Formed by songwriter/guitarist Al Barile (then a machinist at the General Electric plant in Lynn, Massachusetts and a student at Northeastern University), SSD started performing at smaller venues throughout the greater Boston metropolitan area in the summer of 1981. The band quickly gained notoriety within the local music scene for intense performances charged and for the provocative antics of its core group of followers, the Boston Crew.
The original lineup was Al Barile on guitar, Springa (David Spring) on vocals, Jaime Sciarappa on bass and Chris Foley on drums. They released their debut EP The Kids Will Have Their Say on their own X-Claim label in 1982. Ian MacKaye of Minor Threat was a friend and supporter and his Dischord label's logo appeared on the back cover.
In 1983 they added second guitarist Francois Levesque and released Get it Away. This EP is widely regarded to be their best record. The X-Claim pressings of it and The Kids Will Have Their Say are both highly collectable.
Like many hardcore bands - particularly those in the Boston area - SSD, as they were now officially called, were heading in a heavy metal direction. In 1984 they signed to the Boston label Modern Method and released the How We Rock EP which was rooted in the hardcore sound but exhibited overt heavy metal characteristics, such as a relatively high number of lengthy guitar solos. After signing to Homestead they released the Break it Up LP in 1985. Their first (and only) full length LP, it had both feet planted in the metal genre, leaving behind all trappings of punk and hardcore.
SSD broke up in 1985.
Jaime Sciarappa went on to play bass with the Boston hardcore band Slapshot for a short time.
After the breakup Springa went on to front the short lived band Razorcaine and the comedy rock projects Die Blitzkinder (with The Slaves) and Springa as Tom Jones. His flamboyant persona and lounge lizard lifestyle during this time stood in marked contrast to the straight edge rhetoric of SS Decontrol. In the early 1990s he would move to Chicago to pursue comedy further with The Second City.
In 1991 Al Barile compiled Power for Taang! records. It spans SSD's entire career and is the only official release in print today. In the early 1990s he took up the bass guitar and he and Levesque formed the hardcore band Gage.
Boston Crew
SSD Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Menguatkan aku terus melangkah
Tak ingin kau tersakiti
Coba tuk selalu ada
Tetap bertahan terus menjagamu
Kerasnya beban bagai menepis sang cakrawala
Coba bertahan menjaga rasa tetap menyala
Satu percikan guratan ego menghapus takdir selayak menghakimi
Dari kegagalan buatku semakin lebih dewasa
Semua kesalahan jadikan cermin untuk melangkah
Tak ingin menyiakan, tak ingin tersakiti
Tak ingin temukan bencana hingga kau semakin tersisih
Genggamlah erat anggap ku sebagai sosok penguat
Jikalau percaya ku kan lindungi seperti malaikat
Yang terus menjagamu dan berikan rasa damai
Berikan satu suntikan indah agar dapat kau rangkai
Kita untuk selamanya ku tak ingin ada rasa ragu
Dirimu diriku menyatu bagai bait syair sebuah lagu
Kita nyanyikan bersama cerita layak romansa
Hingga tiada satu pun yang mampu berusaha menguasai cinta
Kau mengajarkanku mengenal cinta
Menguatkan aku terus melangkah
Tak ingin kau tersakiti
Coba tuk selalu ada
Tetap bertahan terus menjagamu
**
Rasa beribu makna yang sulit terucapkan
Ini sebuah pernyataan tak mungkin terabaikan
Bukan lembaran kata atau sekedar puisi
Lewat kekuranganmu yang kosong akan ku isi
Menjadi suatu yang indah dan kau selalu tersenyum
Lewati hari-hari penuh dengan rasa kagum
Kan ku ciptakan sebuah rakit tuk kita berlabuh
Kepulau yang kau inginkan agar dapat berteduh
Mungkin ku tak sempurna tapi ku ada untukmu
Kita lewati masa suram saat terjatuh
Kembali bangkit kembali membuka mata
Sampai kita temukan satu jalan tuk melangkah
Ke jalan yang lurus menatap masa depan
Berjuang ku dengan hati dan penuh harapan
Tuk dapat menciptakan bahagia dihari kelak
Antara kau dan aku tak dapat lagi mengelak
Kau mengajarkanku mengenal cinta
Menguatkan aku terus melangkah
Tak ingin kau tersakiti
Coba tuk selalu ada
Tetap bertahan terus menjagamu
kau mengajarkanku mengenal cinta
menguatkan aku terus melangkah
tak ingin kau tersakiti
coba tuk selalu ada
The lyrics of SSD's song Boston Crew talk about the power of love and the importance of standing by someone through thick and thin. The singer expresses gratitude for their partner's teachings on love and how it has made them stronger, urging the partner to always be present and vowing to always protect them like an angel.
The lyrics also touch on the struggles of life, comparing them to the weight of the world, but encouraging the listener to persevere and keep the flame of love burning, even in the face of ego and judgment. The singer advises using past mistakes as a mirror to move forward and not to let negative experiences get in the way of finding true love.
Overall, the song's message is one of love, support, and the importance of always being there for the one you love through thick and thin.
Line by Line Meaning
Kau mengajarkanku mengenal cinta
You taught me how to love
Menguatkan aku terus melangkah
You strengthen me to keep going
Tak ingin kau tersakiti
I don't want you to be hurt
Coba tuk selalu ada
Just try to always be there
Tetap bertahan terus menjagamu
Keep standing strong to protect you
Rasa beribu makna yang sulit terucapkan
Feelings with a thousand meanings that are difficult to express
Ini sebuah pernyataan tak mungkin terabaikan
This is a statement that cannot be ignored
Bukan lembaran kata atau sekedar puisi
Not just words on a page or mere poetry
Lewat kekuranganmu yang kosong akan ku isi
Through your emptiness and shortcomings, I will fulfill you
Menjadi suatu yang indah dan kau selalu tersenyum
Becoming something beautiful and making you smile always
Lewati hari-hari penuh dengan rasa kagum
Passing through days full of wonder
Kan ku ciptakan sebuah rakit tuk kita berlabuh
I will make a raft for us to anchor
Kepulau yang kau inginkan agar dapat berteduh
The island you desire to take shelter
Mungkin ku tak sempurna tapi ku ada untukmu
Maybe I'm not perfect but I'm here for you
Kita lewati masa suram saat terjatuh
We go through difficult times when we fall
Kembali bangkit kembali membuka mata
Rise again and open your eyes
Sampai kita temukan satu jalan tuk melangkah
Until we find a way to move forward
Ke jalan yang lurus menatap masa depan
To the straight path that looks to the future
Berjuang ku dengan hati dan penuh harapan
I struggle with a heart full of hope
Tuk dapat menciptakan bahagia dihari kelak
To create happiness in the future
Antara kau dan aku tak dapat lagi mengelak
Between you and me, we can no longer avoid it
Contributed by Sophia A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@roberthogg3740
Just Fn Awesome 👊👊👊
@edmundkockenlocker4672
Didn't think I'd see someone from the Boston crew in a Kiss shirt
@potatofry9259
Excellent
@jgreco137
Best ever