Overground's 1980s Anarcho Punk Compilations (Volumes 1-4: Anti- torrent

Overground collected four highly-acclaimed volumes drawing upon long out of print singles, discarded demos, and forgotten outtakes to tell the story of Britain's early-to mid-'80s anarchist-punk movement.

Anti-War takes its title from the opening cut by Dirt. The album serves as a wake-up call to everybody who declares the anarchistpunk scene to be little more than a succession of increasingly smudged photocopies of Crass' original manifesto: the 23 bands here highlight some of the most remarkable acts in the arena -- Zounds, Flowers in the Dustbin, Anthrax, Rubella Ballet and the Lost Cherrees among them.

Anti-State: Anarcho-Punk, Vol. 2 offers up 21 cuts with a coherence that few similarly far-reaching compilations could ever muster. Thematically less focused than the preceding Anti-War, Anti-State is the story of social protest during the first years of Thatcher's Britain. It's an approach that rounds up some surprisingly diverse musical attacks -- Blyth Power's ferocious folk, the Disruptors' almost-stadium rocking riffola, and the early Chumbawamba's polemic-plus-power chords possess a vital variety that will astonish anyone who comes in expecting wall-to-wall Crass covers.

Anti-Society rounds up some of the less remembered but nevertheless crucial lights on the scene. Hagar the Womb, Oi Polloi, and the immortally named Thatcher on Acid are probably the best-known names here, but they are by no means the very best. Excellent contributions from Icons of Filth, Karma Sutra, and Untermensch have a compulsive power that cannot help but remind listeners just how vital this music was, both to its own time and place and, because its sentiments were so universal (and its enemies so all-pervasive), to the modern world.

Anti-Capitalism is sometimes stunning, occasionally sluggish, but never less than startling slabs of 7" and 12" vinyl, that once again run the gamut of the movement at its peak. In terms of name recognition, everyone's here -- Conflict, who open the show with "Mighty and Superior," Rudimentary Peni ("Teenage Time Killer"), Anathema ("Your Ulster,") and Crass, the daddies of the entire scene, who deliver a previously unavailable version of "What Do You Want." As with the other volumes in this series, Anti-Capitalism is not necessarily the easiest listening material, even for converts.

Together, they add up to the most complete portrait of the era you could hope for. Crank it up, open all your windows, and give the neighbors a taste of music that really, genuinely means something. They might thank you for it later.

ANTI-WAR: Anarcho-Punk Compilation Vol. 1
Released 2005 on Overground Records (UK)

1 Dirt Antiwar 2:53
2 Zounds War 1:31
3 Metro Youth Red Rifles 2:13
4 Flowers In The Dustbin November's Song 3:21
5 Kronstadt Uprising Blind People 1:59
6 Political Asylum Disarm Or Die 2:19
7 Astronauts Typically English Day 2:43
8 Anthrax Introduction To War 1:07
9 A-Heads Forgotten Hero 4:27
10 The System Dogs Of War 5:21
11 Sanction Unknown Soldier 3:02
12 Instigators The Blood Is On Your Hands 2:54
13 Blood Robots The Valley 3:08
14 Lost Cherrees Why Does It Have To Be A Dream 3:18
15 Riot/Clone Neu-vestation 1:32
16 Youth In Asia When The Wind Blows 3:58
17 Psycho Faction Threat 2:30
18 Naked What A Way To Die 2:59
19 Omega Tribe Duty Calls 3:52
20 Anti-System Government Lies 1:53
21 Faction Obligatory War Song 2:50
22 Rubella Ballet Belfast 1:28
23 The Snipers I Know 2:50

ANTI-STATE: Anarcho-Punk Compilation Vol. 2
Released 2005 on Overground Records (UK)

1 A Touch Of Hysteria The Rulers 2:45
2 Urban Decay Severalls 2:08
3 The Mob Gates Of Hell 2:51
4 Flux Of Pink Indians Progress 1:38
5 Blyth Power Hurling Time 3:26
6 Amebix Axeman 2:48
7 Subhumans So Much Money 2:55
8 Famous Imposters Fighting Again 2:38
9 Poison Girls Bully Boys 2:17
10 Decadent Few Lowlife 4:17
11 Toxic Waste Traditionally Yours 4:17
12 Toxik Ephex Nothings Permissive 3:12
13 Disrupters Stonehenge 3:43
14 Decadence Within A Breath Of Fresh Air 2:01
15 No Defences Willing Cripples 6:46
16 Chumbawamba Revolution 4:42
17 Civilised Society I Can Be Free 3:52
18 Sinyx The Plague 2:41
19 Assassins From The Gutter 4:46
20 Polemic Deceptive Ideals 2:00
21 The Eratics Capital Punishment 2:24

ANTI-SOCIETY: Anarcho-Punk Compilation Vol. 3
Released 2006 on Overground Records (UK)

1 Reality Control Forgive Us 3:44
2 Icons Of Filth Your Military 2:36
3 Sears Not Prepared 4:23
4 A.O.A Who Are They Trying To Con? 3:37
5 Liberty Revenge 2:35
6 Dave Asgrove Band I Rebel 4:05
7 Karma Sutra Fantasy Ball 1:55
8 Icon A.D. Seeing Is Believing 3:06
9 Exit-Stance Christian Militia 4:27
10 Alternative Where Are Your Hiroshimas? 1:09
11 Look Mummy Clowns Sell Your Dreams 3:57
12 Reality Acceptable Death Loss 1:56
13 Thatcher On Acid Our Gods Are Falling Down 1:38
14 Part 1 Salem 3:24
15 Andy T Exploitation 0:52
16 Revulsion Out Of Touch 3:39
17 Apostles Beserker 1:46
18 Untermensch Ashfield Valley Headkick 2:42
19 Hagar The Womb Dressed To Kill 3:04
20 Stalag 17 Doomsday Machine 3:07
21 Oi Polloi Stop Vivisection Now 1:04
22 Anti State Control M.U.S.E. 2:15
23 Mental Attack 2:38

ANTI-CAPITALISM: Anarcho-Punk Compilation Vol. 4
Released 2006 on Overground Records (UK)

1 Conflict Mighty And Superior 3:50
2 Living Legend Island Wars 4:24
3 Crass What Do You Want 2:33
4 Atomic Filth Atomic Filth 1:47
5 Anarka And Poppy If It Dies We Die 3:02
6 D & V Wake Up 1:24
7 Cold War The Machinist 2:54
8 Legion Of Parasites Massacre 2:22
9 Epileptics What Have You Got To Smile About? 2:29
10 Rudimentary Peni Teenage Time Killer 1:13
11 Tears Of Destruction Death Of A Nation 3:19
12 Danbert Nobacon A Million Wat Tylers 2:04
13 Kulturkampf We Need No More 3:14
14 Dominant Patri Death Of Thomas 3:06
15 Cravats Xmp 2:28
16 Slaughter Of The Innocents A New Dark Age 2:28
17 Freeborn I Want My Life To Begin 3:25
18 Culture Shock Ten Per Cent Off 2:50
19 Anathema Your Ulster 3:49
20 Committee Ring The Bell 4:50
21 Nik Toczek Road Crash 2:15
22 Hex Decide 2:20
23 Antisect Heresy 3:05