Legendary punk label Dischord Records will be reissuing their historical first six releases as a box set in celebration of their 40th anniversary. Notably, the First Six Dischord Records release will be given their catalog number ‘Dischord 200.’
Minor Threat frontman Ian MacKaye and drummer Jeff Nelson co-founded the label in 1980 for the release of their previous band The Teen Idles’ only release, Minor Disturbance EP. Around that time, they formed Minor Threat alongside guitarist Lyle Preslar and bassist Brian Baker and prepared to release the highly-influential hardcore band’s first two EPs, Minor Threat and In My Eyes, as Dischord 3 and Dischord 5 respectively. Their first EP is their most famous release, and produced most of the band’s biggest songs, including “Minor Threat,” “Straight Edge” and “I Don’t Wanna Hear It.”
Dischord 2 was S.O.A.’s No Policy EP, which is on equal footing as The Teen Idles’ EP historically. What The Teen Idles was for MacKaye, S.O.A. was for Henry Rollins. Each band only lasted a year before breaking up, and featured legendary punk vocalists right before they moved on to their iconic acts, Minor Threat and Black Flag, respectively. However, MacKaye was only the bassist and backing vocalist for The Teen Idles, while Rollins was S.O.A.’s lead singer before he moved out to California and joined Black Flag.
The other two releases put out by Dischord in 1980-1981 weren’t able to match the historical value of the other three, but they’re still well-respected hardcore punk classics. Dischord 4 was Government Issue’s Legless Bull EP, which was the band’s first release, and their only release featuring Minor Threat’s Brian Baker on guitar. Government Issue didn’t meet the same popularity as Minor Threat or Henry Rollins, but they had a solid 10-year run as one of the signature acts of the Washington, DC hardcore scene.
The last of the label’s first six releases was Youth Brigade’s Possible EP, featuring The Teen Idles’ lead vocalist Nathan Strejcek. They were another band that only lasted for one release, but unfortunately, Strejcek left the scene after that.
First Six Dischord Records will only be available for mail-order through Dischord, and can be pre-ordered here for $50. It will also include a 12-page lyrics sheet. The date that the records will begin shipping out hasn’t been revealed yet, but since the set is Dischord 200 in the catalog and the label’s last release was Dischord 191 (Soul Side – This Ship), it may be a while before they arrive.
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