Black Flag is one of the most seminal punk bands of all time. Guitarist Greg Ginn writes songs with such power that it takes a special type of singer to match his energy, and on this album, the whole band stepped up. Black Flag began recording “Jealous Again“ in 1979 with the intention that it would become their full-length debut. Unfortunately, it was quickly stalled when singer and founding member Keith Morris quit the group. Black Flag elected Ron Reyes to fill Morris’s role and recording resumed early in 1980 only to be stalled again by Reyes refusing to record and leaving the studio during takes. Reyes eventually agreed to finish the recording and the five tracks they completed became the Jealous Again E.P.

Clocking in at a whopping Six minutes and 30 seconds, “Jealous Again” delivers an amount of power unmatched by any other record of its time. The opening track “Jealous Again” pairs a simple but powerful Ginn riff with the rough howls of Reyes.

The song tells the tale of a strained relationship coming to an end, “you’re jealous again, no she’s just a friend, why can’t I do anything without being yelled at,” and describes the narrator’s fear of the cops if he abuses his partner. The line “It’s not my imagination, I’ve got a gun on my back” starts track 2 “Revenge” in a frenzy of hard hitting drums and powerful guitar. Famously dedicated to the L.A Police Department in Penelope Spheeris The Decline Of Western Civilization, “Revenge” paints a vivid portrait of the police brutality punks were facing at the time.

Side two opens with an attack on white supremacy from the song “White Minority.” Reyes screams “white pride, you’re an American, I’m gonna hide, anywhere I can” with so much passion, it’s clear the band is following him on this one. “No Values” comes off as the most powerful song on the album. The musicianship on this track is far superior to the E.P’s other tracks. The bass and drums are tight, Ginn seamlessly throws quick riffs in between progressions and Reyes vocals fit perfectly over it all. The E.P closes with “You Bet We’ve Got Something Personal Against You” sung by bassist Chuck Dukowski and directed personally at former Black Flag Member Keith Morris. The song criticizes Morris for taking two of the songs he wrote with Black Flag to his new band the Circle Jerks, “we know you stole our song you were there every touch in wrong.” This ends the album in a truly punk rock manner.

“Jealous Again” is one of Black Flag’s most powerful releases but has unfortunately become one of their lesser known albums. The power displayed on this album was only ever matched by their prior release, “Nervous Breakdown,” and I wish they would have kept moving in the direction this album was headed. Overall, “Jealous Again” packs an amazing set of songs into a short amount of time and is a must hear for punk fans.

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