Black Dots is a demo album by the American rock band Bad Brains, released in 1996 by Caroline Records.

The album showcases the band's hardcore punk origins, as well as their early foray into reggae with the song "The Man Won't Annoy Ya.

"[1] In Prince George's County, Maryland in early 1978, brothers Paul and Earl Hudson formed a band with their high school classmates Gary Miller, Darryl Jenifer, and Sid McCray.

[2][3] Calling themselves Mind Power, they initially played jazz fusion in the style of Weather Report and the Mahavishnu Orchestra, and extolled the virtues of PMA (positive mental attitude).

[3][5] By early 1979 Bad Brains were making a name for themselves in Washington, D.C.'s burgeoning hardcore punk scene, playing clubs including the Atlantis and Madam's Organ, and recorded a demo tape of one of their rehearsals.

[3][1] Inner Ear then consisted of Zientara's basement, outfitted with a 4-track TEAC quarter-inch tape deck and a small drum booth set up to one side.

[3] When the band broke up following their 1995 album God of Love, Countey retrieved the Inner Ear tapes and they were mixed in June 1996 by Sean Green at Applehead Recording in Woodstock, New York.

[6] Reviewing Black Dots for Entertainment Weekly at the time of its release, Tom Sinclair gave it an "A" rating and remarked that it "captures the seminal Washington, D.C., hardcore band as they began to cohere into something special.

With early versions of the mosh-pit anthems 'Pay to Cum' and 'Banned in D.C.' (and a great Sex Pistols rip, 'Redbone in the City'), Black Dots could serve as a primer for neophyte punks.

"[10] Writing for AllMusic, critic Ned Raggett rated it 41⁄2 stars out of 5, calling it "an archival release of the best kind, something truly rare and unheard that also captured a band at its best.

"[1] In a retrospective review for Citizine in 2004, Mark Prindle wrote that "Not only is Black Dots an excellent look at a great band in their earliest days, but it's a must-own for Bad Brains collectors because hidden among early run-throughs of classic material like 'How Low Can a Punk Get?'