Various A Very Special Christmas 2

Various A Very Special Christmas 2

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Although not even half of this CD is outstanding, it was recorded for a worthwhile cause (the Special Olympics), and contains some great songs, most notably Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers' "Christmas All Over Again" -- this is jingle-jangle pop at its best. Boyz II Men wrap their a cappella voices around "The Birth of Christ," and the two Wall of Sound standouts, Darlene Love and Ronnie Spector bring their powerful voices together for the first time on "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree." Bonnie Raitt duets with Charles Brown on his sexy "Merry Christmas Baby," while Aretha Franklin shows why she's called the "Queen of Soul" on "O Christmas Tree''

  

Various A Very Special Christmas

Various A Very Special Christmas 

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Recorded to benefit the Special Olympics, this has some of the biggest names in contemporary music, most covering seasonal favorites with mixed success. Outstanding tracks include the Pretenders "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," with Chrissie Hynde giving a touching performance. Run-D.M.C.'s topical "Christmas in Hollis" relies heavily on sampling "Back Door Santa," and may head you toward the dance floor. Alison Moyet's stately version of "The Coventry Carol" is beautifully Haunting

Various Close To The Noise Floor Presents Noise Reduction System (Formative European Electronica 1974-1984)

Various Close To The Noise Floor Presents Noise Reduction System (Formative European Electronica 1974-1984)

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During the late '70s and early '80s, a crop of British experimentalists emerged with positions on conventional rock music that ranged from indifferent to hostile. Prompted by early electronic music and the advancements made by the BBC Radiophonic Workshop, Tangerine Dream, Kraftwerk, and Throbbing Gristle -- and eventually their peers -- they plied their trade on equipment with names like EMS Synthi A, EDP Wasp, Korg MS-10, and ARP Odyssey. For many of them, guitars and drum kits were obsolete. Synthesizers, drum machines, and tape delay units, many of them shrinking in size and cost, were the present and future way to sculpt jerking noises or strange pop songs. The fledgling musicians could record in bedrooms and release the results on cassette, or they could ally with independent labels and operate at studios like Blackwing, a haven for Mute and 4AD artists such as Depeche Mode and Cocteau Twins. Released by Cherry Red, one of those original outlets for music of the margins, Close to the Noise Floor: Formative UK Electronica 1975-1984 collects four discs of the alternately thrilling, grim, silly, and just plain bizarre stuff. Some of the groups, such as Blancmange, the Human League, and Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, went commercial after they released their selected inclusions, while the likes of Wire's Bruce Gilbert and Graham Lewis appear here with a divergence into sound manipulation that resembles animal calls. Some of these tracks have appeared on widely available albums and compilations. The making of this set must have been an arduous undertaking, however, as the majority of the tracks were originally issued on cassettes and 7" vinyl in small quantities, previously heard by few sets of ears. Among the highlights of the accidentally obtainable and deliberately obscure: Thomas Leer's spangly narrative "Tight as a Drum," Adrian Smith's skeletal and crepuscular "Joe Goes to New York," and British Standard Unit's mutilation of Rod Stewart's "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?" There's also Gerry & the Holograms' delightful self-titled theme song, placed on high rotation by temporary WPIX DJ Frank Zappa. The Mute massive -- Cabaret Voltaire, Robert Rental, and so forth -- are surprisingly absent, though they're represented somewhat by Alan Burnham's "Music to Save the World By," produced by label boss Daniel Miller (aka the Normal, the Silicon Teens). Given that so much scarce material is discerningly compiled here, it's hard to gripe about it and other exclusions. A great essay and a fair portion of the track-by-track notes come from Dave Henderson, who documented the global post-punk electronic underground as it developed, after being lured by "reading dismissive reviews in the weekly music press." Henderson's own group, Worldbackwards, contribute a glum but enchanting ballad that drones and stirs, then fades out to a bit of Sylvia Plath's "Lazy Lazarus." Henderson's assessment? "Man, we were pretentious."

