The Freshies – "Rough 'N' Ready" (Razz Records – RAZZ CS4) 1980

They could have been bigger than the Buzzcocks,but ended up not quite as good as second album Vapors.They,at least had "Turning Japanese";whereas the best The Freshies could muster was "Yellow Spot",which wasn't even as good as The Buzzcocks' worst single......"Why She's A Girl From A Chainstore",written by the talentless Steve Diggle.......ironically The Freshies closest shot at the charts references that Diggle double A side,called "I'm In Love With The Girl On The Manchester Virgin Megastore Checkout Desk",which had a novelty value about it I suppose,and at least they got to play it on legendary but crap kids pop show "Get It Together" with the great Roy North (as previously referenced in the Phil Hartley of Bogshed fame post wot i dun last weeek-ish or so).

This cassette was The Freshies going really New Wave,highly competent,well-crafted,rather too clever, power pop non-hits for the lapsed Blondie fan next door.If they had Chris,the singer,writer etc,in character as his alter-ego Frank Sidebottom,they would have definitely been bigger than The Buzzcocks,well at least bigger than The Vapors....maybe bigger than even 'Department-S'?

You may have noticed that I am referring to all this in the Past Tense as both Frank and Chris are dead actually.So we'll never know beyond visiting the Power Pop Astral Plain where everyone gets to be number one for a day.

Tracklist:

A1 Yellow Spot 2:28
A2 Yeah-No, I Know 2:29
A3 Yesterday/Tomorrow 2:23
A4 Oh Girl 2:05
A5 Photograph 2:26
A6 New Edition 2:28
B1 One To One 1:46
B2 House Beautiful 2:43
B3 We're Like You 2:17
B4 My Tapes Gone 2:51
B5 No Money 4:00
B6 If It's News 1:48

DOWNLOAD ready and roughly HERE!

The Freshies – "The Freshies Sing The Girls From Banana Island Who's Stupid Ideas Never Caught On In The Western World As We Know It" (Razz Records – RAZZ CS 3) 1979

The subject of Paul McCartney regularly crops up in the work of Chris Sievy, of The Freshies', papier maché alter-ego Frank Sidebottom.

Which is interesting,as The output of the Freshies could easily be mistaken as Macca goes new wave. Or Paul and Linda's murder victim,Jimmy McCulloch's new updated version of Wings.That would explain the need to wear a papier maché head.Quite a lot of this rubbish exists as a conspiracy theory on the browner side of the internet.After all Paul had form, sporting bare feet on the cover of Abbey Road,signifying that he had clearly faked his death in 1969,and been replaced with a look-a-likey. I don't think anyone in The Freshies looked at all like Jimmy McCulloch or Paul McCartney...but they wouldn't would they?The haircuts were a dead give away however. He obviously had reconstructive surgery,to turn his back on fame, and form a new wave band with Jimmy.The evidently sociopathic Linda got ear of this and arranged McCulloch's inexplicable death;but not before he and Paul had laid down 50 or so Freshies numbers first.

Next up is the proven fact that John Lennon's Brain was abducted by Aliens and now controls the life support systems of a small exo-planet somewhere in the vacinity of Betelgeuse.....which,incidentally, is due to go super-nova at any moment.Ergo,"The Wedding Album" exists,yet doesn't,at the same time....unless,of course, you are looking at it, or even worse, playing it.

Schrödinger's John and Yoko Album; Quantum version.

Tracklist:

A1 Amoco Cadiz 5:36

A2 Children Of The World 2:55
A3 Babies Who Stole My Girl 3:04
A4 Photograph 2:06
A5 GoggleBubbleLand 2:47
A6 Nothing To Come 3:12
A7 Frapper Dehours 2:58
B1 If It's News 1:11
B2 Oh Girl 1:53
B3 Octopus 1:52
B4 The Girls From Banana Island 1:18
Other Different Mix's From The Sessions
B5 If It's News 3:46
B6 Oh Girl 2:18
B7 Octopus 1:52
B8 Children Of The World 2:48
B9 Amoco Cadiz 6:01

DOWNLOAD fresh off the bananas boat HERE!

The Freshies – "All Sleeps Secrets" (Razz Records – RAZZ CS1) 1978

Of course you do know that the singer songwriter lead guitarist and general busy body of this group, Chris Sievey, was also Frank Sidebottom.....or wazzit that Frank Sidebottom was also Chris Sievey? I dunno,i'm confused,mentally bruised, and live the life the way i choose.

