The First Four Years

The First Four Years is a 1983 compilation by Black Flag that gathers the band's early singles and EP material from roughly 1978 to 1981. The collection captures a raw, terse hardcore punk sound characterized by short, intense songs, jagged distorted guitar, driving drums, and aggressive, shouted vocals. It documents the band's formative period and the uncompromising, confrontational approach that helped shape early American hardcore punk.