Half Black / Half White Vinyl.
JUDGE was formed in 1987 by Mike Ferraro and John Porcell, both of whom played with YOUTH OF TODAY. After YOUTH OF TODAY's "Break Down The Walls" tour in the summer of '87, Mike, with John in tow, decided to split up and record the JUDGE New York Crew EP. He wanted to push the straight message against smoking, drugs, and alcohol even further. It turned out that Mike had a fierce voice, and with the blunt, unrepentant messages of songs like "Fed Up" and "In My Way," the music became harder and took hardcore in a new direction.
The band gained momentum, and Mike's friend Jimmy Yu, a black belt Buddhist monk, joined on bass. After a few shows and a demo with drummers Drew Thomas (BOLD) and Luke Abbey (WARZONE), drummer Sammy Siegler (SIDE BY SIDE, YOUTH OF TODAY) joined. The band then prepared to record their debut LP for Revelation Records at the famed NYC studio Chung King. Located in NYC's Chinatown, the studio was known for records by SLAYER, BEASTIE BOYS, DANZIG, and others. It was also expensive, and with the budget the band had at their disposal, they relied on a rotating cast of studio interns who often worked the night shift, starting at midnight and finishing in the early hours of the morning. The result was a recording that wasn't what the band had hoped for. The decision to scrap the album came a little late, and since the pressing process had already begun, Revelation Records founder Jordan Cooper decided to press 100 copies on white vinyl and title them Chung King Can Suck It. Cooper gave the band additional budget to re-record the album, and so they went to Normandy Sound and recorded what would become their official debut album, Bringin' It Down.