Not too great a fan of The Freshies' flimsy new wave cycledelia with unhealthy pretensions towards chart action,one has to say;but it's inoffensive,and has its fair share of G.S.O.H,...gosh. Like fellow Manchester band, 10CC, too clever by half,but largely lacking tunes. Of course, 10CC had a handful of good,maybe,great songs,and so did The Freshies,though i'd be struggling to tell you which ones....."Yellow Spot" was not bad i think, although sadly not on this self-released cassette,that came out as Chris tried to be even more New Wavey later on.

Chris was never shy at self-promotion,being a veteran of a musical sit in at Apple Corps offices in '69.But none of the Beatles were in, and nobody said "Hey that's a great song maan I wanna sign you up".

This didn't discourage the young Sidebottom,and he/they proceeded to release stuff by his group on his own cassette label,in 1974, at the height of 10CC's fame incidentally ,and long before most UK DIYers were doing the same thing. Chris shows his age when the Psych-pop of his formative years becomes mixed with some very fashionable,for 1978, three minute new wave symphonies.

This guy should have been on the Telly.

Tracklist:

A1 Slip 3:13
A2 Baiser 2:35
A3 Two Of The Same Girl 1:53
A4 Ballrooms And Moon 2:55
A5 No. 1 Fear 5:03
A6 Bogey man 4:34
B1 Into The Wind 3:31
B2 Over The Sun 5:22
B3 18 Down To 24 fps 1:33
B4 David The Shepherd 2:25
B5 Big Top/I'm Falling 2:38
B6 Lovely Bars 8:27

DOWNLOAD the sleeping secrets of chris sievey HERE!

Too Much ‎– "Who You Wanna Be" & "Kick Me One more Time" 7" Singles (Lightning Records ‎– GIL 513/GIL 552) 1978/1979

Tracklisting:

A Who You Wanna Be
B Another Time Another Place

Tracklisting:

1-Kick Me One More Time
2-Be Mine
3-It's Only For Me

Too much what? Certainly not too much in the department of record releases. In fact, just enough.

For most pop groups two singles should be the maximum output for their careers.....what careers?

Again, not much is known about this youthful act on Lightning Records, but they did do a photoshoot at least, and it reveals they had a prediliction for turned up jacket collars to make them appear cool.A fashion angle popularised by Alvin Stardust,Eric Cantona and John Robb of the Membranes......not to be encouraged.

Fresh out of secondary school by the sound of it, and the look of it.Too much's fledgling career was no doubt curtailed by 'Real Life', jobs, university courses and other crap like that.Likely, they had to sell the music gear their mums and dads bought them to pay the rent in their grotty bedsits as society began to grind down their youthful enthusiasm.They're probably all dead now!?

They did,however, leave us with five charming upbeat power pop rave-ups with a distinct Pub Rock flavour.....more photo's anyone?...

Yes, one of them had a beard.Very  subversive in 1978.

DOWNLOAD but not too much HERE!

The Hoax ‎– "So What" (Hologramme Music ‎– HOAX3) 1980

Manchester standard Punk trio, The Hoax's only long-ish player from 1980.
Including that drummer bloke from The Smiths, Mike Joyce?
Morrisey's punk flirtation was in the far cooler 'Nosebleeds', with that Durutti Column bloke.
Its all rather entertaining power pop punk rock, effected in an efficient manner.
Its the kind of band thats fun to play in rather than watch or listen to too much.

Tracklisting:

A1 Rats In The Cellar
A2 Some Say
A3 Nice Girls
A4 Ich Habe Keine Spur
B1 Radio D.J.
B2 T.V. Addict
B3 Rich Folk
B4 Schizophrenia

DOWNLOAD or what HERE!

Silent Noise ‎– "Whatever Happened To Us?" (Only Fit For The Bin Records ‎– OFFTB002) 2010

In the eighties we used to dig up old lost outsider psych bands, like Wimple Winch and put together lost tracks for eagerly consumed compilation albums.In the early noughties and beyond, we now search out unknown Outsider Punk combo's from 1977, and do the same.

So,from that seething volcano of punk angst,...er....Norwich, came the remanents of the town's first Punk combo, the Toads.....but this time with tunes, and a new name.....Silent Noise!?

Of course Norwich is more famous for being the location for "Sale Of The Century" in the 1970's, and the fictional home town of Alan Partridge. I doubt Silent Noise ever got any tunes on Radio Norwich, but their music certainly has that charming isolated quality of this fenland City. Just looking at the only picture of the group in existence, this was as far away as one could get from The Kings Road in London.

