Peace Sells... but Who's Buying?

Peace Sells... But Who's Buying?
Studio album by Megadeth
Released	19 September 1986
Recorded	1985 - 1986
Genre	Thrash metal
Length	36:08 55:28 (2004 Reissue)
Label	Combat, Capitol
Producer	Dave Mustaine and Randy Burns
Megadeth chronology
Killing Is My Business... and Business Is Good! (1985) Peace Sells... But Who's Buying? (1986) So Far, So Good... So What! (1988) Singles from Peace Sells... But Who's Buying? "Wake Up Dead" Released: 1986

Peace Sells... But Who's Buying? is the second studio album by the American heavy metal band Megadeth. It was released in September 1986. Originally, the project was handled by Combat Records, and this resulted in the first mix of the album. Eventually Capitol Records bought the rights to the album and a producer was hired to mix it himself. It was remixed and remastered in 2004 by Dave Mustaine. In 2011, the three different versions were released as part of the album's 25th anniversary celebration. All of them, excepting the 2004 mixes, feature new remastering.^[1]

It has been listed as one of the 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die and is highly regarded as a thrash metal classic. It is the last album to feature Gar Samuelson on drums, and the last album until The System Has Failed to feature Chris Poland on lead guitar.

Overview

Professional rock critic Steve Huey noted the album′s combination of “punkish political awareness with a dark, threatening, typically heavy metal worldview.”^[2] For instance, the album′s cover makes an ironic statement about the Cold War. On the backdrop of a red and orange sky, it shows the UN General Assembly building soon after a nuclear attack. In the foreground is the band′s mascot, Vic Rattlehead, who is leaning against a sign reading “For Sale” (“Vic Realtors” appearing on the bottom of the sign on the DVD audio edition), implying that the United Nations Organization is for sale. The cover and the title suggest that while peace is a popular theme, it has become commodified. 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, which was titled “Peace Would Sell But No One Would Buy It.”^[3]

“As long as people keep stealing, hurting and mistreating people, there′s always going to be something that you can pick up on and say: ‘Look, this is wrong.’ Granted, we sing about it, but we take a negative approach to what we do sing about. ‘Hey the devil is there, but he′s a moron. That′s why he′s buried in dirt.’” (Mustaine, 1987)^[4]

The recording of the album was very difficult for the band, as guitarist Chris Poland and drummer Gar Samuelson wouldn′t show up for hours because of their extreme heroin addictions. Shortly after the band finished the final recordings of the album for the independent label Combat, they were approached by an A&R person Tim Carr of Capitol Records. After securing the contract, the label hired producer Paul Lani to remix the original mixes done by Randy Burns, the previous producer.

“There was even a time when we were considered black metal! When people heard ‘Black Friday’ and ‘Bad Omen’, they thought we were satanic. The worst thing is, like, going to a truck stop in Des Moines, Iowa, and having someone go [imitates southern redneck voice], ‘You guys in Megadeth? I heard you are satanic.’ They expect us to have dead goats and babies in our buses. You couldn′t get any further from the truth!” (Mustaine, 1997)^[4]

This is one of the early examples of an album to contain the Parental Advisory label, developed by the Parents Music Resource Center, an organization made to censor music that was deemed “inappropriate.” On the 1986 Capitol Records pressing on vinyl record, it says on the back of the sleeve, “Explicit Lyrics — Parental Advisory.” ‘Hook in Mouth’ on their next album would reflect Mustaine's opinion of the PMRC & Censorship.

On July 12, 2011, the band re-released the album in both a 2-Disc reissue and a special 5-Disc + 3-LP box set,^[5] to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the album.^[6] The re-release contains liner notes written by Dave Mustaine and Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich.^[7] The 25th anniversary re-release sold just under 2000 units in its first week of release.^[1]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[2]
Blender
Metal Storm
Sputnikmusic	[8]
Pitchfork Media	(8.7/10)[9]
Kerrang!	[10]
This table needs to be expanded using prose. See the guideline for more information.

