International P.E.A.C.E. Benefit Compilation
1984 double compilation album released R Radical Records; various artists
The International P.E.A.C.E. Benefit Compilation, commonly referred to as the P.E.A.C.E. compilation, retitled in 1997 as P.E.A.C.E./War, by combining the legends on its front and back cover, for its reissue on CD, is a compilation double album first released in 1984 by R Radical Records, the label run by MDC frontman Dave Dictor, in association with San Francisco Bay Area punk fanzine Maximumrocknroll. The "P.E.A.C.E." in the album title is a backronym for "Peace, Energy, Action, Cooperation, Evolution".
Overview
P.E.A.C.E. features 55 hardcore punk acts from around the world, including high profile bands like Dead Kennedys, Crass, Subhumans, Butthole Surfers, and MDC .
Maximumrocknroll's main contribution to the project, other than assisting in recruiting acts to participate on the double album, was in the assemblage of a 72-page magazine-sized insert featuring several pages on the topics of nuclear disarmament, imperialism, radiation, pollution, and political demonstrations.
All of the profits from the album, according to a primitive obi strip-style insert shrinkwrapped to the original double vinyl release, were slated for various anti-nuclear groups and activities worldwide.
The CD reissue
In 1997, the indie label New Red Archives re-released the album as a double CD set under the title P.E.A.C.E./War, adding five tracks from artists on their roster to the end of disc two. The reissue does not include a reproduction of the first release's booklet, and, since its early name was changed, it is not known if the benefit aspect of the original album still holds.
Re-release
Dave Dictor along with Grimace Records re-released this compilation in vinyl, CD, and digital format in 2020
All online streaming revenues are being donated to Covid-19 relief, via a Mutual Aid strategy implemented by Anarchist Organization Mutual Aid Disaster Relief.
Track listings
In keeping with the original album's insert, the band's country of origin is given in parentheses.
1984 2-LP release
1997 2-CD edition
Production personnel
Jon Smith – engineering (track A1)
Dan Levitin – production (A10, D14)
Neon Christ – co-production (A3)
Nick Jameson – co-production (A3), engineering (A3)
Dana F. Smith – artwork (front and back cover paintings)
Notes
References
Further reading
Blush, Steven (2001).
“International P.E.A.C.E. Benefit Compilation” enters the record as 1984 double compilation album released R Radical Records; various artists. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what International, Benefit and Compilation can confirm, complicate or overturn.
Why this record matters
“International P.E.A.C.E. Benefit Compilation” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, International, Benefit and Compilation provides the most credible route into that argument.
Object files, edition statements, performance records and contemporary criticism preserve different stages of the work’s history. The source revision retrieved here is dated Feb 5, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q3799667. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1997, 1984, 2020 and 2001.
Titles can refer to several editions, objects or performances, making precise identification essential before interpretation. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Separate the work, its editions or performances, and its later reception. Catalogue records, publication histories and object files often preserve different parts of that story.
- Identifying works and editions
- Tracing reception history
- Finding collection records
The original object or edition, catalogue raisonné, performance record, rights file and holding institution.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “International P.E.A.C.E. Benefit Compilation”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow International P.E.A.C.E. Benefit Compilation primary sources, International P.E.A.C.E. Benefit Compilation archive and International research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “International P.E.A.C.E. Benefit Compilation”?
- Which edition, object, performance or recording is being described?
- How did later circulation or interpretation alter the work’s reception?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “International P.E.A.C.E. Benefit Compilation” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.