This was how provincial, or, Outsider Punk, as I like to call it.....looked. Aviator sunglasses, flared jeans,pullovers, permed or blow dryed hair...this is how the 'punks'outside of the London clique looked.In fact most of the kids in the Roxy and Vortex wore the same stuff.No-one outside the Clash and The Pistols could afford to shop in Seditionaries.No Richard Hells here!

A few slightly rude 'Punk' style tunes float around the very sixties influenced power pop, and even a bit of polite violence. These boys sound too nice, too embaressed, to be banned from anywhere......Oi..."sling Your Hook", replaces Fuck Off, and Bastards is about as subversive as they get.

All this is ,of course ,highly charming.Probably not what the Daily Mirror reading popularists assumed 'Punk Rock' to be; but thats what it largly was. The lyrics to "Hit Record" likely sums up the totality of their Punk Manifesto. This is all far more honest than John Rotten ever was, despite his tiresome protests of himself being the only 'Honest' rock star ever!

Listening to this inspid rebellion as entertainment for the provincial masses, i feel nothing but boredom at the prospect of listening to those knob'eads in the UK Subs, or to Sandinista!?...what a pile of shite was that?

This posthumous compilation collects their only single, and adds 15 tracks sourced from old cassettes of demo's and rehearsals, between 1978-1980.

Tracklisting:

1-All Through The Night
2-Bastards
3-Follow The Noise
4-Heart To Heart
5-Hit Record
6-I've Been Hurt (So Many Times Before)
7-Kick You In The Head
8-Missing You Today
9-Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer
10-Silent Noise
11-Sling Your Hook
12-Tell Me
13-Whatever Happened To Us?
14-You Don't Have To Say That You Love Me
15-You Need Someone
16-Nightclubbing
17-Baby I Know

DOWNLOAD silently HERE!

The Record Players - "Singles and Ep's" (Wreckord Records) 1978/1981

The Record Players ‎– "Double C Side EP" (Wreck 001) 1978

Tracklisting:

A1 M.O.R.
A2 Don't Go Backwards
B1 Wrong Song
B2 Ignore Us

The Record Players ‎– "60-7 Inches EP" (Wreck 002) 1979

Tracklisting:

A1 Don't Give An Inch
A2 Squirmin' In The Vermin
B1 67
B2 Parasite City

The Record Players ‎– "Money Worries" (Wreck 003) 1981

Tracklisting:

A Money Worries
B Two Wrongs Don't Make A Right

I know next to nuffink about The Record Players,but I suspect they were from the Kent area of the UK.Tried to narrow it down by googling the 40 year old telephone code,but nothing popped up....its that old!

Facts aside, The Record Players had a string of foot-tappin'sing-a-long singles to rival The Buzzcocks;but, unlike their mancunian cousins, they didn't sell out to the majors.....in fact, I doubt they even had an offer at all, being in the hinterlands of southeast England, and not trendy looking enough.The lyrics to "Ignore Us" seem to be slightly autobiographical somewhat.

They left us with some great tunes made in a pure DIY ethic,and without pretentions towards being Rock stars,or even playing rock at all.Ten UK DIY jangly power-pop classics,with an added sense of humour, that can serve as their headstone for a future generation.

DOWNLOAD to bypass the need of a record player HERE!

Various Artists ‎– "Seattle Syndrome Two" (Engram Records ‎– ENGC 012) 1982

Well, fuck me! There was a second volume of post-punk Seattle groups.
It's definitely Volume 1 part two. Lots of forgetable eighties Pop attempts, with a couple of more edgy numbers buried in among the new wave disco.

DOWNLOAD more syndromes HERE!

Various Artists ‎– "Seattle Syndrome - Volume One" (Engram Records ‎– ENG 002) 1981

Seattle, the scene of that nineties atrocity "Grunge", the american equivalent of "Brit Pop".
You will be very pleased to know that this local band compilation is a gauranteed Grunge-free zone; but it does prove that Seattle had a real talent for mediocrity a decade before it was given its label in the Rock'n'Roll hall of the Lame. I mean, even Jimi Hendrix had to escape from here to be reborn in London.If he stayed in Seattle, he would probably be on this compilation, fronting some electronic rock group on vocals and Keytar; but he would still be alive at least.
Isolated on the north west coast, you had to leave if you wanted to get anywhere i suppose.
There's a lot of sub-standard versions of musical styles imported from elsewhere,including the obligatory punky reggae number (Yuk!), and the even worse Rockabilly number (Double Yuk!!).
There's a few sub-Flock of Seagulls tracks that are entertaining at low volume,but the rest are just standard 3rd division american punk and lame power poop.
American local comps never seem to have anything truly strange, or innovative,or even catchy on them......everyone is trying to please and habor dreams of minor stardom. Ambition is inherant in American culture unfortunately, which leads to a bland homogenous soup.

