Rip It Up and Start Again: Postpunk 1978-1984

The 20 tracks here (perhaps another volume could be justified?)are an excellent selection from prime post punk to examples of new pop and with some obscure selections added also (Pulsallama & Fatal Microbes are new to me and get added to the list to track down)Things get off to a great start with the 1979-Mancabilly angular rock of The Fall's 'Fiery Jack', which is as great as they were and as great as they are - this and the John Cooper Clarke track demonstrate the fact that Artic Monkeys are great and very much related! The darker side of Devo is found with 'Praying Hands' from their Eno-produced debut - shame that a track from their own label isn't included. 'Praying Hands' ties thematically with Cabaret Voltaire's 'Sluggin' for Jesus', a track that is quite hard to find as released only in Belgium - though it also featured on 'In the Beginning Was Rhythm.' 'Sluggin' for Jesus' is a revolutionary single, this is avant-Cabs utilising religious samples pre-'My Life in the Bush of Ghosts' - a track that sets the ground for the classic triad 'Voice of America-Three Mantras-Red Mecca', as well as later work by Meat Beat Manifesto, Consolidated, The Shamen, Ministry & Revolting Cocks.

Things get angular with Josef K's 'Sense of Guilt', which is another great example of a great band who like early Orange Juice, The Fire Engines & The Monochrome Set have been the template for pop-act Franz Ferdinand. Likewise 'p.a.s' by Scritti Politti is an example of Green Gartside & co's DIY-directions from their brilliant 'early'-compilation which sounded tremendous when issued last year (new SP-material on Rough Trade is imminent - Mr G has also returned to playing live. Any chance of a tour, Green?)The anti-hits keep a-comin' with The Slits' 'Spend Spend Spend' a fantastic song from a fantastic album ('Cut') by a fantastic band with a fantastic producer (Dennis Bovell)You can't deny the adjective - why didn't 'Cut' get voted best British album in the NME? It didn't make their Top 100, despite the fact its clearly up there with the greats - '...The Village Green Preservation Society', 'Metal Box', 'Sulk', 'Chairs Missing', 'Chill Out', 'Fried'...

A reader of John Robb's recent 'Punk Rock:An Oral History' will note that quite a few of the key punks cite bands that might have been labelled prog or long-hair - Can, Faust, Genesis, Yes...and in there lurk Soft Machine, whose member Robert Wyatt merits inclusion.It's a bold choice and proof that people like Wyatt, Captain Beefheart, Frank Zappa, Kim Fowley & Jonathan Richman were punkbeforepunkrock. Wyatt's solo career has always been interesting, so his 'Grass' is an excellent choice and the kind of forward thinking music that post-punk was all about (which reminds me, someone should compile the Lydon Radio Show that featured Can, Tim Buckley & co)Siouxsie & the Banshees' 'Slowdive' (yes the band took their name from it!) might be a surprising choice - surely something from 'The Scream' or a track like 'Love in a Void' might have made more sense? But this is a sound idea, as 'Slowdive' comes from one of the best Banshees' albums, the Mike Hedges-produced 'A Kiss in the Dreamhouse' which had a psychedelic-edge and featured the late, extremely great John McGeoch (Magazine, Armoury Show, PIL)It's controversial to say it, but I think 'A Kiss in the Dreamhouse' is a better album than 'The Scream'!

Two key post-punk choices next - The Raincoats and Young Marble Giants - both of which have been cited by such folk as Kurt Cobain, John Lydon, Michael Stipe, Yukio Mishima etc - both tracks remind you that 'The Raincoats' and 'Colossal Youth' are must haves (perhaps someone should reissue The Raincoats again? Heck, not many bands get sleevenotes from Kurt Cobain!)

The New Pop side of things becomes apparent with The Human League's 'Dancevision' which is included as a bonus-track on 'Travelogue's CD-issue and stemmed from the 'Holiday'80'e.p. Thomas Leer's 'Tight as a Drum' and Associates' 'White Car in Germany' advance the electronic side of things towards new pop. Mackenzie & Rankine's 'White Car...' appears to condense advances made by Can, Bowie, Eno & Faust in something like a pop-song - huge synths matching the Nietzschean-feel and centred in Europa. The B52s 'Give Me Back My Man' is a fine track though a curious choice as the Athens oddies hardly feature in the book - I'd have expected something from the No Wave scene instead (though there are two fine NY No Wave compilations available these days).

The Specials' show that they were ahead of Blur, The Streets & Artic Monkeys with their spin on 'Saturday Night, Sunday Morning' - 'Friday Night, Saturday Morning.' Terry Hall's composition is amusing ("hope the chipshop isn't closed cos their pies are really nice...wish I had lipstick on my shirt instead of piss-stains on my shoes"!)& features proto-'Park Life' keyboards from the great Jerry Dammers. The Heaven17 single 'I'm Your Money' has dated well, proto-rave material with similar themes to tracks by Depeche Mode ('Everything Counts'), Pet Shop Boys ('Opportunities (Let's Make Lots of Money') & the Flying Lizards' take on 'Money.' The compilation ends with the Blue Orchids, the band Martin Bramah and Una Baines formed after leaving The Fall in 1979 - influenced by LSD and 'The White Goddess', the Orchids were psych-post-punksters and 'Dumb Magician' is a hypnotic update on 'Nuggets' climes, with its memorable chorus/mantra "the only way out is UP" which was later quoted by Julian Cope on his 'Autogeddon' LP.

In all, 'Rip It Up' is an excellent compilation and worthy of the book with which it is associated with...OWN!!!