Release Date: 12 October, 2004
Audio CD
Tracks
- Radio Free Europe - R.E.M.
- Going Underground - The Jam
- Forest - The Cure
- Holiday in Cambodia - Dead Kennedys
- I'm in Love With a German Film Star - Passions
- I Will Dare - The Replacements
- That's When I Reach for My Revolver - Mission of Burma
- Johnny Hit and Run Paulene
- Just Like Honey - The Jesus and Mary Chain
- Black Celebration - Depeche Mode
- Tell Me When It's Over - Dream Syndicate
- Hollywood (Africa) - The Red Hot Chili Peppers
- Temptation - New Order
- Ghosts - Japan
- Song from Under the Floorboards - Magazine
- Oblivious - Aztec Camera
- Don't Want to Know If You're Lonely
- Rise Above - Black Flag
- Back in Flesh - Wall of Voodoo
- Cattle and Cane - The Go-Betweens
- Message of Love - The Pretenders
- Vienna - Ultravox
- Freak Scene - Dinosaur Jr.
- This Charming Man - The Smiths
- Stigmata - Ministry
- Ways to Be Wicked - Lone Justice
- Wardance - Killing Joke
- Enola Gay - Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark
- Mirror in the Bathroom - The English Beat
- Fairytale in the Supermarket - The Raincoats
- Behind the Wall of Sleep - The Smithereens
- Political Song for Michael Jackson to Sing - Minutemen
- Punk Rock Girl - The Dead Milkmen
- Still in Hollywood - Concrete Blonde
- Love Will Tear Us Apart - Joy Division
- Blister in the Sun - Violent Femmes
- Lake of Fire - Meat Puppets
- Amplifier - The dB's
- When Love Breaks Down - Prefab Sprout
- Goo Goo Muck - The Cramps
- This Corrosion - The Sisters of Mercy
- Senses Working Overtime - XTC
- Cutter - Echo & the Bunnymen
- Pay to Cum! - Bad Brains
- Birthday - The Sugarcubes
- Madonna of the Wasps - Robyn Hitchcock
- We Care a Lot - Faith No More
- Teen Age Riot - Sonic Youth
- To Hell With Poverty - Gang of Four
- Fa C?©-La - The Feelies
- Ana NG - They Might Be Giants
- Swamp Thing - The Chameleons UK
- Mercy Seat - Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds
- I Look Around - Rain Parade
- All That Money Wants - The Psychedelic Furs
- Under the Milky Way - The Church
- Rise - Public Image Ltd.
- Kundalini Express - Love and Rockets
- Gravity Talks - Green on Red
- Adrenalin - Throbbing Gristle
- She Bangs the Drums - The Stone Roses
- Monkey Gone to Heaven - Pixies
- Uncertain Smile [Original 7" Version] - The The
- Bela Lugosi's Dead - Bauhaus
- Christine - Siouxsie and the Banshees
- Straight Edge - Minor Threat
- I Want to Help You Ann - The Lyres
- Our Secret - Beat Happening
- Jane Says - Jane's Addiction
- World Shut Your Mouth - Julian Cope
- Running Up That Hill - Kate Bush
- Sex Beat - Gun Club
- Take the Skinheads Bowling - Camper Van Beethoven
- Institutionalized - Suicidal Tendencies
- Pearly-Dewdrops' Drops - Cocteau Twins
- 24 Hour Party People - Happy Mondays
- I Want You Back - Hoodoo Gurus
- Surburban Home - Descendents
- Pair of Brown Eyes - The Pogues
- Jet Fighter - The Three O'Clock
- Moving to Florida - Butthole Surfers
- New England - Billy Bragg
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Rating 4.0
I'm not complaining, but... As far as comps of 80's alternative goes, this is generally a pretty exhaustive collection of artists and styles that us weirdos were grooving on at the time, and even now (as many writers have dutifully noted, many of today's alternastars take their cues from the artists represented here). There are very few outright duds here, and I suppose even then that's more a matter of personal taste (personally, I could never stand the Red Hot Chili Peppers, but I've known a few intelligent people who loved 'em). With such a bounty of ace material, it would be kinda churlish to whine about what was left out. After all, it's not MY compilation--if I don't like it I could just make my own, this being the age of the ipod and all. Nevertheless, whine I shall, so if you don't like whiners just scroll on down to the next review. Don't worry, I won't mind.
