Rock Against Bush Vol. 1 CD

It should come as no surprise that the punk-rock community went to the mat in expressing their displeasure with the 2004 White House administration by releasing the CD/DVD combo ROCK AGAINST BUSH VOL. 1. More than just a 26-track rant against authority, this collection, compiled by Fat Wreck Chords owner/NOFX frontman Fat Mike, brings together a broad range of pop-punk acts whose choice of well-written songs are only superseded by Fat Mike's thoughtful liner notes. Here Mike points out that the purpose of ROCK AGAINST BUSH is not about "being punk rock and hating the government," but rather "being punk rock and changing the government."

To that end, the roster of acts involved range from the lollipop punk of Sum 41 ("Moron") and impassioned emo of New Found Glory ("No News Is Good News") to the righteous rants of Jello Biafra and D.O.A. ("That's Progress"). Sprinkled throughout the compilation are previously unreleased and rare songs, including the Ataris' lo-fi reading of Bad Religion's "Heaven Is Falling," a new version of the Offspring's 1991 song "Baghdad" (originally written about the first Bush administration), and Billy Bragg's sprightly collaboration with Less Than Jake on their track "The Brightest Bulb Has Burned Out."

In coordination with punkvoter.com, we bring you ROCK AGAINST BUSH Vol. 1. The purpose of this compilation is to raise awareness of punkvoter.com and their efforts to expose the evils of the Bush administration. The bands on this comp have come together with Punkvoter for one reason, and that's to express their outrage at—and form a unified front against—the dangerous, destructive, and deadly policies of George W. Bush and his administration. The comp consists of 26 songs, almost all of which are unreleased and exclusive, from some of the most notable bands in punk and rock: Social Distortion, NOFX, Ataris, Anti-Flag, New Found Glory, Alkaline Trio, Descendents, moreRolling Stone (p.89) - 3 stars out of 5 - "[A] refreshingly pointed collection of mostly unreleased but strong cuts..."