The Virus That Would Not Die

• Artist: Various Artists
• Release Date: November 18, 1997
• Total Time: 70:52
• Type: Collection (various artists), Compilation (best of)
• Genre: Rock

Review

A sampler of the first 18 years of Alternative Tentacles' existence, The Virus That Would Not Die is a variety-packed compilation of punk rock and its various offshoots. Compiled by Jello Biafra, the album is filled with the dark and abrasive hardcore that made the Dead Kennedys such an imposing force. Excellent songs from Facepuller, Nomeansno, and the Crucifucks are the best examples of this approach. But Biafra loves anti-establishment music of all kinds, and his eclectic tastes make this more than just a generic label showcase. These other additions include the churning and moody grindcore of Logical Nonsense, the prison-bashing spoken-word power of Mumia Abu-Jamal, the overdriven sonic assault of Pachinko, the swaggering indie rock of Half Japanese, the political comedy of standup extremist Judi Bari, and the usual entertaining blather from Wesley Willis. Life After Life's intensely bizarre tribute to "Marijuana" is probably the closest anything comes to a party anthem, while Buzzkill's "Video" starts the record with a gleefully sardonic tribute to MTV. And as a throwback to '80s punk, the Dicks' awesome anti-cop anthem (and future Mudhoney live staple) "Dicks Hate the Police" is here in all its hateful glory. It's definitely hit or miss, as the spoken-word moments may be too heavy for most listeners and Man Is the Bastard's admirable eight-minute monster, "Sublerfuge," is a drastic test of patience. But factor in the low price and sheer amount of variety, and this turns out to be a very accurate sampler for a label that challenges its fans on a regular basis. ~ Bradley Torreano, All Music Guide

Tracks

Track Title	Composers	Performers	Time
Video	Buzzkill	Buzzkill	(1:15)
Trainwreck		Dead & Gone	(2:17)
Half Life		Logical Nonsense	(2:24)
Bored With Beauty	Facepuller	Facepuller	(2:52)
Oklahoma City Alarm Clock		Fixtures	(3:00)
Life Sentence	Jello Biafra	Dead Kennedys	(2:38)
Dicks Hate the Police	Dicks, Buff Parrott, Gary Floyd, Pat Deason, Glen Taylor	Dicks	(1:58)
A Bright Shining Hell		Mumia Abu-Jamal	(3:31)
Trouble Shake	Zen Guerrilla	Zen Guerrilla	(2:27)
5 Cents Hustler Pt. II: Trouble in Vegas		Pachinko	(2:46)
Swell Song	Hissanol	Hissanol	(2:02)
Wrong Bathroom	Leslie Mah, Lynn Flipper, Tribe 8, Lynn Breedlove, Tantrum, Slade Bellum	Tribe 8	(2:55)
Sometimes I Get This Urge	Thrall	Thrall	(3:30)
Would We Be Alive?	Residents	Nomeansno	(5:56)
C'mon Baby	Tim Foljahn, Gilles V. Rieder, Jad Fair, John Sluggett	Half Japanese	(2:07)
I Wanna Be a Drug Sniffing Dog	Jello Biafra	Lard	(3:17)
Sleepin' on Bowery Street		Ultra Bidé	(2:45)
Bomb School		Judi Bari	(3:18)
The Story of Thomas McElwee	Doc Corbin Dart, David W. Breher	Crucifucks	(5:00)
Marijuana		Life After Life	(2:53)
The Chicken Cow	Wesley Willis	Wesley Willis	(2:25)
Subterfuge		Man Is the Bastard	(7:59)
King of the Road	Roger Miller	D.H. Peligro	(1:37)

Credits

Crucifucks (?), Dead & Gone (Performer), Life After Life (Performer), George Horn (Editing), Zen Guerrilla (Performer), Judi Bari (?), Logical Nonsense (?), Nomeansno (?), Dead & Gone (?), George Horn (Mastering), Facepuller (?), Wesley Willis (Performer), Fixtures (Performer), Man Is the Bastard (Performer), Hissanol (Performer), Pachinko (Performer), Jello Biafra (Sequencing), Judi Bari (Performer), Mumia Abu-Jamal (Speech/Speaker/Speaking Part), Ultra Bidé (?), Nomeansno (Performer), Dead Kennedys (Performer), Facepuller (Performer), Thrall (?), Tribe 8 (?), Life After Life (?), Buzzkill (Performer), Zeni Geva (?), Crucifucks (Performer), Buzzkill (?), Zen Guerrilla (?), Lard (Performer), Dicks (Performer), Hissanol (?), Half Japanese (?), Man Is the Bastard (?), Lard (?), Ultra Bidé (Performer), Fixtures (?), Wesley Willis (?), Logical Nonsense (Performer), D.H. Peligro (Performer), Mumia Abu-Jamal (Performer), D.H. Peligro (?), Pachinko (?), Dicks (?), Tribe 8 (Performer), Thrall (Performer), Half Japanese (Performer), Dead Kennedys (?)