"The Reprise Years 1970-1973" by FANNY – Includes Four Studio Albums Plus Bonuses – Features "Fanny" (December 1970 US Debut), "Charity Ball" (July 1971 US Second Album), "Fanny Hill" (February 1972 Third Album) and "Mothers Pride" (February 1973 Fourth Album) – Band Included June and Jean Millington, Nickey Barclay and Alice De Buhr (August 2024 UK Cherry Red 4CD Clamshell Box Set of 82-Tracks on 4CDs – Reissue Based on a September 2002 US-Only Rhino-Handmade Remastered 4CD 90-Track Box Set called "First Time In A Long Time: The Reprise Recordings") - A Review by Mark Barry...

https://www.amazon.co.uk/REPRISE-YEARS-1970-1973-4CD-CLAMSHELL/dp/B0D63LG6TR?crid=1OU3IKFZRPEA4&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.J5jPow9mtVSTzINrKfTBXAwo7IHmochPxqLaVAZdLpVloysxLH7Nwc3qkSMPTAO2IMXvPr7tDATmQ9V1SKTAJiAE_ObpUsUd7UusGdqXXJX7rjynN7Ircb6k4qBtKE7YA7LbYqwAzII8fcxQbOSNta5bftFxUfwnlfzlVaqChuEdy5N5I6SdPECEaFDCKT0wPNg22o9lgAWKd56NN7XHA7G74eYUb8MYE4ti8L0Y-5w.X2_3wIKMJEhOowGF5p2rijEJacAl8j3r1KZOWcrHwoA&dib_tag=se&keywords=fanny+reprise&nsdOptOutParam=true&qid=1727383758&sprefix=fanny+reprise%2Caps%2C98&sr=8-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=mabasreofcdbl-21&linkId=e26e6904f622ffb82ff0d56424fa9ce1&language=en_GB&ref_=as_li_ss_tl

"…Rock 'Til The Break Of Dawn…"

RATING: 

Overall: **** to *****

Audio: **** to *****

Presentation: *****

Back in September 2002 Rhino Handmade of the USA issued the 4CD 90-Track compilation "First Time In A Long Time: The Reprise Recordings" by FANNY which gave fans of the Classic 70s All-Girl Rock Band a mighty haul. It covered four US studio albums from December 1970 through to February 1973 – each of those Reprise Records LPs bolstered up with wads of rare singles-side edits, studio outtakes, live recordings and previously unreleased (including recordings made by Todd Rundgren in 1973 for the "Mothers Pride" set not heard in nearly 40 years). 

That rare out-of-the-USA-only compilation on Rhino Handmade RHM2 7734 (Barcode 6034977342) was a numbered limited edition of 5000 copies and quickly sold out – and has not surprisingly acquired huge price tags on secondhand auction sites ever since – sometimes up to £150 and more. There were individual album Remasters and Reissues in 2013 and 2016 by Real Gone Music of the USA (close ties to Rhino) but they too have largely disappeared to the mists of the Net and if they are available – all four will cost ya.

Here in late August 2024, reissue heroes Cherry Red Records of the UK come to the shagpad rescue with a re-run and re-name of that 4-Disc 90-Track beast minus just eight cuts (four of which were promotional spots anyway – so not a lot wasted or dropped). At 82 tracks, 4 albums and with some seriously great stragglers on each disc (check out those playing times) – "The Reprise Years  1970-1973" also comes in a Clamshell Box Set with four of those natty Mini LP Repro Card Sleeves we collectors love and a decent chunky booklet with band input (the Millington sisters and Alice de Buhr) from 2024. At a retail push of about £25 or less – we get Mothers Pride indeed. Even sweeter - and as is evidenced by the play when you plough through the discs - this 2024 Cherry Red reissue (officially licensed from WEA) has retained the clear and muscular Rhino Remasters - a shockingly clear and ballsy listen for old material recorded by famed Producer Richard Perry in a hurry (first three LPs and Todd Rundgren for the fourth). 

Fanny were well liked – and when you hear live cuts from 1972 and 1973 – they absolutely rocked when on stage. The albums in fact may feel a tad tame when someone suggests Rawk or Psych – Fanny were a fun Pop and Rock group and wrote some decent tunes. This all-girl four-piece Rock Band out of the USA also set the template for so many to follow - Heart, The Runaways, The Go-Go's, The Bangles and suchlike buddies in Rock and Roll crime.

If Fanny were so good you might say, then how come they were such a commercial failure with five whole studio albums that barely charted ("Charity Ball" made No. 150 on the Billboard US Album charts in October 1971 while its follow-up "Fanny Hill" made No. 135 in October 1972 - their fifth and last "Rock And Roll Survivors" was on Casablanca Records in 1974 but did not register and none of their LPs charted in the UK). As I recall when I worked the counters at Reckless Records for 20 whole years – Fanny albums were notorious four-to-five-pound fodder. 

But – and this is the big but – circling back to our reissue – it’s the Bonuses on each CD that elevate the listen into a better-than-most feast. A lot of these outtakes and single edits are so damn good and at times brilliant (the 1973 cover version of The Supremes Motown No.1 hit "Back In My Arms Again" is quite possibly the best thing on here). The same I'm afraid could not be said of The Steve Gibbons Band Box set put out by Esoteric Recordings in January 2022 (a division of Cherry Red) where seriously lacklustre supposed Bonus material dragged the whole kaboodle down. Here the extras are a celebration and even an indication of what could have been had they been allowed to simply ROCK. A lot to take in, so time to attend the Charity Ball with our My Fair Lady gals once more. To the details…

UK released 28 August 2024 - "The Reprise Years  1970-1973" by FANNY on Cherry Red QCRCD4BOX173 (Barcode 5013929117396) is a 4CD 82-Track Reissued Compilation Based on a September 2002 US set and it plays out as follows:

CD1 "Fanny" + Bonus Tracks (72:41 minutes):
1. Come And Hold Me [Side 1]
2. I Just Realised
3. Candlelighter Man
4. Conversation With A Cop
5. Badge
6. Changing Horses [Side 2]
7. Bitter Wine
8. Take A Message To The Captain
9. It Takes A Lot Of Good Lovin'
10. Shade Me
11. Seven Roads (see NOTES)
Tracks 1 to 11 are their debut album "Fanny" – released December 1970 in the USA on Reprise RS 6416 (no UK issue). Produced by RICHARD PERRY

CD1 BONUS TRACKS:
12. Ladie's Choice
13. New Day
14. Nowhere To Run
15. One Step At A Time
16. Changing Horses (Single Version)
17. Seven Roads (German Single Edit)
18. Shade Me (B-side Edit)
19. Badge (Live at the Bijou Café, Philadelphia)
20. Candlelighter Man (The Kitchen Tapes)
21. Seven Roads (Second Version)

