Can I Say

Musically, Can I Say is a hardcore punk 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.^[6]

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."^[6]

Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker has the phrase "can I say" tattooed on his chest as a tribute to Dag Nasty's debut album, which is one of his favorites.^[7]

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

• Dag Nasty
  • Dave Smalley - vocals
  • Brian Baker - guitars
  • Roger Marbury - bass guitar
  • Colin Sears - drums
• Ian MacKaye - producer
• Dag Nasty - producer