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Wednesday 14 April 2021

"Jon Savage's 1972-1976: All Our Times Have Come" by VARIOUS ARTISTS – Featuring UK, US, GERMAN, DUTCH and FRENCH 45-Singles by Little Feat, The Move, Grin, Faust, Mott The Hoople, Big Star, Free, Sparks, Lou Reed, David Bowie (4 Tracks have connections), Andy Pratt, New York Dolls, Dana Gillespie, John Lennon, Sparks, Neu, Dr. Feelgood, Hawkwind, Kraftwerk, Murray Head, Roxy Music, Yoko Ono, The Runaways, The Hammersmith Gorillas, Blondie, Nick Lowe, Blue Oyster Cult, The Count Bishops and more (March 2021 UK Ace Records 2CD 44-Track Compilation with Nick Robbins Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry...





This Review and 299 More Like It Can Be Found In My AMAZON e-Book 
US AND THEM - 1973
Your All-Genres Guide To Exceptional 
CD Reissues and Remasters 
Classic Albums, Compilations, 45's...
All In-Depth Reviews From The Discs Themselves
Over 2,200 E-Pages
(No Cut And Paste Crap)

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"...School's Been Blown To Pieces..."

I love a CD compilation me and this rather angry little brute has more than its fair share of fabulous snarling moments. 

Part of Jon Savage's ongoing year-by-year exploration of Rock's 60ts beginnings through to its 70ts multi-genre developments as issued on seven-inch singles (see series list below) - his latest for March 2021 is this - a 44-Track 2CD growl through what he loosely describes as 'punk' covering five years in the Seventies - 1972 to 1976. 

Wot! Punk Rock between 1972 and 1976 you say! Didn't it start during 1976 and explode thereafter? Well, it's more the ethos that Savage is getting at – the subterranean screams that lie in say Alice Cooper's "School's Out" (that symbol of control and establishment blown to pieces) or the edgy Art-School neck-jerk that's inherent in Roxy Music's brilliant "Editions Of You" (a rare Euro-only single) or Patti Smith's stunning snot-nose rendition of "Hey Joe" - the Billy Roberts song done by The Leaves in 1966 and made famous by Hendrix's Experience that same year. 

But like so many compilations dragged down by the omission of big names that can't be licensed and (let's be mean mister mustard here) a few of his own dubious choices - "All Our Times Have Come" also falls in places despite some genuinely brilliant inclusions on those roads less travelled. 

That aside - I like "All Our Times Have Come" a lot – an alternative listen worth a tremble in the trouser area. "1972-1976" is also stuffed to the gunnels - check out the near 80-minute playing times for both CDs listed below. And the annotation Savage puts in is second-to-none - a rammed 28-page booklet that's even more fact-windy than this review. Time to get teenage and wasted...

UK released 26 March 2021 - "Jon Savage's 1972-1976: All Out Times Have Come" by VARIOUS ARTISTS on Ace Records CDTOP2 1594 (Barcode 029667101523) is a 44-Track 2CD compilation of 45-Single Remasters that plays out as follows:

