Ill Repute - What Happens Next? (Cover Artwork)

Ill Repute

Ill Repute: What Happens Next?What Happens Next? (1984)

Reviewer Rating: 4.5
User Rating:

Contributed by: FuckYouOiOiOiFuckYouOiOiOi
(others by this writer | submit your own)

Ill Repute was a hardcore punk band straight outta Oxnard, California. They were the first major Nardcore band and are fucking awesome. Sometimes, when a label re-releases an album, they fuck it up by putting too much extra shit on it and ruining the short, fast, to-the-point hardcore punk that t.


Sometimes, when a label re-releases an album, they fuck it up by putting too much extra shit on it and ruining the short, fast, to-the-point hardcore punk that the original album was. This is very much the case with Mystic's 1995 re-release of Ill Repute's What Happens Next?, which they re-titled What Happened Then and added an extra 11 songs. As much as I love this band, I feel like the extra songs can drag on, and the effect of the original album is lost. That is why I'm just going to review the original release and original 11.

The album starts off with "Oxnard," an incredibly fast paced kick in the nuts, featuring chants of "Oxnard!" The rest of the album doesn't slow down at all. Most of the songs are under 2 minutes long and manage to include a slew of lyrics and even guitar solos. They have positive lyrics without being overtly straight-edge (except for "Fill It Up," which reminds me of Minor Threat's "In My Eyes"). Their lyrics also avoid being cliché. In "Don't Get Used," singer John Phaneuf advises us to "use your head, not your heart." My favorite song on the album is the hectic anti-war anthem, "Turn the Guns Around." Words cannot express how good the dueling vocals and high speed yet catchy chorus is. This is probably the best Nardcore punk song ever written.

So, if you like `80s hardcore you will fucking love this. An easy way to summarize this album is it's fucking fast. The only version available now is the re-released version, but you can do what I did and just copy the original 11 songs onto another CD. It only takes about 15 minutes to listen to so, needless to say, you will play the fuck out of it.


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burningjoe (November 12, 2007)

This record is a reissue that was initially released on Indecesion Records and was titled "We'll get back them" with permission (and cooperation) from the Band. There were some copy right issues with Mysitc Records and Doug Moody, owner of Mystic forced their hands. Mystic then released this as "What Happened Then?".

This record was always meant to be a compilation of the early Ill Repute recordings that were released on Mystic. tracks 1-11 were originally released as "What Happens Next?" LP. Tracks 13-18 were relased as "Oxnard Land of No Toilets" EP. Tracks 19-20 were released on the "Nardcore" compilation (which featured songs from Dr Know, RKL, Agression (there is only one g in their name), Stalag 13, and many other Oxnard and surrounding area bands from 1984). Track 22 appears on "Omelette" and another Mystic comp as well.

Track Listing
1. Oxnard
2. What Happens Next
3. Look At Me
4. Did I Have Fun
5. Don't Get Used
6. Cherokee Nation
7. Book And It's Cover
8. Wayward
9. Turn The Guns Around
10. Hit And Run
11. Fill It Up
12. Fuck With My Head
13. In Society Who Cares
14. Bad Reputation
15. Greed
16. We'll Get Back At Them
17. Sleepwalking
18. I Won't Kill For You
19. President
20. Sleepwalking II
21. It's Not Going To Happen To Me
22. In The Night

NARDCORE was a term created by Ismael Hernandez, Bass player from Dr Know. The Hardcore term had already existed, and he just put it togehter with his hometown of Oxnard...creating NARDCORE. There is also a nardcore symbol (featured on this Ill Repute record being reviewed here) that had the standard HC X with a Diamond around it...giving us and O and X.

There were many many great bands that have come out of the Oxnard California area. Dr Know, Stalag 13 and Agression were the biggest (Agression was really the first), but other bands like RKL and Scared Straight (which became Ten Foot Pole and Pulley) were also closely assocaited with the Nardcore scene.

Oxnard had major influence on all punk rock music, with NOFX being huge Ill Repute fans and the success that they have had (not to mention Fat Wrekc Chords). False Confessions, a band from South Oxnard (featured on the Nardcore comp and a Mystic EP), had memeber that went on to much bigger things, Scott Morris, the bass player, plays guitar and sings for the Swing band Big Bad Voodoo Daddy and the drummer, Harry has been the Drummer for the Cramps for years now. Eddy Burgos, aka Numbskull Productions, was in a band called Habeaus Corpus (also on the Nardcore comp).

The Nard torch has been carried on by many great bands, like No Motiv, In Control, Missing 23rd and Retaliate. Todd Jones of Carry On,Terror and currently Blacklisted is Nard thru and thru as well.