The main problem is probably all my fault. I got fixated on the subtitle of the set--"Dispatches from the 80's Underground," esp. the "Underground" part. A good deal of the music here was originally released on major labels. I don't know about you, but to me you just ain't "underground" if you have the marketing muscle of Warner Bros. to back you up. So really, this is just a matter of semantics; if they just called it "Dispatches from the 80's Alternative Nation" or something less awkward, theoretically I wouldn't be compelled to be spilling this much verbiage. Please let me note that I love love love groups like Depeche Mode, the Smiths, Echo & the Bunnymen et al as much as anyone, maybe even more so, but I'm sorry to say they don't have "underground" cred.
So who's M.I.A.? off the top of my pointy head here's a few: Flipper, Mudhoney, Big Black, Foetus, Swans, Einsturzende Neubauten, the Fall and even a few REALLY obscure bands with a couple of great songs like Nomeansno, Honor Roll, Helios Creed, the God Bullies, Pain Teens, Feedtime, Tragic Mulatto and on and on and so on...
Okay, so maybe I'm a helpless snob, but I honestly and sincerely loved those artists and believe that more people would too if only they heard them. Again, the music that's actually on this box set is mostly well worth owning and singing along tunelessly to and even obsessing over, but I just can't help but thinking "what if..."the best 80s compilation so farFinally an 80s compilation without Culture Club, Duran Duran, Dexys Midnight Runners horrendous Come On Eileen and all the other horrors that all the other compilations systematically force down our throats in order to get a 2-3 good songs.
They could have done better still, though. Where is the innovative electronic dance of Cabaret Voltaire (Sensoria), New Order (Everything's Gone Green), Jah Wobble (How Much are they), and many others?
Where are crucial European bands like Tuxedomoon (In the name of talent), TC Matic, DAF (Dance the Musolini), Front 242, the Danse Society, Clock DVA, PIL, etc.?
Industrial is also very weakly represented. And where is Laurie Anderson's revolutionary Oh Superman?
All in all, this is a brilliant set, though, and it clearly cries out for a follow-up! Great, but where are the women?I love reading these reviews that say "great but they should've included..." This compiliation introduced me to bands I'd somehow missed, and your reviews are pointing out more great bands I'd missed.
My $0.02 about what's missing: when I was in college (Reed, '82) women were starting to take off their high heels and put on combat boots. "Left of the Dial" should have included more of the women that started the riot grrrl movement. This compilation includes The Raincoats "Fairytale in the Supermarket" (I would've picked "In Love" as their best song) and Siouxsie & the Banshees "Christine." I can see skipping Patti Smith, The Pretenders, Blondie, and Joan Jett as they were commercial successes in the early '80s (although the compilation includes male commericial successes such as REM). IMHO this compilation should have included:
The Slits "Typical Girls"
The Waitresses "I Know What Boys Like"
Barbara Manning (28th Day) "25 Pills"
Bow Wow Wow "Louis Quatorze"
Martha and the Muffins "Echo Beach"
Wendy and the Plasmatics "A Pig Is a Pig"
Two other bands I would've included:
Stiff Little Fingers "Alternative Ulster"
The Specials "It's Up To You"
I just read this on a website about The Slits:
"...are one of the most significant female punk-rock bands of the late '70s. Not only did they bravely (or foolishly, you be the judge) leap into the fray with little, if any, musical ability (on their debut tour with the Clash, Mick Jones used to tune their guitars for them), but through sheer emotion and desire created some great music..." |
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