20 Years of Dischord


20 Years of Dischord is a three-disc box set compiled by Washington-based record label Dischord Records to commemorate its 20th anniversary.

Overview

20 Years of Dischord is a concise but representative musical chronicle of the first two decades of the label originally created by Ian MacKaye and Jeff Nelson as teenagers in 1980 with the sole purpose of releasing Minor Disturbance, their band, the Teen Idles, debut EP; but that, over time, it went on to document the most part of the music coming out of the U.S. capital city's underground community, becoming highly influential.
The core of the collection are the first two discs, packaged together into a single CD case under the title Fifty Bands, which contains 50 songs, one track from each band that appeared on the label from 1980 to 2000, all of them previously released, featured in roughly chronological order, showing the musical evolution of the scene.

The third disc, an enhanced CD titled Unreleased and Rare, consists of a variety of outtakes, demos and live recordings from the Dischord vaults, also includes an early interview with MacKaye, as well as some video files of archival footage featuring performances by the Teen Idles, Untouchables, State of Alert, the Faith, Void, and Deadline. The songs that make up the disc were also released separately, as a collection, and individually, as downloadables digital audio files.
The box set includes a profusely illustrated 134-page book titled Putting DC on the Map. Introduced by MacKaye, Nelson and Henry Rollins, the booklet contains a brief historic review of the label, a profile of each of the bands featured on the compilation, and a pictorial discography.

Production and release

Conceived by Ian MacKaye and Jeff Nelson, the 20 Years of Dischord box set was edited by Don Zientara at Inner Ear Studios in Arlington, Virginia. Chad Clark was in charge of the audio mastering at Silver Sonya Recording and Mastering, also located in Arlington. The video files on the enhanced CD were edited by Chris Mills and Guillaume Bernardeau at the studio of RHED Pixel, located outside of Washington, D.C.
Dischord Records released the collection on October 1, 2002.

''14 Bonus Tracks 2000–2008''

In November 2008, 20 Years of Dischord was updated with an additional compilation titled 14 Bonus Tracks 2000–2008, featuring songs, all of them previously released, from 14 bands who have had releases on the label since 2000 through 2008. Available only in MP3 format through digital download, this bonus collection has been sold separately or offered for free with the purchase of the original box set.

Track listings

''Unreleased and Rare''

Enhanced CD containing additional video files.

''14 Bonus Tracks 2000–2008''

Digital collection released in 2008 as an update of the original compilation.

