"Steppin' Stone", which was performed by State of Alert on this album, was also covered by Minor Threat on their second EP In My Eyes, while the song "12XU" was so commonly covered that several shows would have multiple bands playing their renditions. Recording Flex Your Head was recorded between April 1980 and December 1981. The Teen Idles, Untouchables, and Red C songs were recorded at Hit and Run Studios with engineer Steve Carr, Iron Cross' tracks were recorded at C.A.B. Studios with engineer Tom Scott, while all the other songs were recorded at Inner Ear Studios with engineer Don Zientara. Cover art While the back cover of Flex Your Head has remained almost the same, its front cover has changed throughout the years. When the album was first released, featured a stock photography of a painting of a violin, roses, and sheet music. The second pressing, released almost immediately, came with a stock image of stalks of wheat. A third early cover, designed by Jeff Nelson and used for the British pressing of the album, displayed a black and white version of the flag of Washington, D.C. with the stars replaced by Xs. Later, in 1985, the record was re-released with a new cover featuring a blurry photo of a man in a hat, which was used until 2008. The most recent version, a variation in red and white of the D.C. flag cover from 1982, came in 2010 on a remastered LP re-release. The CD editions of the album came with all versions of the front cover to be used interchangeably. Critical reception Justin M. Norton, contributor at the online magazine Stereogum, was of the view that: Reissues Flex Your Head was re-released on CD in August 1993. A remastered CD version was released in 2002. Track listing Personnel The Teen Idles Nathan Strejcek – vocals Geordie Grindle – guitar Ian MacKaye – bass Jeff Nelson – drums Untouchables Alec MacKaye – vocals Eddie Janney – guitar Bert Queiroz – bass Rich Moore – drums State of Alert Henry Garfield − vocals Michael Hampton − guitar Wendel Blow − bass Simon Jacobsen − drums Minor Threat Ian MacKaye – vocals Lyle Preslar – guitar Brian Baker – bass Jeff Nelson – drums Government Issue John Stabb – vocals John Barry – guitar Brian Gay – bass Marc Alberstadt – drums Youth Brigade Nathan Strejcek – vocals Tom Clinton