Music and political protest have gone hand in hand since the dawn of time. This live disc, recorded on December 1, 1999 in Seattle, finds the premiere political instigator of our day, Jello Biafra, in the midst of protests against the World Trade Organization. Biafra began his attack on the establishment with the insightful and incite-full Dead Kennedys and is even better at his craft today. As with all of his work, it is impossible to separate the music from the political intent, which is what makes this album so compelling. Using his microphone to agitate the crowd, Biafra spews forth some of the most learned, witty and wonderfully intricate tirades of his career. Everyone with ears needs to hear the fifteen-minute opener "Battle in Seattle," a call to arms for personal and social responsibility. As an international trade economist (I'm fairly sure this album was assigned to me as a sly jab from my editor [Nope, just thought you'd write the most academically qualified review -- Ed.]), I don't agree with all of the accusations leveled against the WTO (frankly I think some are downright wrong), but the facts presented by Biafra in the linear notes are more correct and informative that anything you'll find in your local paper. More importantly, as human being, I'm glad to see that people are still willing to take an impassioned stance on something in the age of online ennui. If this album makes some people rethink how their economic choices affect the world, I imagine that would satisfy both Biafra and myself.

Musically, the all-star backing band, which features Krist Novoselic (Nirvana/Sweet 75), Kim Thayil (Soundgarden) and Gina Mainwal (Sweet 75), sticks to heavy-handed punk as it blazes through rants such as "Electric Plantation" and the re-worked "Full Metal Jackoff." Despite his arguably better-known backing band, this set of "serf music" is clearly Biafra's show. Its his words that the crowd responds to and his speeches which reflect the strife which ran rampant in the streets for those five days. A testament to the power of music as a catalyst for social awakening, this album makes a fitting document of intelligent disenfranchisement at the end of the second millennium.