hard attack

• Edition: 180-gram virgin-vinyl LP reissue
• Packaging: Heavy gatefold sleeve

Originally released in 1972, Hard Attack was the second and final album by the New York power trio Dust. Richie Wise’s guitar and vocals, Kenny Aaronson’s bass and additional stringed instruments, and Marc Bell’s powerful drumming create an unusually varied form of early American hard rock.

“Pull Away / So Many Times” opens with forceful riffs and rapid rhythmic changes, while “Walk in the Soft Rain” and “Thusly Spoken” reveal a more melodic and reflective side of the band. The extended “Learning to Die” closes the first side with acoustic guitar, strings and dramatic shifts between quiet and heavy passages.

The second side moves from the compact hard rock of “All in All” and “I Been Thinkin’” to the acoustic instrumental “Ivory.” “How Many Horses” adds steel and slide-guitar textures, before “Suicide” brings the album to its heaviest and most intense climax.

Although Dust separated soon after the album’s release, its members remained active in music: Kenny Aaronson became a widely travelled rock bassist, while drummer Marc Bell later joined Richard Hell and the Voidoids and subsequently became known as Marky Ramone.

Track listing

Side A

1. Pull Away / So Many Times – 4:59
2. Walk in the Soft Rain – 4:18
3. Thusly Spoken – 4:18
4. Learning to Die – 6:20

Side B

1. All in All – 4:03
2. I Been Thinkin’ – 2:14
3. Ivory – 2:38
4. How Many Horses – 4:18
5. Suicide – 4:53
6. Entranco – 0:19