Being born in 1967, the late 70s / early 80s was the time when I first started listening to music – watching TOTP and buying singles when paper round money allowed. As such, I still have a great fondness for much of the chart music from that period…..
I recently picked up the “NOW That’s What I Call Punk & New Wave” 4 CD compilation that came our earlier this year and have been thoroughly enjoying these past couple of days (at almost 5 hrs of music, there’s a lot to enjoy).
London Calling, Teenage Kicks. Making Plans For Nigel, Cool For Cats, No More Heroes….. and that’s just the first CD. A total of 89 tracks that covers pretty much most of the main “New Wave” hits of the late 70s and early 80s – all for a tenner.
Whilst I am very much an album guy, this compilation has probably given me more outright pleasure that most of the “serious’ albums I usually listen to. I guess its partly a nostalgia thing – I remember most of the tracks and probably had a lot of them as singles when I was young. I guess it may not stand up to repeat listening, but whilst it does, its fabulous.
The joy of music. Simple.
https://www.nowmusicstore.com/*/2021/NOW-That-s-What-I-Call-Punk-New-Wave-4CD/79O71K9E000
Tracklist…..
CD 1
1 The Clash – London Calling
2 The Undertones – Teenage Kicks
3 Buzzcocks – Ever Fallen In Love (With Someone You Shouldn’t’ve)
4 The Stranglers – No More Heroes
5 Siouxsie And The Banshees – Hong Kong Garden
6 The Rezillos – Top Of The Pops
7 Ramones – Sheena Is A Punk Rocker
8 Iggy Pop – Lust For Life
9 Jonathan Richman & The Modern Lovers – Roadrunner
10 X-Ray Spex – Germ Free Adolescents
11 The Damned – Love Song
12 Skids – Into The Valley
13 XTC – Making Plans For Nigel
14 Squeeze – Cool For Cats
15 Tom Robinson Band – 2-4-6-8 Motorway
16 Elvis Costello – Watching The Detectives
17 Joe Jackson – Is She Really Going Out With Him?
18 Jags – Back Of My Hand
19 Secret Affair – Time For Action
20 The Motors – Airport
21 The Cars – My Best Friend’s Girl
22 Patti Smith – Because The Night
CD 2
1 The Jam – Going Underground
2 The Police – Can’t Stand Losing You
3 The Boomtown Rats – Rat Trap
4 Blondie – Hanging On The Telephone
5 Pretenders – Brass In Pocket
6 Dexys Midnight Runners – Geno
7 Ian Dury & The Blockheads – Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick
8 Lene Lovich – Lucky Number
9 Toyah – Ieya
10 Adam & The Ants – Dog Eat Dog
11 Bow Wow Wow – Go Wild In The Country
12 Hazel O’Connor – Eighth Day
13 Tenpole Tudor – Swords Of A Thousand Men
14 Generation X – King Rocker
15 Dr. Feelgood – Milk And Alcohol
16 The Barracudas – Summer Fun
17 The Piranhas – Tom Hark
18 Sham 69 – If The Kids Are United
19 The Vibrators – Automatic Lover
20 Department S – Is Vic There?
21 The Only Ones – Another Girl, Another Planet
22 Mink DeVille – Spanish Stroll
23 Yellow Dog – Just One More Night
CD 3
1 The B-52’s – Rock Lobster
2 Devo – Whip It
3 The Flying Lizards – Money
4 Martha And The Muffins – Echo Beach
5 The Cure – A Forest
6 Joy Division – Love Will Tear Us Apart
7 Joe Jackson – It’s Different For Girls
8 The Regents – 7 Teen
9 Squeeze – Up The Junction
10 The Tourists – I Only Want To Be With You
11 Split Enz – I Got You
12 The Psychedelic Furs – Pretty In Pink
13 Simple Minds – Love Song
14 Ultravox! – Rockwrok
15 Marianne Faithfull – Broken English
16 Grace Jones – Private Life
17 The Slits – I Heard It Through The Grapevine
18 Ian Dury & The Blockheads – What A Waste
19 Rich Kids – Rich Kids
20 Sham 69 – Angels With Dirty Faces
21 The Dickies – Banana Splits
22 Jilted John – Jilted John
CD 4
1 U2 – I Will Follow
2 The Members – Sound Of The Suburbs
3 The Ruts – Babylon’s Burning
4 The Boomtown Rats – She’s So Modern
5 X-Ray Spex – Identity
6 Siouxsie And The Banshees – Christine
7 The Jam – Down In The Tube Station At Midnight
8 Ramones – Baby, I Love You
9 Blondie – Denis
10 Pretenders – Kid
11 The Stranglers – Duchess
12 The Teardrop Explodes – Reward
13 Adam & The Ants – Kings Of The Wild Frontier
14 Bow Wow Wow – C30 C60 C90 Go
15 Public Image Limited – Public Image
16 Magazine – Shot By Both Sides
17 The Runaways – Cherry Bomb
18 The Knack – My Sharona
19 Eddie & The Hot Rods – Do Anything You Wanna Do
20 Skids – Working For The Yankee Dollar
21 The Vapors – Turning Japanese
22 Toy Dolls – Nellie The Elephant
I think I can sing along to all but about 4 of those.
