There have been a couple of
D.O.A. comps here and there, but
War and Peace tries to do the near-impossible and cover 25-years worth of Joey Shithead and company on one disc. Does it succeed? Well, pretty fairly -- even if the band is better-represented with its earlier work on something like
Bloodied but Unbowed -- this is at least a solid tribute to sheer persistence. It also goes back to the very beginning, in 1978, with its restrained musical criticism -- as their 7" debut, "Disco Sucks," remains a snarling, gargling, goofily voiced explosion, and pretty damn on-the-nose when it came to being punk in the understood sense of the post-
Sex Pistols scene. The vast majority of songs come from the band's first ten years, and understandably so, given that's when the group made its name, and more or less codified its never-say-die punk stance. If Shithead has only changed his approach and sound by inches over time (most notably with reggae, and a sometimes calmer, poppier approach), it's not because he has a lack of targets specifically in his sites. Addressing nuclear paranoia ("World War 3"), and the Reagan years ("Fucked up Ronnie") in earlier days, the W.T.O. and multinationals are among the objects of wrath in more recent years, and at his best, Shithead makes his point with brusque, invigorating, and energetic songs. Years down the path, "The Enemy" and "Fuck You" still sound rude and great. A few rarities and one-offs help to fill out the collection, including "Behind the Smile," and a collaboration with
Jello Biafra on "That's Progress," both originally from the
Terminal City Ricochet soundtrack. A slew of sometimes hilarious archival photos, a roughly written but clear family tree, and complete lyrics and discography take care of the extra details for the newcomer. ~ Ned Raggett