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Dave Mustaine, except "I Ain't Superstitious" by Willie Dixon. 

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Wake Up Dead"	3:37
2.	"The Conjuring"	5:02
3.	"Peace Sells"	4:02
4.	"Devil's Island"	5:05
5.	"Good Mourning/Black Friday"	6:39
6.	"Bad Omen"	4:03
7.	"I Ain't Superstitious"	2:45
8.	"My Last Words"	4:55
Total length:		36:08

2004 bonus tracks
No.	Title	Length
9.	"Wake Up Dead" (Randy Burns mix)	3:40
10.	"The Conjuring" (Randy Burns mix)	5:01
11.	"Peace Sells" (Randy Burns mix)	4:00
12.	"Good Mourning/Black Friday" (Randy Burns mix)	6:39

25th Anniversary 2-CD reissue

Disc 1: Original album
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Wake Up Dead"	3:40
2.	"The Conjuring"	5:04
3.	"Peace Sells"	4:04
4.	"Devil's Island"	5:06
5.	"Good Mourning/Black Friday"	6:41
6.	"Bad Omen"	4:04
7.	"I Ain't Superstitious"	2:45
8.	"My Last Words"	4:59

Disc 2: Previously unreleased 1987 concert
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Intro"	1:48
2.	"Wake Up Dead"	3:38
3.	"The Conjuring"	5:21
4.	"Bad Omen"	3:49
5.	"Rattlehead"	4:11
6.	"Killing Is My Business... And Business Is Good"	3:14
7.	"Looking Down The Cross"	4:29
8.	"My Last Words"	4:42
9.	"Peace Sells"	4:27
10.	"These Boots Were Made For Walkin'"	4:07
11.	"Devil's Island"	5:18
12.	"Last Rites/Loved to Deth"	5:19
13.	"Mechanix"	4:32
Total length:		54:55

25th Anniversary box set

Disc 1: Original album
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Wake Up Dead"	3:40
2.	"The Conjuring"	5:04
3.	"Peace Sells"	4:04
4.	"Devil's Island"	5:06
5.	"Good Mourning/Black Friday"	6:41
6.	"Bad Omen"	4:04
7.	"I Ain't Superstitious"	2:45
8.	"My Last Words"	4:59

Disc 2: Dave Mustaine Mixes and Masters for 2004 Album Reissue
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Wake Up Dead"	3:37
2.	"The Conjuring"	5:02
3.	"Peace Sells"	4:02
4.	"Devil's Island"	5:05
5.	"Good Mourning/Black Friday"	6:39
6.	"Bad Omen"	4:03
7.	"I Ain't Superstitious"	2:45
8.	"My Last Words"	4:55

Disc 3: Randy Burns Mixes
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Wake Up Dead" (Previously released on 2004 reissue)	3:39
2.	"The Conjuring" (Previously released on 2004 reissue)	5:02
3.	"Peace Sells" (Previously released on 2004 reissue)	4:00
4.	"Devil's Island"	5:06
5.	"Good Mourning/Black Friday" (Previously released on 2004 reissue)	6:39
6.	"Bad Omen"	4:05
7.	"I Ain't Superstitious"	2:45
8.	"My Last Words"	4:56

Disc 4: Previously unreleased 1987 concert
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Intro"	1:48
2.	"Wake Up Dead"	3:38
3.	"The Conjuring"	5:21
4.	"Bad Omen"	3:49
5.	"Rattlehead"	4:11
6.	"Killing Is My Business... And Business Is Good"	3:14
7.	"Looking Down The Cross"	4:29
8.	"My Last Words"	4:42
9.	"Peace Sells"	4:27
10.	"These Boots Were Made For Walkin'"	4:07
11.	"Devil's Island"	5:18
12.	"Last Rites/Loved to Deth"	5:19
13.	"Mechanix"	4:32

Disc 5 contains both the original album, and the above listed 1987 show in hi-resolution audio.^[5]

Songs

Wake Up Dead

For more details on this topic, see Wake Up Dead.

