Peace Sells... but Who's Buying?
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| Peace Sells… but Who's Buying? | |||||
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| Studio album by Megadeth | |||||
| Released | November 1986 / July 2004 | ||||
| Recorded | 1986 | ||||
| Genre | Thrash metal, speed metal | ||||
| Length | 37:12(Original) 55:21(Remaster) |
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| Label | Combat Records Capitol Records |
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| Producer | Dave Mustaine, Randy Burns, and Andy Somers | ||||
| Professional reviews | |||||
| Megadeth chronology | |||||
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Peace Sells… but Who's Buying? is the second studio album by American heavy metal band Megadeth. Originally, the project was being handled by a small record company called Combat Records, and this resulted in the first mix of the album (nicknamed "Peace Diffs… but Who's Buyin?" aka "Peace Sells Combat Mix"), which can be found on the Internet as a bootleg. Eventually Capitol Records bought the rights to the album and a producer was hired to mix it himself. It was released in 1986. It was remixed and remastered in 2004 by Dave Mustaine (though it is not known if the remaster is of the Combat release, the Capitol release, or a combination of both).
The album's cover makes an ironic statement about the Cold War. On the backdrop of a red and orange sky, it shows the United Nations headquarters soon after a nuclear attack. In the foreground is the band's mascot, Vic Rattlehead. He stands above a sign reading "For Sale" ("Vic Realtors" appearing in some copies), implying that the United Nations is for sale. The cover and the title suggest that while peace is a popular theme, if it were sold as a commodity, no one would buy it. These themes carry into the title track, with its strong themes of youth disillusionment. Dave Mustaine lifted the title from a Reader's Digest article.
The song "Peace Sells" ranked #11 on VH1's 40 Greatest Metal Songs[1] and the bassline at its beginning was used for years as the theme for MTV News and also appeared in the 2002 videogame Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, playing on Rock station V-Rock.
Contents |
[edit] Track listing
All songs written by Dave Mustaine, except where noted.
- "Wake Up Dead" – 3:40
- "The Conjuring" – 5:05
- "Peace Sells" – 4:03
- "Devil's Island" – 5:05
- "Good Mourning/Black Friday" – 6:40
- "Bad Omen" – 4:06
- "I Ain't Superstitious" (Willie Dixon) – 2:45
- "My Last Words" – 4:55
[edit] 2004 Bonus Tracks
- "Wake Up Dead (Randy Burns Mix)" – 3:40
- "The Conjuring (Randy Burns Mix)" – 5:01
- "Peace Sells (Randy Burns Mix)" – 4:00
- "Good Mourning/Black Friday (Randy Burns Mix)" – 6:39
[edit] Song notes
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This article does not cite any references or sources. (November 2007) Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed. |
- "Wake Up Dead", which was originally entitled "Blood & Honor", is about Mustaine's personal experiences of sneaking past the woman he was staying with to be with another.
- "The Conjuring" is about a magical ritual.
- "Peace Sells" deals with disillusion, politics, Cold War politics, and military combat, which are recurring themes in later Megadeth albums. It is also about negative stereotypes, as referenced in the verses.
- "Devil's Island" is about an inmate at the infamous prison sentenced to death, but haunted by the woman he murdered. When he is brought to burn at the stake, a rain storm is seen as a sign from God and his execution is stayed, but he is doomed to live out his life on Devil's Island, haunted by his past. Mustaine also says in the Rude Awakenings DVD "This song is about a movie called Papillon"
- "Good Mourning" is mostly instrumental, with four lines of verse at the end. It segues into "Black Friday," which is about a possessed mass murderer.
- "Bad Omen" is about a black magic ritual that goes horribly wrong and costs the would-be summoners their souls.
- "I Ain't Superstitious" is a cover version of a Willie Dixon blues song with alternate lyrics, with the riffs relating to the version performed by Jeff Beck. The original recording was performed by Howlin' Wolf.
- "My Last Words" is about a game of Russian roulette.
- Songs "The Conjuring" and "Good Mourning/Black Friday" are no longer played live by Megadeth as Dave Mustaine believes they are too evil/satanic for his Christian beliefs.
[edit] Personnel
- Dave Mustaine - lead vocals, guitar
- David Ellefson - bass, backing vocals
- Chris Poland - guitar
- Gar Samuelson - drums
- Ed Repka - Cover artwork
[edit] Charts
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1986 | The Billboard 200 | 76 |
[edit] References
- ^ "VH1 40 Greatest Metal Songs", 1-4 May 2006, VH1 Channel, reported by VH1.com; last accessed September 10, 2006.
