Friday, September 19, 2008

MDC - Millions Of Dead Cops/More Dead Cops


The first MDC album might seem generic in its lyrics and music, but only in retrospect. In their day, MDC (along with a few others like Reagan Youth and the DKs) were braving uncharted territory in the US hardcore frontier: a HC band with unabashed leftist politics. The only US act to put out a record on Crass Records (their second 7" UK pressing), MDC took the ideology of UK peace punk and gave it the Texas punk treatment. Other than "John Wayne Was a Nazi," (their best song and a holdover from the days when they shared the funk influence of fellow Texans the Big Boys), this is simple, pissed-off hardcore with vocals high in the mix so y'all can make out (almost) every dogma-soaked word from Dave Dictor's mouth. Raging anthems like "Corporate Deathburger," "I Remember," and "Dead Cops/America's So Straight" caused quite a stir among US punkers who felt punk should be apolitical or nihilistic like the mass media told them it was (a little editorializing there). The latter song was the best, because it was a rare instance of a hardcore band addressing queer issues directly in their lyrics. Whatever may have happened later, and regardless of production flaws, this is a great set of songs with some exceptionally good lyrics on both the sociopolitical and personal/political side.--KFTH

MILLIONS OF DEAD COPS/MORE DEAD COPS is a great CD first because it compiles a bunch of MDC's early releases onto one disc. Secondly, the Millions of Dead Cops half really is a classic, early 80's old school punk staple. "Corporate Deathburger," "Dead Cops," "My Family's Just a Little Weird," and "John Wayne Was a Nazi," all punk classics. The More Dead Cops half, though, I like even more, because I like to see a band experiment, or see a band mix humor, a message, and punk together... "Radioactive Chocolate" and "Chicken Squawk," for example. Also, there's a slower, more funky version of "John Wayne Was a Nazi." Sometimes I like one better, sometimes the other. Get this disc for some real punk.--Amazon.com


Genre: Hardcore/Punk
Year: 1982/1988


Tracklist:

01. Business On Parade
02. Dead Cops/America's So Straight
03. Born To Die
04. Corporate Deathburger
05. Violent Rednecks
06. I Remember
07. John Wayne Was A Nazi
08. Dick For Brains
09. I Hate Work
10. My Family Is A Little Weird
11. Greedy & Pathetic
12. Church & State
13. Kill The Light
14. American Achievements
15. John Wayne Was A Nazi
16. Born To Die
17. Multi Death Corporation
18. Selfish ~love~
19. Radioactive Chocolate
20. No Place To Piss
21. Kleptomaniac
22. Chicken Squawk
23. Pecking Order
24. Pay To Come Along
25. Evolution In Rock
26. Spanish Castle Magic
27. Born Under A Bad Sign



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