Another good (more wide ranging) one was 1234 Punk & New wave 1976-9
https://www.discogs.com/release/1388773-Various-1-2-3-4-Punk-New-Wave-1976-1979
Rather more expensive though
In a similar expansive vein, see also the Cherry Red comps
1977 The Year Punk Broke
1978 The Day The World Turned Day-Glo
1979 Revolt Into Style
Although I already have most of those songs, that is a brilliant compilation, surely one of the best ever. Not one bad track on it, well, maybe apart from Toyah…
I was born in 67 too, and started buying singles in about 78. What a great time it was for the good old 7 inch. Really spoilt for choice every time you went into Woolworths or whatever small record shop you frequented. I was mostly a Woolies kid at that time though.
Woolies was cheapest. WHSmith’s was the most expensive. They still bloody are…for everything.
Woollies was even cheaper if you held your nerve and waited till the singles were on their way down the charts.
And even cheaper than that if you waited until the staff weren’t looking.
Here’s a question. Was Lust For Life a particularly well known song at the time, outside of Iggy Pop fans? Until Trainspotting I had never heard of it. And even now it feels like whenever it is played in a TV show or whatever it is to evoke the 90s rather than the 70s. For example, Derry Girls.
Maybe just me, but I’m curious.
I’d say “no” on that. It wasn’t really something you’d even hear at alternative night around Brum in the late eighties. I bought the album when it got reissued in about 1989 because I was becoming a Stooges/Iggy obsessed teenager so I knew it well. You’d be more likely to hear I Wanna Be Your Dog at an alternative/student night.
Really trainspotting was the thing for most people as you said. I’m also pretty sure it didn’t chart
It was really only known by the hardcore Bowie & Iggy fans until Trainspotting. Same with China Girl from The Idiot; not really known until the Bowie cover a few years later.
The Stooges, yes.
Solo Iggy, probably not (except Raw Power maybe)
Lust For Life, maybe not. However, The Passenger was played often and much better known.
I’d say that Iggy stuff with Bowie was well enough known by those who were into punk/new wave/post punk for obvious reasons. More so than Stooges material even.
That’s a great list Chris. The sort of CD to leave in the car as you just can’t go wrong throwing one of the discs in. Can’t beat a good compilation. If you love the era can I recommend, as I’m sure others have, Broken Greek by Pete Paphides.. a brilliant childhood memoir that weaves the songs from this era into his life growing up as the son of Greek immigrants in The Midlands. Songs I’ve known for years i now see in a different light.
Fine collection. The touchstone 90s comp was Sound Of The Suburbs – this is a superb expansion.
What’s missing?
(can you guess what I’m going to say?)
Stiff Little Fingers – Alternative Ulster deserves a place in the pantheon
It is indeed a very fine collection.
What’s missing?
Well, I’d say that …
Sex Pistols – Holidays in the Sun would be a very fine addition – preferably at the expense of “My Sharona” by the Knack. A record that I’ve always loathed.
The Stray Cats – Rock this Town – could/should be on there?
The elephant in the room is the total absence of The Lurkers.
I’ve already drafted a pretty stiff* letter to the editor of the Daily Telegraph about this.
