n first leafthrough of 20 Years of Dischord's lushly illustrated, extensively captioned companion booklet, I realized that the Teen Idles' debut 7" Minor Disturbance (DIS 1) came out the month I was born. Whether the label and I being the same age had anything to do with my intense devotion to much of the band's mid-90s output is probably irrelevant, but it does underscore several qualms I have about helming this review. First, I don't really feel old enough to speak authoritatively on Dischord's history and its monumental (I can confidently say that much) impact and influence on the capital's indie scene. Most of the bands on Disc 1 broke up before I started grade school, which means my only sense of what the scene looked, sounded and felt like comes from the live video files included on Disc 3. I'm not even from DC--which means I can't describe the lasting contributions of those early days to the town's current indie zeitgeist.


I can, however, assess at least three general factors that make for an effective and enjoyable box set. These are: 1) As a box set set, does it comprehensively cover whatever band/era/scene it claims to?, 2) Is the collected material enjoyable/worthwhile for the casual fan?, and 3) Do the unreleased and exclusive material make the box a viable purchase for the serious enthusiast? To further assist your acquisitory decision, I've included separate ratings for each category, averaged to form the overall rating listed at the top.


Comprehensiveness: 9.1. I'm going to confess right off the bat that this one's pretty arbitrary; I would've given it a ten but that I didn't want to skew the main score too highly. Befitting a label born in the nation's democratic heart (cough, cough), every band that's ever appeared on the label gets one and only one appearance on either of the first two discs, collectively subtitled "Fifty Bands." From the Teen Idles, the band whom the label was formed to distribute, through latest signees Q and not U, everyone that got an official release shows up. I'm sure the fans'll argue extra vehemently over the particular selections chosen, especially for better-known acts like Fugazi and Jawbox, but judging strictly by numbers, Dischord is (as in most respects) beyond reproach.


Casual fan value: 8.7. Like Fugazi? Obtain. Into Nation of Ulysses/The Make-Up? Procure. Dug the Minor Threat/Rites of Spring/Embrace axis of the mid-to-late 80s? Acquire. The wealth of material collected on the first two discs serves as an invaluable, inexpensive set of jump-off points for bands you've never heard, grouped in more-or-less chronological order alongside your well-worn favorites. Anyone strongly devoted to any one Dischord band will almost certainly discover at least a couple long-forgotten acts that will be of interest, since so much of the labels output is stylistically comparable. Plus, the $25 price tag puts it well within almost any fan's price range and offers more music for the money than the two CDs the cash otherwise would've picked up.


Serious enthusiast value: 7.8. Actually, this value should be adjusted according to just how "serious" a Dischord/DC punk fan you are. Generally, the more assiduous you are/have been about supporting the scene, the less 20 Years will have to teach you. But again, I'd say there's great historical value in hearing the capital sound progress from rudimentary Pistolsesque punk (Teen Idles, SOA, early Government Issue) through the proto-emo of Rites of Spring, Soulside and Lungfish into the eclectic, mathy complexity spearheaded by Fugazi for which the label was best known in the 90s. The aforementioned booklet justifies at least half the box's cost, as it includes photos of each band (and every single Dischord release) and brief band biographies which, taken together, provide a fairly good history of the DC indie scene between 1981 and 2000 (old-school DC scenesters, please feel free to correct me on this). In any event, it's a joy to read as it contains random tidbits about some of my favorite groups that I'd never read in any previous press. New stuff: that's a flag for all you fence-sitters.


Speaking of which, the box's third disc consists, "Rare and Unreleased," delivers what it promises. This is another value for completists, as the disc contains odds and ends culled mostly from the label's 80s notables including the Teen Idles, SOA, Minor Threat, GI, and of course Fugazi. Musically, this disc'll be of most interest to fans of the fast, sloppy 'n lo-fi aesthetic that early Dischordians made their sonic trademark. To be honest, some of the live tracks are downright awful, though for me the de-vaulted Fugazi, Dag Nasty, and Shudder to Think make it worth skipping past the early Untouchables and Idles outtakes. And I haven't even gotten to the live clips included on this ECD. . . you can almost smell the stale sweat, cigarette smoke and Manic Panic residue. Personally, I prefer this punk simulacrum (made possible by the miracle of MPEG) to actually slamming in the pogo-pits of that primitive yesteryear.


Indie and punk rock have seen worlds of change since those shows were taped, but 20 Years of Dischord makes at least one fact crystal-clear: DC punks may not all have had the name recognition of their NY and California counterparts, but for the past 20 years they've contributed far more than their share of inspirational, venue-shaking rawk to a devoted, significant fanbase.