After 20 years as one of the premiere independent labels, as well as
punk rock’s most admired, Fat Wreck Chords has amassed an
extraordinary catalog of artists and releases. Label founder Fat Mike
(singer/songwriter of NOFX) consistently adhered to an ethos of putting
out releases that always measured up to listeners’ expectations. The
result was an unspoken guarantee to fans through which Fat Wreck
Chords became a coveted brand name and the gold standard among
punk labels. With multiple releases from heavyweights Lagwagon,
Propagandhi, No Use For a Name, Strung Out, Me First and the Gimme
Gimmes, Descendents, Anti-Flag, Against Me, and Rise Against, Fat
managed to cultivate and evolve a recognizable sound in music. Having
issued more than 280 releases over the course of the label’s first 20 years
in the business, it is a daunting task to try to encapsulate Fat’s rich
history into a box set. Nonetheless, that is what we attempted to do with
WRECKTROSPECTIVE. Three discs and a huge booklet render a view
of Fat Wreck Chords’ journey along the path of its storied existence.
The first disc is a sampling of the label’s greatest hits. The second disc
contains an array of all unreleased demos and rarities. The third disc is
the limited release Fat Club 7” series in its entirety. Finally, the booklet
provides an oral history of sorts, chock-full of stories from band
members, as well as a timeline of all Fat’s releases. The box set as a
whole is an essential piece of punk rock history, a must-have for fans,
and a hallmark of the dominating influence Fat Wreck Chords had in
shaping a genre.