Various Harmony In My Head UK Power Pop & New Wave 1977-81

Various Harmony In My Head UK Power Pop & New Wave 1977-81

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Despite the way it sometimes seems, punk wasn't the only thing happening in the U.K. during the mid-'70s. A whole bunch of bands took the good-natured feel of pub rock, the hooky melodies of the original British Invasion, and the energy of punk to come up with their own kind of power pop. It was definitely inspired by the skinny-tie power pop scene happening in the U.S., but much of it had sharper, more ragged hooks. A few artists came out of this scene to have bigger careers, like Elvis Costello and Squeeze, and some bands were good enough to have lasting power, like Buzzcocks and Wreckless Eric, but a majority of the bands playing this jumpy, catchy pop were relegated to the dustbin pretty quickly. Cherry Red's 2018 release Harmony in My Head: UK Power Pop & New Wave 1977-81 seeks to redress this injustice by unearthing the good, great, weird, and genius acts of the era over the course of three discs that will have power pop fans beside themselves with nervy joy. The set's compiler, David Wells, does a great job of sprinkling in some well-known artists like Nick Lowe, Elvis Costello, and Buzzcocks, critical faves like the Monochrome Set, and power pop heroes such as Eddie & the Hot Rods and Bram Tchaikovsky among the one-offs, misfits, never-weres, and no-hit wonders that make up the rest of the set. It's a deep, deep dive into the underground that comes back with a very high gem-to-junk ratio. In fact, it's hard to single out anything for the latter column since the bands chosen are all very familiar with how to put together at least one song with a vibrant hook, unstoppable energy, and loads of enthusiasm. Some of the songs lean more toward punk (the Nips' "Happy Song," Chelsea's "Look at the Outside"), some are twitchy and strange like the best oddball new wave (the Dodgems' "Science Fiction [Baby You're So]," Those Naughty Lumps' "Down at the Zoo), and some give their U.S. counterparts a run in the chirpy pop department (the Monos!' "UFO," the Letters' "Don't Want You Back"). Mostly though, the collection charts that fleeting moment when punk, power pop, and new wave came together magically to create something new, great, and timeless. Songs like Fast Cars' "You're So Funny," Rich Kids' "Rich Kids," and the Users' "Now That It's Over" sound as fresh and vital as when they were first released. That applies to the whole set, which is required listening for anyone who loved the sound at the time or who loves the raft of bands who have been aping this sound with varying degrees of success in the many years that followed.

Various Action Time Vision A Story Of Independent UK Punk 1976-1979

Various Action Time Vision A Story Of Independent UK Punk 1976-1979

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In the early years of the punk rock explosion of the '70s, the record industry didn't know what to make of the aggressive new sound. Punk certainly seemed like the coming thing, but no one seemed sure of how to sell music that was built around open disrespect for authority figures -- which in the eyes of the punks included the music industry. Thankfully, punk was born with a passionate desire to document itself, and if the major labels weren't going to put punk rock on records, the punks would do it themselves. No previous rock movement was more closely associated with independent labels and the D.I.Y. philosophy than punk, and countless indie labels were launched to commit fresh talent to vinyl. Action Time Vision: A Story of Independent U.K. Punk 1976-1979 is an exhaustive and wildly entertaining four-volume box set that examines both the indie label scene in the United Kingdom as well as the bands that emerged on homegrown labels. The set opens, fittingly enough, with "New Rose" by the Damned, widely acknowledged as the first British punk single and the release that turned Stiff Records into a going concern. Just as that record still sounds fresh and explosive four decades later, nearly all of the 111 songs on Action Time Vision are filled with energy, passion, and a sense of discovery, as the musicians strive to find their place in a new musical landscape and have fun doing it. This set is also a potent reminder that early punk was never as monochromatic as many liked to believe (or as samey as U.K. punk would become in the '80s). Along with the foursquare punk attack of the Lurkers, the Cortinas, Sham 69, and many others, there's the speeded-up pub rock of Fruit Eating Bears, the joyous power pop of the Stoat, the prog-inspired twists and turns of Psykik Voltz, the arty minimalism of English Subtitles, the psych-inspired surrealism of Victim, the edgy cool of the Flys, and the acoustic guitar in a bedsit parody/tribute of Patrik Fitzgerald. And while the set includes lots of familiar names, the compilers have included plenty of obscurities that often prove to be as satisfying as the best-known tracks, another reminder of how fertile this era truly was. (There are also a number of tracks from artists who would go on to greater fame in the future, such as Billy Bragg in Riff Raff, Kevin Rowland in the Killjoys, and Shane MacGowan in the Nipple Erectors.) The liner notes from Andy Davis are a great read, and an impressive history of the many bands and labels featured here. This is hardly the first or best study of the U.K. punk scene of the '70s, but Action Time Vision is an impressive tribute to the early stirrings of indie culture in England, and it's great listening throughout.