DOWNLOAD this down syndrome of a record HERE!

Various Artists - "Slightly Scratched (100 Kiwi Punk and New Wave Gems 1978-83)" (Web Release 2018)

I was searching the internet to try and find my first Kiwi new wave album, "The Citizen Band" (1978), but couldn't find bugger all!?...but there were two tracks from it included on this monster compilation.
There's lots of crap on here, but also some long lost gems from the punk rock era.

Tracklist:

01-Screaming Meemees - Till I Die
02-Rank & File - Welcome to the World
03-The Crocodiles - Hello Girl
04-The Ainsworths - Danger Man
05-Techtones - That Girl
06-Th' Dudes  Walking In Light
07-Blam Blam Blam-Don't Fight It Marsha,It's Bigger Than Both Of Us
08-Citizen Band - Feel Good
09-The Swingers - One Good Reason
10-Broken  Dolls - Serenade
11-Car Crash Set - Fall From Grace
12-The Body Electric - Pulsing
13-Toy Love - Pull Down the Shades
14-Suburban Reptiles - Coup D'etat
15-No Tag - Mistaken Identity
16-Newmatics - Walkie Talkies
17-Spelling Mistakes - Feel So Good
18-Dum Dum Boys - Idiot Boy
19-Rebel Truce - The Man Inside
20-No Tag - Legalised Dogs
21-Blam Blam Blam - There Is No Depression In New Zealand
22-Children's Hour - The Mongolian Bros
23-Bombers - Dance
24-Danse Macabre - Between The Lines
25-Desperate Measures - Generation Gap
26-Scavengers - Routine
27-Screaming Meemees - Sunday Boys
28-Newmatics -  Riot Squad
29-Penknife Glides - Taking the Weight Off
30-Spelling Mistakes - Hate Me Hate Me
31-Pedestrians - Saturday Night
32-Mi Sex - Computer Games
33-Pop Mechanics - Jumping Out A Window
34-Coup D'etat - Dr I Like Your Medicine
35-Newmatics - Five Miseries
36-Prime Movers - Crying Again
37-The Clean - Beatnik
38-The Dabs - Love The Army
39-Citizen Band - No Stereo
40-The Androidss - Auckland Tonight
41-Danse Macabre - ECG
42-Dum Dum Boys - Running Scared
43-Flesh D-Vice - Kill That Girl
44-The Gordons - Sometimes
45-The Herco Pilots - Essential Services
46-The Johnnies - Who Killed Johnny
47-Proud Scum - I Am a Rabbit
48-Suburban Reptiles - Saturday Night Stay At Home
49-Terrorways - Never Been to Borstal
50-The Scavengers - Mysterex (click here for missing track)
51-Marching Girls - True Love
52-Sheerlux - Lonely Heart
53-Coconut Rough - Sierra Leone
54-Split Enz - Shark Attack
55-Dave Mcartney - Virginia
56-Th' Dudes  Bliss
57-The Knobz - Culture
58-Mi-Sex - People
59-Dance Exponents - All I Can Do
60-Blam Blam Blam - Luxury Length
61-This Sporting Life - Total Loss
62-The Henchmen - Metro Blues
63-The Steroids - Out of Control
64-Toy Love -Squeeze
65-The Verlaines - Death and The Maiden
66-The Clean - Anything Could Happen
67-Spelling Mistakes - Reena
68-The Features - City Scenes
69-DD Smash - The Gambler
70-The Swingers - Counting The Beat
71-The Tall Dwarfs - Nothing's Gonna Happen
72-Proud Scum - Suicide
73-Alms for Children - Danny Boy
74-Toy Love - Rebel
75-Valentinos - Yesterday's Girl
76-Newmatics - Square One
77-The Spine - It's All Inane
78-No Tag - Oi Oi Oi
79-Spaces - Just Like Clockwork
80-The Clean - Tally Ho!
81-Dance Exponents - Victoria
82-Penknife Glides - Pleasure Through Tears
83-Screaming Meemees - All Dressed Up
84-The Instigators - Hope She's Alright
85-Graham Brazier – 1%a
86-Split Enz - What's The Matter With You
87-Dance Exponents - Know Your Own Heart
88-Shoes This High - Nothing
89-Primmers - You're Gonna Get Done
90-Russ Le Roq (Crowe) - I Just Want To Be Like Marlon Brando
91-Suburban Reptiles - 45 Single
92-Screaming Meemees - See Me Go
93-The Mockers  - Good Old Days
94-Car Crash Set - Imagination
95-Ballare -Dancing
96-The Body Electric - Dreaming In A Life
97-Childrens Hour - Carolines Dream
98-Peking Man - Plastic Head
99-The Dabs - Remember When (Click Here for this missing track!)
100-Danse Macabre - Web

DOWNLOAD tracks 0-50 HERE!