This song is about a man who has been cheating on his wife or girlfriend and is sneaking into his house, knowing that if his wife finds out about his other lover, she will kill him.^[11]

The Conjuring

This song obviously describes some kind of ritual, probably inspired by Dave's involvement with witchcraft at this stage in his career. The last several verses are from the point of view of Satan claiming the soul of someone who has made a deal with the devil.^[12]

"I read the Satanic Bible and all that stuff, but it was so adverse to what I wanted, and it hasn't been until the past couple of years that all that stuff's been shaken. I've had to go through a lot of spiritual healing to get clean. I don't think people really realize how intense that stuff is and the marks it can leave on you. There was one time where I did some witchcraft on this guy who had punched me, and it physically affected him, and to this day I regret it. That will never leave my mind - the power of that stuff. I would rather light a candle than curse the darkness. There was a time when I was very comfortable being part of the darkness because I didn't understand the light. But now I like seeing people smile more than watching them wrinkle up their forehead and make the devil's sign. If half these kids only knew that the way they make the devil's sign really means 'I love you' in sign language anyway." (Mustaine, 1995)^[12]

"Our theory is, we play slower tempos, the girls will come. Last night they were dancing to "The Conjuring". We're up there going, 'Look at that. They're dancing to the satanic part of the set'!" (Ellefson, 1993)^[12]

Peace Sells

For more details on this topic, see Peace Sells.

This song is Mustaine's way of dispelling many of the stereotypes about the band and heavy metal fans in general. More specifically, that they are lazy, anti-government and anti-religion, which Mustaine says are all untrue.

"I remember the day it was written. Dave and I were picking up Gar on our way to rehearsal... you remember that old van we used to have? Anyway, Dave asked me, 'What do you think about 'Peace Sells... But Who's Buying?' for a song idea?' We then went to our rehearsal studio and he wrote the chorus, we rehearsed it a couple of times and - bam! Within a couple hours the song was pretty much done... It was one of those magical moments." (Ellefson, 1998)^[13]

The video for the title track became an MTV mainstay and the opening bass guitar lines could be heard on MTV News broadcasts. However, Mustaine has stated that they received no royalties because the song is cut a second before MTV would have to pay them for its use.

Devil's Island

This song expresses the thoughts of a prisoner on Devil's Island about to be executed. In the song, the prisoner's life is spared by God right before he is about to be killed, but he is condemned to spend the rest of his life on Devil's Island.^[14]

"Devil's Island is part of the French overseas department of French Guiana. Established as part of the French Guiana penal colony in the 1850s, it became notorious for its unhealthful tropical climate and for the cruel treatment of prisoners. France made plans to abolish the penal colony in 1938 and completed the removal of prisoners early in the 1950s." (Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia)^[14]

Good Mourning/Black Friday

"'Black Friday' was inspired by a great drummer named Dijon Carruthers whose father was Ben Carruthers from the movie The Dirty Dozen. Dijon's brother was Cain Carruthers from the ska band The Untouchables. Dijon was pretty much a band member until we found out that he lied about being 'black' to us. I am not against having any person in our band, regardless of color, but Dijon said he was Spanish. One day his brother walked in and Dijon nearly died on the spot. We used the material that we were working on as we kept going, but we knew that a man that is embarrassed about his family, race, or upbringing, would never fit our creed." (Mustaine, 2001)^[15]

"Dijon Carruthers was a drummer with Megadeth temporarily, before Gar Samuelson. He was a very talented, but strange person. He used to hang out with an even stranger guy that was definitely into the occult; this guy was fully wacked! Dijon's friend seemed to know a lot of the occult, he wrote a lot of strange things and symbols down on paper. Although Dijon did get credit for inspiring those two songs "Bad Omen" and "Black Friday", that was the extent of it. Dijon may or may not be or have been a Satanist, and he did not commit murder that I know of at the time I was associating him. Dijon was a very talented drummer, and he came from a gifted family. I wish him well in his endeavors, whatever they may be." (Mustaine)^[15]

Bad Omen

This song is about people worshipping the devil. They have a big ceremony where all sorts of immorality is going on, and they invite Satan and hope that he gives them his blessing. Instead, his demons rape and destroy the people and Satan takes their souls.

