To the Outside of Everything: A Story of UK Post-Punk '77-'81 5cd boxset

Happens to the best of us.

 

That's a pretty exhaustive comp! I've have (or have at least heard) the vast majority of what's on there.

Not the Wire song I'd choose, personally. And - ahem - The Birthday Party were Australian.

Omissions: No The Sound? No Comsat Angels? And very weird that there's nothing by the Banshees. I mean, I know they're popular, but so were Joy Division and New Order, and they're on the comp, and if you're going to tell the complete story of UK post punk in those years, well...

More obscure omissions: Music for Pleasure (great band, though they did their best work after the timeframe of this comp); The Expelaires (excellent 1980 single called "Sympathy (Don't Be Taken In)"; The Room (awesome band from Liverpool); and no Scars - that's actually a pretty big omission. And no Spherical Objects? No Random Hold?

 

That looks like a killer compilation!

 

I think, as an introduction to that 'genre' then that set is pretty amazing. For the most part they seem to have gone out of their way to licence material that is normally out of their reach like PIL and Magazine. Some of their other box sets are seriously flawed with licensing omissions but all the players for the most part are here.

To nit pick would seem pointless, and I guess we could all debate the selections. However, if it was given to me in pre-production and I was asked for advice:

1) As has been mentioned, The Scare seminal single on Fast should be here, probably Adult/ery

2) No Banshees? Along with Magazine and PIL they invented this genre

3) No Orange Juice? Considering the best book about this scene is called 'Rip It Up And Start Again' it's a big omission. Blue Boy or Simply Thrilled Honey should be here.

4) Wrong Girls At Our Best Track - should have been Getting Nowhere Fast.

5) Would have liked a 3 Johns track as well.

 

Love that album.

An 'expanded' CD version was issued by EMI in the early 90's but it was quickly deleted and impossible to find.

 

It would be nice to see this on cd.

 

Yours for £55! It adds a Fire Engines and additional Human League single

Buy Various - Fast Product - Rigour Discipline & Disgust (CD) at Discogs Marketplace

Tracklist
1 –The Mekons Never Been In A Riot 1:43
2 –The Mekons Heart & Soul 2:39
3 –The Mekons 32 Weeks 1:38
4 –Scars (2) Adult/ery 3:06
5 –Scars (2) Horrorshow 2:59
6 –The Human League Being Boiled 3:45
7 –The Human League Circus Of Death 4:47
8 –2.3 All Time Low 2:33
9 –2.3 Where To Now? 4:04
10 –Gang Of Four Love Like Anthrax 3:18
11 –Gang Of Four Armalite Rifle 3:03
12 –Gang Of Four Damaged Goods 3:34
13 –The Mekons I'll Have To Dance Then (On My Own) 3:15
14 –The Mekons Where Were You 2:43
15 –Fire Engines Discord 6:54
16 –Fire Engines Meat Whiplash 3:20
17 –Fire Engines Candy Skin 2:52
18 –The Human League The Dignity Of Labour (Part 1) 4:24
19 –The Human League The Dignity Of Labour (Part 2) 2:48
20 –The Human League The Dignity Of Labour (Part 3) 3:53
21 –The Human League The Dignity Of Labour (Part 4) 3:51

 

This was a very, very rich period of creative productivity and there are probably thousands of songs / artists that could have been included. Assuming the possibility of licensing restrictions I would have expected to see XTC and Television Personalities ('O'Level might cover the latter). There's also a vague understanding of where 'Post-Punk' ends and where 'Indie' or 'Alternative' starts - there's a clear overlap. Ditto with Goth - Siouxsie should be here and also Bauhaus.

My vote for inclusion would also be for the almost totally unknown gem from 1979 called "Madison Fallout" by Basczax

 

I didn't know it existed until a charity shop sold me an eclectic, to say the least, bag of about 30 albums for £2. There was Dead Kennedys, Magazine and the Fast comp, but also Doris Day and Stephane Grappelli with Oscar Peterson. I only kept about 5 or 6 but there was allsorts there.

I have that Fire Engines single that is added but that wasn't on Fast. I don't have The Human League - Dignity of Labour. I should get it as it's the only record I don't have by the original line up.

 

Never heard of Basczax, but they sound great. The use of sax reminded me of another possible inclusion: Essential Logic.

Essential Logic - Aerosol Burns

 

Wow. Is this band from Teesside? Is Madison a reference to a night club? Am I having a genuine flashback or just crossed wires? Thinking about it, Crossed Wires is actually a pretty good post-punk band name...

 

Yes, I think they were from Redcar but I don't know much about them.

A couple of other MAJOR post-punk omissions from the set are The Stranglers and The Cure.

And another very obscure fave of mine that needs a new lease of life is "Action Replay" by Masterswitch from 1978 - this might have fitted in here as well. Give this a listen!

 

Sensational. But expensive.

 

Like the title which of course comes from one of the best songs on this set. Quite a few trips down memory lane on this and reminds me I never did pick up the other set CR did.

 

All you have to do is see that title and you can practically hear Devoto snarl.

 

my "to the outside of everything" box came today! my only regret is not buying the scared to get happy box from a few years back. other than the electronica boxes, and the creation label box cherry red has put out recently, every other v/a compilation from the era (late 70s through mid 90s) has been a must purchase for me.
i have:
manchester-north of england
millions like us (mod revival)
action time vision (uk punk)
silhouettes & statues (goth)
still in a dream (shoegaze)
and the c86, c87, and c88 boxes.

 

What do you think of this set, Scott?

Anybody else get one?

 

as a 80s suburban Chicago kid, there are many bands in this box that i only read about in Trouser Press magazine, bacause the records were not easily available. this box does a great job gathering a large number of them in one place. personally, i would probably buy any genre box Cherry Red puts out, even if i'm not necessarily knowledgeable about that genre. just my two cents.

 

Nice thread crap. Congratulations.

 

For the curious, somebody cobbled together the vast majority of this comp into a playlist on Spotify.

 

Just got a copy of this for about $25 and it is phenomenal. I had about half of this on vinyl and otherwise... and knew a lot from over the years. Of course there's some omissions... but fuuuuuuuuuuuu------K it's so good. This is the "Nuggets" of the genre.... the best comp of post punk from the UK ever.

 

add to that:
revolutionary spirit (liverpool)
c89
burning britain (uk punk)
harmony in my head (uk power pop)
fab gear (british beat)

i've got 6 more cherry red boxes on my radar, including the upcoming "big gold dreams" scotland box.

 

Pop:Aural was another Bob Last label though, so we can allow it.

 

The companion set to this one will be released next month. Tons of obscurities on this one.

Optimism / Reject - Punk and Post-Punk Meets D-I-Y Aesthetic: 4CD Deluxe Bookpack Edition - Cherry Red Records

 

If it's any consolation I wanted it played at my wedding last year but the DJ 'forgot' and I nearly ended up in an arguement with him at the end.

...anyways..looks like a really interesting set.