Even Black Flag had grown out their hair and incorporated extended guitar solos into their sets, like a metallized Grateful Dead. While nominally considered “hardcore,” the SST bands were about more than just screaming and noise. The Minutemen’s Double Nickels on the Dime (1984) and Hüsker Dü’s Zen Arcade (1984) were both sprawling double-albums packed with sharp songs and impressive musicianship while the Meat Puppets had quickly evolved from the primitive sludge of their debut EP to the melodic, vaguely folky Up on the Sun (1985).
For a time, the SST brand was the imprimatur of quality: from their distinctive graphic design to the sound of the music, you could be assured that any record on the label was at least good-and many of them were undeniable masterpieces.
Originally formed as an outlet for the owners’ own band, the legendary Black Flag, by 1985 SST was putting out groundbreaking albums by the likes of the Minutemen, Hüsker Dü, Meat Puppets and Saccharine Trust and through their in-house agency, Global Booking, had built up a vast network of connections around the country which allowed these bands to tour extensively. In the mid-‘80s, SST was the preeminent independent record label, with an impressive roster of bands who arose out of the hardcore punk subculture to define a uniquely American form of guitar-based rock music.
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