"We're aware of the subjects we write about - witchcraft, satanic sacrifices and the like - but we're not condoning them. If anything, the songs are a warning. The bad guys don't come out ahead in our songs. I've learned from past experience that the good guys, even if they don't wear white hats, are the ones who end up happy at the end of the day." (Mustaine, 1987)^[16]

I Ain't Superstitious

"I Ain't Superstitious" was written by Willie Dixon and originally recorded by Howlin' Wolf in 1961. The most notable cover version was recorded by Jeff Beck in 1967, which can be heard in the 1995 movie Casino.

Megadeth's "I Ain't Superstitious" was featured in a Japanese Honda commercial in 1996.^[17]

My Last Words

This song is about a game of Russian roulette and the fear one goes through when playing the game.^[18]

In popular culture

The song "Peace Sells" ranked #11 on VH1's 40 Greatest Metal Songs^[19] and the bassline at its beginning was used for years as the theme for MTV News. It also appeared as part of the soundtrack in the video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, and is featured in the music video game Rock Band 2. The rest of the album was released as downloadable content for the Rock Band series on September 16, 2008.^[20] The song also appears on the set list of EA Sports' NHL10, and on the soundtrack to True Crime: Streets of LA.

Personnel

Megadeth Dave Mustaine – lead vocals, lead guitar, rhythm guitar Dave Ellefson – bass, backing vocals Chris Poland – lead guitar, rhythm guitar Gar Samuelson – drums Additional vocals Tracks 1, 4, and 9: Dave Mustaine, David Ellefson, Mike Anderson, Paul Sudin Tracks 5, 8, and 12: Dave Mustaine, Casey McMackin, Randy Burns

Production Produced by Dave Mustaine and Randy Burns Engineered by Casey McMackin and Randy Burns Mixed by Paul Lani with Stan Katayama Album design and cover illustration by Edward J. Repka Cover concept by Dave Mustaine and Andy Somers

2004 Remix and Remaster Produced by Dave Mustaine Mixed by Ralph Patlan and Dave Mustaine Engineered by Ralph Patlan with Lance Dean Edited by Lance Dean with Scott "Sarge" Harrison Mastered by Tom Baker

Previously unreleased 1987 concert Produced by Dave Mustaine Mixed by Ken Eisennagel and Dave Mustaine. Mar-Apr 2011 Assistant Engineering by Zachary Coleman Recorded live at the Phantasy Theatre. Cleveland. OH, 6/3/87 Mastered by Evren G�knar, Capitol Mastering, Hollywood, CA. April 2011

Charts

Year	Chart	Position
1986	The Billboard 200	76

RIAA Certifications

Date	Certification
November 11, 1992	Platinum [21]

