“Never Again” should not be confused with the 1981 Discharge EP of the same title, as this a dreaded compilation with questionable track arrangement and identical iconic cover artwork to the EP. It includes remixed material from the same name EP and 70% of the songs from their previously reviewed 1982 LP… but also all of their tracks from the “controversial” 1983 EPs between “Hear Nothing See Nothing Say Nothing” and the infamous “Grave New World” - with no rhyme or reason to sequencing. By the time these EPs had been released, Bones had left the band. Side I weaves in tracks from “Warning: Her Majesty’s Government Can Be Harmful To Your Health”, and Side II includes tracks from “Born To Die In The Gutter” and “The Price of Silence,” each of which signaled Discharge’s continued fall from grace. The band’s lineup changed a few times in this period too and didn’t tour much.
While the 1983 Warning / Gutter / Silence era has many critics, it also has many fans, being inspiration for plenty of bands like Final Bombs, Crow, and others. A similar Japanese compilation came out the same year which may explain that inspiration a bit. I have a soft spot for rip off bands who choose a specific esoteric era to copy. Admittedly, I don’t actually hate it either - Born To Die In The Gutter is a banger - but for the punk purist, you’d be better off with the LP, early EPs, and skip this sucker altogether. The remixing doesn’t really do any of the older songs any benefit either, so you’re not missing much.