Government Issue: The Complete History Vol. 2

A rare case where a Volume Two is the far superior. Part of that was basic evolution: D.C.'s GI began as an inferior hardcore-thrash band (with a singular front man in John Stabb, who earned all admiration the moment he appeared on stage wearing bondage clown pants as a statement!), but they were cogs in the original Dischord D.C. scene. Within a few years, they improved drastically on more potent LPs like Joyride and The Fun Just Never Ends, and then made a jump into more unique post-punk with 1986's self-titled record (all chronicled on
Volume I). But the rest of their breakthrough on Vol. 2 is a key lineup change, as 1987's fantastic You, which leads off this double-disc, shows in spades. A quantum leap in hefty, precise, pure power, You was clearly the result of the addition of a new, hot rhythm section in J. Robbins on bass (Jawbox, Burning Airlines) and drummer Peter Moffet (Wool, Burning Airlines). The pair's added harmonies (especially), superb playing, chops, and dexterity fit perfect with Stabb and guitarist Tom Lyle's clear plan to cut all ties with lame hardcore cretins -- while maintaining the big-guitar edge and bomb-running melodies of their punk roots. Drop in elements of psychedelia and '79-'83-Damned-like singing from Stabb, and his usual challenging lyrics (he was clearly beating himself up over a disastrous relationship with a too-young girl, but still had time to rightly chide the brain-dead remnants of post-1983 punk rockers in "Hole in the Scene"), and you have one of the best punk-inspired LPs of the middle 1980s. Stabb says, in these liner notes, "Whenever someone is unfamiliar with the name GI, introduce them to this album." Indeed. The addition of their final studio LP, Crash (nearly as good, if a little more of a melange of different stuff, including some minor hard-rock leanings), and an entire second disc of primo live recordings of this ultimate lineup makes it an even more rock-solid pick-up....by Jack Rabid, The Big Takeover



Genre: Hardcore
Year: 2000









Tracklist:

Disc 1

01. Jaded Eyes
02. Beyond
03. Man In A Trap
04. Caring Line
05. Young Love
06. Where You Live
07. Wishing
08. Public Stage
09. World, You And I
10. Hole In The Scene
11. Melancholy Miss
12. Public Stage (Live)
13. Another Day
14. Strange Wine
15. Better Than TV
16. Time Will Rearrange
17. Connecticut
18. Crash
19. The Price
20. The Fear
21. Summer Of Blood
22. For Ever

Disc 2

01. Strange Wine (Live)
02. Where You Live (Live)
03. Blending In (Live)
04. Understand (Live)
05. Better Than TV (Live)
06. Jaded Eyes (Live)
07. Mad At Myself (Live)
08. Beyond (Live)
09. Wishing (Live)
10. The Price (Live)
11. Public Stage (Live)
12. Connecticut (Live)
13. It Begins Now (Live)
14. Last Forever (Live)
15. Wishing (Live)
16. Another Day (Live)
17. Understand (Live)
18. Beyond (Live)
19. Mad At Myself (Live)
20. Forever (Live)
21. Jaded Eyes (Live)
22. Say Something (Live)
23. Visions And? (Live)
24. Caring Line (Live)
25. Hole In The Scene (Live)
26. They Know (Live)
27. Where You Live (Live)
28. Rabbits (Live)
29. The Land Of Me (Live)







part1
part2

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