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "BLABBERMOUTH.NET - MEGADETH's 'Peace' 25th-Anniversary Reissue Sells Less Than 2K Copies First Week". Roadrunnerrecords.com. http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=160912. Retrieved 2011-08-14. 
2. ^ ^{a b} "Peace Sells... But Who′s Buying?". Allmusic. Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r12848. Retrieved 14 August 2011. 
3. ^ VH1 Behind the Music - Megadeth (Documentary)
4. ^ ^{a b} "The Realms of Deth — Megadeth Albums — Peace Sells... But Who′s Buying?". Megadeth.rockmetal.art.pl. 2003-10-14. http://megadeth.rockmetal.art.pl/albums_peace.html. Retrieved 2011-08-14. 
5. ^ ^{a b} "MEGADETH's 'Peace' Expanded 25th-Anniversary Reissue Rocks Times Square - Apr. 28, 2011". Blabbermouth.net. http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=157448. Retrieved 2011-06-04. 
6. ^ [1]|Megadeth: Details of 25th Anniversary Edition of ‘Peace Sells…But Who′s Buying?’ Announced; last accessed May 03, 2011
7. ^ "MEGADETH Bassist Talks About LARS ULRICH's Liner Notes To 'Peace Sells' Reissue (Video) - May 5, 2011". Blabbermouth.net. http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=157716. Retrieved 2011-06-04. 
8. ^ "Sputnikmusic Review". Sputnikmusic.com. http://www.sputnikmusic.com/album.php?albumid=412. Retrieved 2011-08-14. 
9. ^ "Album Reviews: Megadeth: Peace Sells... But Who's Buying? [25th Anniversary Edition]". Pitchfork. 2011-07-20. http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/15656-peace-sells-but-whos-buying-25th-anniversary-edition/. Retrieved 2011-08-14. 
10. ^ Johnson, Howard (30 October 1986). "Megadeth 'Peace Sells...But Who's Buying?'". Kerrang!. 132. London, UK: United Magazines ltd.. pp. 20. 
11. ^ "The Realms of Deth - Megadeth Lyrics - Peace Sells... But Who's Buying?". Megadeth.rockmetal.art.pl. http://megadeth.rockmetal.art.pl/lyrics_peace.html#Wake. Retrieved 2011-08-14. 
12. ^ ^{a b c} "The Realms of Deth - Megadeth Lyrics - Peace Sells... But Who's Buying?". Megadeth.rockmetal.art.pl. http://megadeth.rockmetal.art.pl/lyrics_peace.html#Conjuring. Retrieved 2011-08-14. 
13. ^ "The Realms of Deth - Megadeth Lyrics - Peace Sells... But Who's Buying?". Megadeth.rockmetal.art.pl. http://megadeth.rockmetal.art.pl/lyrics_peace.html#Peace. Retrieved 2011-08-14. 
14. ^ ^{a b} "The Realms of Deth - Megadeth Lyrics - Peace Sells... But Who's Buying?". Megadeth.rockmetal.art.pl. http://megadeth.rockmetal.art.pl/lyrics_peace.html#Devil. Retrieved 2011-08-14. 
15. ^ ^{a b} "The Realms of Deth - Megadeth Lyrics - Peace Sells... But Who's Buying?". Megadeth.rockmetal.art.pl. http://megadeth.rockmetal.art.pl/lyrics_peace.html#Black. Retrieved 2011-08-14. 
16. ^ "The Realms of Deth - Megadeth Lyrics - Peace Sells... But Who's Buying?". Megadeth.rockmetal.art.pl. http://megadeth.rockmetal.art.pl/lyrics_peace.html#Bad. Retrieved 2011-08-14. 
17. ^ "The Realms of Deth - Megadeth Lyrics - Peace Sells... But Who's Buying?". Megadeth.rockmetal.art.pl. http://megadeth.rockmetal.art.pl/lyrics_peace.html#Superstitious. Retrieved 2011-08-14. 
18. ^ "The Realms of Deth - Megadeth Lyrics - Peace Sells... But Who's Buying?". Megadeth.rockmetal.art.pl. http://megadeth.rockmetal.art.pl/lyrics_peace.html#My. Retrieved 2011-08-14. 
19. ^ "VH1 40 Greatest Metal Songs", 1–4 May 2006, VH1 Channel, reported by VH1.com; last accessed September 10, 2006.
20. ^ Sean Baptiste (2008-09-12). "DLC Week of September 16th Megadeth Album and Rock Band Tour Pack". Harmonix. http://www.rockband.com/forums/showthread.php?t=79529. 
21. ^ "Gold & Platinum". RIAA. http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?resultpage=1&table=SEARCH_RESULTS&action=&title=peace%20sells&artist=megadeth&format=&debutLP=&category=&sex=&releaseDate=&requestNo=&type=&level=&label=&company=&certificationDate=&awardDescription=&catalogNo=&aSex=&rec_id=&charField=&gold=&platinum=&multiPlat=&level2=&certDate=&album=&id=&after=&before=&startMonth=1&endMonth=1&startYear=1958&endYear=2010&sort=CertificationDate&perPage=25. Retrieved August 9, 2010.