Something I Learned Today

Punk Rock and Other Assorted Bullshit

Artificial Peace

March 21st, 2005 | Posted by: Eric | Category: 80's Hardcore

For a while there in the early 90’s German “reissue” (*cough* bootleg *cough*) label Lost and Found was on a roll, releasing a slew of way cool,long gone hardcore releases. One of my favorites from this time was the Outside Looking In LP of unreleased material by Artificial Peace. Artificial Peace were an early DC hardcore band that later morphed into the more melodic Marginal Man. Their two year run in the early 80’s was captured on only few releases: 3 tracks on the seminal hardcore comp Flex Your Head, a split single with DC band Exiled (Fountain of Youth Records 001) and a single track on the Bouncing Babies compilation.

Sometime around 1991 Lost and Found put out Outside Looking In which compiled songs from two studio sessions in 1981 and 1982. 24 tracks of short and fast aggro. The CD release packaged these tracks along with Marginal Man’s Double Image album and another looted demo by Assault and Battery (pre-Artificial Peace) Bootleg bonanza! Perhaps a legit reissue of this material will appear someday? In the meantime:

Artificial Peace - Outside Looking In.mp3
One of my favorite tracks from Flex Your Head

Artificial Peace - This Means War.mp3
From the 1981 sessions that spawned the Flex Your Head tracks

Artificial Peace - Someone Cares.mp3
from the 1983 split 7″ with Exiled. I’m not sure if these tracks were included on the boot, the sound is different in terms of mix, production, etc. This would be re-recorded by Marginal Man for release on Double Image

Artificial Peace - Frustration.mp3
From the 1982 recording sessions. This was released as part of the 1984 DC comp Bouncing Babies

5 Comments so far

  1. NRKey March 22nd, 2005 7:54 am

    Hi Eric,
    I always thank you for move me to bloggin. And thank you for teach about punk and hardcore scene. In these days I’m going to turn into mp3 my hardcore/punk collection of italian bands still on vinyl(Raw power, Negazione, Nabat, CCCP, Wretched, Kina, …).
    Today I want to show my complete compliance with your ideas about war.
    I know that to be nonviolent and to publicly show that is much much easier here in Italy than in USA.
    But I believe in solidarity among peoples and in the belief that they never can imprison ideas of peace and freedom.
    A big hug
    NRKey

  2. nobu March 22nd, 2005 4:15 pm

    Hey Eric!
    Never did really get into Marginal Man, but Artificial Peace’s “Outside Looking In” has to be one of the best songs on Flex…well, along with “Stand Up”, “Pressure’s On”, the Void tunes…

    Great post! (Though this is the second time you’ve fucked with my schedule…both Artificial Peace and Bullet LaVolta were gonna be future ups on nobulog!!!)

  3. eric March 22nd, 2005 5:26 pm

    Nobu… I’ve been going through ITunes making playlists and these two (LaVolta and AP) stuck in my craw - so good and so overlooked (by me, in recent years).

    And hell, if 20 different MP3 blogs can post tracks from the same New Order, Fiery Furnaces, Arcade Fire etc albums then two can post some Bullet LaVolta or Artificial Peace. Why not?

  4. niels March 22nd, 2005 10:08 pm

    I must have a 38th-generation copy of the Assault & Battery tape somewhere in my attic. Really liked their same-titled (theme?) song, jumpy pogo-punk complete w/ 999-style walking bass. Any chance of posting that one?
    I saw a 1981 picture of AP bass player Rob Moss in a jeans ad a while ago, in Mojo magazine or something like that!

  5. Linda November 17th, 2005 6:10 pm

    Artificial Peace were great.

    Great MP3 collection you’ve got there. :)

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