The origin of the Bad Religion Tribute Tapes lies in the BRML (Bad Religion Mailing List). In late 1996 it became clear that many people on the list were in bands. So a logical question was: "we've got all of these musicians here, why not record some Bad Religion tunes as a tribute to the band?". Immediately after this idea was posted on the BRML people responded, expressing interest.
A very modest website was set up on which information about the project was posted, after which even more inquiries were received. In about two months time, 19 Bad Religion tracks from bands and people all over the world were submitted. Whether a track was a piano ballad, an acoustic rendition, a spoken word, a reggae song, a techno version, or a straight-forward punk track, it all fit perfectly into this DIY project.
A contest was held among the people on the BRML to come up with a name for the compilation tape. The winner was "Punk Rock Songs by the Mohawk Chain Leather Brigade". And so the first Bad Religion Tribute Tape was born.

Besides the 21 original songs by the bands and people involved, it also included 3 live Bad Religion songs.

Except for the info on how this first tape came to be, we don't know anything else about it. So if you have this first Tribute Tape or know someone who does, please drop us a line.