Can I Say

Can I Say
Studio album by
Dag Nasty
ReleasedJune 1986
RecordedMarch 1986
Genres
Length24:11 (original)
39:35 (reissue)
LabelDischord
ProducersIan MacKaye, Dag Nasty
Dag Nasty chronology
Can I Say
(1986)		 Wig Out at Denko's
(1987)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusicStarStarStar[1]

Can I Say is the debut album by the American melodic hardcore band Dag Nasty, originally released on June 1, 1986 on Dischord Records. It is the band's first album to feature vocalist Dave Smalley, replacing original vocalist Shawn Brown.[4]

Music and lyrics

Musically, Can I Say is a hardcore punk and melodic hardcore album. According to Ned Raggett of AllMusic: "Baker's roots in Minor Threat are clear throughout, but at the same time, the production, assisted by Ian Mackaye, is actually stronger and crisper than much of that band's work." The album occasionally incorporates call-and-response vocals. Raggett said that frontman Dave Smalley "has a vocal delivery halfway between strident pronouncement and anguished reflection -- it's not emo in the original sense of the term (or alternately the late-90s watering down of same), but it's a careful balance just the same."

Lyrical themes explored on the album include the personal politics of Smalley.[5] Original vocalist Brown would later claim to have written nearly all of the lyrics, as he had recorded songs from the album with the band before being replaced by Smalley.[6]

Reception and legacy

Ned Raggett of AllMusic gave the album three and a half stars out of five, and wrote: "Can I Say helps mark a turning point between hardcore's straight-ahead origins and a more accessible approach that would eventually prime the way for punk's breakthrough in the mid-'90s."[5]

The album was remastered and re-released on CD with six bonus songs in 2002.[7]

The album would prove influential to the emerging emo genre due to its mix of hardcore intensity and melodically sung choruses.[8] "Circles" appeared on a best-of emo songs list by Vulture[9] and was featured in the soundtrack of the videogame Tony Hawk's Proving Ground.

On October 19, 2010, the band released Dag With Shawn, featuring original vocalist Shawn Brown.[10] Originally recorded and meant to be released in 1985, the recording was shelved after Brown was replaced by Smalley. Dag With Shawn features eight of the original tracks and one of the CD reissue bonus tracks from Can I Say, all featuring Brown.[11]

Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker has the phrase "can I say" tattooed on his chest as a tribute to the album, which he has said is one of his favorites.[12]

Track listing

All tracks by Dag Nasty.
Side one

  1. "Values Here" – 2:23
  2. "One to Two" – 2:15
  3. "Circles" – 2:46
  4. "Thin Line" – 2:30
  5. "Justification" – 2:51

Side two

  1. "What Now?" – 2:16
  2. "I've Heard" – 1:43
  3. "Under Your Influence" – 2:36
  4. "Can I Say" – 1:59
  5. "Never Go Back" – 2:52

2002 CD reissue bonus tracks

  1. "Another Wrong" – 2:18
  2. "My Dog's a Cat" – 2:19
  3. "I've Heard (Live)" – 2:18
  4. "Another Wrong (Live)" – 2:22
  5. "Trying (Live)" – 2:09
  6. "Justification (Live)" – 3:58

Live tracks are from the February 6, 1986 show at The Electric Banana in Pittsburgh, PA.[13]

Personnel

References

  1. 1 2 Raggett, Ned. "Can I Say: AllMusic Review by Ned Raggett". allmusic.com. Retrieved February 4, 2016.
  2. ↑ "50 Greatest Punk Albums of All Time". Revolver. Retrieved February 13, 2023.
  3. ↑ Burgess, Aaron (March 1, 2016). "Dag Nasty, 'Can I Say' (1986) | 40 Greatest Emo Albums of All Time | Rolling Stone". Rolling Stone. Retrieved January 23, 2018.
  4. ↑ https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/brian-baker-dag-nasty-can-i-say
  5. 1 2 Can I Say - Dag Nasty | Album | AllMusic, retrieved August 16, 2025
  6. ↑ https://afropunk.com/2010/10/shawn-brown-spills-the-beans-on-dag-nasty/
  7. ↑ Can I Say, 2002 remastered CD edition. allmusic.com. Retrieved February 4, 2016.
  8. ↑ https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/brian-baker-dag-nasty-can-i-say
  9. ↑ Corcoran, Nina (February 13, 2020). "The 100 Greatest Emo Songs of All Time". Vulture. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
  10. ↑ https://dischord.com/release/168/dag-with-shawn
  11. ↑ https://dischord.com/release/168/dag-with-shawn
  12. ↑ David Hillier. "Travis Barker Tells Us the Story Behind Every Tattoo on His Body". Vice. Retrieved November 14, 2025.
  13. ↑ YouTube.com: Dag Nasty Live @ Electric Banana, Pittsburgh, PA, 2/6/86


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