This is not your average cheapie punk compilation CD. NOFX's Fat Mike organized this compilation to speak out against President Bush and to let the music be the driving force in informing young voters. The CD contains 26 great songs from great punk, emo, and indie-rock artists, as well as a DVD filled with political insights, comedy, and videos from bands like NOFX, Anti-Flag, and Bad Religion. The CD includes standout tracks from both old and new artists, all of whom speak their mind against Bush in their lyrics.

There are contributions from punk veterans such as Dead Kennedy's Jello Biafra, the Descendants, Social Distortion, and the Offspring. I especially enjoyed Social Distortion's "Prison Bound" and the Offspring's "Baghdad" which is the same version of their 1991 song "Tehran" (written during the time of Desert Storm and the George Bush Sr. Presidency), but with a major name change.

There are also several newer punk bands that really shine such as Anti-Flag, Rise Against, Strike Anywhere, and Authority Zero whose "Revolution" is a great power-punched shoutalong. The disc also includes its share of female-fronted bands such as the neo-new wave sounding Epoxies, the Soviettes, and Denali, whose emotional, guitar-and-piano laced "Normal Days" is an awesome dramatic breakthrough which reminded me of Evanescence. Other standouts include Electric Theater favorites RX Bandits, NOFX (of course), Alkaline Trio (whose "Warbrain" has a catchy pop-punk feel), and the nine-member folk-punk band The World/Inferno Friendship Society who contributed "The Expatriate Act" which offers the compilation a unique change of pace. The Ataris give a heartfelt acoustic cover of Bad Religion's "Heaven is Falling" and the legendary industrial band Ministry contributes the interesting "No W" which is an update of 1992's "N.W.O." My favorite song on the disc is the Get Up Kids' sorrowful "Lion and the Lamb" which is so powerful and emotional that I couldn't help listening to it over and over again. This song shows just how talented these guys really are. All in all, I was quite satisfied by the entire CD as well as the DVD. Plus, for a CD and DVD package that's only 6 bucks and 17 of the 26 tracks are unreleased or rare, I'd say that "Rock Against Bush Vol. 1" is definitely a politically correct economic plan.