NOTES on CD1: 
Track 11 "Seven Roads" at the end of Side 2 of the released album is a First Version – Fanny re-did the song and that Second Version is in the Bonus Tracks along with a German Single Edit too (see Track 17); Track 21 is a Second version of "Seven Roads" and at 3:46 minutes is shorter than Version 1 on the LP playing to 4:17 minutes
Tracks 12 and 13 "Ladie's Choice" and "New Day" are the A&B-side of their debut US 45-single released March 1970 on Reprise 0901 (no UK equivalent)
Tracks 15 and 14 (note the sequence) are the A&B-side of their second US 45-single released August 1970 on Reprise 0938; both tracks are covers, "Nowhere Man" is a cover version of the Martha & The Vandellas 60ts Motown hit and "One Step At A Time" by Maxine Brown in 1965 on Wand Records
Track 16 is an 2:15 minute edit of "Changing Horses" (LP runs to 3:44 minutes); it was their third US 45-single released November 1970 (a month before the album) on Reprise 0963 with the LP cut "Conversation With A Cop" as its flipside; it was also their first UK 45 issued July 1971 on Reprise K 14086 with the same edit on the A and the same B-side but put in a rare Picture Sleeve (pictured in the Discography towards the end of the booklet)
Track 17 "Seven Roads" was not issued in the USA, but it was released March 1971 in Germany on Reprise 14 080 as their second 45-single there with "Shade Me" on the flipside. Both were edited for that release – the LP cut of "Seven Roads" (First Version) is 4:17 minutes while the German A-side 45-Edit is 3:03 minutes – the LP cut of "Shade Me" is 4:36 minutes while the German Single Edit B-side is 3:55 minutes
Tracks 5 and 19 are "Badge" – a cover version of the 1969 Cream song written by Eric Clapton and George Harrison; Track 19 recorded live in Philadelphia 21 April 1973 and first issued on the 2002 Rhino Handmade set

CD2 "Charity Ball" + Bonus Tracks (69:53 minutes):
1. Charity Ball [Side 1]
2. What Kind Of Lover
3. Cat Fever
4. A Person Like You
5. Special Care
6. What's Wrong With Me?
7. Soul Child [Side 2]
8. You're The One
9. Thinking Of You
10. Place In The Country (Second Version)
11. A Little While Later
Tracks 1 to 11 are their second studio album "Charity Ball" – released July 1971 in the USA on Reprise RS 6456 and November 1971 in the UK on Reprise K 44144. Produced by RICHARD PERRY.

CD2 BONUS TRACKS:
12. Charity Ball (Single Version)
13. Charity Ball (Live in Cleveland)
14. Place In The Country (Live in Cleveland)
15. Back In My Arms Again (Studio Outtake)
16. Lonesome Pine (Mothers Pride Demo Session)
17. Old Milwaukee (Mothers Pride Demo Session)
18. Place In The Country (First Version)
19. Queen Aretha (The Band Wild Honey, Demo Session)

NOTES on CD2:
Track 12 is "Charity Ball" – their third US 45-single released August 1971 on Reprise 1033 with the LP cut (Second Version) of "Place In The Country" on the flipside; it was also their second UK 45-single issued with the same tracks November 1971 on Reprise K 14109
Tracks 13 and 14 recorded live in Cleveland 11 April 1972 and first issued on the 2002 Rhino Handmade set
Track 15 "Back In My Arms Again" was recorded in 1973 with Todd Rundgren and is a studio outtake first issued in 2002 on the Rhino Handmade 4CD set; it is a cover version of The Supremes fifth number one hit on Motown from 1965
Tracks 16 and 17 are Demo Sessions from the fourth LP "Mothers Pride" recorded in New York in January 1973 and first issued in 2002
Track 19 "Queen Aretha" is by the band Wild Honey (Fanny in their first incarnation) from a Demo Session

CD3 "Fanny Hill" + Bonus Tracks (79:18 minutes):
1. Ain't That Peculiar [Side 1]
2. Knock On My Door
3. Blind Alley
4. You've Got A Home
5. Wonderful Feeling 
6. Borrowed Time
7. Hey Bulldog [Side 2]
8. Think About The Children
9. Rock Bottom Blues
10. Sound And The Fury
11. The First Time
Tracks 1 to 11 are their third studio album "Fanny Hill" – released February 1972 in the USA on Reprise MS 2058 and Reprise K 44147 in the UK. Produced by RICHARD PERRY – Guest Musicians included Bobby Keys on Tenor Saxophone (Tracks 1, 6 and 9) with Jim Price on Trumpet and Trombone (Tracks 6 and 9). Recorded in London – Fanny cover The Beatles 'Yellow Submarine' song "Hey Bulldog" in which they add a verse, The Fabs gave their OK on this.

CD3 BONUS TRACKS:
12. Ain't That Peculiar (Single Version)
13. Young And Dumb
14. Knock On My Door (B-side Edit)
15. Tomorrow
16. No Deposit, No Return
17. Ain't That Peculiar (Live at the Bijou Café, Philadelphia)
18. Borrowed Time (Live in Cleveland)
19. Hey Bulldog (Live at the Bijou Café, Philadelphia)
20. Knock On My Door (Live in Cleveland)
21. Young And Dumb (Live at the Bijou Café, Philadelphia)

NOTES ON CD3:
Tracks 5 and 9 "Wonderful Feeling" b/w "Rock Bottom Blues" was their fourth 45-single issued June 1972 in the USA on Reprise REP 1097 (no UK equivalent)
Track 12 "Ain't That Peculiar" is a Single Edit at 3:39 minutes while the LP cut runs to 4:05 minutes; it was issued March 1972 in the USA as their third 45 on Reprise REP 1080 with the LP cut "Think About The Children" on the flipside; it was also their third UK 45-single with the same tracks issued April 1972 on Reprise K 14165
Track 13 "Young And Dumb" (3:33 minutes) is a stand-alone 45-single (an Ike Turner cover version, their fifth US 45) with an 2:56 minute edit of the LP cut "Knock On My Door" on the flipside (the LP cut is 3:20 minutes); it was released September 1972 in the USA on Reprise REP 1119 and October 1972 in the UK on Reprise K 14207
Track 15 "Tomorrow" is a studio outtake from the "Fanny Hill" sessions recorded in London at Apple Studios in December 1971 – first issued in 2002 on the Rhino Handmade set
Track 16 "No Deposit, No Return" is an early 1971 recording first issued 2002 on the Rhino Handmade set; some copies of their December 1970 debut album listed this song on the rear cover but it was never issued
Tracks 17, 19 and 21 recorded live in Philadelphia 21 April 1973 and first issued on the 2002 Rhino Handmade set
Tracks 18 and 20 recorded live in Cleveland 11 April 1972 and first issued on the 2002 Rhino Handmade set

CD4 "Mothers Pride" + Bonus Tracks (75:45 minutes):
1. Last Night I Had A Dream [Side 1]
2. Long Road Home
3. Old Hat
4. Solid Gold
5. Is It Really You?
6. All Mine
7. Summer Song [Side 2]
8. Polecat Blues
9. Beside Myself
10. Regular Guy
11. I Need You Need Me
12. Feelings
13. I'm Satisfied
Tracks 1 to 13 are their fourth studio album "Mothers Pride" – released February 1973 in the USA on Reprise MS 2137 and Reprise K 44233 in the UK. Produced by TODD RUNDGREN (sings backing vocals on the last Track on Side 1) – Track 1 is a Randy Newman cover version – all others are originals

CD4 BONUS TRACKS:
14. Summer Song (Single Version)
15. Wonderful Feeling (Single Version)
16. Rock Bottom Blues (Original Version)
17. I Need You Need Me (Single Version)
18. Last Night I Had A Dream (Single Edit)
19. Rock Bottom Blues (Backing Track)
20. All Mine (Mothers Pride Demo Session)
21. Last Night I Had A Dream (Live at the Bijou Café, Philadelphia)

