Peace Sells... but Who's Buying? is the second studio album by American heavy metal band Megadeth, released on September 19, 1986, through Capitol Records. The project was originally handled by Combat Records, resulting in the original mix of the album being co-produced by Randy Burns. Capitol Records then bought the rights to the album and hired another producer named Paul Lani to mix it himself. The recording of the album was difficult for the band, because of the ongoing drug issues the members had at the time. Drummer Gar Samuelson and guitarist Chris Poland were fired shortly after the album's promotional tour for drug abuse, making it the last Megadeth album for Samuelson before his death and the last for Poland until he reappeared as a session musician on The System Has Failed. The title track, noted for its politically conscious lyrics, was released as the album's second single, but the band's first music video. The album's cover art, featuring the band's mascot Vic Rattlehead in front of a desolated United Nations Headquarters, was created by Ed Repka.
Peace Sells... but Who's Buying? is often regarded as a thrash metal classic, and as an album that gave prominence to extreme metal. It has been featured in several publications' best album lists, including Robert Dimery's 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die and Martin Popoff's Top 500 Heavy Metal Albums of All Time. The album has been reissued several times over the years. In 2004, the album was remixed and remastered by Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine, with extensive liner notes detailing the album's background. In 2011, the three different versions were reissued as part of the album's 25th anniversary celebration. All of them with the exception of the 2004 mixes feature new remastering.
In an interview for Metal Forces in December 1985, frontman Dave Mustaine revealed that the band had already started writing new material for the second album. He said that two songs ("Black Friday" and "Bad Omen") were finished and described them as a "total blur", being much faster than "Rattlehead" from their debut album, Killing Is My Business... and Business Is Good! Speaking about the lyrical content of Peace Sells..., Mustaine and bassist David Ellefson stated that they wanted to change the public perception of heavy metal by writing songs that contained socially aware lyrics. Mustaine further noted that the band was not unaware of the political situation at the time, and that some of his political beliefs were reflected in the songs. Professional rock critic Steve Huey noted the album's combination of "punkish political awareness with a dark, threatening, typically heavy metal worldview".
During the first two months of 1986, Megadeth commenced a brief tour of the East Coast of the United States. At the shows, which were practically a continuation of the Killing for a Living tour, the band performed a number of songs from its upcoming album. Following the conclusion of the tour, the band intended to start making the record at the Music Grinder studio on Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Mustaine lifted the title from an article in Reader's Digest, which was titled "Peace Would Sell But No One Would Buy It". Their label at the time, Combat Records, provided a recording budget of $25,000, which allowed the band to hire a freelance producer, Randy Burns. The recording of the album turned out to be very difficult for the band, because Mustaine and Ellefson were both homeless at the time.[9] Furthermore, guitarist Chris Poland and drummer Gar Samuelson would not show up for hours because of their heroin addiction. Shortly after the band finished the final recordings of the album for Combat, they were approached by Tim Carr, an A&R representative of Capitol Records. After securing a contract with the group, Capitol hired producer Paul Lani to remix the original mixes done by Randy Burns, the previous producer.
Tracklist:
- Wake Up Dead 03:39
- The Conjuring 05:04
- Peace Sells 04:03
- Devils Island 05:05
- Good Mourning / Black Friday 06:41
- Bad Omen 04:05
- I Ain't Superstitious (Willie Dixon cover) 02:46
- My Last Words 04:48
- Wake Up Dead (Randy Burns Mix) 03:40
- The Conjuring (Randy Burns Mix) 05:01
- Peace Sells (Randy Burns Mix) 04:00
- Good Mourning / Black Friday (Randy Burns Mix) 06:39
Time: 55:31
Recording information:
Recorded at The Music Grinder in Los Angeles, California.
Mixed at Can-Am Recorders in Tarzana, California.
Additional recording at Track Records and Rock Steady Studios in Los Angeles, California and at Maddog Studios in Venice, California from February 15th to March 20th, 1986.
Mastered at Precision Mastering, Los Angeles, California.
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