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"Don't drink, don't smoke, don't fuck/At least I can fucking think." So go the famous opening lines of Minor Threat's 1981 straightedge anthem, "Out of Step." The trailblazing D.C. hardcore band had already touted their clean-living aesthetic earlier that year on "Straight Edge," a song from their debut — and a term that frontman Ian MacKaye is credited with coining. But "Out of Step" appeared on the band's second EP, In My Eyes, along with the anti-drug title track (later covered by Rage Against the Machine) and "Guilty of Being White," a controversial song about racial division that was later covered — and made even more controversial — by Slayer, who changed the final line to "guilty of being right." But that's another story for another time ...
First released in late '81 on Dischord Records, the DIY punk label founded by MacKaye and Minor Threat drummer Jeff Nelson, OG pressings of In My Eyes go for long cash. Dischord initially pressed 1,000 seven-inch singles on red vinyl with yellow labels and a black and white lyric sheet. 875 of these are the standard version and currently command anywhere from $1,500 to $2,000, depending on the condition. (As of this writing, there are four copies for sale on Discogs, starting at $2,000.)
The other 125 copies come in folded Xerox sleeves, which were made to sell at a show because the finished sleeves weren't back from the printer yet. These copies also include a misprint in which the sleeve photo is credited to Gary "Cousins," whose surname is actually Cousin. This was corrected on the printed sleeve, but these Xeroxed misprints — known as the "Cousins Sleeve" among collectors — fetch upwards of $2,500.
It's worth noting that the opening line of "Out of Step" caused a rift within the band when Jeff Nelson took umbrage with MacKaye's attitude, which the drummer felt misrepresented Minor Threat as a whole. As a result, they re-recorded the track for their 1983 album, Out of Step, and MacKaye modified his lyrics to "I don't drink, I don't smoke ..." etc., etc. Of course, the re-recording hasn't made the original seven-inch any cheaper.