NOTES on CD4:
Track 14 "Summer Song" was issued in the UK January 1973 on Reprise K 14220 with LP cut "Borrow Time" on the B-side (no US equivalent)
Track 15 "Wonderful Feeling" was issued as their fifth US-45 single June 1972 on Reprise REP 1097 with the LP cut of "Rock Bottom Blues" as its B-side
Track 17 "I Need You Need Me" was issued as a B-side 4:53 Minute Edit to their seventh US-45 single released March 1973 on Reprise REP 1148; the A-side was the LP cut "All Mine" – in the UK the song "I Need You Need Me" was issued as the A-side April 1973 on Reprise K 14250 with "Beside Myself" as its B-side
Track 18 "Last Night I Had A Dream" was issued as their eight US-45 single June 1973 on Reprise REP 1162 with the LP cut of "Beside Myself" as its B-side
Tracks 19 and 20 first issued on the 2002 Rhino Handmade set
Track 21 recorded live in Philadelphia 21 April 1973 and first issued on the 2002 Rhino Handmade set

FANNY was: 
JUNE MILLINGTON on Lead Guitar and Vocals
NICKEY BARCLAY on Keyboards
JEAN MILLINGTON on Bass and Vocals
ALICE De BUHR on Drums

The Clamshell Box offers four Mini LP Repro Artwork Card Sleeves (no Lyric Inserts, no Lyrics in the booklet) with a 28-page booklet featuring updated 2024 input from the surviving members of the band. After a few credits pages and track lists – the remainder of the booklet breaks down the June, Jean and Alice reminiscences into discussions on each album – one by one. You get their start as Wild Honey sporting Addie Clement as Lead Guitarist (replaced by Nickey Barclay on Keyboards before recording their first album) stretching right through to weird experiences with Todd Rundgren on a bit of a Producer ego-trip for the fourth studio album "Mothers Pride" (Bernie Taupin of Elton John fame and Denny Cordell who started Shelter Records that featured J.J. Cale and Leon Russell were in the Producer running too). 

Black and White photos abound(one or two colour) of the gals in the studio and on stage, Reprise Records promo shots and even a picture Discography of Albums and Singles across Pages 26 and 27. Jean is particularly vivid when recalling how the band evolved – getting better and better – tapping into cover versions too amidst all the originals. DAVE TURNER did the Mastering and as its Rhino Remasters of old (2002) – the audio is exceptionally good – certainly better than I remember the original LPs sounding.

Disc 3 of the September 2002 Rhino Handmade set "First Time In A Long Time: The Reprise Recordings" introduced eleven live cuts as Previously Unreleased tracks – lucky for us nine are present and accounted for here but have been spread across all four CDs into the Bonuses. They comprise of four in Cleveland recorded April 1972 and five in Philadelphia recorded April 1973 (the two dropped are "Summer Song" and "It Takes A Lot Of Good Lovin'"). And you can hear why they are featured.

Take "Ain't That Peculiar" for instance – Jean Millington is in total blistering form - attacking her axe like she’s Johnny Winter on Slide Guitar speed – fantastic stuff – but then the vocals are off to the side - if at all. It ruins what would have been a fantastic live album. But I can so hear why Rhino and the band included them – to show what a great live act Fanny were when given room to let loose. The four Cleveland cuts have better vocals so Cherry Red mix one after the other – clever. In fact, you cannot help but think that had someone like legendary Producer Ted Templeman been around and miked the band up live – there might have been more to grab the listener on LP. They needed someone to go all Montrose on their sound – but alas. To the LPs…

After building and honing repertoire and settling the line-up from more than a year, the debut album "Fanny" hit the shops in December 1970. There are great Rock Song cuts to enjoy which I am sure would-be mandatory placings on any Best Of - "Candlelighter Man", "Shade Me", "Conversation With A Cop" and their smart covering of the Cream classic "Badge". There is a definite sense of a group finding its feet on songs like "Bitter Wine" juxtapositioned beside the knowing street-sassiness of "I Just Realised" where any man had better watch out. The debut is good – a lost gem even some would say and those extras really make a difference - but the second album is better and more accomplished. 

Both the title track "Charity Ball" and major-fan-fave "Place In The Country" (the more chunky-second-version) were smart choices as a lead off Reprise 45-single – their brand of almost Soulful Funk-Rock helping US Radio use both tracks. It might have lasted only 1 week, but at least "Charity Ball" hit No. 40 on the Billboard US singles chart. Fanny would have to wait until March of 1975 to chart again with Casablanca Records where "Butter Boy" from their final album "Rock And Roll Survivor" did better by going to No.29 and lasting 3 weeks. "What Kind Of A Lover" and "Cat Fever" rank highly by the girls in their "Charity Ball" album liner-notes – and on the money they are too. 

Over on Side 2 both "Soul Child" and "You're The One" show huge leaps had been made in songwriting prowess and it must have peeved Reprise Records UK that the "Charity Ball" LP just didn't take – laminate sleeve and lyric insert or no. The girls also fondly remember the cover artwork shoot - Candice Bergman (yes the actress) taking the photographs - period dresses and costumes from the 'My Fair Lady' film (lent by Warner Brothers) while Nickey (not very comfortable with the whole 'not very Rock 'n' Roll' vibe) hid in a closet (Candice called it unprofessional!). And as already discussed - the Bonuses on "Charity Ball" (CD2) are well tasty - so a forgotten LP with a wad of goodies tacked on - that'll do nicely thank you kindly sir. 

The "Fanny Hill" album did five numbers better on the US Billboard LP charts (No. 135) but at times feels like a band struggling to come up with winners – the pallor of tired and worn out. Still, it opens strongly with a slide-guitar gunslinger version of the Motown classic "Ain't That Peculiar" – an obvious single Reprise threw at the charts in March 1972 with the slow funk LP cut "Think About The Children" on the B-side. How can love grow from pain? A very-Sparks plinking piano introduces "Knock On My Door" – the lady waiting for that tap on wood. Time to Rock with "Blind Alley" – great combo of Guitar and Funky Keys – lyrics about someone getting burned. Acoustic ballad in "You've Got A Home" tells of a story of a single-parent Mom who must tell her unplanned son why Daddy is not around – and why - even if he isn't - at least this beautiful child has a home and love and views of a prettier world outside. Beautiful production, playing, arrangement, it's an unexpectedly poignant moment on an album. 

They were clearly trying for that big chorus winner with "Wonderful Feeling" but it feels like New Seekers Top of the Pops pap – better is the slide-guitar Slade-sounding grunge rocker "Borrowed Time" pumped up with Brass Arrangements. Their cover of The Beatles less-heard classic "Hey Bulldog" was a smart choice for 1972 (the fabs gave the OK and allowed them to add an extra verse) – Fanny giving it their version of Funk-Rock. Are you ready to think about the future they ask in "Think About The Children" – check that mountain beyond the horizon – see that its view remains clear and uncluttered – smart talk for over 50-years hence. Back to fuzzed-up guitar-boogie with "Rock Bottom Blues" – the ladies bemoaning their fate since sweet sixteen – victims of a windy storm – the men letting the gals down. The album kind of peters out with two mid-tempo drips - "Sound And The Fury" and "The First Time". Of the extras "Young And Dumb" feels like a big bad butch retro mistake, but "Tomorrow" is an acoustic winner that could have replaced one of the lesser tracks on Side 2 . CD3 then ends (as already discussed) in a fury of five live tracks that make much of the album output feel tame by comparison even if they are in slightly compromised audio. 

