Drag City recently unearthed a long lost, blistering proto-punk artifact. In 1974, the Hackney brothers, three young black men from Detroit, started jamming under the name Death. They made one record, a uniquely raw and aggressive take on classic rock, and were never heard from again, until now. Three decades later, it finally gets a proper introduction, and this time…For the Whole World to See.

According to a recent interview with bassist Bobby Hackney (Via TimeOut), Death would have never coined their harsh sound if it weren’t for their mom’s bouncer boyfriend who would sneak the trio in to see such acts like Iggy & The Stooges, MC5, and the Who. The brothers Hackney immediately went out, got their instruments, and started channeling the energy of rock into something much more primitive. The rest is history, or rather, it should have been. A combination of bad timing, arguments with the label over the band’s presentation (namely, well, their name), and a generally ill-prepared state of music allowed this missing-link of punk rock to fall through the cracks.

A remarkably well-aged time capsule of hefty hooks and driving power,…For the Whole World to See, is finally available for discovery on Drag City.  Photo by Tammy Hackney.

MP3 :::
Death – Rock-N-Roll Victim
Death – You’re a Prisoner