DOWNLOAD tracks 51-100 HERE!

Various Artists ‎– "Sad Day We Left The Croft" (Adult Entertainments ‎– ADD 1LP) 1981

"Sad Day We Left The Croft" is a compilation of punk and new wave pwer pop combo's from,of all places, the Scottish Hebridean island of Lewis, recorded in 1980 and released in 1981.

There's so little to do on Lewis, that all the bands seem to have had plenty time to rehearse the art of being 'Raw' to perfection. Also they must have had only one record to listen to, namely Stiff Little Fingers' "Inflammable Material", and maybe a couple of Buzzcocks Singles too. 

Noise Annoys could easily be mistaken for Jake Burns and crew, especially that trademark affected shouty singing.All this despite having a snare drum that sounds like its a full biscuit tin. The Rong also have that popular SLF timbre to their tracks,but not the songs.

Its not all copycat power punk stuff however, The Bruce Wayne Band, seem like a fine bunch,and The Bland had obviously managed to tune into Radio One after 10pm inbetween the storms and the fog.

Disturbingly, Addo With Mission,conspired to become Dire Straits somehow? Their track 'Ocean Of Love' is basically "Sultans Of Swing"(Part 2)!!!!!.....disturbing yes, but that quaint kinda disturbing that Dire Straits lacked enormously.

All this adds up to the best Scottish local compilation by a country mile.

Track Listing:

1.Noise Annoys: "Living (in the world today)" – 1:28
2.The Rong: "Treatment" – 3:38
3.The Bland: "River Creed" – 4:28
4.Addo: "Deep down inside" – 5:56
5.The Subjects: "Paradise" – 5:14
6.Bruce Wayne Band: "First year fear" – 2:53
7.Dirty Girls: "Love or lust?" – 1:34
8.The Rong: "Union Jack" – 2:29
9.The Bland: "Letters while travelling" – 2:43
10.Addo: "Ocean of love" – 6:07
11.The Subjects: "Coming to save you?" – 4:14
12.Bruce Wayne Band: "Nightmares" – 2:04
13.Noise Annoys: "New heroes" – 1:25

DOWNLOAD the sad way to spend an evening HERE!

Various Artists ‎– "Mint Sauce For The Masses" (Playlist Records ‎– Play 1) 1980

Scotland has produced atrocities of Treblinka-equaling proportions in the world of Pop Music; but for every Deacon Blue or Hue and Cry, there's at least two Josef K's or Fire Engines to redress the balance.
Popping along the M8 from Glasgow, to Edinburgh, we find another over-short band compilation, which again alludes to a cash shortage,either reflecting the economics of the region, or the legendary tightness of the Scottish race?
The music lies somewhere between the greatness of Josef K and the toe-curling awfulness of Deacon Blue. I have heard better from this fine city,but these groups were performing on the cusp of the Postcard era, where Scotland really found their own musical immortality. The groups represented here are a forgetable reflection of the accepted musics of the epoch from whence it sprung......which is not a bad thing if that epoch is 1980's Britain.
Although the hook in the Twisted Nerve toon, 'Neutral Zone', is worth the price of admission in itself?..:

"The National Front Have Got It Wrong, That's Why We Wrote This Fucking Song!"

Tracklist:

A1 –Club Of Rome - Bedroom Scenes
A2 –Club Of Rome - Classics
A3 –Flexible Response - The Shortest War
B1 –Fun City - Avalanche
B2 –Twisted Nerve - Neutral Zone
B3 –Twisted Nerve - Vertigo

DOWNLOAD this mint from its source HERE!

Various Artists ‎– "8 From '80. A Carlisle Compilation". (Matchbox Classics ‎– MC3) 1980

One stopped off in Carlisle on the way to Glasgow, and I can recall the place captured in the picture featured on the cover as if it was yesterday......dunno why, it just stuck in my brain,possibly because of the weirdly quiet and gloomy atmosphere of the place.
The groups featured are all definitely not weird, or quiet, or even gloomy. Its all a standard run through of some new wave type power pop and post punkiness.All very listenable,and very much of its time....ie 1980.....but don't read that as 'Dated'.

