This epic 5-disc Cherry Red compilation of UK post-punk from spans 1977 – 1981. It’s actually a book with CDs inside. The essay and mini-bios in the book consider what post-punk is, the turning points in its development, and an exploration of the UK scene. There is such a variety that my conclusion is that post-punk is an era, more than a genre, but the songs do have elements in common. I enjoyed this album, as it covers some of my favourite music years. I liked how there was an effort to include female bands and those with female singers. It’s interesting how some of the songs are electronic-heavy, some are purely indie rock, while others have different features such as use of saxophone, hints of funk and reggae, feedback or spoken word. A lot of them seemed to deliberately avoid melody because they are the opposite of easy listening. Some of the artists included became famous, some became well-known to those who are into this kind of music, while others are rather obscure. Here are a few favourites out of the 100+ tracks, after listening twice:
Nico – ‘Vegas’, Punishment of Luxury – ‘Puppet Life’, TV21 – ‘Snakes and Ladders’, Tubeway Army – ‘Bombers’, Thompson Twins – ‘Squares and Triangles’, Joy Divison – ‘Transmission’, Mo-Dettes – ‘White Mice’, Blancmange – ‘Overspreading Art Genius’, Dislocation Dance – ‘It’s So Difficult’.
A few of the songs, I can’t decide if I like or not – ‘There Goes Concorde Again’ by …And the Native Hipsters is a prime example!
The title of this compilation comes from the lyrics of ‘Shot by Both Sides’ by Magazine, one of the first post-punk records.