Nowhere else in the Country, especailly in the 80's was there a music scene like Oxnard (excepet maybe DC). And Ill Repute was the best of it all....in my opinion (though that changes if I am listing to Stalag, Dr Know or Agression).

I may get slagged for this...but oh well.


feeeding5000 (February 6, 2006)

Dammit, joeg, illiteracy and disrespect for equals isn't punk. Disrespect for authority IS, though. If you aren't intelligent and esssentially a book smart white liberal ass like me, how can you ever rebel? I guess I'm one of those "radical students." Anyway, use cursing judiciously,for REAL emphasis, or as filler in songs. (i.e., don't say, "oh, yeah", say "fuck".)

Anonymous (February 3, 2006)

Everyone who likes ILLREPUTE should check out their newest release
recorded LIVE!!!!

FuckYouOiOiOi (February 2, 2006)

you must be thinking of it the other way around. i know i've heard 'follow your heart' many times before. never the other way around (until i got this album).

SilentStorms (February 2, 2006)

I don't write down when/where I heard everything, but I KNOW I've heard that line numerous times. It's more a saying than a quote. Have you never head that before? damn...I guess not.

SilentStorms (February 2, 2006)

I don't remember exactly where I have heard it, but I have heard people say it way more than 10 times during my lifetime, and I know this band didn't start that. It's just not original. That is all.

Godfather (February 1, 2006)

it's become cliche to call something cliche

FuckYouOiOiOi (February 1, 2006)

It has? Where?

SilentStorms (January 31, 2006)

Yeah but that particular line has been used countless times. It's still cliche. Not that it makes this album bad, I'm just sayin'.


FuckYouOiOiOi (January 31, 2006)

bands are usually saying shit like, 'follow your heart' and shit. that is cliche.

SilentStorms (January 31, 2006)

Yeah the cliched lyrics quote was rather laughable. FuckYoublahblahblah do you know what cliche means? I'm not disrespecting you as a person, but what you said doesn't make any sense. Unless you've had no contact with the outside world, in which case that particular line wouldn't seem cliched at all.

housewrecker (January 31, 2006)

I actually thought the swear words were well placed and read the way I would speak if I were talking to a friend. You have filter through a lot of bullshit on this site, I'm just happy bands like Ill Repute and the Toy Dolls get some attention on PUNKnews...

FuckYouOiOiOi (January 30, 2006)

lemmy was also in motorhead.

i look forward to reading yer review.

the_other_scott (January 30, 2006)

Fuck You Oi OI OI

you want me to write a review? i'll write you a review.

as far as me being fat. lemmy is fat and i still get enough gash to get by.

FuckYouOiOiOi (January 30, 2006)

hey, the_other_scot, why dont you write a fucking review? then you can shit-talk me you fat fuck.

score is for the_other_scott.

joeg (January 30, 2006)

bullshit. cursing a lot, not a little, A LOT, is definitely punk as fuck. it's anti-authority, anti-literacy, anti-government, and anti-respect-the 4 basic tenets of punk. ain't nobody gonna tell a punk what to do, NOBODY....unless you're in a band called clit 45, then you get pwnd by all.

the_other_scott (January 30, 2006)


your review of any ramnones record would be good in that your reviews are short, childish, irreverant and filled with mistakes.

i love the ramones for those qualitites. but your reviews are just embarassing.

FuckYouOiOiOi (January 30, 2006)

fuck that, i'll never limit my cursing motherfucker! and amateaur?!? this isnt the fucking new york times, dickhead.

hey, i got an idea. since we both review old records lets both review "Rocket to Russia" and see whose is better.

ThomPunkAheaddotcom (January 30, 2006)

WHN? absolutely rock.

feeeding5000 (January 30, 2006)

Wow. Good band, but a HORRIBLE review. FuckYouOiOiOi, please, stop using casual profanity in the reviews. I'm not against it in any way, but so much detracts from the writing and makes it look stupid and amatuerish. PLEASE, limit yourself to one or two "fuck's" next time, OK? Cursing does NOT make you more "punk." (Just listen to our good friends in Crucial Youth).

housewrecker (January 30, 2006)

So many bands have covered American Girl by Tom Petty, but only Ill Repute Owned it...

Fatty_Arbuckle (January 30, 2006)

"Illl Repute's still playin' the last song that they're playing ... Cherokee people, Cherokee nation" - Pulley

I only have that As a Matter of Fact four-band comp from Fearless with Ill Repute on it, but they do a rad Minor Threat cover.