Recorded in England and named after Mothers Pride bread - their experience with Todd Rundgren as a Producer for album number four turned out to be a weird one. But there is no weird in his actual skill behind the console – you can hear an audio lift right away for "Last Night I Had A Dream" – instruments are clear – the vocals layered and cleverly placed. When the pretty acoustic ballad "Long Road Home" floats out of your speakers – it is the best you have ever heard a Fanny album sound. Gorgeous layering of the vocals, a lone floating synth note, warm Bass – all of it giving the overall feel a gentle muscle. "Old Hat" is another mellow slab – a floating organ note anchors wads of acoustic guitars and voices – but you wish there was more of a song amidst all the clarity and melodrama. A parody on chasing chart hits - "Solid Gold" has a weary and sneering vocal with lyrics about the industry they both loath and yet must live with. Better is the piano-soft "Is It Really You?" – a song full of relationship longing vs. the next cheap lay. 

"All Mine" is again beautifully produced but like so many of the others on the album feels like its searching for an actual song. Finally, time to Rock with "Summer Song" – laughing and making out at the picture show – at least this feels like Fanny the band and not Fanny searching for hits. A strangely hissy "Beside Myself" is a poor-me whiner while "Regular Guy" is another plinky-plonky non-event song. Towards the album end, they try one more rocker with "I Need You Need Me" but it is ham-fisted with its echoed screamed lead vocal. A patchy album ends with the upbeat Badfinger vibe of "I'm Satisfied". But again, the extras have goodies that save the day.

Truth be naughtily told, there will undoubtedly be casual observers and listeners in 2024 who will drop any of "The Reprise Years 1970-1973" by FANNY into a CD player and hear great, hear it drop to good, down to plodding, forward to ordinary and flirting around all points in-between. But there will also be those who remember them with affection – and under twenty-five quid – this Cherry Red Clamshell is the Solid Gold they need…

"Optimism/Reject: UK D-I-Y Punk And Post-Punk 1977-1981" by VARIOUS ARTISTS - Featuring Eater, Patrik Fitzgerald, Swell Maps, The Fall, The Ruts, Alternative TV, Essential Logic, Subway Sect, The Monochrome Set, Vice Creems, The Dodgems, John Cooper Clarke, The Raincoats, The Sisters Of Mercy, The Associates, The Freshies, Punishment Of Luxury, The Jerks, Spizzoil, The Molesters, Frantic Elevators, The Raincoats, Josef K, The Membranes, 23 Skidoo, Fatal Microbes, Au Pairs and more (July 2019 UK Cherry Red Records 4CD Genre Anthology - Compiled by John Reed and Presented in a DigiBook Set with Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry...

 

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Rating: *****

 

"...Nobody's Scared... "

 

Disturbed, swelling, outsiders in the supermarket looking for love or cheap cider (whichever is easiest) – you have to big it up for compilations like this.

 

Compiler JOHN REED in my opinion has more genuine musical knowledge in his undoubtedly impressive Manchurian Pinky than most of us so-called experts do in entire suburban limbs. The insider knowledge required to compile something like this is formidable. And man you will need it for "Optimism/Reject: UK D-I-Y Punk And Post-Punk 1977-1981" – another superb Cherry Red 4CD DigiBook Set for your not-so-minimalist lo-fi shelves.

 

UK released July 2019 - I like to think I know a song or two having worked as a rarities buyer in Reckless Records in London for 20 years. But I will confess right now to not having actually heard at least half of the 101 tracks presented here - spiky little brutes that just don't show up that often - from one-off privately pressed EPs to lesser-traveled B-sides, Flexidisc turns, Cassette only inclusions and contributions to Brighton Band Samplers and Rock-Against-Racism LPs. There are also the musical debuts of Richard Jobson of The Skids, Vic Goddard of Subway Sect, Pete Burns of Dead or Alive, Mick Hucknall of Simply Red and Billy Mackenzie of The Associates in their Punk Bands of the day. Here you will learn that Devo covered a Tagmemics flipside (ex Art Attacks) in their live shows and find a DigiBook compilation that highlights cool Indie labels like Red Rhino, Attrix and Small Wonder.

 

There is a serious amount of anger, suspended sentences and unwillingness to be anywhere near British Airways angst to wade through here – so once more my rejected disciples unto the proletariat breach...

 

UK released 26 July 2019 - "Optimism/Reject: UK D-I-Y Punk And Post-Punk 1977-1981" by VARIOUS ARTISTS on Cherry Red CRCDBOX74 (Barcode 5013929107403) is a 4CD 105-Track DigiBook Anthology that plays out as follows (most tracks are UK 45-single A-sides unless otherwise stated):

 

CD1 (79:32 minutes):

1. Michael's Monetary System – EATER (May 1977, The Label TLR 003)

2. You'll Lose – THE DRONES (July 1977 EP "Temptations Of A White Collar Work", O.H.M.S. GOODMIX 1)

3. Love Lies Limp – ALTERNATIVE TV (October 1977, SG Flexi Disc SG 75 RPS)

4. Freeway – THE OUTSIDERS (November 1977 EP "One To Infinity", Raw Edge RER 002)

5. Suspended Sentence – JOHN COOPER CLARKE (November 1977 EP "Innocents", Rabid TOSH 103)

6. O Levels – 'O' LEVEL (November 1977, Psycho PSYCHO 1)

7. Black Velvet – SWELL MAPS (December 1977, Rather GEAR ONE)

8. Optimism/Reject – PATRIK FITZGERALD (January 1978 EP "Safety-Pin Stuck In My Heart", Small Wonder SMALL 4)

9. Hard Times – ATTRIX (February 1978, Attrix RB 01)

10. Nobody's Scared – SUBWAY SECT (March 1978, Bralk BRS 01)

11. Washed Up – THE FRESHIES (March 1978 EP "Chris Sievy", Razz EP 1)

12. Charles – SKIDS (April 1978, No Bad NB 1)

13. Police Oppression – ANGELIC UPSTARTS (May 1978, Angelic Upstarts IS/AU 1024)

14. Neutron Bomb – THE ART ATTACKS (May 1978, Albatross TIT 1)

15. Mixed Up World – VICTIM (May 1978, Good Vibrations GOT 2)

16. Aerosol Burns – ESSENTIAL LOGIC (May 1978, Rough Trade SELL ONE)

17. It – THE TIGHTS (June 1978, Cherry Red CHERRY 1, Second B-side of "Bad Hearts")

18. The Demon – PUNISHMENT OF LUXURY (July 1978, Small Wonder SMALL 8, B-side of "Puppet Life")

19. Bingo-Master – THE FALL (August 1978. Step Forward SF 7)

20. Situations Vacant – THE CRAVATS (September 1978, Small Wonder CH 004, B-side of "Gordon")

21. Is And Ought The Western World – SCRITTI POLITTI (October 1978 EP "Skank Bloc Bologna" on St. Pancras SCRIT 1)

22. Wolf – pragVEC (October 1978 EP "Bits" on Spec SP 001)

23. Cool – THE JERKS (November 1978, Lightning GIL 549)

24. He's Frank – THE MONOCHROME SET (November 1978, Rough Trade RT 005)

25. International – THOMAS LEER (November 1978, Company Oblique OBCO 001)

26. Fruitless - DEVIL'S DYKES (from December 1978 UK LP "Vaultage 78; Two Sides Of Brighton" on Attrix Records RB/03 LP)

27. 01-01-212 – VICE CREEMS (December 1978, Tiger Grrr 1, B-side of "Won't You Be My Girl")

28. Times Encounter – NIGEL SIMPKINS (December 1978 3-Track EP "X. ENC." on Waldo's SWING SERIES 002)

 

CD2 (79:43 minutes):