Various Silhouettes & Statues (A Gothic Revolution 1978 - 1986)

Various Silhouettes & Statues (A Gothic Revolution 1978 - 1986)

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It's little surprise that Cherry Red - which over the fast few years has absolutely reinvented itself into a top-notch reissue and scene overview empire - is behind the latest attempt to clarify the questions of what goth is. There have been goth boxsets before - one 1990s entry was simply called Goth Box, and over in the US Rhino made a stab at it last decade - plus any number of random compilations or mixes. Rather than trying to address what ultimately has become something unwieldy, especially as newer bands emerge and older performers gain new attention, Silhouettes & Statues: A Gothic Revolution 1978-1986 sets out not only a chronological brief but a geographic one, concentrating on England, whether acts were local or relocated from elsewhere. It’s a smart decision: goth as conceived and haphazardly codified was first and foremost not merely Anglophilic but Anglocentric. Still, to get back to the original question: what’s goth? In her short introductory essay Natasha Scharf does a great job in noting how the term got associated with certain performers and acts from the late 70s on, in the creative space opened up by punk’s success. She also describes how certain musical forebears from the 60s on had laid plenty of groundwork - even digging up an intriguing use of the term "gothic rock" with reference to a 1967 Doors concert review. Still, as she flatly says at one point, “defining goth isn’t easy.” It’s just as important to look beyond the music to whatever was in the air in general. Was it due to a revived cold war? A revulsion towards Thatcherism? Just a new version of 'overeducated' (and notably white) teenage angst? Simply another return of glam in darker clothes? Present one way to approach it, and another way suggests itself. That, though, is part of what makes Silhouettes such an enjoyable (if perhaps daunting) five CDs. It may not be entirely the case with the later, younger bands on the set, but absolutely none of the earliest groups began playing together with the self-conscious idea of 'Hey, let’s be a goth band.' Genre founders by default can’t be wilfully creating something they didn’t know about until it was labelled. So the question becomes less “how do these groups all resemble each other?” and more “how does the new territory open up, and who were the explorers?” Setting aside non-English/English-based acts, it’s notable from the get-go that pretty much every name you would expect to find in such a collection is represented, except one. Siouxsie And The Banshees are absolutely noteworthy by their absence, though of course they never liked being confined by genre straitjackets. At the same time, they helped establish the idea of subverted expectations early on - not just musically but as a group who were able to maintain both an underground and a chart profile. And that’s what’s important to remember about this whole thing from a distance - it was simultaneously subcultural and impossible to miss, one of many sonic stews and approaches that could and did feature in NME, Smash Hits, Radio 1 and Top Of The Pops simultaneously in the ferment of New Pop.

Various Still In A Dream A Story Of Shoegaze 1988-1995

Various Still In A Dream A Story Of Shoegaze 1988-1995

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Let's get this out of the way at the beginning. Telling the story of the overdriven, dreamlike sound of shoegaze without including a song by My Bloody Valentine is like The Great Gatsby without Gatsby or Citizen Kane without Charles Foster Kane. The group pretty much invented the sound, went on to perfect it, and was always the one band that could be counted on to innovate and disrupt. Still, once you get past that not insubstantial hurdle, Cherry Red's Still in a Dream: A Story of Shoegaze is a pretty great collection. Over the course of five discs, it gathers up major influences on the shoegaze sound, rounds up all the main practitioners, travels around the globe and catches the best of the U.S. pedal pushers (Swirlies, Black Tambourine) along the way, and takes some mild detours into dream pop, baggy, and noise, all the while dropping classic songs one after the other. The compilers make full use of all five discs, digging deep and casting a wide net that yields both obvious choices and some much less so. Part of the fun going through the discs is hearing "hits" by big names like Slowdive, Ride, and Swervedriver; part of it is rediscovering bands like Sweet Jesus, whose "Phonefreak Honey" is a delightfully sugary blast of distortion and melody, Adorable, a stadium-sized band with tunes like "Sunshine Smile" that were built on huge, impossible to ignore hooks, and Majesty Crush, who impress with the archly pretty "No. 1 Fan." There also are bands that even someone who was around during the era covered here (1988 to 1995) may have missed. Jane from Occupied Europe's "Ocean Run Dry" is an early noise pop gem; Coaltar of the Deepers' Charming Sister Kiss Me Dead!!" is a chunky, almost metallic tune from Japan that shows how universal the sound became. By the time the set is over it's hard not to be impressed by how quickly the shoegaze sound spread and evolved, how many bands were able to use it to an advantage, and -- more to the point here -- how well the set is put together. Apart from MBV, it's hard to think of any bands they missed, just as it's difficult to think of too many that they could have cut. It might have been interesting to boil the track list down a bit, then spend a disc catching up on the post-1995 bands that have kept the sound alive. That being said, the story they do tell on Still in a Dream is a fascinating one, full of guitar-mangling bliss and soaring melodic grandeur suitable for a fuzzy trip down memory lane or a deep dive of discovery for the novice gazer.

Various Pillows & Prayers (Cherry Red Records 1981 - 1984)

Various Pillows & Prayers (Cherry Red Records 1981 - 1984)

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Originally released in 1982 on the U.K. Cherry Red label, this compilation was initially sold for 99 pence, a marketing ploy that caused it to stay on the U.K. indie charts at number one for almost five months. Focusing on the famed post-punk/new wave label's earliest recordings from artists like Everything But the Girl ("On My Mind"), Eyeless in Gaza ("No Noise"), Felt ("My Face Is on Fire"), Monochrome Set ("Eine Symphonie des Grauens"), and Marine Girls ("Lazy Ways"), it opens a vivid and eclectic window into the dawn of alternative rock and the death of the U.K. punk scene.

