The Damage Is Done: The story of Ripcord's 1986 flexi

Sep 9

Ripcord's "The Damage Is Done" flexi was released in 1986 on the band's own Raging Records. It brought a fresh take to British hardcore, combining the sound of Bristol thrash with Boston hardcore bands like Negative FX, SS Decontrol and Jerry's Kids. It was Ripcord's first release, and along with The Stupids and Heresy, represented a shift in the UKHC scene to a wider American influence.

Steve Ballam, better known Baz, gives the details on this flexi and more. We hit on the really important topics like why Chaotic Dischord had a song called "Fuck Off Ripcord" and how Simon from Chaos U.K.'s mom was Baz's science teacher in school. Baz also had a ton of photos from the recording session and even the original label art form saved. He was kind enough to share it all here. The Damage Is Done!

NI: First off, coming from so close to Bristol, how'd you come to be influenced by USHC rather than the sound of Chaos U.K. and Disorder?

Baz: Well, I wouldn't say that's 100% true. Yes, me and John were really into those early Eighties U.S bands,but we were equally into those early '80s faster noisier U.K. bands as well. Chaos U.K. particularly were crucial for my love of all things fast and noisy. I'd go as far say they were a pivotal to the sound Ripcord was sort of aiming for back then.

My science teacher from school, Mrs. Greenham, was Simon Greenham's, the first Chaos U.K. singer's, mother. She would tell me what they were up to, and I scored the "Loud, Political and Uncompromising" single from her, so they will always have a special place in my heart.

If you want to be pedantic about it, both Chaos U.K. and Disorder aren't actually from Bristol. Both bands started life nearer to Weston, where Ripcord were based, and the place I grew up was literally just down the road from both of these bands birthplace.

Funny really how all three bands were noisy, fast and from such rural setting! I think all the cheap scrumpy cider had a lot to do with it!!

NI: How do you come to choose Diamond Studios rather than Cave Studios or S.A.M. Studios where so many other Bristol bands had recorded?

Baz: Sam Studios was basically what was Cave Studios, but in a different location and taken over by new people, where those early Disorder and Chaos U.K. records were recorded.

When we did the first Ripcord demo, the studio was in a really small building and they were looking to move. The Amebix happened to be recording "Arise" when we went in. By the time we went back to record the "Defiance Of Power" LP 18 months later, they had moved to a larger building.

I think the studio was a bit out of our budget when we were thinking were to record the flexi. So I'd been to Diamond Studios in my pre Ripcord band, Act Of Defiance in 1983. So thought we'd give a go. Still not sure why we didn't go back to Fast Forward Studios where we had recorded the "Westcoast Thrash" demo a couple of months earlier and were happy with the sound, but anyways we didn't.

The place was a joke, really basic. The guy didn't even have enough mike stands to record all the drums, so was using sticky tape to try to put the microphones into place! So after we had recorded all the tracks, the guys shows us which slider did what on the mixing desk and fucks off for his lunch! So as each track plays, I'm going more guitar, no more drums, etc.

Original quarter inch tape reel from the recording

Anyways we left thinking we'd recorded the new "Why" 12", got home to find we hadn't. So we had to go back into another studio to rerecord some of the bass parts and remix what we could. That's the version that got released. Years later I found the original quarter inch master for the first mix and that's what we put on the "Fast and Furious" demos compilation that came out, just thought it would be fun to let people hear it.

NI: How'd you come to decide on a flexi?

Baz: I think all along the idea was to release the flexi ourselves. Kalv and Dig [Earache Records] had been doing them for a while and when we got the Generic first single it had all the info inside saying how they'd done it all themselves. So we thought we'd go for it.

It was a great, cheap way of getting our name about and as you got double the amount of flexis compared to hard vinyl it was a no brainer.

NI: Did you ever speak with Tim Bennett of COR Records about doing the release?

Baz: Not long after we'd recorded our first demo, we started going up to Bristol to Tim from COR's house to buy records from him, he ran a disto as well as running the label. So we got to know him and basically badgered him about doing a record with us. He said we weren't ready and needed to play more gigs and get our name around.

So basically it was him who spurred us on to do our own release. Looking back, we were gutted he wasn't interested, but he was totally right. That first demo is pretty ropey. I'd only switched from playing drums in my earlier bands to bass and had only been playing bass a matter of months. Malc the guitar player wasn't into the thrash stuff at all, and was all over the place. Added to that we were 18 years old! It is what it is I guess!

NI: Were you guys aware that Heresy was doing their "Never Healed" flexi around the same time? Were you guys in touch with Heresy that early on about what each other were doing and the US influence?

Baz: Kalv [Heresy] used to run a little disto back then, selling all the European records from the time, Anti-Cimex, Mob 47, etc. I used to buy stuff from him and got to know him through that.

Not long after that, Heresy got together, so we started trading tapes, and he send me all the latest demos he was getting, Concrete Sox, Sacrilege, etc. He sent me the "Never Healed" demo which later got released as the flexi. It was him that put me in touch with Sound For Industry, the flexi manufacturer, where both the Ripcord and Heresy flexis were made.

Original label art pasted to be pressed by Sound For Industry

Annoyingly the place kept both of the master tapes for the flexis and closed down a while after, both reels lost forever. When both recording got reissued years later, they had to be taken from the cassette copies we had. Back then you got just one copy of the quarter inch master and you sent that, no back up copies. Insane thinking back now.

NI: How many were pressed, and how was the reception to the flexi?

Baz: Well, from memory I think it was around 2500 copies. We had to get the covers made ourselves, and supply the plastic sleeve, which I remember were to long, like a comic sleeve so we had to use a guillotine to cut them down to size! And then fold and assemble and add the lynx leaflet, which Buzby the singer had organised, to all 2500 copies. Man that took forever!!

There were no test pressing made, you just sent the tape and then took delivery of the finished thing. If there was an issue, I guess it was tough shit, crazy.

Review by Pushead in Thrasher mag

February 1987 Puszone column

From memory the flexi got a great reaction. People from all over took copies. Distros in England, Northern Europe and the States all took them. Basically it did exactly what we wanted it to do.

We started getting offers of gigs from all over the U.K., which lead us going over to mainland Europe. The Pushead review in Thrasher certainly didn't do any harm!

NI: Later on, Chaotic Dischord did a song called "Fuck Off Ripcord". Can you talk about this? Did you know them? What was your reaction?

Baz: As I mentioned earlier, we recorded our first demo at Sam Studios and then returned there to record the "Defiance Of Power" LP there. The guy who ran and owned the studio and recorded the bands was called Sooty. He played second guitar in the second line up of Vice Squad.

And was secretly involved with Chaotic Dischord, who were something to do with Vice Squad. So when we returned to do the LP, we'd improved a fair bit, had speed up and some of the songs were on the short side. He thought this was hilarious and took the piss out of us about that.

Then a few years later I saw that they'd recorded a 'tribute' song to us on a Chaotic Dischord LP. I guess it's supposed to sound like us! Ha ha.

I've bumped into him a few times over the years, he's a really cool guy. Weirdly enough he ended up owning the studio/rehearsal space that we recorded the "88 in 16" gig single in 2016 when we reformed for two shows to celebrate my 50th bday.

NI: Any other words on the flexi or anything else to add?

Baz: It's funny in later years I've read or heard people saying how they love that sound we got on the flex. Honestly, it was a total accident how that came about, a mixture of shit gear, not being able to play that well and that crazy hippy guy who ran the studio.

I reckon you'd never be able to recreate that sound again if you tried!

Thanks for listening.

Baz/Ripcord. Summer 2019.

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Photos from the recording session at

Diamond Studios in 1986: