7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
great! wonderful! pow!!!, April 21, 2004
This review is from: 20 Years of Dischord (Audio CD)
On the basis of the ambitiousness of this project alone, "20 Years of Dischord" should garner a really high star rating. Now, while I'm not too keen on some of the bands on the second disc -- it's just not my taste -- I LOVE the majority of tunes on the first and third discs. The huge, beautiful full color booklet is a great touch too. Makes for nice bathroom reading. ha.
Anyway, one thing I really enjoyed about this set is the chronological order that shows a very clear evolution in "the DC sound." First you get the primitive hardcore of Teen Idles and Untouchables. These are great bands, but they lead up to the real meat of the first disc: The CLASSICS from Minor Threat, GI, SOA, Void, Youth Brigade and Faith. But the neatest thing about it is as soon as the Faith song is finished, you can tell the DC sound had reached a turning point. "20 Years of Dischord" really demonstrates, as never before to those who weren't there in the early years of harDCore, how important Faith was to the scene. They're the true roots of the "emo" style that would develop later, with introspective lyrics, more complicated and melodic guitar work, and less harsh vocals. They're still a hardcore band, yeah, but they do mark a departure from the straightforward thrash of Minor Threat and the others.
After Faith, things get more melodic, with Marginal Man, Embrace and the impeccable Rites of Spring. There's plenty of just "what the hell" type stuff from the "Revolution Summer" era too... take Beefeater's almost metallic funk-punk and The Snakes' silly "Snake Rap." Other mid-era highlights include Gray Matter and Dag Nasty. Towards the end of disc one it's evident that Dischord has outgrown the hardcore trappings it started with and is focussed on independent music of any kind in DC. It's cool, but not exactly my steez, if you get me. So I usually only listen to a few tracks on disc two (Nation of Ulysses, Slant 6 and The Make-Up are great, and of course, Fugazi has to be mentioned).
And disc three is great icing on the cake, with unreleased/rare songs from (mostly early hardcore) bands. There are some video clips too that I haven't been able to figger out how to play on my comp, blast it!
"20 Years of Dischord" is the most bang, and band, for your buck you can get. Three discs and a huge booklet for less than most new DVDs? Snap this up. Great history lesson on one of the most influential and important record labels in HISTORY.
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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The best box set around, October 19, 2002
This review is from: 20 Years of Dischord (Audio CD)
This one arrived last night, and while there are too many tracks to absorb in 12 hours, I'm already in awe. Over the course of 2 discs you get to hear the way punk rock changed over the last 20 years in Washington, DC. Disc One is mostly hardcore punk, but it begins to change around the time Rites Of Spring - Drink Deep is heard. Disc 2 is my favorite so far because it features 2 of the best bands ever, Fugazi and Jawbox, who have shaped the sound of post punk and related genres. I haven't even gotten to the rarity disc and I can honestly say this is the best box set I've ever heard. Also, the 134 page booklet with biographies of every band on the cd is priceless. Its well written with introductions from Jeff and Ian (the founders of Dischord, not to mention musical masterminds behind Minor Threat, Fugazi, etc..) and Henry Garfield (who is now known as Henry Rollins). Lots of cool pictures are included as well. The great packaging only hints at the music thats inside. Please, if you buy anything this year, make it this box set. Never before has something been so worth the money. ...
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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great CD, December 16, 2002
This review is from: 20 Years of Dischord (Audio CD)
This is the best value anybody can get with a punk cd. Anyway, this is a great lookback to dischord records since the beginning of the Teen Idles and comes with a great book. All of the songs are really good, and ian mackaye has always made Dischord what a record label should be for the last 22 years of its existence. Support the true labels in it for the love, not the money. Grass roots. Buy it
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