Various Madchester - The Manchester Story '88 - '91

Various Madchester - The Manchester Story '88 - '91

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The Beechwood label's 16-track Manchester Story '88-'91: Madchester presents a pretty faithful re-telling of the Factory-led Brit-pop explosion that consumed college radio in the late '80s early '90s. Usually relegated to late-night appearances on MTV's 120 Minutes, bands like New Fast Automatic Daffodils, Happy Mondays, Stone Roses, Charlatans UK, 808 State, and New Order nevertheless found a way to break out internationally, influencing the myriad of shapes that alternative rock would assume in the coming years. Though there are many holes in the story (where are Blur, Ride, Primal Scream or the Manic Street Preachers?) presented here, the inclusion of various remixes, original 12" versions, and extended mixes keeps things interesting, and the songs themselves are all top-notch, resulting in a formidable gateway drug for anybody looking to immerse themselves in genre.

Various Cool As Ice (The Be Music Productions)

Various Cool As Ice (The Be Music Productions)

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One of the forgotten chapters in the story of New Order involves the group members' outside production work during the early '80s. In different combinations -- often including all-important input from A Certain Ratio drummer Donald Johnson -- Gillian Gilbert, Peter Hook, Stephen Morris, and Bernard Sumner produced a slew of releases under the name Be Music, most of which were released through Factory. This compilation is built around the more club-oriented productions, many of which have held up remarkably well throughout the years, despite the fact that they've been heard by a crowd far too small in number. Needless to say, none of these songs swelled to success on the level of "Blue Monday," "True Faith," or even "Confusion," but a few have since become underground dance classics -- secret weapons of keen DJs. The tracks with the highest profiles are from Section 25; "Looking from a Hilltop," included here in its eight-minute "Megamix" version, will forever carry a vicious foreboding zing -- an exhilarating cross between (actual) latter-day electro and early industrial dance. A pair of 52nd Street songs -- "Cool as Ice" and "Can't Afford to Let You Go" -- are just as infectious and vital as any of the early Jam & Lewis productions (such as Captain Rapp's "Bad Times"), and they deserved to make the crossover from the clubs to the U.S. airwaves. Paul Haig, Marcel King, Quando Quango, Thick Pigeon, and a small cast of relative unknowns also make appearances. The liner notes carry LTM's standard bounty of information, making the release all the more appealing to New Order/Factory fanatics who are late to the party.

Various Auteur Labels Factory Benelux 1980-1985

Various Auteur Labels Factory Benelux 1980-1985

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In ways Auteur Labels: Factory Benelux might have been the most necessary of LTM's single-disc compilations focusing on certain labels they had long reissued efforts by -- while New Hormones and Crepuscule were clearly distinct labels, Factory Benelux by its very name seemed to be neither fish nor fowl, allied to the original Factory and releasing many efforts by that label's roster but also releasing a slew of singles and some albums that never appeared on the parent company. Frank Brinkhuis' liner notes do an admirable job in clarifying what exactly was what on that front, putting to bed some rumors (though not always delving into full details) and otherwise spelling out the label's curious decade of existence. The inclusion of Crispy Ambulance's "The Presence" at its full 13 minutes, while inspired, does mean that there are comparatively fewer songs to feature on this disc than on others in the series, while strong but not always standout choices of songs by Durutti Column, Section 25, and Stockholm Monsters are pleasant but not revelatory. However, by including some of the more dance-oriented releases by the label, with Quando Quango, Life, and Nyam Nyam all taking bows from their mid-'80s heyday, it helps to give the compilation -- and by default, the label -- more of an identity.

