In what some believe to have been an attempt to avoid paying former members or acknowledging their contributions, Glenn Danzig took 13 tracks from Misfits recording sessions circa 1978-1981, remixed them, overdubbing instruments to remove participants from this release, providing reworked recordings to Caroline, crediting no one and collecting 100% of the proceeds. This was the catalyst for the legal battle (resolved in 1995) in which ALL former members began, and continue to receive royalties for their performances and participation on Misfits recordings circa 1977-1983 and Jerry Only was ultimately awarded the exclusive rights to record and perform as the Misfits.
Following the legal proceedings sparked by the “Legacy” album, fans would finally hear many classic-era Misfits recordings as they were originally intended, starting with the long awaited release of the legendary “Static Age” album in 1996.
While a majority of the “Static Age” sessions were altered and included, it should be noted that some recordings included on the “Legacy of Brutality” compilation were not tampered with. One example being the song “American Nightmare” which appears untouched, (possibly due to lack of the original multi-track source).
In it’s initial release on LP and cassette in 1985, 1,000 copies were pressed in colored vinyl (500 red vinyl LPs and 500 white vinyl LPs). Legend has it that as a result of not cleaning the stampers during the color switch in the pressing plant, a small percentage of the 1,000 colored vinyl LPs (rumored to be 16 pcs) include various shades of pink.
The first CD version of this album was issued in 1989 by Caroline Records and is still in print along with the black vinyl LP reprint.
