At the turn of a decade, 1990, aligned a group of angry, disenfranchised teenagers from San Diego who connected in that they all had something similar to say about the city around them– one afflicted with racism, consumerism, abuse, animal cruelty, etc. (much like any other). The message, in essence, was to say “fuck all of these things”, and the result was some of the young members’ first “official” forays with fast-paced, aggressive music in a hardcore band. Struggle would turn out to be the seed for what would later splinter off into various but equally important and beloved artistic avenues for the six members—some of which are The Black Heart Procession, Swing Kids, Unbroken, Three Mile Pilot, The Locust , Creepy Creeps, Baader Brains, and Bread and Circuits (“to name just a few” is an understatement). Essentially, Struggle was the humble but nonetheless brutal beginnings of many different influential careers, and the raw talent there was undeniable.
Struggle consisted of Dylan Scharf on vocals, Jose Palafox on drums, Justin Pearson on bass, and Eric Allen, Tobias Nathaniel, and Cliff Cunningham all on guitar. During their three year span, the band released a self-titled 7”, 12” and a split with Seattle-based hardcore punk band Undertow.
This thirteen song discography CD captures the entire Struggle experience on one disc. It includes all of their records as well as the songs from the Struggle/Undertow split 7″ and one song from the Give Me Back comp LP. The CD also includes a live video in QuickTime Movie format, though unfortunately the video will only play for PC users.
The CD features all new art and photos. It does not include the Seth Tobocman art from the LP nor most of the writings from the 7″. It does feature a hidden track (if you can find it).
Track Listing:
1. Red, White, And You
2. Death Of A Friend
3. Envy
4. Pigs On Fire
5. Tradition
6. Real Estate
7. Pain
8. Culture
9. Cement
10. The Untitled
11. Brain Tourniquet
12. War
13. Wait A Second