Megadeth PEACE SELLS… BUT WHO’S BUYING? Test Pressing LP & more

Along with “Master of Puppets” and “Reign in Blood,” “Peace Sells… But Who’s Buying?” is a masterpiece that defined swish metal in 1986. The original version will be permanently preserved! This ultimate set includes not only the out-of-print official version, but also the highest quality version created from the legendary test press LP. “Peace Sells” itself is a historic masterpiece that goes without saying, but the alternate version requires some explanation. There are three different mixes of this masterpiece. Let’s organize them in chronological order of their production.・1986: Unreleased Randy Barnes MIX (A) ・1986: Original release version (B) ・2004: Remix/Remaster reissue series (C) The original form of the masterpiece, the “Randy Barnes MIX”. Of these, “B” is widely known from the time to the present, and “C” was produced at the time of the simultaneous reissue in 2004. This work is “A”, which was unreleased (at the time) and different from both of them. Four songs from “A” were also included as bonuses for “C”, but this work contains the entire album. So what is “A”? It was a product of the label transfer that broke out at that time. In the first place, “PEACE SELLS” was an album produced during the “COMBAT” label era. It was recorded jointly by Dave Mustaine and Randy Barnes, and “A” was completed by mixing it. However, at that time, the transfer from “COMBAT” to “CAPITOL” was decided. The “CAPITOL” label discarded the completed master and asked Paul Lanni to remix it. As a result, the well-known release version “B” was born. Originally, “A” was supposed to be buried in the dark without seeing the light of day, but the full version was released through two routes. The first was the test press LP produced at the time. It was produced as a trial before full-scale production, but “MUSIC FOR NATIONS”, which distributed “COMBAT” in the UK, used “A” when producing the test version. Of course, it was only a test version and was not released, and the number of copies pressed was very small. It was such a rare item that it was called the “Holy Grail of Megadeth”. And the other route was the 25th anniversary box set of “PEACE SELLS” released in 2011. The regular version of the 25th anniversary is a 2-CD set, but the box set is a deluxe version of “5 CDs + 3 LPs”. And one of them was the complete version of “A”. This work is a coupling CD that has been reissued in the highest quality from these two official items. Contains both the “test LP version” and the “25th anniversary box version”. The first half of this work contains the test press LP “MFN 64” produced by “MUSIC FOR NATIONS” mentioned above. It is already a very rare LP, but the Langley label succeeded in unearthing a mint quality version. It has long been loved as a staple in our store. After that, it was thought that it was no longer needed because “Randy Barnes MIX” was made into an official CD in the 25th anniversary box, but that was not the case. In fact, the “MFN 64” version sounded much better than the 25th anniversary box version. The difference is clear. First of all, the echo feeling. It is especially noticeable in the vocals, but while the box version has a thick bathroom echo like “SO FAR, SO GOOD”, the “MFN 64” version is crisp and tight. The second difference is the stereo feeling. Again, the box version was a bit clumpy, whereas the MFN 64 version is nicely separated. It feels wider. The differences up to this point are a matter of preference, but the decisive factor is the freshness of the third master. The 25th anniversary box version has a scratchy noise in the guitar. This is probably due to the difference in the original source. In fact, the box version was also digitized from a test press, but the original was not “MUSIC FOR NATIONS” in the UK, but “COMBAT” in the US. It is unclear whether this is due to the quality of the record or the cutting, but the scratchy feeling becomes stronger as the song progresses in the box version, and it is quite noticeable in the last songs on sides A and B, “Devils Island” and “My Last Words”. On the other hand, the MFN 64 version remains glossy throughout. So, in terms of quality, the 25th anniversary box version was one step behind MFN 64, but it is now out of print as well. It has become a premium item. Therefore, the second half of this work also includes the 25th anniversary box version, which is the official CD version. The two existing “Randy Barnes MIX” versions are fully recorded. And the most important thing is the content. From the moment you play it, it’s completely different from the thick bass of “Wake Up Dead”, but it’s not just the sound that’s different. The easiest to describe is the title song “Peace Sells”. In the product version “B”, the guitar and bass break in the chorus and interact with the vocals, but in the original “A”, they continue playing without breaking, making it more groovy. In this way, there are differences in takes and arrangements here and there. Of course, Mustaine was aiming for this work “A” when he made it. This is what I meant by “the original form” at the beginning. The bonus “These Boots” is also a super rare soundtrack version. The two full albums alone are enough, but this work also includes an even more delicious rare track as a bonus. It’s a cover of Nancy Sinatra’s “These Boots Are Made For Walkin'”. Of course, this song is also included in “KILLING IS MY BUSINESS”, but this is a completely different re-recorded version. This version was produced in 1987, after “PEACE SELLS”, and was re-recorded to provide for the movie “DUDES”. The recording members are “Poland / Samuelson”. And the content is clearly beyond the “KILLING IS MY BUSINESS” version. The sound produced by Paul Lani is very similar to the official version of “PEACE SELLS”, and the improved performance skills are wonderful, and the arrangement polished in the live performance is several times cooler. The lyrics are the same as the changed lyrics that make fun of Sinatra, and of course there are no beeps. Although there were many strange versions of this song thanks to Sinatra’s complaints, this is definitely the best. In addition, this work is the ultimate version that is particular about the source. This re-recorded version was also heard in several rare track collections, but most of them were LP-recorded with needle cracks and harsh ears. However, this work is a lossless reprint from the CD version that was only released in the United States at the time. The volume and sound pressure are the same as the main version so that it can be listened to as an album, but other than that, it is the best version that has not been processed at all. *Side note: Speaking of rare tracks from this era, there is also another mix of “Peace Sells” provided for the compilation album “BULLETS VOLUME ONE”. However, this is actually a Randy Barnes MIX. It only overlaps with the main version, so it is not included in this work. This is a complete set of two full versions of “Randy Barnes MIX”, and it is a piece that can be enjoyed not only by those who missed out on the premium 25th anniversary box, but also by those who enjoyed the test press LP version with a sound that exceeds the official CD. Furthermore, the best version of “These Boots” is permanently preserved. This is a press CD that will truly be the “definitive edition of the PEACE SELLS era”. It is an absolute work that you should collect alongside the official masterpieces. The original mix version of “PEACE SELLS… BUT WHO’S BUYING?”, which was not released at the time. This album contains two versions: the version created from the extremely rare test press LP “MFN 64” and the official CD version included in the 25th anniversary box set, plus a bonus re-recorded soundtrack version of “These Boots”. It covers all the rare studio tracks from the “PEACE SELLS” era. “PEACE SELLS” not only has a different sound, but some of the songs have different takes and arrangements, so you can enjoy the original form that was conceived at the time of production. “These Boots” is also a best version that is far more complete than the first album. Taken from the original Music For Nations Test Pressing LP (MFN 64)(75:58) MUSIC FOR NATIONS TEST PRESSING LP (MFN 64) 1. Wake Up Dead 2. The Conjuring 3. Peace Sells 4. Devils Island 5. Good Mourning/Black Friday 6. Bad Omen 7. I Ain’t Superstitious 8. My Last Words “DUDES” SOUNDTRACK ALBUM (MCAD- 6212) 9. These Boots Are Made For Walkin’ (Re-recording Version) 25TH ANNIVERSARY BOX SET (509990 29339 24) 10. Wake Up Dead 11. The Conjuring 12. Peace Sells 13. Devils Island 14. Good Mourning/Black Friday 15. Bad Omen 16. I Ain’t Superstitious 17. My Last Words Mixed by Randy Burns Produced by Randy Burns and Dave Mustaine Track 9 is produced & mixed by Paul Lani