Personnel

These were the lineups for each of the fifty songs featured on discs 1 and 2.
;The Teen Idles
;Untouchables
;State of Alert
  • Henry Garfield – vocals
  • Michael Hampton – guitar
  • Wendel Blow – bass
  • Simon Jacobsen – drums
;Minor Threat
;Void
  • John Weiffenbach – vocals
  • Jon "Bubba" Dupree – guitar
  • Chris Stover – bass
  • Sean Finnegan – drums
;Youth Brigade
  • Nathan Strejcek – vocals
  • Tom Clinton – guitar
  • Bert Queiroz – bass
  • Danny Ingram – drums
;Government Issue
  • John Stabb – vocals
  • John Barry – guitar
  • Brian Gay – bass
  • Mark Alberstadt – drums
;Scream
;Iron Cross
  • Sab Grey – vocals
  • Mark Haggerty – guitar
  • Wendel Blow – bass
  • Dante Ferrando – drums
;Red C
  • Eric Lagdameo – vocals
  • Pete Murray – guitar
  • Toni Young – bass
  • Tomas Squip – drums
;Deadline
  • Ray Hare – vocals
  • Chris Caron – guitar
  • Terry Scanlon – bass
  • Brendan Canty – drums
;Artificial Peace
  • Steve Polcari – vocals
  • Pete Murray – guitar
  • Rob Moss – bass
  • Mike Manos – drums
;The Faith
  • Alec MacKaye – vocals
  • Michael Hampton – guitar
  • Eddie Janney – guitar
  • Chris Bald – bass
  • Ivor Hanson – drums
;Skewbald/Grand Union
  • Ian MacKaye – vocals
  • Eddie Janney – guitar
  • John Falls – bass
  • Jeff Nelson – drums
;Marginal Man
  • Steve Polcari – vocals
  • Pete Murray – guitar
  • Kenny Inouye – guitar
  • Andre Lee – bass
  • Mike Manos – drums
;Gray Matter
  • Geoff Turner – vocals, guitar
  • Mark Haggerty – guitar
  • Steve Niles – bass
  • Dante Ferrando – drums
;Rites of Spring
;Beefeater
  • Tomas Squip – vocals
  • Fred Smith – guitar
  • Dug E. Bird – bass
  • Kenny Craun – drums
;The Snakes
  • Simon Jacobsen – vocals, guitar, bass, keyboards
  • Michael Hampton – vocals, drums, keyboards, guitar, bass
;Dag Nasty
;Embrace
  • Ian MacKaye – vocals
  • Michael Hampton – guitar
  • Chris Bald – bass
  • Ivor Hanson – drums
;Soulside
;Egg Hunt
  • Ian MacKaye – vocals, guitar, bass
  • Jeff Nelson – drums, backing vocals
;One Last Wish
  • Guy Picciotto – vocals
  • Michael Hampton – guitar
  • Eddie Janney – bass
  • Brendan Canty – drums
;Fire Party
  • Amy Pickering – vocals
  • Natalie Avery – guitar
  • Kate Samworth – bass
  • Nicky Thomas – drums
;Ignition
  • Alec MacKaye – vocals
  • Chris Bald – guitar
  • Chris Thomson – bass
  • Dante Ferrando – drums
;Three
  • Geoff Turner – vocals, guitar
  • Mark Haggerty – guitar
  • Steve Niles – bass
  • Jeff Nelson – drums
;Shudder to Think
  • Craig Wedren – vocals
  • Chris Matthews – guitar
  • Stuart Hill – bass
  • Mike Russell – drums
;Happy Go Licky
  • Guy Picciotto – vocals, guitar
  • Eddie Janney – guitar, vocals, tape loops
  • Michael Fellows – bass, vocals
  • Brendan Canty – drums
;Fugazi
  • Ian MacKaye – vocals, guitar
  • Guy Picciotto – vocals, guitar
  • Joe Lally – bass
  • Brendan Canty – drums
;Lungfish
  • Daniel Higgs – vocals
  • Asa Osborne – guitar
  • John Chriest – bass
  • Mitchell Feldstein – drums
;Fidelity Jones
  • Tomas Squip Jones – vocals
  • Andy Charneco – guitar
  • Dug E. Bird – bass
  • Jerry Busher – drums
;The Nation of Ulysses
;Holy Rollers
  • Marc Lambiotte – vocals, guitar
  • Joe Aronstamn – bass, vocals
  • Maria Jones – drums, vocals
  • Ian MacKaye – additional vocals
  • Amy Pickering – additional vocals, tambourine
;Jawbox
  • J. Robbins – vocals, guitar
  • Bill Barbot – guitar, vocals
  • Kim Coletta – bass
  • Zachary Barocas – drums
;Severin
  • Alec Bourgeois – vocals, guitar
  • Mark Haggerty – guitar
  • Eugene Bogan – bass, bagpipes
  • Alex Daniels – drums
;High Back Chairs
  • Peter Hayes – vocals, guitar
  • Jim Spellman – guitar
  • Charles Steck – bass
  • Jeff Nelson – drums
;Autoclave
;Circus Lupus
  • Chris Thomson – vocals
  • Chris Hamley – guitar
  • Seth Lorinczi – bass, additional vocals
  • Arika Casebolt – drums
  • Joan Jett – additional vocals
  • Amy Pickering – additional vocals
;Branch Manager
  • Ron Winters – vocals, guitar
  • Dave Allen – bass
  • Derrick Decker – drums
;Slant 6
  • Christina Billotte – vocals, guitar
  • Myra Power – bass, vocals
  • Marge Marshall – drums
;Hoover
  • Joseph McRedmond – guitar, vocals
  • Alexander T. Dunham – guitar, vocals
  • Frederick Erskine – bass, vocals
  • Christopher Farrall – drums
;Trusty
  • Bobby Matthews – vocals, guitar
  • James Brady – guitar
  • Brad Long – bass
  • Jim Schaffer – drums
;Smart Went Crazy
  • Chad Clark – vocals, guitar
  • Jeff Boswell – guitar
  • Abram Goodrich – bass
  • Hilary Soldati – cello
  • Devin Ocampo – drums
;The Crownhate Ruin
  • Joseph McRedmond – vocals, guitar
  • Frederick Erskine – vocals, bass
  • Vin Novara – drums
;The Warmers
;Make-Up
  • Ian Svenonius – vocals
  • James Canty – guitar, organ
  • Michelle Mae – bass
  • Steve Gamboa – drums
;Bluetip
  • Jason Farrell – vocals, guitar
  • Dave Stern – guitar
  • Jake Kump – bass
  • Dave Bryson – drums
;Faraquet
  • Devin Ocampo – guitar, vocals
  • Jeff Boswell – bass
  • Chad Molter – drums
;Q and Not U
  • Chris Richards – guitar, vocals
  • Harris Klahr – guitar, vocals
  • Matt Borlik – bass
  • John Davis – drums
;Production