In 1982, a time when hardcore punk was still an underground phenomenon and the mainstream music media treated punk as a dead issue, Dave Dictor, the leader of anarchist hardcore punk band
MDC, conceived a remarkably ambitious project.
P.E.A.C.E./War was a two-LP collection that featured songs from 55 bands from around the world as well as a 72-page booklet coordinated by the editors of Maximum Rock 'n' Roll; featuring songs about the dangers of the global arms race and the threat of nuclear war,
P.E.A.C.E./War (the first part of the title was an acronym for Peace, Energy, Action, Cooperation, and Evolution) was intended to show that hardcore had grown into a global phenomenon, and that radical music and leftist politics could work hand in hand. (In line with the ideals of the project, Dictor and his R Radical Records label released the album as a fundraiser, with all profits donated to various antiwar and disarmament organizations.) Released in 1984, most of the best and best-known hardcore acts of the day appeared on
P.E.A.C.E./War, including
MDC,
Dead Kennedys,
Crass,
D.O.A.,
Butthole Surfers,
the Dicks,
D.R.I., False Prophets, and
Subhumans, as well as bands from Italy, Denmark, Argentina, Germany, Spain, Japan, and South Africa. Representing the bleeding edge of hardcore punk in the
Reagan era,
P.E.A.C.E./War is music that hasn't mellowed much with age; these bands nearly always sought to be confrontational and polarizing, and this music is still fast, urgent, and abrasive, short bursts of rage against a world seemingly on the verge of self-destruction. And while the very specific sound of '80s hardcore dates this album a bit, the strongest cuts still signify, and as much of the specifics have changed, the ultimate message hasn't changed as much as anyone would hope. [In 1999, New Red Archives reissued
P.E.A.C.E./War on CD, adding five extra tracks from their catalog, through the fact that the original booklet had not been included for the new edition made more of a difference.] ~ Mark Deming