Tracklist:

1–Spivs Maybe - It's Different
2–Pedestrians - Walk It
3–Mr.Bulder - She Knows
4–No Support - Prophetic Justice
5–Veldt - Bleak
6–Toolbox Murderers - Alco
7–Kirsty And The Husbands - Sitting In A Disco
8–The Limps - So Nice

DOWNLOAD 8 from 80 from 2018 HERE!

Various Artists ‎– "A Trip To The Dentist" (Skeleton Records ‎– SKLLP 1) 1980

Lets take that Ferry 'cross the Mersey to Birkenhead. Only been there a cople of times, to see Leicester City play Tranmere Rovers.Memorably, during an uninspiring 0-0 draw in the play-off semi-finals around 1994-ish, I remember clearly my girlfriend being hit in the face by a large inflatable dolphin with 'Blue Army' written on the side of it.She was press-ganged by me to go in the first place as we were accidently on purpose driving by the region....so she was far from a happy bunny on that ocassion....'LOL!' Another time me and my footy mates were looking for parking near the ground, and a nice scouse lady ran out into the street and directed us into her driveway.......no it wasn't a naughty scouse strategy to rob us; she was just displaying some famous Northern hospitality.The car was still intact after we beat them!?
Not sure the people from Birkenhead call themselves 'Scouse' at all,but everyone else does.One suspects thats only a term applied to inhabitants of neighbouring Liverpool, but I'll have to do my usual 'Scouse' jokes to brighten the day up a bit?????.....No?
Ok...What do you call a Scouser in a white shellsuit?.......The Bride!
2- Whats a Scouser in a Suit called?.....The Accused?
3- A scouser in a Semi-Detatched house is a what?......That's right....a Burgler!
Funny stuff eh?.....just like all those hilarious(not) Scouser comedians, like Ken Dodd, Stan 'The Geeeermans' Boardman, and Tom O'Connor (Who????)
I suppose this is a local band from Birkenhead compilation masquerading as a Skeleton Records promo disc.Lots of suitably melodic power pop and New Wave, from a bunch of scallies living under the dark shadow of Gerry and the Pacemakers;whom i had the pleasure of witnessing supporting Ken Dodd at the Skegness pier theatre in 1974.....the next band I saw was Suicide at Leicester Granby Halls in 1978,supporting the Clash.Now,.... Suicide supporting Ken Dodd would be something? I'd pay plenty dollah to see that, if only the main protagonists weren't very dead! Only Martin Rev survives from that fantasy double bill from the right kind of Hell.

Tracklist:

A1 –Geisha Girls Doctor
A2 –Afraid Of Mice I'm Not A Fighter
A3 –Attempted Moustache No Way Out
A4 –Walking Boys Don't Worry
A5 –Luminous Beings Myself And My Heroes
A6 –The Relations One More Record
A7 –Stopouts Just For You And Me
A8 –Wayne Hussey And The Dance Goes On
B1 –Luminous Beings T.V. Can Kill
B2 –Afraid Of Mice Trans-parent
B3 –Walking Boys Leave You Alone
B4 –Zorkie Twins Little Arthur
B5 –Upsets I Don't Know Why
B6 –Luminous Beings Shadows Of Giants
B7 –Windows When The Music's Over

DOWNLOAD this compilation of scouse extraction HERE!

Various ‎Artists – "Household Shocks" (Stark Products ‎– LPC01) 1980

In July 1980 Paul Singleton and Chris Leaning opened a record shop in Lincoln, England. It opened under the name “All Tomorrow’s Parties” — but later moved to the city center and was renamed “Parade.” Through the growing local music scene their shop became a hangout for the local punks. Then the idea for “Household Shocks”, a compilation of these punk’s bands came into fruition.
Containing rare tracks, including one DIY classic, so rare, called “Radioactive Man” by Fault 151, that it was the only song the band ever recorded;a career path that should have been followed by many other,more sucessful, groups. 
Since then 'Household Shocks' has become a time stamp on a very brief moment in early post-punk.Less than 100 copies of it were pressed on blue vinyl.

Tracklist:

1–Product Of Reason - Active Repetition
2–Thunderboys - Fashion
3–One Gang Logic -  Playtime
4–Sinking Ships - Weight Loss
5–Juveniles - Another Kind Of Guy
6–Mystery Girls - Killing Time
7–Product Of Reason - Five
8–Defectors - You Only Laughed
9–Juveniles -  Scratched Blue Vinyl
10–Sinking Ships - 3rd World
11–Fault 151 - Radiation Man
12–Urbantech - 9-5 Figment
13–Product Of Reason - Your Song
14–Thunderboys - Rich Bitch
15–Thunderboys - F.B.I.
16–One Gang Logic - The Stand

DOWNLOAD this shockingly good household HERE!

