The Living - 1982 (2021)

Before he was bassist for one of the biggest bands in the universe, Guns N’ Roses’ Duff McKagan was a punk rocker in Seattle. And now we can hear what a 17-year-old McKagan sounded like thanks to The Living: 1982, a previously unreleased LP from his early band The Living.

McKagan played guitar in The Living, which also featured vocalist John Conte, bassist Todd Fleischman and drummer Greg Gilmore (Mother Love Bone).

“It doesn’t matter what year this music was recorded cause it is undeniable …. but the fact that Duff, Greg, Todd and John created these fully realized songs in 1982 gives credence to the idea that this band, The Living, are ground zero for the Seattle sound,” Gossard said in a statement.

Reflecting back, McKagan said in his own statement: “Would this even ever get out of our basement? We had something magical then, and it was ours, so who gives a fuck!”

The recordings were unearthed by Gilmore, who spearheaded the idea of the LP. “The Living was the beginning of all things Seattle for me — a turning point in my life. I joined a band and a community. These guys are still my brothers. I’ve cherished these recordings since the days we made them. This record is a fantastic document of a loaded moment. I love it,” he said in a statement.

The Living: 1982 has seven original tracks penned by McKagan, who as a teen had already appeared on 45s by Fastbacks and the Vains before starting The Living. They opened for DOA in Vancouver and Seattle, and McKagan recalls in a statement that “DOA was basically like my KISS.”

Tracklist
1. A Promise (01:11)
2. Two Generation Stand (02:23)
3. Live by the Gun (02:29)
4. A Song for You (03:26)
5. No Thanks (01:53)
6. Life is a Terror (01:46)
7. I Want (01:56)