ALBUM REVIEW: Gary Crowley’s Punk and New Wave

As compilations go this is a great set, compiled by Gary and his Soho radio co host Jim Lahat this 3CD set gives a better insight into the Punk and New Wave scene than most.

If you’ve not heard Crowley`s Show on Soho radio, you should tune in, his knowledge of punk and new wave is substantial, and his guests from bands of the era always entertain, and with this background, growing up and seeing many of the bands included here in London during his youth, he`s picked a strong but also eclectic set of tracks that won`t disappoint.

This isn’t a straightforward throw in The Clash, Pistols, Damned and the Jam set, if fact they are not included at all, and rightly so, we`ve had enough sets including those over the years.

Ok there`s a few of the more established bands, The Vibrators, Saints, 999, Generation X, but the choice of tracks are early and not obvious, lets move on – this is where it gets better.

A whole 77 tracks in total.. some of my favorite singles are on here, White Mice by the Modettes , The Automatics, When The Tanks Roll Over Poland Again, The Scars All about You.. and no compilation of Gary`s would not include a track by The Boys, one of his favorite bands as I recall.

There`s also some crossover here too, and The Quads There Must Be Thousands which IMO is still one of the best Pop/Punk/Mod whatever you want to call it singles ever written is just wonderful, and worth the cash alone.

The fact there are no anthems on here does not disappoint, there`s plenty to get your teeth into and it feels like Gary has really chosen from the heart and with memory, The Drones, The Nips, Eater, class early punk, and then Dolly Mixture The Tea Set and The New Hearts, its all here, and some tracks appear for the first time on CD.

Released on Universal/ Edsel including a cracking 40 page booklet its available via Amazon as a 3 CD box and worth every penny.

9/10

Leggy Mountbatten

CD1

1. The Vibrators – We Vibrate
2. Mo-Dettes – White Mice
3. Automatics – When The Tanks Roll Over Poland Again
4. The Saints – Do The Robot
5. Ultravox! – Young Savage
6. Scars – All About You
7. Starjets – School Days
8. Suburban Studs – I Hate School
9. Advertising – Lipstick
10. TV 21 – Ambition
11. The Nice Men – Nuclear Summer
12. Eater – Thinking of the USA
13. Alternative TV – How Much Longer
14. 999 – Emergency
15. Altered Images – Dead Pop Stars
16. The Stiffs – Inside Out
17. The Carpettes – Small Wonder
18. The Fall – It’s The New Thing
19. The Drones – Bone Idol
20. Skunks – Good From The Bad
21. The Nips – All The Time In The World
22. The Boys – First Time
23. Bee Bee Cee – You Gotta Know Girl
24. The Circles – Opening Up
25. Glaxo Babies – This Is Your Life
26. John Cooper Clarke – Suspended Sentence

CD2

1. Fast Cars The Kids Just Wanna Dance
2. New Hearts – Just Another Teenage Anthem
3. Clive Culbertson – Time To Kill
4. The Only Ones – You’ve Got To Pay
5. Lori And The Chameleons – Touch
6. The Things – Pieces of You
7. The Negatives – Love Is Not Real
8. The Photos – Barbarellas
9. Expressos – Tango in Mono
10. The Stukas – Klean Living Kids
11. Tonight – Drummer Man
12. The Quads – There Must Be Thousands
13. Shake – Culture Shock
14. Girls At Our Best – Getting Nowhere Fast
15. The Cuban Heels – Downtown
16. The Donkees – Listen To Your Radio
17. Spizzenergi – Soldier Soldier
18. The Telegents – Get Out
19. The Collectors – Talking Hands
20. The Stripes – One Step Ahead
21. The Doubt – Time Out
22. Bobalouis – Go Ahead
23. The Letters – Nobody Loves Me
24. Perfectors – YT502951D
25. Fun 4 – Singing In The Showers
26. Tours – Language School

CD3

1. The Skids – Charles
2. The Tights – Howard Hughes
3. The Form – Start Again
4. The Head – Nothing To Do In a Town Like Leatherhead
5. Pop-Tones – Wooden Heart
6. Disguise – Juvenile Delinquent
7. Dolly Mixture – Been Teen
8. The Teenage Filmstars – Helped Patrick McGoohan Escape
9. Apocalypse – Teddy
10. Tinopeners – Set Me Free
11. The Plague – In Love
12. The Crack – Easy Street
13. The Smirks – Angry With Myself
14. Straightshooter – She’s So Fine
15. Bleeding Hearts – This is the Way…OK?
16. Apartment – The Car
17. Knife Edge – Say You Will
18. The Tea Set – Parry Thomas
19. The Zips – Take Me Down
20. Really 3rds – Everyday, Everyway
21. The Kicks – If Looks Could Kill
22. TPI – She’s Too Clever For Me
23. Gobblinz – Love Me Too
24. The Moondogs – She’s Nineteen
25. Generation X – Wild Dub