Various Happy Birthday, Baby Jesus - Volumes 1 & 2

Various Happy Birthday, Baby Jesus - Volumes 1 & 2

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Happy Birthday, Baby Jesusis the CD reissue of two 10-inch vinyl LP's released in 1993 and 1994 by uber indie label Sympathy For The Record Industry - plus, as the CD booklet states, "some stuff that's new." Captured at the height of post-modern, alt-rock mania, the Happy Birthday, Baby Jesus bands fairly ooze irony and drip sarcasm. Nary a single cut has a sincerely festive perspective on the high Christian holiday. Now, that's hardly a bad thing - I love a good piss take, and the Christmas holiday is worthy target - The thing is, I really want to like this album better. I mean, the song titles alone are pretty entertaining. "Little Drummer Bitch" (Red Aunts), "Last On Santa's List" (Fireworks), "Christmastime Is For Sinners" (Mono Men), and especially "Merry Christmas Fuck You" (Jet Boys) merit a belly laugh before needle ever touches vinyl (or laser strikes aluminum, or electrons speed through cyberspace, or whatever). But, well, many of those songs aren't very good. Alternative music, particularly the sort that Sympathy For The Record Industry trafficked in, is often as much about posture as it is about craft. But, musicality has to count for something, and a large slice of Happy Birthday, Baby Jesus borders on unlistenable.But, lest I damn with faint praise, the highlights are unique, memorable, and plentiful - I rated more than half the tracks as essential. And, strangely enough, they tend to be the songs played well, or enthusiastically, or both - not shrugged off with post-modern ennui. A number of notable alternative bands turn in solid - if less than spectacular - performances, including the Muffs ("Nothing For Me"), Rocket From The Crypt ("Cancel Christmas"), and the Supersuckers ("We'll Call It Christmastime"). There's even a couple of rip-roaring traditional instrumentals by Man Or Astroman ("Frosty The Snowman") and the Bomboras ("Little Drummer Boy").Hands down, though, the two very best tracks are El Vez's wacky "Feliz Navi-Nada" and an ebullient, if profane, take on "Christmas Is A-Comin' (May God Bless You)" by the Shitbirds. In the forrmer, El Vez - who specializes in comically mashing up Elvis songs with unexpected rock classics - fuses Jose Feliciano's hispanic classic, "Feliz Navidad," with Sex Pistol John Lydon's solo debut, "Public Image." It's one of his best-ever concepts, and it's a distorted remix of a track that appeared the same year on his album "Merry MeX-mas." "Christmas Is A-Comin'" is just a hoot, really, and it features a young Elinor Blake who, as April March, would go on to create an impressive catalog of indie rock and neo-lounge music - much of it inspired by classic French pop, believe it or not.Indeed, it's moments like that make the Happy Birthday, Baby Jesus releases far more than an artifacts of the mordant 90's - if less than the unqualified post-punk Christmas classics I wish they were. In the years following their release, music and technology changed immensely, and weird-ass Christmas records by disaffected youth became commonplace - meaning, it's hard to imagine what an unusual thing these records were in their day. Back then, punks and alt-rock geeks rarely took the time to do a piss take on Christmas, let alone cobble together a whole double album of the things. That they did is a good thing, even when it hurts my ears to listen.Trivia fans, no doubt, will want to know what vintage LP covers were employed (parodied, ripped off, whatever) by Sympathy for the Record Industry to create the cover art for Happy Birthday, Baby Jesus. The three editions, respectively, are derived from Lawrence Welk's Jingle Bells (Coral, 1957), Christmas With Patti Page (Mercury, 1956), and Christmas With the Mexicali Brass (Crown, 1967). Pooping all over history is just part of the fun, I guess.

Various Punk Rock Xmas

Various Punk Rock Xmas

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Ah, it's the time of year again. Crowded malls, holiday decorations and, of course, punk rock. What better way to celebrate the season than by sitting next to the fire with your hot chocolate and listening to Punk Rock Christmas? Containing a few covers of standards (the Dickies do "Silent Night" while Stiff Little Fingers cover "White Christmas") and a few songs that became punk rock classics (the Ramones' "Merry Christmas (I Don't Want to Fight Tonight)" and Fear's "Fuck Christmas"), it's a fun record that at the very least has replayable novelty. Starting off on a high note, the Ravers' "Punk Rock Christmas" details what it would be like if the whole country went punk rock for a day with "All those Christmas trees swinging safety pins from their leaves." But the best couplet on the record goes to Pansy Division's "Homo Christmas" (You'll probably get sweaters, underwear and socks / But what you'd really like for Christmas is a nice hard cock"). The Damned and Boquet of Veal are also in full force; I didn't know so many punk bands have Grade-A Christmas related songs under their belt. Comedy is the center for these songs, and the fun, light tone never really lets up until D.I.'s plodding long, cover of "Mr. Grinch," which brings the record to a grinding halt. But being that we're dealing with punk rock here, the songs are brisk and go by quickly; that one slip-up doesn't ruin its listenability. An astute reader will notice, being that this came out in 1995, it doesn't include Blink 182's seminal "I Won't Be Home for Christmas." But hey, this is the age of technology! Rip this CD and tack that one at the end (with maybe the Vandals' "Oi to the World" as well), and you have the best collection of songs for a mohawked kid dreading yet another commercialized holiday season.