1. H-Eyes – THE RUTS (January 1979, People Unite SJP 795, B-side of "In A Rut")

2. Lord Lucan Is Missing – THE DODGEMS (from December 1978 UK LP "Vaultage 78; Two Sides Of Brighton" on Attrix Records RB/03 LP, also June 1980 UK 45 on Criminal SWAG 12)

3. The Competition – PASSAGE (December 1978 EP "New Love Songs" on Object Music OM 02)

4. Girl Gets Nervous – NICKY & THE DOTS (from December 1978 UK LP "Vaultage 78; Two Sides Of Brighton" on Attrix Records RB/03 LP)

5. I Don't Want To Work For British Airways – SCISSOR FITS (January 1979 EP "Taut? Tense? Angular? And Other British Rail Sandwiches" on Dubious Dub 1)

6. Cold City – SPIZZOIL (February 1979, Rough Trade RTSO 2)

7. (I Saw) Batman (In The Laundrette) – THE SHAPES (June 1980 EP "Wot's For Lunch Mum?" on Sofa SEAT 1)

8. Stereo Love – PROLES (March 1979, Rock Against Racism T.RAR 1)

9. Commuter Man – THE MOLESTERS (April 1979, Small Wonder SMALL 14, B-side of "Disco Man")

10. Heathen – THE PACK (April 1979, SS PAK 1)

11. In Love – THE RAINCOATS (April 1979, Rough Trade RT 013, B-side of "Fairytale In The Supermarket")

12. Sing Song – THE TEA SET (May 1979 EP "Cups 'N Saucers" on Waldo's BEAT SERIES 003)

13. Mother Moon – ARTERY (June 1979, Limited Edition TAKE 1)

14. The Ultimate System – MURDER THE DISTURBED (June 1979 EP "Genetic Disruption" on Small Wonder SMALL 17)

15. Playing Golf (With My Flesh Crawling) – THE FAMILY FODDER (June 1979, Parole/Fresh PURL 4/FRESH 1)

16. Every Day I Die – FRANTIC ELEVATORS (June 1979, TJM Records TJM 5, B-side of "Voice in The Dark")

17. Nagasaki's Children – THEY MUST BE RUSSIANS (June 1979, White label Lyntone RYS 001 LYN 6714)

18. Metal Sheet – SECOND LAYER (July 1979 EP "Flesh As Property" on Tortch-R TOR 001)

19. Cold Rebellion – METROPHASE (July 1979 EP "Phrase One EP" on Neolondon MS 01)

20. I Don't Believe – DISTURBED (July 1979, Parole PURL 3)

21. Subculture Fashion Slaves – THE DOOR AND THE WINDOW (July 1979 EP "Subculture" on N.B. Records N.B. 1)

22. God's Got Religion – THE STEPPES (July 1979, South Circular SGS 108, B-side of "The Beat Drill")

23. Christine Keeler – GL*XO BABIES (August 1979, Heartbeat PULSE 5)

24. Boys Keep Swinging – THE ASSOCIATES (August 1979, Double Hip DHR 1, a David Bowie cover, band featured Billy Mackenzie and Allan Rankine)

25. Beautiful Pictures – FATAL MICROBES (August 1979, Small Wonder SMALL 20, B-side of "Violence Grows")

26. Top Of The Pops – DISCO ZOMBIES (September 1979 Lead EP Track on "The Invisible EP", Wizzo WIZZ 1)

27. Exhibition – PNUEMANIA (October 1979, Plastic Records PLAS001)

 

CD3 (75:47 minutes):

1. Domestic Departure – AU PAIRS (September 1979, 021 Records OT02, B-side of "You")

2. Reconstruction – ENGLISH SUBTITLES (October 1979, Small Wonder SMALL 22, B-side of "Time Tunnel")

3. Them Or Me – MEDIUM MEDIUM (November 1979, Apt Music SAP01)

4. Choreography – MODERN EON (November 1979 EP "Pieces" on Eon Records EON 001)

5. Chance Meeting – JOSEF K (November 1979, Absolute Records ABS1)

6. On The Air – THE LINES (November 1979, Red Records RS001)

7. Masochistic Opposite – MO-DETTES (December 1979, Mode Records MODE1, B-side of "White Mice")

8. Minstrel Radio Yoghurt – DEEP FREEZE MICE (from the November 1979 UK LP "My Geraniums Are Bulletproof" on Mole Embalming Records MOLE 1)

9. You Get Everywhere – THE CHEFS (from the "Vaultage 79: Another Two Sides Of Brighton" on Attrix Records RB/08 LP)

10. Bloody – THE GOLINKSKI BROTHERS (from the "Vaultage 79: Another Two Sides Of Brighton" on Attrix Records RB/08 LP)

11. Key Operator – THE LILLETTES (from the "Vaultage 79: Another Two Sides Of Brighton" on Attrix Records RB/08 LP)

12. Art Nouveau – THE BODIES (January 1980, Waldo's Records HS007)

13. Shangri-La – NIGHTMARES IN WAX (February 1980 EP "Birth Of A Nation" on Inevitable Records INEV002 – band featured Pete Burns of Dead Or Alive)

14. Oscar Automobile – WEIRD STRINGS (February 1980, Velvet Moon Records VM1)

15. Self Employed – AGAIN AGAIN (March 1980, Do It Records DUN-IT-7)

16. Fashionable Junkies – THE MEMBRANES (March 1980 Flexidisc, Drip Records VD005)

17. Autophagous – MANIC JABS (March 1980, Waldo's Records MS009)

18. Modichy In Aneration – BLANCMANGE (April 1980 EP "Irene And Mavis" on Blaah Music MFT 1/2)

19. No Message – MYSTERE V’S (April 1980, Flicknife Records FL1)

20. The Feeling's Mutual – EYELESS IN GAZA (May 1980, Ambivalent Scale Recordings ASR002, B-side of "Kodak Ghosts Run Amok")

21. Lean On Me – DISTRIBUTORS (May 1980, Red Rhino Records RED5)

22. Chimneys – TAGMEMICS (May 1980, Index 45003)

23. Short Time – RHYTHM CLICKS (June 1980, Red Rhino Records RED6)

24. Get – BLURT (August 1980, Test Pressings TPB1, B-side of "My Mother Was A Friend Of An Enemy Of The People")

 

CD4 (76:29 minutes):

1. Final Day – YOUNG MARBLE GIANTS (October 1980, Rough Trade RT043)

2. You What You Deserve – CHARGE (October 1980, YCAFO Records, Privately Pressed, Rare)

3. The Damage Done – THE SISTERS OF MERCY (November 1980, Merciful Release MR7)

4. Politics! – GIRLS AT OUR BEST (November 1980, Record Records RR2)

5. Justice Not Vengeance – A POPULAR HISTORY OF SIGNS (November 1980, Melodia Records M1)

6. Could Be Her, Could Be You – THOMPSON TWINS (November 1980, Dirty Disks RANK 1)

7. Everything's Roses – FIRE ENGINES (December 1980, Codex Communications CDX01, B-side of "Get Up And Use Me")

8. Motorway – EMMA SHARPE (from the December 1980 UK LP "Vaultage 80: A Vinyl Chapter" on Attrix Records RB11)

9. The Russians Are Coming – THE RED SQUARES (from the December 1980 UK LP "Vaultage 80: A Vinyl Chapter" on Attrix Records RB11)

10. Motion – THE ROOM (September 1980, Box Records BOX 001)

11. Should Be More Ideal – THE 49 AMERICANS (from the 1980 UK Mini LP "Too Young To Be Ideal" on Choo Choo Train Records CHUG2)

