MDC

During the 1980s, while based in San Francisco, MDC surpassed the Dead Kennedys through politically charged hardcore punk that proved even more extreme than the material which had drawn the Kennedys into conflict. Also operating under the names Multi-Death Corporation, Millions of Dead Cops, and Millions of Damn Christians, the band originated in Texas in 1980 and had shifted to the West Coast by the time they issued their debut 7" single, "John Wayne Was a Nazi," in 1981. Following their first album, Millions of Dead Cops, in 1982, they released an EP the following year before falling silent for several years.

MDC reemerged in 1986 with the sophomore album Smoke Signals, a musically mature effort that left the political themes undiminished. They directed their focus toward religion on 1987's This Blood's for You, recorded under the Millions of Damn Christians name, and broadened their approach on that release by incorporating acoustic guitar along with clear melodic attempts. After issuing rare and unreleased material on More Dead Cops, the band returned to hardcore roots with 1989's Metal Devil Cokes. Also appearing that year, Elvis: In the Rheinland captured a 1988 performance recorded in Berlin.