ear
Genre	Post-hardcore emotional hardcore[1][2][3]
Length	33:18
Language	English
Label	Dischord
Producer	Embrace Ian MacKaye Edward Janney
Alternate cover art
1992 CD reissue cover.

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[4]
LAS Magazine	Favorable[5]

Embrace is the debut record and the only release by the American post-hardcore^[4] band Embrace.^[3]

The album, released by Dischord Records,^[6] consists of songs composed and performed in the context of Washington, D.C.'s 1985 Revolution Summer by one of its mainstay acts.^[7] Although recorded between November 1985 and February 1986, the album would not be released until 1987, after the demise of that social movement and the dissolution of the band.^[2][3][8]

Production and release[]

Embrace was compiled from the only two studio sessions the band recorded.^[4] The first eleven tracks were laid down in November 1985,^[9][10] while the other three were done in February 1986.^[9][10][11] All of the songs were recorded by the same lineup at Inner Ear Studios in Arlington, Virginia,^[10] with Don Zientara as audio engineer.^[4]

The album was released in September 1987 on Dischord Records,^[3][10] in LP format.^{[nb 1][12]}

Critical reception[]

Though not "as gripping or inventive" as that of Fugazi's, the music in the record, "as a vehicle for [Ian MacKaye's] righteous, cutting lyrics and strong voice", is "more than fine", according to reviewer Ned Raggett, who has described it as having production values that switched around from the "usual domination via guitar" with an emphasis on Ivor Hanson's drums, while comparing the work of guitarist Michael Hampton to John McGeoch's early work with post-punk bands Magazine and Siouxsie and the Banshees.^[4]

Trouser Press, for its part, was of the view that:

"If not equal to Minor Threat's one-of-a-kind sonic excellence, Embrace['s instrumentals] are strong and muscular, an effective backdrop for MacKaye ... The confrontational lyricist [that delivers] an impressive [vocal] performance ... transforming an okay mid-tempo punk LP into a great one."^[13]

For Mark Jenkins, co-author with Mark Andersen of the book Dance of Days: Two Decades of Punk in the Nation's Capital:^{[nb 2]}

"Embrace featured some of Ian MacKaye's most vivid and direct (and frequently angry) sermons against greed, delusion and self-destruction, backed by tight, tuneful and slightly psychedelic punk."^[14]

Jenkins also pointed out that:

"Not all the lyrics are MacKaye's ... bassist Chris Bald, who named the band, had a major role in shaping its sensibility."^[14]

Reissues[]

In 1992, Embrace was reissued on CD^{[nb 3]} and Compact Cassette,^{[nb 4][12]} featuring alternate cover art.

In 2002, the original album was remastered by Chad Clark at Silver Sonya Recording and Mastering in Arlington, Virginia, for its re-release on CD, featuring, as bonus tracks, previously unreleased alternate versions of "Money"^{[nb 5]} and "Dance of Days" taken from band's second recording session.^[10][12][16] This edition was reissued in 2008 on red vinyl, although without the additional cuts.^{[nb 6]}

Also in 2002, the song "Money" was featured on the 3-CD compilation box set 20 Years of Dischord.^{[nb 7][17][18]}

In 2009, the album was remastered again, this time at Chicago Mastering Service in Chicago, Illinois, for a reissue in its original vinyl disc format and cover art.^{[nb 8][10]}

Track listings[]

1987 LP release[]

All tracks are written by Embrace^[9].

Side A

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Give Me Back"	2:32
2.	"Dance of Days"	2:16
3.	"Building"	1:58
4.	"Past"	1:53
5.	"Spoke"	2:00
6.	"Do Not Consider Yourself Free"	2:23
7.	"No More Pain"	3:11

Side B

No.	Title	Length
1.	"I Wish I"	2:11
2.	"Said Gun"	2:11
3.	"Can't Forgive"	2:31
4.	"Money"	2:37
5.	"If I Never Thought About It"	2:32
6.	"End of a Year"	2:36
7.	"Last Song"	2:27
Total length:		33:18

2002 remastered CD reissue[]

All tracks are written by Embrace.

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Give Me Back"	2:32
2.	"Dance of Days"	2:16
3.	"Building"	1:58
4.	"Past"	1:53
5.	"Spoke"	2:00
6.	"Do Not Consider Yourself Free"	2:23
7.	"No More Pain"	3:11
8.	"I Wish I"	2:11
9.	"Said Gun"	2:11
10.	"Can't Forgive"	2:31
11.	"Money"	2:37
12.	"If I Never Thought About It"	2:32
13.	"End of a Year"	2:36
14.	"Last Song"	2:27

Bonus tracks^[12][16]

No.	Title	Length
15.	"Money" (alternate version)	2:48
16.	"Dance of Days" (alternate version)	2:41
Total length:		38:47

Personnel[]

See also[]

• Revolution Summer

Notes[]

References[]

Further reading[]

Magazines

• Sprouse, Martin (November 1987). Embrace. Maximumrocknroll (54).
• Beaujon, Andrew (November 1999). "Emossentials - 03 Embrace". Spin 15 (11): 148.

External links[]

• Embrace. Dischord Records.

Articles

• Smith, Chris (August 12, 2002). "Caught at a Distance - Embrace, Rites of Spring, and One Last Wish". Stylus Magazine.

Reviews

• Raggett, Ned. "Embrace: AllMusic Review by Ned Raggett". AllMusic.
• Leland, John; Rabid, Jack; Fasolino, Greg. "Minor Threat". Trouser Press.
• Sabo (July 31, 2003). "Embrace – s/t (Dischord, 1986)"^{[permanent dead link]}. Blogcritics.
• Jenkins, Mark (April 22, 2011). "Wondering Sound - Reviews: Embrace, Embrace". Wondering Sound.
• Norton, Justin M. (October 17, 2012). "13 Essential DC Hardcore Albums: Embrace - Embrace (Dischord, 1987)". Stereogum.
• Hamish (January 17, 2003). "Embrace: Embrace (1987)". Punknews.
• Prindle, Mark. "Embrace: The Good Will Out My Eye!". Mark's Record Reviews.
• Chedsey, John (March 2000). "Embrace: Embrace". Satan Stole My Teddybear. Archived from the original on February 2, 2016.
• Vaughn, Andy (October 1, 2004). "Embrace - Embrace (Digitally Remastered) - Dischord Records". LAS Magazine.

Videos

• Zararity (December 29, 2014). Embrace - Live at the 9:30 Club, Washington, D.C. 1986 (Complete and remastered) (Embrace's final show). YouTube.