Various In The Beginning There Was Rhythm

Various In The Beginning There Was Rhythm

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Angular guitars, funk- and disco-influenced rhythms, dabblings with electronic gadgetry, leftist politics, a dash of irony, and vocals that aren't so much yelled or sung as they're chanted or detachedly intoned must mean one thing and one thing only: post-punk. At the time of In the Beginning There Was Rhythm's release, the level of resurgent interest in the style was so high that one might've expected a ten-part documentary series from Ken Burns. In reality, even Burns himself could've told you that there wasn't a need for a "23 Skidoo: Ken Burns Post-Punk" compilation by the end of 2001. (Well, actually, he would've left them out of the series, so the point is probably moot.) After all, that artery was plugging quickly -- even the smallest blips on the U.K. 1978-1982 radar were re-registering with releases that paired small-time pressings of singles with live shows and otherwise abandoned material. Suddenly, aunties and uncles across the United Kingdom were recollecting sparsely attended gigs by Crispy Ambulance, Drinking Electricity, the Stunt Kites, and the Normil Hawaiians. Meanwhile, across the pond, books like Our Band Could Be Your Life were documenting the American side of post-punk (slightly later and rather different) and bands like Mission of Burma re-joined to play old favorites and don new kneepads. But throughout all of this nostalgic hoopla, one piece of the U.K. post-punk puzzle remained missing: a definitive compilation. The legendary Wanna Buy a Bridge? and C81 compilations (both of which had ties to Rough Trade, a label, shop, and distributor that helped birth the scene) were released while the ball was rolling in the early '80s, but they became valuable out-of-print artifacts of the period at some point. Furthermore, the bootlegged labor of love Messthetics series took the hunter-gathering obscurantism of Nuggets a few steps further into the darkness of collector scumdom. So along came the trusted Soul Jazz label to help matters...and the puzzle remains incomplete. However, the intent with 2002's In the Beginning There Was Rhythm wasn't to provide something definitive. Nothing short of an exhaustive multi-disc set could do such a thing with post-punk, as the scene was far too fertile and vast to distill the whole thing down to 11 songs by nine bands. One hope is that this disc will spawn a series similar to Soul Jazz's own Dynamite series of reggae compilations. Despite the drunken record-shop bins, there are many untapped post-punk resources the label could still cover, and much like the Dynamite series, In the Beginning does a spectacular job of combining the known with the not so known. Within its tightly wrapped confines, In the Beginning demonstrates post-punk's breadth, showcasing within the grooves, jabs, and rattling waves of static the style's influences (disco, funk, reggae, Krautrock, electronic experimentation) and the styles that the style influenced (indie rock, post-rock, almost every stripe of dance music that followed) at the same time. The Human League's "Being Boiled" represents synth pop at ground zero and, like absolutely everything else here, continues to sound fresh and eminently exciting. Throbbing Gristle's "20 Jazz Funk Greats," Cabaret Voltaire's "Sluggin fer Jesus," and This Heat's "24 Track Loop" also lean toward the electronic side of the fence, abandoning guitar heroics for tape splicing, samples, and studio-manipulated scrap heaps of gray noise, all the while finding a way to coax out jerky rhythms through rhythm box throbs, handclaps, and non-traditional means (i.e., no discernible bass or drums) via repetition. Songs from Gang of Four (the perfect choice with "To Hell With Poverty," boasting their best groove), the Pop Group, the Slits (the title track), 23 Skidoo, and A Certain Ratio (one of which is a cover of Banbarra's obscuro funk pearl "Shack Up") embrace funk and reggae in varying degrees, keeping the bass and drums as the central (and often only) focus and using guitars in a pointillistic fashion (if at all), all the while distancing themselves from traditional rock & roll methods and attitudes. Topping it off is a thick booklet full of photos and liner notes that cover each band and tie the music in with the social climate they were residing in. And while one might bemoan the exclusion of Public Image Limited, Associates, the Normal, Magazine, or other bands crucial to the ideology, there's no denying that In the Beginning There Was Rhythm is a great gateway into this expansive, fruitful, trailblazing era.