Various ‎Artists – "Rupert Preaching At A Picnic" (Naïve Records ‎– Naive 002) 1981

Another 'New Town' and Britains premier,experimental, 'Garden City' of Welwyn Garden City,on the outskirts of London, is the next destination in our trip around the more obscurer end of the UK local band compilations fad.
I had no idea where this place was until i just googled it.
Portion Control came from here,and an early, pre-industrial track from them is included here,nestling awkwardly among the Power Pop and Post-Punk choons.
The other group who made a future impression on the record buying public here, was The Marine Girls. A quoted favourite of Kurt Cobain no less,not that that's any recommendation, they included future Everything But The Girl chanteuse, Tracey Thorn;and went on to adorn the CD racks of white collar employees everywhere.

Tracklist:

A1 –The Frets - Two Choices
A2 –Elusive Diplomats - Twist And Run
A3 –Bona Dish - Actress
A5 –Life Machine - Life And Times
A5 –Köln - Dope Prohibition
A6 –Oblivion II - Sword
A7 –The Absentees - Fairytales
B1 –The Innocent Vicars - She Was My Girl
B2 –Marine Girls - Hate The Girl
B3 –Frankies Crew - Somebody
B4 –Deranged - Factory Girl
B5 –The Plugs - Bat Brain Moon Man Boiler Boy
B6 –Amatory Mass - Girl On The Corner
B7 –Eddy Steady Go - Boy Named Sue
B8 –Portion Control - Preach

DOWNLOAD music from the garden HERE!

Various Artists ‎– "A Warped Sense Of Human" (Peartree Records ‎– EJSP 9688) 1981

From a place more famous for its concrete cows sculptures than its music. This is a compilation of various post-punk groups from Britains premier 'New Town',Milton Keynes.
Along with the "Cows",the sculpture on the cover is called "Octo", created in 1980 by the artist Wendy Taylor and is still on display in Milton Keynes today....unlike all the bands included here.

Its all good stuff, maybe except for chunky pub rocker 'Kingsize Keen and his Rockin Machine", who are pretty terrible.

Needless to say that none of these acts were ever heard of again.

Tracklist:

A1 –Dancing Counterparts-Jacob's Room
A2 –Offbeat  - Fun City
A3 –Ethnik Minority -  Victim Of The Bomb
A4 –N.A. Pop 2000 So-so
A5 –Ticketz -  All I Want To Do
A6 –Kingsize Keen & His Rockin' Machine - Hang Over You
A7 –Fictitious - I Must Adjust
B1 –N.A. Pop 2000 - Panic In Your Mind
B2 –Fictitious - New Expression
B3 –Dancing Counterparts - Pain
B4 –Ticketz - Control
B5 –Ethnik - Minority Cult
B6 –Kingsize Keen & His Rockin' Machine - New Wavin'

DOWNLOAD post-punk milton keynes HERE!

Various ‎Artists – "The Snoopies Album: The Last Remains Of A Richmond Venue" ( 1,000 Only Records ‎– RSB1) 1981

Staying in the London area with,not quite a local bands compilation,but an album of studio recordings of some of the bands who played in very posh Richmond's premier alternative music venue....."Snoopies".Which closed its doors in 1981.
Some cracking tunes on this one, including a 'Hit', with an earlier version of The Cardiacs stadium pop classic "Is This The Life?", which was a minor hit single in 1988!? 
There's plenty of classic UK DIY as well, including the Tronics and the legendary Scissor Fits!

Tracklist:

A1 –Rich & Famous - Machine Gun
A2 –The Mag 7 - Rosalind Jones's Umbrella
A3 –Tronics - I'm A Diver
A4 –The People Upstairs - Whips Leather & Other Animals
A5 –Plain Characters - I Am A.
A6 –The Trudy - The Trudy
A7 –Thirteen At Midnight - Follow Yourself
A8 –Babybabybabybaby - Supernatural
B1 –Snatch 22 - Be Like You
B2 –Sister Sister - The Blackmen Dance
B3 –Scissor Fits- Radio Teeth
B4 –M.L.R. - The Recked Rectors Of Og
B5 –The Crew - Songs Like These
B6 –The Europeans - Drink Pink Zinc!
B7 –Cardiacs - Is This The Life?

DOWNLOAD these remains HERE!