Anonymous (January 30, 2006)



gladimnotemo (January 30, 2006)

Thanks for mentioning WHN, Ken. I now have the push to finally check them out.

Anonymous (January 30, 2006)

this score is for the band.. my hometown heroes. saw them last august.. it was a blast.

i wish mystic would release more of their old stuff. where is clean cut american kid. and party animal... i remember seeing the 12 years ago and they played that song.

Big Rusty Balls & ...And Now are also good records.

Anonymous (January 30, 2006)

haha that's awesome ken.

Anonymous (January 30, 2006)

Score is for the band What Happens Next. If you want to see my dorky shrine and utter nerd-dom surrounding that band, check out their page www.yourmother.com/whn


dazed (January 29, 2006)

Yeah I always thought these guys and Stalag 13 were kind of the big mising link between original hardcore thrash and the melodic cali sound of the '90s. I like all the Nardcore I've heard, just fun fast bands whose straight-edge songs never come off as preachy.

Anonymous (January 29, 2006)

Fernando Vargas is from Oxnard... definetly the water.

Anonymous (January 29, 2006)

Madlib's from Oxnard too. Must be something in the water there.

Anonymous (January 29, 2006)

1. Stalag 13
2. Ill repute
3. Scared straight
4. RKL
5. Aggression

Get anything by those bands and you're good to go.


Anonymous (January 29, 2006)


i think its awesome you brought up No Motiv....i own everything from the Problems 7", to the split with the Choice, and all the vagronie stuff.

anyone who hates on the motiv... well thats just "faggotry"

Anonymous (January 29, 2006)

i love ill repute, and i love oxnard. look kids, go listen to "errorism." yeah, fat mike drops ill reputes name.

Anonymous (January 29, 2006)


this review is about as simple as this record is. not that that's a horrible thing. i'd be pissed if i lived in oxnard too.

rkl (January 29, 2006)

ill reputes cover of "cherokee nation" is the fucking shit

Anonymous (January 29, 2006)

You can get their discography of sorts from Indecision Records - www.indecisionrecords.com There was a copyright issue and they can't sell them, but I think if you ask them (if it is not on the site) they can get you one.

Godfather (January 29, 2006)

Nardcore is a punk movement that came out of Southern California in the early 80s. The name is a reference to the OxNARD, California HardCORE music scene. This community, just northwest of Los Angeles, California, was the spawning ground for many legends of the hardcore movement during the early 80s. The area was such a hotbed of punk and skate bands that their sound became known as "Nardcore." - Wikipedia

the more you know....

Anonymous (January 29, 2006)

Heres the real question on everyones minds, what the fuck is nardcore?

Cos (January 29, 2006)


No Motiv used to be a straight SoCal hardcore band, somwhere between Pennywise and Minor Threat. They were really good--Ill Repute's label put out their first release and it has a few good numbers on it, like "Never-Ending Cloudy Day".

When melodic hardcore started loosing steam in the 90's, they were one of many bands that started slowing down and making more "rock" albums--Gameface is one, Theologian's Homemade was another, and you might count the Ataris in there too. I looked at it as the West Coast's reaction to Midwestern emo. But it never really went anywhere.

No Motiv is a decent rock band with roots in Nardcore and I think their first CD for Vagrant is a good example. At least they tried something a little unexpected.

BTW, I always thought Dr Know, Aggression, or even RKL pre-dated Ill Repute.


AlmostPunkEnough (January 29, 2006)

great album i haven't heard in years. i need to get myself a new copy.

and Dante, i own that album too, it was $4 at some indie store. i think we're gonna get shit for it though.

Godfather (January 29, 2006)

i like fuckyou's reviews

Dante3000 (January 29, 2006)

This review is shit! He has tons of emmotion in his voice! And I can't believe you didn't like the folk song about midgets and Superman...Wait, wrong reivew.

Does anyone else wonder how No Motiv came out of Oxnard?
And shut your fucking trap because I do (in fact) own The Waiting Hurt...Bitches.

Anonymous (January 29, 2006)

WHN? is an awesome band

Anonymous (January 29, 2006)

It says I'm blocked for "spamming." What the hell?


Anonymous (January 29, 2006)

LBaL are fucking awesome. Ill Repute are cool. Nardcore is completely underrated. On a side-note, I like the NOFX Mystic comp.


Anonymous (January 29, 2006)

oh yea two mp3's from LBAL

This Cost We Absorb

By The Pound

Anonymous (January 29, 2006)

fuck ya awesome band.. someone should seriously review a look back and laugh album. more people need to know about them, best hardcore band around today.

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