Overground collected four highly-acclaimed volumes drawing upon long out of print singles, discarded demos, and forgotten outtakes to tell the story of Britain's early-to mid-'80s anarchist-punk movement. 

Anti-War takes its title from the opening cut by Dirt. The album serves as a wake-up call to everybody who declares the anarchistpunk scene to be little more than a succession of increasingly smudged photocopies of Crass' original manifesto: the 23 bands here highlight some of the most remarkable acts in the arena -- Zounds, Flowers in the Dustbin, Anthrax, Rubella Ballet and the Lost Cherrees among them. 

Anti-State: Anarcho-Punk, Vol. 2 offers up 21 cuts with a coherence that few similarly far-reaching compilations could ever muster. Thematically less focused than the preceding Anti-War, Anti-State is the story of social protest during the first years of Thatcher's Britain. It's an approach that rounds up some surprisingly diverse musical attacks -- Blyth Power's ferocious folk, the Disruptors' almost-stadium rocking riffola, and the early Chumbawamba's polemic-plus-power chords possess a vital variety that will astonish anyone who comes in expecting wall-to-wall Crass covers.

Anti-Society rounds up some of the less remembered but nevertheless crucial lights on the scene. Hagar the Womb, Oi Polloi, and the immortally named Thatcher on Acid are probably the best-known names here, but they are by no means the very best. Excellent contributions from  Icons of Filth, Karma Sutra, and Untermensch have a compulsive power that cannot help but remind listeners just how vital this music was, both to its own time and place and, because its sentiments were so universal (and its enemies so all-pervasive), to the modern world.

Anti-Capitalism is sometimes stunning, occasionally sluggish, but never less than startling slabs of 7" and 12" vinyl, that once again run the gamut of the movement at its peak. In terms of name recognition, everyone's here -- Conflict, who open the show with "Mighty and Superior," Rudimentary Peni ("Teenage Time Killer"), Anathema ("Your Ulster,") and Crass, the daddies of the entire scene, who deliver a previously unavailable version of "What Do You Want." As with the other volumes in this series, Anti-Capitalism is not necessarily the easiest listening material, even for converts. 

Together, they add up to the most complete portrait of the era you could hope for. Crank it up, open all your windows, and give the neighbors a taste of music that really, genuinely means something. They might thank you for it later.

ANTI-WAR: Anarcho-Punk Compilation Vol. 1
Released 2005 on Overground Records (UK)

1	Dirt				Antiwar					2:53
2	Zounds				War					1:31
3	Metro Youth			Red Rifles				2:13
4	Flowers In The Dustbin		November's Song				3:21
5	Kronstadt Uprising		Blind People				1:59
6	Political Asylum		Disarm Or Die				2:19
7	Astronauts			Typically English Day			2:43
8	Anthrax				Introduction To War			1:07
9	A-Heads				Forgotten Hero				4:27
10	The System			Dogs Of War				5:21
11	Sanction			Unknown Soldier				3:02
12	Instigators			The Blood Is On Your Hands		2:54
13	Blood Robots			The Valley				3:08
14	Lost Cherrees			Why Does It Have To Be A Dream		3:18
15	Riot/Clone			Neu-vestation				1:32
16	Youth In Asia			When The Wind Blows			3:58
17	Psycho Faction			Threat					2:30
18	Naked				What A Way To Die			2:59
19	Omega Tribe			Duty Calls				3:52
20	Anti-System			Government Lies				1:53
21	Faction				Obligatory War Song			2:50
22	Rubella Ballet			Belfast					1:28
23	The Snipers			I Know					2:50

ANTI-STATE: Anarcho-Punk Compilation Vol. 2
Released 2005 on Overground Records (UK)

1	A Touch Of Hysteria		The Rulers				2:45
2	Urban Decay			Severalls				2:08
3	The Mob				Gates Of Hell				2:51
4	Flux Of Pink Indians		Progress				1:38
5	Blyth Power			Hurling Time				3:26
6	Amebix				Axeman					2:48
7	Subhumans			So Much Money				2:55
8	Famous Imposters		Fighting Again				2:38
9	Poison Girls			Bully Boys				2:17
10	Decadent Few			Lowlife					4:17
11	Toxic Waste			Traditionally Yours			4:17
12	Toxik Ephex			Nothings Permissive			3:12
13	Disrupters			Stonehenge				3:43
14	Decadence Within		A Breath Of Fresh Air			2:01
15	No Defences			Willing Cripples			6:46
16	Chumbawamba			Revolution				4:42
17	Civilised Society		I Can Be Free				3:52
18	Sinyx				The Plague				2:41
19	Assassins			From The Gutter				4:46
20	Polemic				Deceptive Ideals			2:00
21	The Eratics			Capital Punishment			2:24

ANTI-SOCIETY: Anarcho-Punk Compilation Vol. 3
Released 2006 on Overground Records (UK)

1	Reality Control			Forgive Us				3:44
2	Icons Of Filth			Your Military				2:36
3	Sears				Not Prepared				4:23
4	A.O.A				Who Are They Trying To Con?		3:37
5	Liberty				Revenge					2:35
6	Dave Asgrove Band		I Rebel					4:05
7	Karma Sutra			Fantasy Ball				1:55
8	Icon A.D.			Seeing Is Believing			3:06
9	Exit-Stance			Christian Militia			4:27
10	Alternative			Where Are Your Hiroshimas?		1:09
11	Look Mummy Clowns		Sell Your Dreams			3:57	
12	Reality				Acceptable Death Loss			1:56
13	Thatcher On Acid		Our Gods Are Falling Down		1:38
14	Part 1				Salem					3:24
15	Andy T				Exploitation				0:52
16	Revulsion			Out Of Touch				3:39
17	Apostles			Beserker				1:46
18	Untermensch			Ashfield Valley Headkick		2:42
19	Hagar The Womb			Dressed To Kill				3:04
20	Stalag 17			Doomsday Machine			3:07
21	Oi Polloi			Stop Vivisection Now			1:04
22	Anti State Control		M.U.S.E.				2:15
23	Mental				Attack					2:38

ANTI-CAPITALISM: Anarcho-Punk Compilation Vol. 4
Released 2006 on Overground Records (UK)

1	Conflict			Mighty And Superior			3:50
2	Living Legend			Island Wars				4:24
3	Crass				What Do You Want			2:33
4	Atomic Filth			Atomic Filth				1:47
5	Anarka And Poppy		If It Dies We Die			3:02
6	D & V				Wake Up					1:24
7	Cold War			The Machinist				2:54
8	Legion Of Parasites		Massacre				2:22
9	Epileptics			What Have You Got To Smile About?	2:29	
10	Rudimentary Peni		Teenage Time Killer			1:13
11	Tears Of Destruction		Death Of A Nation			3:19
12	Danbert Nobacon			A Million Wat Tylers			2:04
13	Kulturkampf			We Need No More				3:14
14	Dominant Patri			Death Of Thomas				3:06
15	Cravats				Xmp					2:28
16	Slaughter Of The Innocents	A New Dark Age				2:28
17	Freeborn			I Want My Life To Begin			3:25
18	Culture Shock			Ten Per Cent Off			2:50
19	Anathema			Your Ulster				3:49
20	Committee			Ring The Bell				4:50
21	Nik Toczek			Road Crash				2:15
22	Hex				Decide					2:20
23	Antisect			Heresy					3:05