Various Artists ‎– "South Specific" (Brain Boosters Records ‎– lobotomy 01)1980

Another classic 'Local' compilation, this time from Portsmouth.
Only been to Portsmouth once, for the Championship play-off semi final in 1993.....of course Leicester won, and the local hooligans weren't best pleased. At one stage it was just me and four chums and a policeman facing a wall of angry 'pompy' fans bearing down on us on a narrow terraced street outside Fratton Park.There seemed no way to escape being hospitalised! The copper said, whilst pulling out his baton,
"Get behind me son!".....to which one replied, "you must be fucking joking,i'm off!"
So we raced back into the ground to hide for half an hour.The copper probably got a proper kicking.A noble sacrifice indeed,but sometimes cowardice has very real benefits.
When the coast was clear we skulked back to the car which was untouched amongst the surrounding damage and we escaped.Never to return again.
But,I won't hold it against them.If you supported Portsmouth you'd be angry too.
On the plus side however, Portsmouth did have a rather good local band compilation, called, as if you didn't know, "South Specific", hahaha! It had a small square of sandpaper on the cover to ruin the Lp filed next to it in you record collection;not unlike the Sandpaper covered Durutti Column album from the same year.Although I doubt it had the same pretentious situationist inspiration as the Factory Records mob did.
It was wall-to-wall new wave power pop, with the very odd exception of three tracks from Residents sound-a-likeys, Renaldo and the Loaf; with some tracks from their self-released cassette ,"Play Struvé and Sneff",from 1979.
The New Wavey stuff is all pretty good foot-tapping stuff, and contains at least one tune that should have been a number 39 smash......namely, The Chimes' "I just can't get Through To You".
What a fertile period for classic guitar driven pop it was in 1980?
It'll never happen again, but why should it? Been done, and can't be bettered.

Tracklist:
A1 –Attic - This Child Is Dead 3:17
A2 –Attic - Strange Numbers-Base Seven 3:01
A3 –Renaldo And The Loaf - A Medical Man 1:17
A4 –Renaldo And The Loaf - Bali Whine 2:26
A5 –Renaldo And The Loaf - Scottish Shuffle 3:20
A6 –Toxicomane - This Nice World 4:22
A7 –The Nice Boys - Maybe That's Love 2:37
A8 –The Nice Boys -(Remember) This Room 5:45
B1 –Dance Attack - Not Instrumental (It's A Dance Attack) 1:03
B2 –Dance Attack - Last Of The Teenage Heartaches 3:01
B3 –Dance Attack - Keep Moving 3:33
B4 –The Chimes - I Can't Smile 3:09
B5 –The Chimes - Through To You 2:46
B6 –The Chimes - Who Do I Believe? 2:05
B7 –Anna Blüm - Mourning In Yellow 4:07
B8 –The Frames - Lost In Space 2:48
B9 –The Frames - Reduced Watches 2:24

DOWNLOAD this specific file HERE!
or
DOWNLOAD it from Google Drive HERE!

Various Artists ‎– "City Walls - A Southampton Compilation" (White Elephant Records ‎– RIOCH 1) 1980

From Southend, we logically move along the coast of the UK round the corner past Kent , Sussex to Southampton. Where, like everywhere else in the UK had a compilation of local New Wave pop groups unleashed onto a disinterested public.
It includes a smorgasbord of wanna-be power poppers, cold wavers, and Noo Wavers, all busting a bloodvessel to be the new Vapors or the next Department S. Luckily I love Power Pop, and secretly wish i was in the Vapors too;complete with mullet and tiny fringe.....but as i'm bald I cry myself to sleep every night knowing this is just the dying embers of a cruel dream.
All the tracks are jolly good (which sadly includes the obligatory Punky Reggae number!), and pogo-able; which is a rarity among local band comps,of which this is one of the better ones.

Tracklist:

A1 –The Motifs - Julie
A2 –The Motifs - Disillusion
A3 –Vertical Motion - Last Chance
A4 –Vertical Motion - You've Lost The Thread
A5 –Almost Cruelty - Foetus
A6 –Almost Cruelty - Dangers Of Tranquility
A7 –Exploding Seagulls - Prefab (Buildings) !
B1 –Exploding Seagulls - Ring Pull/Takes
B2 –The Point Fives - Stabbed
B3 –The Point Fives - Next Time
B4 –Inferior Complex - Crimean War
B5 –Inferior Complex - Not Concerned
B6 –Games To Avoid - Nature Nurture
B7 –Games To Avoid - Wasteland (Crusader 80)

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