When you open your Rock Against Bush CD, the liner notes read: “This compilation is not about making a profit; it’s about making a difference. It’s not about ‘Let’s be punk rock and hate the government’; it’s about ‘Let’s be punk rock and change the government.’ It’s not about who’s a sellout or who’s more punk; it’s about uniting against a common enemy.”
I couldn’t think of a better way to describe this CD than that. Fat Mike of Fat Wreck Chords and Punkvoter.com put together one of the best compilation CD’s I’ve ever seen, for one of the best causes I can think of. Even if this wasn’t a cause I support wholeheartedly (and if you don’t, you should read the 40 Reasons To Hate Bush Jr. included with this record), this album would be worth buying. It’s got everything from MTV-punks Sum 41 and The Ataris to punk royalty Jello Biafra (see Kaffeinebuzz review), Social Distortion and the Descendents. It’s got bands that are normally political (Anti-Flag, Against Me!, Strike Anywhere) and bands that you wouldn’t expect to see (Denali, the Get Up Kids). Industrial geniuses Ministry show up, and Billy Bragg plays a song with Less Than Jake.
There’s something for everyone on this Rock Against Bush compilation, and it might turn you on to some bands you wouldn’t have thought about before. Standout tracks include Jello Biafra with D.O.A. “That’s Progress,” Against Me! “Sink, Florida, Sink,” The Offspring, “Baghdad” (a remake of their song “Tehran”), Alkaline Trio, “Warbrain,” The Soviettes, “Paranoia! Cha-cha-cha,” and Rise Against, “Give It All.”
If the liner notes aren’t enough to sway you to Fat Mike and co.’s point of view, they’ve included a DVD as well, with music videos from NOFX, Anti-Flag, Bad Religion, and Strike Anywhere, a comedy piece by David Cross, trailers for documentaries detailing the inner workings of the 2000 election and the Iraq war, and the ads that CBS wouldn’t air during the Super Bowl (despite MoveOn.org’s raising over $1 million to pay for airtime).
The bottom line really is that you should buy this CD. It’s cheap, it’s for a good cause, and you just might learn something.