Various Avon Calling The Bristol Compilation

Various Avon Calling The Bristol Compilation

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The post-punk scene of the late '70s and early '80s is to contemporary indie rock fans what the mid-'60s garage rock scene was to the post-punk scene of the late '70s and early '80s: both a source of musical inspiration and a seemingly inexhaustible resource for obscure, often weird, but sometimes magical 45s. One of the golden ages of D.I.Y. indie rock, rare post-punk from this era is still being uncovered over a quarter-century later. The two-disc Avon Calling: The Bristol Compilation has a handful of tracks by bands not entirely unknown -- the Glaxo Babies are represented with six tracks, including their career high point "Christine Keeler," and the Art Objects (later to become Brit-pop stars as the Blue Aeroplanes) have their excellent "Showing Off to Impress the Girls" dusted off -- but nearly all of these bands and songs will be all but unknown to all but the most hardcore collector geeks. What's most illuminating about Avon Calling for those who weren't there the first time around is that it puts the lie to the narrow definition of post-punk that has grown in the popular imagination since the turn of the millennium, when it seems that this era in British pop music consisted solely of bands that sounded sort of like either Joy Division or the Human League. As a matter of fact, there's little Manchester gloom or straight synth pop among these 46 songs. Instead, the Private Dicks' "Green Is in the Red" and the Stingrays' "Sound" are brisk, sunny power pop with tuneful choruses and great guitar riffs. Some songs are simply re-purposed '70s art rock with the proggy noodling and flashy solos cut out; the Europeans' "On the Continent" and Moskow's "Too Much Information" don't really sound all that different from contemporaneous singles by the likes of 10cc or Manfred Mann's Earth Band. Other songs keep the second-wave punk flag flying, the like X-Certs' "Anthem" and the female-fronted Vice Squad's appealingly bratty "Nothing." Other songs come off as weak carbon copies: the mod pop of Vitus Dance's "Down at the Park" is a little too close to the sound of All Mod Cons-era Jam. Ditto the Slits-like dub reggae of Double Vision's "My Dead Mother" and "List 99." On the other hand, the lo-fi D.I.Y. rush of the quirky but accessible "Desire" by Sneak Preview and the Skodas' shrieky minimalism of "Everybody Thinks Everybody Else Is Dead Bad" and "Mouth" does sounds quite a bit like what most people think of when they think of U.K. post-punk these days. Touches like a bit of John Peel introducing the Glaxo Babies' "It's Irrational" and an interesting, scene-setting radio interview by DJ Simon Edwards set the social context. This might seem like the sort of compilation that's mostly for boffins, but there is enough solid material on Avon Calling: The Bristol Compilation to make it worth recommending to even the casual fan of the style.

Various Fifteen Years Of Hacienda Nights

Various Fifteen Years Of Hacienda Nights

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From 1982 - 1997, 15 years of club culture have been put together in one collection showing the progression of club anthems through the years. With contemporary hits from Armand Van Helden (The Funk Phenomena), The Bucketheads (The Bomb), Basement Jaxx (Fly Life) as well as some old classics like New Order/Rockers Revenge (Confusion/ Walking On Sunshine), Alison Limerick (Where Love Lives), Dee Lite (Wild Times), and Londonbeat (There's an Acid House Going On), this is a great diverse collection.

Various Discotheque Volume 1 The Hacienda

Various Discotheque Volume 1 The Hacienda

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The dance community already owes New Order a significant amount of respect and praise for the band's contributions, but few casual fans of dance music realize just how much the group fostered the club scene in the U.K. during the '80s and '90s. Case in point: the Haçienda, a nightclub largely founded by Factory Records owner Tony Wilson. The money from New Order's record sales helped to keep the club afloat, especially during the early years when acts such as Cabaret Voltaire would only fill half the floor. As the club grew and the explosion of electronic dance music from the U.S. infiltrated the other side of the pond, the Haçienda's club nights became the place to see the newest dance acts and hear the latest sounds played by DJs. This two-disc set covers some of the most well-known dancefloor fillers of the time, including Yazoo's "Situation," Peech Boys' "Don't Make Me Wait," and Detroit techno anthems such as Cybotron's "Clear" and Derrick May's "Nude Photo." Complete with astonishingly detailed liner notes, this is a must-have for anyone who wants to experience the best the club had to offer as well as a wonderful souvenir for those lucky enough to live through the madness the first time around.

Various Zang Tuum Tumb The Organization Of Pop (Music From The First Thirty Years of ZTT Records)

Various Zang Tuum Tumb The Organization Of Pop (Music From The First Thirty Years of ZTT Records) London Edition

Various Zang Tuum Tumb The Organization Of Pop (Music From The First Thirty Years of ZTT Records) New York Edition

Various Zang Tuum Tumb The Organization Of Pop (Music From The First Thirty Years of ZTT Records) Tokyo Edition