CD1 (79:39 minutes, All Tracks are 45-Single Versions):
1. Easy To Slip - LITTLE FEAT (January 1972 US on Warner Brothers WB 7553, A-side)
2. Do Ya - THE MOVE (April 1972 UK on Harvest HAR 5050, One B-side of "California Man")
3. End Unkind - GRIN (April 1972 US on Spindizzy ZS7 4006, A-side Edit, featuring Nils Lofgren)
4. School's Out - ALICE COOPER (June 1972 UK on Warner Brothers K 16188, A-side)
5. I Hardly Know Her Name - THE WACKERS (May 1972 UK on Warner Brothers K 12054, A-side)
6. So Far - FAUST (May 1972 GERMAN on Polydor 2001 299, A-side edit)
7. Slow Death - FLAMIN' GROOVIES (July 1972 UK on United Artists UP 35392, A-side, Produced by Dave Edmunds)
8. One Of The Boys - MOTT THE HOOPLE (July 1972 UK on CBS Records S 8271, B-side of "All The Young Dudes", Written by Mick Ralphs (later with Bad Co) and Ian Hunter, Produced and Arranged by David Bowie)
9. When My Baby's Beside Me - BIG STAR (August 1972 US on Ardent ADA 2902, A-side)
10. She Means A Lot To Me - SMYLE (October 1972 NETHERLANDS on Polydor 2050 215, B-side of "It's Gonna Be Alright")
11. Wishing Well - FREE (December 1972 UK on Island WIP 6146, A-side)
12. Full Circle - THE BYRDS (June 1973 UK on Asylum AYM 517, A-side - Written by Gene Clark, Produced by David Crosby)
13. Blockbuster! - THE SWEET (January 1973 UK on RCA Victor RCA 2305, A-side - written by Mike Chapman and Nicky Chinn)
14. Vicious - LOU REED (March 1973 UK on RCA Victor RCA 2318, A-side - Produced by David Bowie and Mick Ronson)
15. Avenging Annie - ANDY PRATT (June 1973 UK on Epic S EPC 1538, A-side)
16. Yang Yang - YOKO ONO/PLASTIC ONO BAND (April 1973 UK Apple APPLE 47, B-side of "Death Of Samantha")
17. Editions Of You - ROXY MUSIC (June 1973 GERMANY on Island 12 713, B-side of "Do The Strand")
18. Search And Destroy - IGGY & THE STOOGES (June 1973 US on Columbia 4-45877, A-side)
19. 48 Crash - SUZI QUATRO (July 1973 UK on RAK Records RAK 158, A-side - written by Mike Chapman and Nicky Chinn)
20. Trash - NEW YORK DOLLS (August 1973 US on Mercury 73414, A-side- Produced by Todd Rundgren)
21. Andy Warhol - DANA GILLESPIE (August 1974 UK on RCA Victor RCA 2446, A-side - written and produced by David Bowie)
22. No. 9 Dream - JOHN LENNON (January 1975 UK on Apple R 6003, A-side)
 
CD2 (77:23 minutes):
1. Girl From Germany - SPARKS (June 1974 UK on Bearsville K 15516, A-side - from 1973's LP "A Woofer In Tweeter's Clothing")
2. You Really Got Me - THE HAMMERSMITH GORILLAS (September 1974 UK on Penny Farthing PEN 849, A-side - cover of The Kinks 60ts hit, Produced by Larry Page)
3. The Man Who Couldn't Afford To Orgy - JOHN CALE (July 1974 UK on Island WIP 6202, A-side - Produced by John Cale, Brian Eno and Phil Manzanera) 
4. Hey Joe (Version) - PATTI SMITH (November 1974 US Mer Records 601, A-side - cover of The Leaves and Jimi Hendrix 1966 hit)
5. Third Uncle - ENO (1974 FRENCH on Island 6837 233, A-side)
6. Kings Of Speed - HAWKWIND (May 1976 UK on United Artists UP 35808, A-side - Dave Brock and Michael Moorcock song)
7. I Don't Mind - DR. FEELGOOD (March 1975 UK on United Artists UP 38515, B-side of "She Does It Right" - Mono Single from the Mono LP "Down By The Jetty")
8. After Eight - NEU (June 1975 UK on United Artists UP 35874, B-side of "Isi")
9. Red Temple Prayer (Two Headed Dog) - R. ERICSON & BLEIBALIEN (1975 US on Mars Records No. 1000, A-side - Roky Ericson of The 13th Floor Elevators, Produced by Doug Sham)
10. Roadrunner - JONATHAN RICHMAN (August 1975 UK on United Artists UP 36006, A-side)
11. Say It Isn't So Joe - MURRAY HEAD (October 1975 UK on Island WIP 6252, A-side)
12. Radioactivity - KRAFTWERK (February 1976 UK on Capitol CL 15853, A-side)
13. Final Solution - PERE UBU (March 1976 US on Hearthan 102, A-side)
14. Blitzkrieg Bop - RAMONES (July 1976 UK on Sire 6078 601, A-side)
15. Max's Kansas City '76 Pt. 1 - WAYNE COUNTY & THE BACKSTREET BOYS (1976 US on Max 1213, A-side)
16. Cherry Bomb - THE RUNAWAYS (September 1976 UK on Mercury 6167 392, A-side - written by Kim Fowley and Joan Jett)
17. X Offender - BLONDIE (March 1977 UK Private Stock PVT 90, A-side - written by Debbie Harry and Gary Valentine)
18. Horseplay (Weary Of The Schmaltz) - EDDIE & THE HOT RODS (June 1976 UK on Island WIP 6306, B-side of "Wooly Bully" - Lew Lewis on Harmonica)
19. Keys To Your Heart - THE 101'ERS (June 1976 UK on Chiswick S 3, A-side - written by and featuring Joe Strummer before he formed The Clash)
20. (Don't Fear) The Reaper - BLUE OYSTER CULT (July 1976 UK on CBS Records S CBS 4483, A-side)
21. Heart Of The City - NICK LOWE (August 1976 UK on Stiff BUY 1, B-side of "So It Goes")
22. Train, Train - THE COUNT BISHOPS (August 1976 UK on Chiswick S 5, A-side)

