VARIOUS ARTISTS
20 Years Of Dischord (Dischord)
Reviewed by Alan Wright

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If you don't know what Discord Records is, you've been living under a rock, and I ain't got the time to explain it to you; suffice to say they released some of the best punk and hardcore of the early '80s, not to mention other great stuff over the years. For 20 years they've been completely independent, without any corporate ties or major label connections. This set celebrates that with a selection of music by over 50 different bands, and 173 songs! The first two discs are selections from Dischord releases over the past 20 years. The two discs track the progression of the label from these early hardcore bands like the Teen Idles, Minor Threat, Untouchables, Government Issue, Scream and Iron Cross to somewhat more melodic "emo" bands like Dag Nasty, Marginal man, Embrace, Ignition and Shudder To Think. On disc two you get more experimental and all-over-the-map indie music on with bands like Fugazi, Slant 6, Lungfish, Nation of Ulysses, High-Back Chairs, and many others. The third disc features unreleased and rare songs from primarily early Discord hardcore groups, and is the real "meat" so to speak. For instance, an earlier, slower version of the Teen Idles' song that kicks the first two discs off is fab, and I actually like it more than the released version! There's also a great version of the D.C. punk "standard" that so many D.C. groups recorded, "Steppin' Stone" by the Untouchables, unreleased demos by S.O.A. (featuring a teenage Henry Rollins), Minor Threat, Government Issue, Youth Brigade, Void, Scream, Deadline, Faith, Marginal Man, a rare Dag Nasty song, a live Fugazi song, and a really strange, slow cover of the Avengers' "We Are The One" by Circus Lupus. Overall, an amazing collection, plus it comes with a fantastic 134-page book!

© 2003 - Alan Wright