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Calling the '80s and U.K. imprint ZTT (which stood for "Zang Tumb Tuum" and "Zang Tuum Tumb," depending on the day) "indie" doesn't touch upon how ambitious the label was, ambitious on a Frankie Goes to Hollywood or out-to-change-pop-music scale, and all dressed in expensive, cutting-edge clothing while they unleashed their garish blows against the empire. Acting as the label's co-CEOs, Paul Morley filled the liner notes with flowery prose that even the classical music set would have called snooty, while uber-producer and clever Buggle Trevor Horn produced -- some would say, over-produced -- glorious releases that were perfect for showing off stereos and marveling at studio wizardry. This was not post-punk music in the textbook sense but in the hangover sense, as ZTT didn't care for things being so smelly or messy, but with forgotten, esoteric, and gimmicky acts like Nasty Rox Inc., Das Psycho Rangers, and Anne Pigalle .Any "greatest-hits" compilation of the label ends up just a Frankie, Art of Noise, 808 State, the Frames, and maybe Propaganda mega-set. Razor & Tie's great The Organization of Pop allows the esoterica to flow through, bookending itself with the only thing Grace Jones ever recorded for the label (her album for the often conceptual ZTT was ten versions of the same song) and then some neo-classical music from house composer Andrew Poppy. In between there's Tom Jones swinging his lead on the Horn-produced blow-out "If I Only Knew," MC Tunes battling 808 State on the chirpy "Dance Yourself to Death," and Nasty Rox Inc. combining the sample-heavy music of Art of Noise with the Washington, D.C.-based genre of go-go music on an only-in-the-'80s number dubbed "Escape from New York." There are Glen Hansard and the Frames floating light-rock style, Shane MacGowan taking a break from the Pogues, and Claudia Brucken's post-Propaganda project ACT, but the reason newcomers will want the set are here, too, with all the proper Frankie ("Relax," "Two Tribes"), 808 State ("Pacific," "Cubik"), and Art of Noise ("Moments in Love," "Beat Box") selections landing on the track list and in their proper remixes. Buyers of the physical version get a great essay from Michaelangelo Matos, which captures the thrill of being a ZTT fan as it happened. It's a fine addition to this already loving and valuable release.

Various Just In Time For Christmas

Various Just In Time For Christmas

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Just in Time for Christmas" is a good example of the kind of holiday album of Christmas rock that used to hit the record stores sometime around Black Friday -- back when there were record stores, that is. Perhaps the executives and marketing personnel at the major rock-music labels got tired of watching Andy Williams et al. monopolize the Christmas-album market. Whatever the reason, the late 1980's and early 1990's saw a growing number of rock-themed Christmas CD's in which one can see some similar trends. This album, released by I.R.S. Records, reflects the alternative-rock sensibilities of the label that once counted R.E.M., the Go-Go's, the Alarm, and Concrete Blonde among its stable of acts. Like many of these albums, "Just in Time for Christmas" starts with a relatively well-established act and then proceeds to less well-known artists -- perhaps in hopes of providing said artists with greater exposure, and thereby drumming up sales. The relatively well-established act that starts things off here is Squeeze with "Christmas Day." Back in those days, Squeeze was considered definitively cool -- it was always safe to play Squeeze at a graduate-school party -- but I must confess that their work, while intellectually satisfying, never did much for me emotionally. That being said, "Christmas Day," a guitar-based song with a harp intro and good harmonies, typifies well the band's smart, hip, self-conscious approach. The Rebel Pebbles' "Cool Yule" is a fast-paced, peppy song with a definite Go-Go's vibe to it. Klark Kent (whose secret-identity name is a pseudonym for Stewart Copeland, according to Wikipedia) contributes "Yo Ho Ho"; with its low-timbre vocals (especially the words "Yo Ho Ho" in a deep, rumbling bass) and sardonic delivery, it could perhaps be retitled "Have Yourself a Portentous Little Christmas." Torch Song's "Hark" is very synthesized, with syncopated percussion and phase-shifted harmony vocals. One hears, in this song, many of the musical trends of the 1980's fading into the distance. But things pick up with the next couple of songs. Reckless Sleepers' "Every Day Will Be Like a Holiday" is a country-tinged song that seems sincere rather than ironic, with fine harmony vocals. Steve Hunter's "We Three Kings," an acoustic-guitar instrumental supported by bells, has a pleasant and contemplative quality. And the dB's, from Winston-Salem, North Carolina, bring their own country overtones to "Home for the Holidays," offering a fresh take on the familiar theme of family members missing each other when they can't be together at the holidays. With the vocalist's high thin tenor, effective use of lap steel guitar, and violin coming in on the chorus, this song is a highlight of the album.

Various The Edge Of Christmas

Various The Edge Of Christmas

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There's nothing dangerous about The Edge of Christmas, rather it's a collection of contemporary Christmas songs suitable for play at even the most conservative family gathering-save for one punky number by the Ramones. Bookended by Queen's gorgeous anthem, "Thank God It's Christmas" and the Waitresses' new wave rap, "Christmas Wrapping," the compilation takes a while to get going, but halfway thorough things loosen up-not unlike an office Christmas party. The Pretenders' "2000 Miles" and the Pogues' "Fairytale of New York" were classy inclusions. Kate Bush's "December Will Be Magic Again" and the Cocteau Twins' "Winter Wonderland" are rarities now made available again. Dave Edmund's "Run Run Rudolph," a classic rockabilly romp, and the Ramones' "Merry Christmas (I Don't Want to Fight )" are modern day standards. As holiday rock records go, it doesn't get much more-traditional than this.