ARTIST INDEX (Alphabetical)
Big Star – CD1, Track 9
Blondie - CD2, Track 17
Blue Oyster Cult - CD2, Track 20
The Byrds – CD1, Track 12
John Cale - CD2, Track 3
Alice Cooper – CD1, Track 4
The Count Bishops - CD2, Track 22
Wayne County & The Backstreet Boys - CD2, Track 15
Dr. Feelgood - CD2, Track 7
Eddie & The Hot Rods - CD2, Track 18
(Brian) Eno - CD2, Track 5
Roky Erickson and Bleibalien - CD2, Track 9
Faust – CD1, Track 6
Flamin' Groovies – CD1, Track 7
Free – CD1, Track 11
Dana Gillespie – CD1, Track 21 (David Bowie connection) 
Grin – CD1, Track 3
The Hammersmith Gorillas - CD2, Track 1
Hawkwind - CD2, Track 6
John Lennon – CD1, Track 22
Little Feat – CD1, Track 1
Murray Head - CD2, Track 11
Iggy & The Stooges – CD1, Track 18 (David Bowie connection)
Kraftwerk - CD2, Track 12
Nick Lowe - CD2, Track 21
Mott The Hoople – CD1, Track 8 (David Bowie connection)
The Move – CD1, Track 2
Neu - CD2, Track 8
New York Dolls – CD1, Track 20
The 101'ers (featuring Joe Strummer) - CD2, Track 19
Yoko Ono/Plastic Ono Band – CD1, Track 16
Pere Ubu - CD2, Track 13
Andy Pratt – CD1, Track 15
Suzi Quatro – CD1, Track 19
Ramones - CD2, Track 14
Lou Reed – CD1, Track 14 (David Bowie connection)
Jonathan Richman - CD2, Track 10
Roxy Music – CD1, Track 17
The Runaways - CD2, Track 16
Patti Smith - CD2, Track 4
Smyle – CD1, Track 10
Sparks - CD2, Track 1
The Sweet – CD1, Track 13
The Wackers – CD1, Track 5

The 28-page booklet is more than impressive, Savage going the extra mile with 'both' US and UK seven-inch single catalogue numbers and release dates and a lengthy seriously knowledgeable paragraph on every song. There's clever stuff like Sparks, The Hammersmith Gorillas and Dr. Feelgood all benefitting from Euro Picture Sleeves because their British equivalents only came in label bags, while other pages contain collages of magazines, trade adverts, demos of 45-single labels, and wads of rare picture sleeves like Faust's "So Far", the New York Dolls' "Trash" and the titled demo sleeve for Murray Head's aching "Say It Ain't So Joe" on Island. 

I also found that long-standing Audio Engineer for Ace NICK ROBBINS - who has probably been round more 45 master tapes than many human beings on the planet would ever want - has achieved a remarkable clarity and even-handedness to the sound. For instance although I adore Little Feat and The Move, I thought Savage's pairing of the slick Rock-Funk of "Easy To Slip" with the Raw-Rock riffage of "Do Ya" in the first two opening tracks on CD1 would be a disaster - it isn't. Zipping right over to both Nick Lowe and The Count Bishops on the tailend of CD2 - I have these tunes on other remastered CDs, but somehow the Robster has squeezed more oomph out of them. Very cool. To the music...

