First up we have a button set designed by Avi Spivak, who also did the cover for this month’s MRR. These seven wonders of the badge design world will look marvelous mounted on your denim, and will set you back only $5 ppd if you live in the USA, or $7 ppd if you live elsewhere. 1″ of button magic!

MRR button set by Avi Spivak

Click here for detailed artwork. Pay by PayPal (5% surcharge) here:

Your location: US $5.25 world $7.35

Next, we have some XL button action from Barcelona, courtesy of Guillem, who designed the cover for MRR #316. This work of ingenious destruction will set you back 2 bucks ppd in the USA, or $4 ppd for international… 2.25 inches of button madness!

Click here for detailed artwork. Pay by PayPal (5% surcharge) here:

Your location: US $2.10 world $4.20

To order by mail, send check or money order (payable to “Maximum Rocknroll”) or well hidden cash to: MRR • PO Box 460760 • San Francisco, CA 94146 • USA

All button work undertaken by former MRR coordinator Cissie at Blah Blah Buttons.

Ordering info at the end of the post. Click images to enlarge. Sorry about the typos — these were made so last minute… UPDATE: Never mind about the typos — we are getting those cards fixed. All names will be spelled correctly on the postcards you receive.

Order here using PayPal (Please note: prices are 5% higher to cover PayPal fees):

Your location:

US $6.30 Canada/Mexico $7.35 world $8.40

Or to order by mail, send: $6.00 US • $7.00 Canada/Mexico • $8.00 world (prices are postage paid, in US dollars)

Send check or money order (payable to Maximum Rocknroll) or well hidden cash to:
Maximum Rocknroll • PO Box 460760 • San Francisco, CA 94146 • USA

It’s hard for me to believe that it’s been 25 years since this LP was originally released. Yet here I am at 40, still super excited about a record which blew me away at age 15. 1984 was a sinister and prophetic year for a generation that grew up in the shadow of the Cold War and was weaned on the dystopian visions of George Orwell and Aldous Huxley. Jeff Bale’s original liner notes point out the role of the elite in manipulating public opinion, and suppressing dissent is often manifested in the ideological and psychological sphere, rather than by brute force. Fast forward 25 years and we can see that Orwell’s vision of a futuristic Stalinist police state was crude, but his warning about the manipulation of thought and twisting of the truth was remarkably prescient.

The original punk movement of the late ’70s was shocking, loud, obnoxious and a break from the conformist malaise of that decade. As the bleak economic realities of the ’80s dawned, the radical right and corporate interests launched the Thatcher/Reagan “Capitalist Revolution” that was to result in great economic and social dislocation. As society swung to the right and embraced more conservative views, the slightly absurd and theatrical elements of ’70s punk were jettisoned for music of pure protest, energy and outrage: Hardcore! Maximum Rock n Roll was the international voice of this new movement, one that embraced radical social change and fast, powerful blasts of raw thrashing punk that made the bands of the ’70s seem tame and restrained.

It’s long been my opinion the Welcome to 1984 is the best compilation LP of all time. While it lacks the regional focus of runners up such as Flex Your Head or This Is Boston, Not LA, it documents not a local scene, but a worldwide movement. This movement was spreading, a virus of resistance to the conformity of the era that has continued to spread to the corners of the globe. The bands and songs selected by the MRR staff gave an impressive overview of this new and radical movement. 23 bands from 17 countries, this diverse assemblage all shared a power and urgency that truly captured the spirit of the times and the energy of the movement. When I bought this record at age 15 I was barely aware of punk outside my hometown and the UK. Reading MRR and blasting this record over and over opened up my eyes to the international hardcore movement and exposed me to many bands that have become life long favorites. There are some truly epic moments on this record, the bass intro to BGK’s “Computer Control,” the sing-along chorus of Kidnap’s “No SS,” and most importantly, the raw screams of Raw Power’s anthem “Fuck Authority.” When I first heard this record I knew I had found what I was looking for.

As the Cold War ended and the War on Terror began, the elite found a rationale to extend their manipulation of public opinion and ideological control. While the hardcore subculture has endured, and spread, many complain that it has lost much of the energy and urgency of the early days. A spin of this record is a shot of this energy, pure and unadulterated.

—Felix Von Havoc, December 2009

Check out the shirt design winner! Guillem from Barcelona Spain designed this, fetchingly modeled by MRR’s dreamiest shitworker Randy, and Portland’s dreamiest Lydia! Randy and Martin, below demonstrating how the new tote bag and shirt will shift your perspective and could change your life!

Buy ‘em here:

New MRR T-shirt design

Shipping: Domestic (US) $12.05 Canada/Mexico $15.50 Int'l (world) $18.90 Size: YL S M L XL

Shipping: Domestic (US) $12.05 Canada/Mexico $15.50 International (world) $18.90

Adult small is the only size left… get it on our merch page here.

AND… There’s still time to send in an entry for the Maximum Rocknroll T-shirt competition. Judging is Thursday the 6th, so email your hi-res (300 dpi) image to mrr {at} maximumrocknroll(.)com for consideration. Dress the punks, win a subscription and a shirt of your design!

Stylish, practical, and punk as fuck. MRR issue #1 cover, featuring Dave MDC, printed on a black canvas tote by actual punx. What more could you possibly want??

By mail (postage paid, in US dollars): $11.50 US • $15.00 Canada/Mexico • $18.00 world

Send check or money order (payable to Maximum Rocknroll) or well hidden cash to:
Maximum Rocknroll
PO Box 460760
San Francisco, CA 94146
USA

Or Pay here with PayPal (Prices are 5% higher to cover PayPal fees):