12. I Remember – CULT FIGURES (June 1981 EP "In Love EP" on Rather Records GEAR EIGHT, features Members of Swell Maps)

13. Insect Love – THE HIGSONS (October 1981, Romans In Britain Records HIG2, B-side of "I Don’t Want To Live With Monkeys")

14. Chips For Tea – THE LAUGHING APPLE (March 1981 EP "Ha Ha Hee Hee!" on Autonomy Records AUT001)

15. Defeated – THE LEGENDARY PINK DOTS (from the 1980 Cassette of "Klein Krieg" on Mirrordot MD04)

16. Holiday Girl – MARINE GIRLS (from the 1981 Cassette "Beach Party" on In Phaze Records 002 ½)

17. The Return – NORMIL HAWAIIANS (from the 1981 12-inch single "Gala Failed" on Red Rhino Records RED8)

18. Zigzagging – THE REFLECTIONS (from the 1981 LP "Slugs And Toads" on Cherry Red Records BRED22)

19. When I See You – SAD LOVERS AND GIANTS (May 1981 EP "Che" on Lost Movement LM003)

20. Domino Theory – TO THE FINLAND STATION (January 1982, Melodia Records M3)

21. Launderette – VIVIEN GOLDMAN (August 1981, Window WIN1)

22. Ethics – 23 SKIDOO (March 1981, Pineapple Products PULP23)

23. Shades Of Black - SCREEN 3 (from the 1981 LP "Norwich: A Fine City" on Romans In Britain Records NERO 1)

24. Plan 9 From Outer Space – THE HAPPY FEW (from the 1981 LP "Norwich: A Fine City" on Romans In Britain Records NERO 1)

25. Break The Ice At Parties – THE TESCO BOMBERS (January 1982, Y Records Y14)

26. I Wanna Be Around (Paul) - ...AND THE NATIVE HIPSTERS (October 1980, Heater Volume Records HVR003, B-side of "There Goes Concorde Again")

I too remember the LP on the turntable suddenly giving way in 1977 to the 'Singles' Box on the counter of our favorite record shops (especially second-hand ones) where (suddenly) droves of small labels and unknown names began to appear - all of these 'small wonders' tempting our lunch money. Anger and a certain sense of dislocation - optimism gone - permeated these releases almost all of which were short-sharp-shocks to the solar plexus and unrepentant for being so. I say all this because as you wade through the astonishingly detailed 64-page A5-szed booklet that's attached to the Digibook - you are assaulted with handmade picture sleeves, rust-edged buttons, boiled-in-a-bag posters in a Punkette stylee all topped off with letters of complaint, establishment outrage and more black and white photos of earnest young men and women than you can shake a Pogo Stick at. 

"Optimism/Reject..." is a gorgeous thing to look at (even if it is a tad awkward to read) and compiler John Reed's insider knowledge and enthusiasm abounds. Given that the sources are literally all over the place, it's a Remastered Edition, but offers no mastering credits - so tighten your aural seat-belts is very much the order of the day. No patience - maximum power. To the chunes...

Slightly bemused, Michael goes to his mother's button-box in her bedroom in Eater's sedated yet sinister opener "Michael's Monetary System". But that's quickly usurped by the fantastic 'fight for the right to be different' Drones single "You'll Lose" - the kind of Punk-snarler that you imagine would have made John Peel grin from ear to ear. Mark Perry of Alternative TV doesn't want to hear about who's doing who in the failed bedroom posturing Punk-Reggae of "Love Lies Limp" - a very smart choice. The Outsiders put out the first self-released Punk LP in the UK - "Calling on Youth" in May 1977 - but O/R concentrates on one of the November 1977 tracks from their "One To Infinity" EP on Raw Edge Records - the superb Television gritty "Freeway". 

Time for a giggle and a bit of late Seventies social commentary into the bargain with the much loved John Cooper Clarke starting his poetry rave with a drum-machine for "Suspended Sentence". There are funeral bells - the Sun newspaper sells a big bum on Page 3 - lunatics with a loaded gun - bring back hanging for everyone... What a stacked gem it is. Straight into genuinely snotty D-I-Y territory with "O Levels" - a rant at the hated school system - it's singer none too enamored with the job-for-life mentality peddled by every one of them. There's more than the Bass-Speed sound of The Jam meets the tear-the-building New York Dolls vibe about "Black Velvet" by Swell Maps - a double-vocal piece of brilliance that was the B-side of their "Read About Seymour" debut 45. A label I loved 'Small Wonder' starts to make itself known with Patrik Fitzgerald's "Optimism/Reject" which of course gives this 4CD haul its name. 

 

Vic Goddard and Subway Sect and their "Nobody's Scared" delight with lyrics like "Everyone is a prostitute...singing a song in prison..." Sounding like it was recorded in Auntie Ada's broom closet, their is still power in The Freshies "Washed Up" itself cleverly followed by the neck-jerking Skids telling us about "Charles" and his job in a factory - Richard Jobson sounding socially on the money. Great discoveries for me are the Clash-angry rattle of "Mixed Up World" by Victim, the giggling angel-of-change in "The Demon" by Punishment Of Luxury and the Kris Needs' band Vice Creems doing phone-distance love on "01-01-212".

 

For sure wading through all 101 slices of mayhem and drool may not be everyone's idea of Tea and Crumpet at the Ritz - but that's the point. Punk and Post Punk compilations are out there touching on all the obvious charted stuff - but this beast - "Optimism/Reject..." goes to the beginnings and the underbellies and forgotten compilations that will never see the CD light of day. And for that it's a totally bangin' 5-star masterpiece. I can't imagine the hundreds of hours it must have taken to collate this, but kudos to all involved...

"Action Time Vision: A Story of Independent UK Punk 1976-1979" BY VARIOUS ARTISTS - Featuring Alternative TV, The Damned, Maniac, 999, The Radiators From Space, Eater, The Rezillos, Johnny Moped, The Outcasts, Subs, The Fall, Sham 69, Peter and The Test Tube Babies, Tubeway Army, Swell Maps, The Only Ones, The Members, Stiff Little Fingers, Joy Division, Leyton Buzzards, Chelsea, Poison Girls, Vice Squad and more (December 2016 Cherry Red Records 4CD Book Set – Simon Murphy Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry

 This review and hundreds more like it can also be found in my 

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"...I'm Alive..."

Well kick me in the Rezillos with a Radiator From Space but I love a box set like this. A huge array of tracks across 4-CDs (not all familiar either – many first time on CD and two previously unreleased), a booklet crammed with knowledgeable liner notes and staggering amounts of period memorabilia, best-yet audio remasters from Simon Murphy - and the whole safety-pin packet put together by men who should know better but still care passionately - four decades after the snotty event.

Speaking of 40 years - Cherry Red Records themselves even have their own contribution to this four-disc project in Worchester's 'The Tights' - a West Midlands band that had their first two 45s released on CHERRY 1 and 2 in June and September of 1978. There's a lot erect nipples, Molotov cocktails and snivelling dollops on the pavement to get through here kids, so let's get exploited...

