Best Wishes (Cro-Mags album)

Best Wishes is the second album by New York hardcore band, Cro-Mags. It was released on April 26, 1989 on Profile Records and was subsequently re-released on Another Planet – along with their debut album, The Age Of Quarrel, on the same disc.

Best Wishes
Studio album by
Cro-Mags
ReleasedApril 26, 1989 (1989-04-26)
Recorded1988–89
StudioNormandy Sound, Warren, Rhode Island, USA
GenreCrossover thrash, thrash metal
Length33:09
LabelProfile Records
Another Planet 1994 reissue
ProducerChris Williamson
Cro-Mags chronology
The Age Of Quarrel
(1986)		 Best Wishes
(1989)		 Alpha Omega
(1992)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[1]

The album's cover reflected the band's interest in the Hare Krishna religion which started with previous singer John Joseph and then carried on through Harley Flanagan who also became a devotee. Their next album, Alpha Omega, saw the return of John Joseph to the Cro-Mags fold, and an even further gravitation towards a metal sound.

Overview

After the short, sharp bursts of song encountered on their previous album, 1986's The Age Of Quarrel, this album saw a complete change of style as Cro-Mags entered the crossover thrash and thrash metal arena, complete with guitar solos. The songs also became longer – averaging around four minutes, whereas over half of Quarrel's songs came in under the two-minute mark. There were two line-up changes from the previous album – most notably, John Joseph's departure paved the way for Harley Flanagan to take up both bass and vocal duties. Flanagan's was a very different vocal style and it further juxtaposed the band's image from straightout hardcore punk to a more metal sound. Another change was Pete Hines coming in on drums.

Track listing
No.TitleMusicLength
1."Death Camps"Harley Flanagan, Doug Holland, Pete Hines5:22
2."Days of Confusion"Flanagan2:19
3."The Only One"Flanagan, Paris M Mayhew4:55
4."Down but Not Out"Flanagan, Mayhew3:59
5."Crush the Demoniac"Flanagan, Holland, Mayhew3:56
6."Fugitive"Flanagan, Holland, Mayhew4:40
7."Then and Now"Flanagan, Hines3:12
8."Age of Quarrel"Flanagan4:45
Total length:33:09

Release and reception

In an AllMusic review, Alex Henderson says "What would Lemmy Kilmister and Motörhead have sounded like if they'd been influenced by the Hare Krishna sect and the beliefs of Hinduism? They might have sounded like New York's unorthodox thrash metal/punk outfit the Cro-Mags, whose Best Wishes rocks ferociously while expressing a very Hindu viewpoint. The CD's cover contains some distinctly Indian art, and songs like "Age of Quarrel," "Crush the Demoniac," and "Days of Confusion" were clearly inspired by the Bhagavad-Gita and other Hindu scriptures. The New Yorkers may see the violent, chaotic world around them as a living hell, but their overall message is one of hope and optimism. The Cro-Mags do see better days ahead—even if one has to go through various reincarnations in order to find them. Of course, a headbanger doesn't have to embrace Hinduism in order to appreciate Best Wishes—whatever one's spiritual beliefs, this is a band that rocks without hesitation.".[2]

Personnel
Cro-Mags
Production
  • Recorded in 1988–1989 at Normandy Sound, Warren, Rhode Island, USA
  • Produced by Chris Williamson
  • Engineered by Tom Soares
  • Assistant engineered by Jamie Locke
  • Mixed by Chris Williamson and Tom Soares
  • Further assistance by Robert Windsor
  • Original cover illustration by The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust
Additional production
  • Re-issue remastered by Alan Douches at West Westside Music

References
  1. Alex Henderson. "Best Wishes – Cro-Mags | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2017-06-05.
  2. Henderson, Alex. "Best Wishes - Cro-mags". allmusic.com. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
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