(*Or Chiswick, if you prefer)
I’ve always known the name of The Lurkers but as a charty pop kid around that time I don’t ever remember them on tv or on the radio. Most of the other stuff on those 4 discs you would have heard or seen at some point
Between this and the Gary Glitter comment the other day I seem to have been sent to a special hell where I’m condemned to be taken literally. Not sure I don’t deserve it, but a bit of warning would have been nice…
Sorry! I didn’t know. I’m sure they’ve got their fans haven’t they?
Oh, I feel mean now.
I thought the Lurkers were alright. They were big favourites of John Peel at the time. Fulham’s answer to the Ramones.
The Lurkers were supposed to be on it, but were hanging around in the corridor while it was being recorded.
Mods, please delete this “joke”.
Your “joke” has been boiled and tarred and stuck on a spike as a warning to others
you are absolutely right
These songs remind me of Cornwall.
My cousin Simon was a couple of years older than me, lived in a village outside Falmouth, and had more pocket money. Despite the distance, we were like brothers. I’d spend two weeks of every summer holiday at his, then he’d spend two weeks at mine. Our families would spend Christmases together, alternating venue between Cornwall and Herts.
Almost every day we’d cycle to Falmouth, or take the bus to Truro, and buy a record. Whenever I hear XTC’s Making Plans for Nigel, or the Undertones My Perfect Cousin, or John Otway’s Headbutts, I’m transported back to laying on the varnished floorboards of his mum’s dining room with my head between the speakers of his Pioneer mini-system.
It was there I first heard Talking Heads – Fear of Music, a record that still gives me the willies today.
Simon dropped dead 12 years ago at the age of 42. I can still remember where I was when I heard. I still miss him.
Is it dusty in here?
Nothing quite like music for taking you back and giving you an emotional punch – I think the dust was inevitable. Please accept a virtual arm around the shoulder…
Exactly. Apart from the, being great songs, it was the nostalgia part that added to this compilation being so enjoyable – and the reason I posted – and the comment “The joy of music. Simple”.
Virtual arm around the shoulder from here also.
I’ve been having a 70s/80’s guitarism binge recently and have taught myself to strum (memorised and everything) Cool For Cats, Only You, Land Down Under, The Bitterest Pill, Thorn in My Side and (my favourite to strum) Echo Beach.
Yes, Yazoo are also one of the best guitar bands of the era. Assuming you don’t mean the Flying Pickets – although they’re definitely another one.
I try to make each song I cover my own, by changing the chords, lyrics, rhythm and melody.
Hey, you’re like some kind of alchemist.
In reverse
No. Alchemy was a Dire Straits album – which did have guitars and I don’t think it would be classified as Punk or New Wave.
Mods, please delete this “joke” too while you’re at it.
@Gary
Need a bit of help with those titles, G, to avoid possible plaigarism problems down the line
Cool for Gaz
Only Gaz
Gaz Down Under
The Bitterest Gaz
Thorn in my Gaz
Echo Gaz
You can say that again.
@Gary
I can and I probably will
@Gary
Need a bit of help with those titles, G, to avoid possible plaigarism problems down the line
Cool for Gaz
Only Gaz
Gaz Down Under
The Bitterest Gaz
Thorn in my Gaz
Echo Gaz
An acoustic version of ‘Down Under’? You make me nervous. I always preferred ‘Be Good Johnny’. If you made the subtle but significant lyrical shift from ‘Johnny’ to ‘Gary’, you could make the song your own.
On it straight away.
Also got this. As everyone says, great value and ideal for the car.
Still prefer the immodestly entitled 2-CD Best Punk Album In the World Ever comp. Mainly Because it contains several tracks from the most egregious omission from the otherwise faultless Now comp
Great minds think alike, fools seldom differ, although they do rush in where angels fear to tread, especially if they’ve got dirty faces.
Sorry….Haven’t had me meds yet….
A case of “two minds united by but one thought”
Obvs crossed in Cyberspace.
The Best punk Album comps are terrific though
Did you get TX for the Red Guitars,btw, M.
