Wow, how ironic! Just about a week ago, one of my friends was complaining about how much he had to pay some snot-nosed kid on Ebay for an old beat-up Government Issue record. Boy, is he going to be surprised when I show him this brand new two CD set! Not only can we now get all of G.I.'s out-of-print material on CD, but we can support the band and a fine label instead of some sellout kid making money off punk rock. On these two CDs, you can trace GI's evolution from 1981 to the late 1980's, beginning with the time when they were another noisy, thrashy hardcore punk unit from Washington, DC, to the time when they were enduring, influential, melodic, and experimental.

Complete History Volume One includes the Make An Effort EP, Boycott Stabb LP, Joy Ride LP, The Fun Just Never Ends LP, Give Us Stabb Or Give Us Death EP, Live! LP, G.I. LP, five extra live tracks, and one compilation song for a whopping total of 80 cuts. The material from Make An Effort and Boycott Stabb is full-speed-ahead punk-fucking-rock that puts the band in the same category as Black Flag, the Circle Jerks, and Minor Threat. The Joy Ride portion pays more attention to production and quality but preserves the band's original raw, powerful sound. The Fun Just Never Ends and Give Us Stabb albums progress in the same direction, but are catchier and more melodic like Husker Du or Dag Nasty in the middle of their careers. Live! compiles their favorite live tracks from 1981 to 1985, while G.I. finds the band combining the same melodic hardcore with organs, sitars, and other experimental elements. Sound a bit overwhelming? Well, it might be for those who have never heard Government Issue before. However, for those who have heard them and recognize their importance to the punk scene, Complete History Volume One will most certainly be one of the most welcome rereleases of the year. On top of that, you won't have to spend most of this week's paycheck to obtain all of the band's material.


1. Teenager in a Box
2. No Way Out
3. Twisted Views
4. Sheer Terror
5. G.I.
6. Hall of Fame
7. Hour of 1
8. G.I.
9. Puppet on a String
10. Sheer Terror
11. Happy People
12. Lost in Limbo
13. Plain to See
14. Partyline
15. Here's the Rope
16. Insomniac
17. Religious Ripoff
18. Sheer Terror
19. G.I.
20. Happy People
21. No Rights
22. Puppet on a String
23. Blending In
24. Understand
25. 4-Wall Hermit
26. Familiar
27. Time to Escape
28. Hey Ronnie
29. Joy Ride
30. Hall of Fame
plus 50 more!