You have to love a compilation that digs down to find the US-only 45s for "End Unkind" and "When My Baby's Beside Me" by Grin (with Nils Lofgren) and Big Star – both great examples of post-Beatles Pop Songs that impress and jangle. But I have to say that both The Wackers and The Byrds entries leave me stone cold even if Gene Clark and David Crosby are present on the second. But then genius choices kick in – The Dutch group Smyle is a superb new one on me and the relentlessness of the Faust and Flamin’ Groovies tracks work so well. Mike Chapman and Nicky Chinn feature large in my youth and frankly anything on RAK Records – so its chipper to see Suzi and The Sweet bask in all their Glam Rock sun and pomp (we don’t know just what to do!). Bowie androgynous punk-riffing shadow looms over four entries – Mott The Hoople, Lou Reed, Iggy & The Stooges and Dana Gillespie (looking buxom on Page 16 never mind 3). And I had forgotten the brilliance in both "Editions Of You" and "♯ 9 Dream" – Ferry and his gang of Glam marauders shining snotty alongside a sensual-sounding Lennon dreaming of "Walls and Bridges" and elaborate album artwork. 

Tunesmith slick-willies of British and US Punk and New Wave pepper CD2 - Blondie, The Count Bishops, Dr. Feelgood, The Runaways, Nick Lowe, The Ramones, Pere Ubu and more – while The Sweet, Suzi Quatro, Lou Reed, Iggy Pop, New York Dolls, Big Star and Dana Gillespie all Glam/Alternative/Space Rock/Bowie-esque up CD1. But Savage then throws in the desperate but gorgeous melody of Murray Head, the can't get out of my head space of John Lennon, the longing Feminism of Yoko Ono or the ahead-of-its-time Stooges-like guitar-wild of Neu and the Euro-Electronic angst of Kraftwerk and even Sparks. Just out of hospital and some five years after the 13th Floor Elevators' Roky Erickson gets angry while the Velvet's John Cale worries about men who can't afford to orgy. There's straight up Seventies Rock, Glam Rock, Kraut Rock, Art Rock, Post Rock 'n' Roll, Early Punk, British & US New Wave, Space Rock, Comedy - it's a cool and varied ride. Hit me with a flower. 

"...They're all revved up and ready to go..." screamed The Ramones in their impossibly cool reinvention of 60ts Garage - one foot in the past but the other ready to race towards the future. "1972-1976: All Our Times Have Come" embodies that girls, boys and all-points in-between world of excitement and restlessness with a bullet. CDTOP2 is right...  

Titles in the Jon Savage Year-By-Year Series of Compilations

CD:
1. Jon Savage's 1965: The Year The Sixties Ignited (26 June 2018 UK on Ace Records CDTOP2 1513, 2CDs, 48-Tracks, Barcode 029667086028)

2. Jon Savage's 1966: The Year The Decade Exploded (30 October 2015 UK on Ace Records CDTOP2 1452, 2CDs, 48-Tracks, Barcode 029667074223)

3. Jon Savage's 1967: The Year Pop Divided (31 March 2017 UK on Ace Records CDTOP2 1495, 2CDs, 48-Tracks, Barcode 029667079525)

4. Jon Savage's 1968: The Year The World Burned (30 November 2018 UK on Ace Records CDTOP2 1536, 2CDs, 48-Tracks in Mono and Stereo, Barcode 029667092821) – see REVIEW

5. Jon Savage's 1969-1971: Rock Dreams On 45 (25 October 2019 UK on Ace Records CDTOP2 1559, 2CDs, 43-Tracks in Mono and Stereo, Barcode 029667096621)

6. Jon Savage's 1972-1976: All Our Times Have Come (26 March 2021 UK on Ace Records CDTOP2 1594, 2CDs, 44-Tracks in Mono and Stereo, Barcode 029667101523)

VINYL:
1. Jon Savage's 1965-1968: The High Sixties On 45 (June 2019 UK on Ace Records XXQLP2 060, 35-Track 2LP Set on Orange Vinyl in Stereo and Mono, Barcode 029667009515)

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INDEX - Entries and Artist Posts in Alphabetical Order