I've been waiting two years for this release. I was elated when it was announced that Dischord Records' 20 Years of Dischord box set was finally finished. This review might be long, but you'll have a good idea of what to expect if you pick up this package. Which you should. It's freaking amazing.

This box set is huge if you think about it, but comes in a very small, nicely designed package. Here's what you'll get: two discs with a track from every band that was ever on Dischord, plus each band that was on the infamous Flex Your Head compilation (rounds out to a nice number: 50 tracks in all), a disc of rare and unreleased material, six live clips, and a 134-page book. Down to earth but well-composed photography graces the outside of the box as well as the CD sleeves and all throughout the book.

I won't give you a track-by-track breakdown of the first two discs, we'd be here all day. But each song that was picked is just a tiny representation of a band that has its own whole history and culture built around it. I'll admit I haven't listened to every band that Dischord ever put out, but I'm thinking that I should have. What's on these CDs is a group of talented, smart, witty, emotional, in-tune people who contributed volumes to the DC hardcore scene, and left a legacy for themselves. I mean, think about the major music movements or scenes that you've heard of. Grunge? Gone in less than a decade. Hippies? Nope, they're not around. Punk? Nah, even that's dead. But Dischord has been a driving force in the hardcore scene since the beginning and they are still building the DC scene today. They found a formula. They've stood the test of time. They should be dang proud. And this box set proves it.

The book in itself is something to behold. The front cover features Ian Mackaye and Jeff Nelson as kids, when Dischord started, sitting in the office, surrounded by records, and both looking like kids who knew exactly what they wanted. The back is Ian and Jeff today, sitting in the same place and looking like kids who GOT exactly what they wanted. Inside the book, you've got images of flyers and ads for Dischord, a lengthy intro from none other than Henry Rollins. Then each band on the release gets a 2-page spread, one for a photo, the other for lineup, track info, and a bio on the band. Amazing stories in here. Then comes a pictoral documentation of the entire Dischord catalog, a list of all the split records they've ever done, and thank-you pages to Don Zientara, Skip Groff, et. al. This book is an impressive artifact in itself, and although I hate to say something like this, it's "A must-have for any serious music collector/history buff." Now for the rare and unreleased goodies. There are six live clips on disc 3, from the likes of Deadline, Faith, S.O.A., Teen Idles, The Untouchables, and Void. They are all worth watching, and if you've ever been to a hardcore show, you feel immediately at home when watching them. You can just sense the atmosphere in the room. These kids are at their best, and you know it. The video from Void is simply inspirational. I wish I had been at that show.

Two tracks from Teen Idles start off disc 3. Get Up and Go is punchy, fast, and definitely danceable. Deadhead is an amusing song ridiculing (of course) deadheads. There is a funny part in it where they switch to acoustic guitars and parody The Dead's Casey Jones ("Trouble behind/trouble ahead/Only good deadhead is one that's dead"). The Untouchables cover Stepping Stone, and do a nice job, but I still prefer Minor Threat's cover. State of Alert play for 39 seconds. Then there are two live tracks from Minor Threat (Straight Edge and Understand). The vocals are surprisingly easy to decipher (for a live recording of a hardcore show), and you can feel the intensity of their dynamic. Man, I would have loved to see that band play. Government Issue contribute two tracks, Snubbing and Asshole (Ian Mackaye sings with them on that track). Then Minor Threat is back again with Asshole Dub, a very amusing reggae parody of the previous song. Yeah. Minor Threat playing reggae. Who would have thought it was possible. Youth Brigade play the 29 second I Object. Rozzlyn Rangers' self-titled song makes me laugh. With lyrics like We've got a washer/We've got a dryer, where can you go wrong? Void, Scream, and Deadline follow. Then one of my favorite tracks on this CD, Faith's No Choice. Marginal Man's Manipulator is next followed by an awesome (and apparently rare) track from Dag Nasty, All Ages Show. Fugazi add two tracks to the mix, The Word and a live recording of Burning. The first time I listened to this CD, and The Word came on, I immediately recognized it as Fugazi. I guess they just have their own unique sound, but somehow each song still remains distinctly different. After that comes Drop Dead Don't Blink from Shudder to Think. I can't help but like this song. It's melodic and danceable, what can I say? Circus Lupus and Slant 6 finish off the music. The last track, titled Interview, is a bunch of the Dischord kids back in the day. They all say their names and ages. The average age: nineteen. Ian talks for a few minutes about young bands (bands whose members are teenagers). It was really cool for me to hear this. I mean, it sounded just like me and my friends talking about music. Talking about our scene, what works, what doesn't. What we love, the way we live our lives. It could have been us. I think it still could be.