UK released Friday, 1 December 2016 (January 2017 in the USA) - "Action Time Vision: A Story Of Independent UK Punk 1976-1979" by VARIOUS ARTISTS on Cherry Red Records CRCDBOX27 (Barcode 5013929102705) is a 4CD 'Book Set' with 111-Tracks and a 64-Page Attached Booklet that plays out as follows (all catalogue numbers and release dates are UK 7" singles A-sides unless otherwise stated):

Disc 1 (77:15 minutes):

1. New Rose - THE DAMNED (October 1976, Stiff BUY 6)

2. Outside View - EATER (March 1977, The Label TLR 001)

3. Television Screen - THE RADIATORS FROM SPACE (April 1977, Chiswick S 10)

4. Fascist Dictator - THE CORTINAS (June 1977, Step Forward SF 1)

5. Lookalikes - THE DRONES (July 1977, O.H.M...S GOODMIX 1)

6. Shadow - THE LURKERS (July 1977, Beggars Banquet BEG 1)

7. I Can't Stand My Baby - THE REZILLOS (August 1977, Sensible FAB 1)

8. I'm Alive - 999 (August 1977, Labritain LAB 999)

9. No One - JOHNNY MOPED (August 1977, Chiswick S 15)

10. I Don't Wanna - SHAM 69 (September 1977, Step Forward SF 4)

11. Mucky Pup - PUNCTURE (September 1977, Small Wonder SMALL 1)

12. Terminal Stupid – THE SNIVELLING SHITS (September 1977, Ghetto Rockers PRE 2)

13. Worthless Trash - THE VACANTS (September 1977, Disque Festival FLD 680)

14. Hungry - THE ZEROS (October 1977, Small Wonder SMALL 2)

15. Chelsea 77 - MANIACS (November 1977, United Artists UP 36327)

16. One To Infinity - THE OUTSIDERS (November 1977, Raw Edge RE 002)

17. Johnny Won't Get To Heaven - THE KILLJOYS (November 1977, Raw RAW 3)

18. Saints And Sinners - JOHNNY & THE SELF ABUSERS (November 1977, Chiswick NS 22)

19. Withdrawal - THE UNWANTED (November 1977, Raw RAW 6)

20. Teenage Treats - THE WASPS (November 1977, Four Play FOUR 001)

21. Youthanasia - THE PIGS (November 1977, New Bristol NBR 01)

22. Radio Call Sign - LOCKJAW (November 1977, Raw RAW 8)

23. Venus Eccentric - NEON HEARTS (November 1977, Neon Hearts NEON 1)

24. Get Your Woofing Dog Off Me - JERKS (November 1977, Underground URA 1)

25. Modern Politics - THE PANIK (November 1977, Rainy City SHOT 1)

26. New Religion - SOME CHICKEN (November 1977, Raw RAW 11)

27. Radio Wunderbar - THE CARPETTES (December 1977, Small Wonder SMALL 3)

28. Love And A Molotov Cocktail - THE FLYS (December 1977, Zama ZA 10EP)

29. Gobbing On Life - ALBERTO Y LOST TRIOS PARANOIAS (September 1977, Stiff LAST 2)

30. Lovers Of Today - THE ONLY ONES (June 1977, Vengeance VEN 001)

31. Nothing To Declare (Live) - SUSPECTS (December 1977, from the Various Artists LP "Vortex Live Volume One" on NEMS NEL 6013)

Disc 2 (78:49 minutes):

1. Read About Seymour - THE SWELL MAPS (January 1978, Rather GEAR ONE)

2. Safety-Pin Stuck In Heart - PATRIK FITZGERALD January 1978, Small Wonder SMALL 4)

3. No Leaders (Demo) - THE BOYS (1977, Previously Unreleased)

4. Office Girl - THE STOAT (1977, City NIK 1)

5. I Don't Need You - ACME SEWAGE CO. (from the 1977 Various Artists LP compilation "Raw Deal!" on Raw Deal RWLP 1)

6. Speed Freak - V2 (January 1978, Bent SMALL BENT ONE)

7. Give It All To Me - BAZOOMIS (1977, Originally Unreleased)

8. Moving Target - RAPED (January 1978, Parole KNIT 1)

9. I Hate The Whole Human Race - BIG G (1977, Originally Unreleased)

10. Gimme Your Heart - SUBS (February 1978, Stiff OFF 1)

11. That's Too Bad - TUBEWAY ARMY (February 1978, Beggars Banquet BEG 5)

12. Blank Generation - XTRAVERTS (February 1978, Spike SRT/SP 001)

13. Door In My Face - FRUIT EATING BEARS (February 1978, DJM Records DJS 10857)

14. System - FRONT (February 1978, The Label TLR 005)

15. You Make Me Sick - SATAN'S RATS (March 1978, DJM Records DJS 10840)

16. Suspect Device - STIFF LITTLE FINGERS (March 1978, Rigid Digits SRD 1)

17. G.L.C. - MENACE (March 1978, Small Wonder SMALL 5)

18. Gutter Kids - THE DYAKS (March 1978, Bonaparte BONE 2)

19. Reasons - SKIDS (April 1978, No Bad NB 1)

20. Big Time - RUDI (April 1978, Good Vibrations GOT 1)

21. I Am A Dalek - THE ART ATTACKS (May 1978, Albatross TIT 1)

22. On Me - BEARS (May 1978, Waldo's Jazz Series 001)

23. Pseudo Punk - 'O' LEVEL (May 1978, Psycho PSYCHO 1)

24. Solitary Confinement - THE MEMBERS (May 1978, Stiff OFF 3)

25. King Of The Bop - NIPPLE ERECTORS (May 1978, Soho SH 1/2)

26. The Murder Of Liddle Towers - ANGELIC UPSTARTS (May 1978, Own Label IS/AU/1024)

27. Bunch Of Stiffs (Live) - MEAN CITY (December 1977, from the Various Artists LP "Vortex Live Volume One" on NEMS NEL 6013)

Disc 3 (79:06 minutes):

1. Action Time Vision - ALTERNATIVE TV (June 1978, Deptford Fun City DFC 07)

2. I Don't Want My Heart To Rule My Head - SOCIAL SECURITY (May 1978, Heartbeat PULSE 1)

3. Bad Hearts - THE TIGHTS (June 1978, Cherry Red CHERRY 1)

4. Cosmonaut - RIFF RAFF (June 1978, Chiswick SW 34)

5. New Wave Love - THE DOLE (June 1978, ULT 402)

6. Failures - JOY DIVISION (June 1978, Enigma PSS 139)

7. 19 And Mad - LEYTON BUZZARDS (June 1978, Small Wonder SMALL 7)

8. Little Miss Perfect - DEMON PREACHER (1978, Small Wonder SMALL 10)

9. Just Another Teenage Rebel - THE OUTCASTS (August 1978, Good Vibrations GOT 3)

10. Psycho Mafia - THE FALL (August 1978, Step Forward SF 7)

11. Urban Kids - CHELSEA (September 1978, Step Forward SF 8)

12. Don't Ring Me Up - PROTEX (September 1978, Good Vibrations GOT 6)

13. Gordon - THE CRAVATS (September 1978, Small Wonder CH 004)

14. England '77 - HORRORCOMIC (September 1978, Lightning GIL 512)

15. C.I.D. - U.K. SUBS (September 1978, City NIK 5)

16. 6,000 Crazy - SPIZZOIL (October 1978, Rough Trade RSTO 1)

17. I Don't Care [Full Version]  - THE DODGEMS (from the 1978 Various Artists compilation UK LP "Vaultage 78 - Two Sides Of Brighton" on Attrix Records RB/03)

18. Kicks In Style - THE USERS (December 1978, Warped WARPED 1)

19. Elvis Is Dead - PETER and TEST TUBE BABIES (from the 1978 Various Artists compilation UK LP "Vaultage 78 - Two Sides Of Brighton" on Attrix Records RB/03)