I missed out but have got too much other stuff happening here to go (Rising COVID rates don’t help…)
I’m not going but that’s entirely because I can’t be arsed going to gigs and for no other reason. Th’Adelphi is a pretty unwholesome place at the best of times bless it, so should be a bit of a covid factory. At least the majority of an RG crowd will be jabbed. Should be a good night but the simple fact is I don’t like gigs. Miserable bastard.
I see from their website that it was 29th Feb (!) 1984 when they blew away The Smiths at Leeds University Union.
(and its not just because I am from Hull).
Arguably the sweet spot in terms of seeing the Smiths as well. And to get proposed to, of course…
I picked up one of these from a record fair many years ago (Britpop times I think). Great compilation and a fine introduction to some of the more outlying stuff that came under punk broadly (New Wave I guess). First place I think I heard Split Enz “I Got You”, and weirdly also “Airport” by the Motors.
Lost Property was another decent compilation covering New Wave stuff probably from the late 70s onwards.
The Best Punk Album In The World ….Ever 1&2 was a great couple of 2CD compos released mid-90s, presumably to cash in on Britpop. A lot of the music had fk all to do with punk and the Pistols and the No-hits were completely absent, but it did include stuff like This Perfect Day, EmerrrrrrrEEEEEErgency, Outdoor Miner and the two SLF hits (ulp!)
Oh yes and the Patti Smith ‘I’m An Artist So It’s Not Racist’ record.
Fraid you’ll have to get up awfully early in the morning
to beat me to the punch, M!
Wasn’t it the Motors whose LP cover had to be changed because their faces were putting people off?
It was definitely changed, I think it was after Airport became a hit.
I’ve got the original and it is a bit scary. That must have been at the end of the time when it didn’t matter what bands looked like.
The replacement cover for “Approved by the Motors”, which is sort of a view through a car windscreen, isn’t much of an improvement on the original…
These days, my listening habit has altered from what it was before. I used to let my digitised music player choose previously-unplayed tracks at random. Could be an album track or single, something I’d grabbed from an eel market, an unheard podcast, a complete radio show I’d recorded.
These days it’s a bit more structured.
I play an unheard album or download from beginning to end, then an unheard podcast, then an unheard radio show recording. Repeat as necessary with occasional interludes of YouTube clips, plus playlists and albums from Tidal or Spotify etc.
This morning I listened to Brad Mehldau’s new album “Jacob’s Ladder” on Tidal and a couple of live Leonard Cohen clips from YouTube, followed by Madeline Peyroux’s excellent cover of Cohen’s “Dance Me To The End Of Love”. Scheduled for later are Anthony Joseph’s album “Time”, a podcast in the excellent “Afropop Worldwide” series from NPR and a recording of “Jazz Club with Walter Love” from BBCRadio Ulster. Then Danalogue & Alabaster DePlume’s album “I Was Not Sleeping”, an old Remainiacs podcast and a recording of “Jazz Nights” from BBC Radio Scotland, followed by Jo Harrop’s album “The Heart Wants”.
Last night was a TV-watching and reading evening.
I binged on BBC2’s excellent comedy “The Witchfinder”, after catching up on the latest episode of “Killing Eve”, then I read some more of Jo Nesbo’s book of short stories “The Jealousy Man”. The book’s title story is very good but it’s much too long. He could have dispensed with about half of it without losing anything important from the plot and indeed it would have gained in tension. He has a tendency toward wordiness, I find.
A bit off-subject: but I’d be interested to learn your thoughts on the Brad Mehldau album.
A bit early to form a firm opinion on it, as I’ve only played it once. His progression continues. It’s not morning music so I’ll need to play it again of an evening to get a proper impression.
Recent listening (on vinyl natch 😉 ) LDR – NFW, Kid A Mnesia (Radiohead), Scott Walker – Songs from the TV Series, Beatles – Mono Masters, Stones – GHS bonus tracks, latest Dylan bootleg series plus some live Springsteen archive sets via streaming, Tunnel of Love and Reunion tours.
Bloody hell, you’re the epicentre of Afterwordosity.
I like to think so (just added Radiohead)
Oh well done, that’s even better.
This is my go-to Punk comp. A few years old now and a bit pricey but brilliant.
https://www.discogs.com/master/886364-Various-1-2-3-4-Punk-New-Wave-1976-1979