Megadeth’s second album, Peace Sells… However Who’s Shopping for?, launched within the US on September 19, 1986, is now considered a milestone within the heavy steel world for a number of causes. Undoubtedly, it set them on the unstoppable path that led in the direction of the discharge of their newest album, the Grammy-nominated Dystopia. It additionally set a brand new benchmark for lyrical venom and musical dexterity – however maybe its most important achievement is that it was written, recorded and launched whereas the members of Megadeth have been at one another’s throats.
“We were living hand to mouth, and in dire straits,” remembers Megadeth’s founder, frontman, and songwriter Dave Mustaine. “I remember the release party we had for that record: we were so excited because we’d actually started to get a little bit of money. Afterward, I got in a huge fight with Chris [Poland, guitarist]. He said something smart to me, so I kicked him in the face. We were pretty primitive at the time…”
Megadeth – then Mustaine, Poland, bassist David Ellefson, and drummer Gar Samuelson – had already launched a debut album, Killing Is My Business… And Business Is Good!, on the Fight label the earlier yr, and although that album had attracted some media curiosity, the band have been nonetheless broke and depressing.
Mustaine’s new songs have been stuffed with resentment because of this. “We were homeless and hungry and tired of being judged,” he says. “People tell you that you’re a fraud and that you’ll never amount to anything: all those happy, complimentary things that people say to you while they’re telling you what a piece of s__t you are. Those lyrics were very heartfelt.”
“Heartfelt” is correct. Hearken to “Black Friday,” a ferocious storm of soloing and high-speed riffing – plus lyrics concerning the killing spree of a madman – for proof. Or there’s the black-magic mayhem of “The Conjuring” and “Bad Omen,” which mirror Mustaine’s curiosity within the occult on the time.
Add to the band’s collective distress the small matter of Poland and Samuelson’s drug habits, and it’s little marvel that Peace Sells… was so vitriolic. “I was just a pot-smoker at the time when I met Gar and Chris, but those guys were well down the rabbit hole,” Mustaine sighs. “People always ask why Mike Albert [joined] the band. Mike had been in Captain Beefheart: he was a nice guy, and a good guitar player who saved our skin. We were getting ready to go on tour, but Chris had [been] arrested and ended up not being able to go on tour, so we had to get Mike to come out with us. That’s how we were living.”
Peace Sells… has an uncommon historical past in that it was initially recorded for the Fight label by producer Randy Burns, earlier than Capitol signed Megadeth and remixed the album. Of the songwriting classes, Mustaine recollects, “We were living in a rehearsal room called The Loft, and we wrote the majority of Peace Sells… there and on tour. In fact, the lyrics to the song ‘Peace Sells’ were handwritten on the wall there. That was probably one of the most famous pieces of architecture in metal that I know of.”
“Peace Sells” shortly turned – and stays – anthemic within the thrash steel group, not just for its enraged lyrics (“What do you mean, I couldn’t be the President of the United States Of America?/Tell me something – it’s still ‘We the people’, right?”) but additionally for its unforgettable bass guitar intro. “That lick is one of the most popular basslines in the world,” says Mustaine, “second only to [Black Sabbath’s] “NIB” or [Iron Maiden’s] “Wrathchild” or [Motörhead’s] “Ace Of Spades.” There’s just a few basslines that carry that form of weight, that the entire tune launches off of, mainly.”
Utilized by MTV Information in its opening theme for a lot of the 80s, the “Peace Sells” intro is considered one of many iconic moments on this landmark album, launched by Capitol after a remix by Paul Lani. Requested concerning the new mixes, Mustaine says, “I thought they were better, as far as maturity was concerned: when you have automation, and a nice console with the right kind of gear, things turn out way different. When we mixed Peace Sells… with Combat, they were doing the best that they could. It was a good label for us at the time, but they weren’t up to our standards. Everybody knew the writing was on the wall anyway: you find great bands, you sign them and you sell them. That’s commerce.”
Three many years and 13 albums later, Mustaine appears to be like again on the Peace Sells… period as a time of chaos. “You see all these Hollywood bands that say, ‘Oh, they’re bad boys.’ F__k that!” he chuckles. “A bunch of guys with tattoos and really bad body odor. We were bad boys!”
This piece was initially printed in 2017. We’re re-publishing it as we speak to have fun the anniversary of the album’s launch. Store for Megadeth’s music on vinyl or CD now.