20. In A Rut - THE RUTS (May 1978, People Unite SJP 795)

21. Drums Over London - DISCO ZOMBIES (Mach 1979, South Circular SGS 106)

22. Never Been So Stuck - NICKY & THE DOTS (March 1979, Small Wonder SMALL 12)

23. Wot's For Lunch Mum? (Not B****s Again!) - THE SHAPES (March 1979, Sofa SEAT 1)

24. Breaking Point - NO WAY (April 1979, Our Own IS/NW/1035)

25. New Way - THE WALL (April 1979, Small Wonder SMALL 13)

26. Sick On You - HOLLYWOOD BRATS (Cherry Red CHERRY 6)

Disc 4 (78:29 minutes):

1. Zerox - ADAM and THE ANTS (July 1979, Do It DUN 7)

2. Death To Disco - NOTSENSIBLES (April 1979, Big Bent SMALL BENT 5)

3. Danger Love - THE VICE CREEMS (June 1979, Zigzag ZZ 22001)

4. D.N.A. - MURDER THE DISTURBED (July 1979, Small Wonder SMALL 17)

5. Flares 'N' Slippers - COCKNEY REJECTS (August 1979, Small Wonder SMALL 19)

6. Totally Useless - PSYKIK VOLTS (July 1979, Ellie Jay EJSP 9262)

7. The End Of Civilisation - THE MOLESTERS (July 1979, Small Wonder SMALL 28)

8. Hypocrite - THE NEWTOWN NEUROTICS (July 1979, No Wonder NOW 1)

9. These Boots Are Made For Walking - PURE HELL (August 1979, Golden Sphinx GSX 002)

10. Time Wall - FIRE EXIT (August 1979, Timebomb TBE 1)

11. King Of Kings - THE PACK (September 1979, Rough Trade RT 025)

12. Dumb Dumb - STEROID KIDS (September 1979, Grundinga SK 001

13. Time Tunnel - ENGLISH SUBTITLES (October 1979, Small Wonder SMALL 22)

14. Soft Ground - THE PROLES (October 1979, Small Wonder SMALL 23)

15. Easy Way Out - THE ADICTS (November 1979, Dining Out TUX 1)

16. My Friends - THE DARK (November 1979, Fresh FRESH 1)

17. I Must Be Mad - WOODY & THE SPLINTERS (from the November 1979 UK Various Artists compilation LP "Vaultage 79 - Another Two Sides Of Brighton" on Attrix Records RB/08)

18. Why Are Fire Engines Red - VICTIM (December 1979, TJM Records TJM 14)

19. Anthem - THE X-CERTS (from the 1979 UK LP compilation "Avon Calling - The Bristol Compilation" on Heartbeat HB 1)

20. Slag - F-X (1979, from the "Souths Gonna Rise Again" EP on Southern Rock SRO 451)

21. Future Rights - THE RIVALS (November 1979, Ace Records ACE 007)

22. I've Been Hurt (So Many Times Before) - SILENT NOISE (1979, Easy ER 02)

23. Nothing - VICE SQUAD (from the 1979 UK LP compilation "Avon Calling - The Bristol Compilation" on Heartbeat HB 1)

24. Things In General - THE PREFECTS (June 1980, Vindaloo UGH 2/Rough Trade RT 040)

25. 1970's Have Been Made In Hong Kong - THE LICKS (November 1979, Stortbeat BEAT 8)

26. Violence Grows - 'FATAL' MICROBES (May 1979, Small Wonder/Xntrix SMALL TWENTY)

27. Under The Doctor - POISON GIRLS (1979, Small Wonder/Xntrix WEENY 4)

When you get the shrink-wrap off the first thing that hits you is the booklet which is frankly a work-of-art. Compiled by the mighty JOHN REED - a man I humbly admit knows more than I do - and featuring Band Biographies by ANDY DAVIS - page after page of detail comes at in a hurricane of info. After each song discussion and at the end of each disc is a two-page fan-fest of pictured memorabilia that must have taken decades to accumulate. Each CD roughly deals with a year and as you can see from Disc 1 although Punk Rock proper started in 1976 with The Damned and their stunning "New Rose" - it was 1977 (November to be exact) that felt like Ground Zero - the explosion of all things Indie, Gobbing and Angry. What you also get from this retrospective is the vast shadow cast by Indie labels - Northern Ireland's 'Good Vibrations', London's 'Step Forward', 'Chiswick', 'Stiff', 'Small Wonder' and 'Rough Trade' to name but a few (Cherry Red too) and only occasionally do we see a Major Label poke its nose into the social welfare queues (United Artists to be exact). Small Wonder alone get a whopping 17+ entries. SIMON MURPHY of Another Planet has handled the Remasters and they Rock from the get-go to the finish.

Sequencing is the key with these things and John cleverly keeps the blister going on CD1 with three initial hammerings from The Damned, Eater and Ireland’s Radiators From Space (how bloody good were they). The minimalist riffage continues in fantastic speedos from The Cortinas (Step Forward's debut 45) and the I-don't-wanna-be-like-you thrashing of Manchester's The Drones. Some of Dr. Feelgood's Wilko Johnson energy infuses the fab "I Can't Stand My Baby" from Edinburgh's Rezillos (sit dune) and the watch-out-Friday-night of 999's "I’m Alive" – while other highlights include The Stooges power of "One To Infinity" from The Outsiders and the snotty upstart attitude of the Jerks who woof-woof through their homemade moment of anarchy like they want to wee-wee on a wall.

Rarities include the behind-the-scenes Punk super-session for "Danger Love" by Aylesbury's Vice Creems that featured Topper Headon and Mick Jones of The Clash (Drums and Production) with Tony James of Generation X (on Bass) hiding behind suitably silly pseudonyms for contractual reasons. There are the delightfully named Murder The Disturbed and The Molesters (very nice boys really) while the racially right-on Cockney Rejects vented their London spleens on Hippies with a brawl never far off. Nancy Sinatra's kinky-anthem "These Boots Are Made For Walking" gets the Hendrix-meets-Punk treatment from Pure Hell - while rare compilation LPs like "Vortex Live", "Vaultage 78", "Vaultage 79" and "Avon Calling – The Bristol Collection" all get their exclusive tracks highlighted here. There is of course so much more...

Downsides (if any) – while die-hard collectors may yawn at the familiarity of some entries it's also very clear that John Reed and Cherry Red has smartly gone out of its way to present the lesser-trodden paths. And even if it does look the dogs-bollox when you open it at any page - the plastic-clip holders in the leaves of the 'Book Pack' drive you nuts as you try in vain to get the discs in and out of either safely (I'd suggest paper-bag each and keep them separately to avoid scuffing and damage). But aside from song-choices and omissions everyone will find fault with and that niggling but fixable packaging blip - "Action Time Vision" is fabulous stuff - a thing of beauty that pulses with life and balls and the excitement of wide-eyed Independent Record companies stamping '1' as a catalogue number onto a 7" single label for the first time.

Worthless - vacant - nothing to declare - terminally stupid - it sure as Hell don't seem like that now. "I'm Alive" snarled 999 in 1977 and isn't it the best compliment ever to say that's exactly how you feel after visiting this kick-ass release. The Kids may not always have been sported a regulation haircut or been the most pleasant of chaps when pogoing about on a dancefloor - but on the evidence presented here - the snivelling little gits were indeed alright and part of a New Religion. Fantastic...