Tracklist:01. What's at stake
02. Firewalker
03. Dealing with pennies
04. Transmission
05. Something to prove
06. Nation of hate
07. Punk's dead, you're next
08. Say goodbye
09. War on drugs
10. Get me out
11. Change
12. White rabbit (Jefferson airplane cover)
13. Chip on my shoulder (Live)
14. Moment of truth (Live)
Released on CD by Emergo Records in 1990 and LP by Taang! Records the same year.
Before this album Jamie Sciarappa on bass left the bandafter moving to LA but was quickly replaced by Chris Lauria that was friends with the band when some of them played in Terminally ill.
A month before this album the band released their EP called Firewalker, since all 3 songs on that release where added to this release i wont bother uploading it.
Yet another superb release by the band. A bit more guitarmasturbation this time around but nothing as annoying as other HC bands from this era produced.
It's somewhat of a twosided record though. I absolutely love the first half but never understood the last part of the album. Songs like Get me out try to be advanced and special and succed but in the wrong way. The song is that sort of "special" that if it was a human he would put fingers up his ass and drool constantly.
As much as i like the bands decicion to step out of the mold and cover White rabbit by Jefferson airplane it isnt really that good.
The two livesongs that where exclusive for the CD are not really that great either and could easilly be left out. Fun fact is that they are not even live in the first place. The band recorded it in a studio and added the shouts and handclaps afterwards. Whats up with that?
First half is great though and best one's there are Whats at stake with one of the best buildups to a hardcore song ever, Firewalker with great lyrics and a damn catchy chorus.
Another great song is Something to prove that touch on some of the numerous feuds Slapshot had with other bands. This one is about the beef with Youth of today and Bold.
The whole conflict has it's roots in the old NY vs Boston beef that was around int he early days. Bands from both areas played the same shows and all had loyal supporters so it often ended in conflicts in the pit (Bold's drummer even got so heckled once he actually left the stage and jumped into the crowd, fists flying and all that).
Bands showing up late so they could play after another band instead of opening for them and bands talking shit in magazines etc was basicly the largest outcome of this. When will hardcore bands start to take notes fromt he rappers so we can get some real action going hehe :)
8/10
Record is so wellknown that you can even find it through Pricerunner. Noone of the stores listed there need my promotional help so i wont link to any stores.
Instead support someone who also buy's from smaller labels and buy it from Interpunk.
I was never a fan of this album, but the band was playing some of these songs 2-3 years before this was recorded. I have a recording of an '88 CT show somewhere. THe songs are way better with the lineup from Step On It.
SvaraRaderaAlso I one time I had a dub of the this albums master tapes. CHip & Moment weren't "live" and there was a 3rd song that was supposed to get the "live" treatment. I wonder whatever happened to that.
Anyway, this was the end of Slapshot for me, though the last 1 or 2 have been better than the experimental "metal years".
thedeadcomedian