MINOR THREAT: Out Of Step Vinyl LP

Nine songs that defined what hardcore punk could be as a compositional form.

Out of Step (1983) is Minor Threat's third and final EP -- nine tracks recorded at Inner Ear Studios in January 1983, three days after the band returned from a US tour. Ian MacKaye, Lyle Preslar, Brian Baker, and Jeff Nelson were by now a five-piece with Steve Hansgen on bass, and the material is markedly more complex than the early 7-inches. Betray, Think Again, Look Back and Laugh, and the title track expanded what D.C. hardcore could do structurally while losing none of the speed. The EP sparked significant scene debate over the lyrics to Out of Step -- MacKaye's clarification, and the ongoing argument around it, is a document of D.C. hardcore's self-examination in real time.