Best Wishes

Best Wishes is the second album by New York hardcore band, Cro-Mags. It was released on April 26, 1989 on Profile Records and was subsequently re-released on Another Planet – along with their debut album: The Age Of Quarrel on the same disc. The album's cover reflected the band's interest in the Hare Krishna religion which started with their previous singer John Joseph and then carried on through Harley Flanagan who also became a devotee. Their next album, Alpha Omega, saw the return of John Joseph to the Cro-Mags fold and an even further gravitation towards a metal sound. This album was a complete change of style from the short, sharp bursts of song encountered on their previous album, 1986's The Age Of Quarrel. Here Cro-Mags entered the crossover thrash and thrash metal arena, complete with guitar solos. The songs also became longer (averaging around four minutes) while over half of Quarrel's songs came in under the two-minute mark. Best Wishes is also distinguished by two line-up changes from the previous album: Pete Hines coming in on drums and Harley Flanagan taking up both bass and vocal duties from John Joseph. As explained by guitarist Parris Mayhew: ″The songs that made it infinitely apparent John couldn’t do it were: 'The Only One', and 'Death Camps' (all lyrics Harley wrote). You could hear and see that John was holding back vocally, struggling with melody and rhythm, mumbling quietly into the microphone instead of singing, while we blasted out these new songs. He was making excuses that our massive PA system wasn't loud enough to hear him when it was just that he was hiding, stalling and making excuses for his inability to find a melody...John was simply a bully and a jerk and his problematic uncooperative pose was getting old. I told him “the band is moving on without you.” It was that simple.″ Flanagan's vocal style was very different and it further evolved the band's image from straight-out hardcore punk to a more metal sound.