"Jon Savage's 1977-1979: Symbols Clashing Everywhere" by VARIOUS ARTISTS – Featuring Primarily 45-Single Sides and Occasional Album-Tracks by The Damned, The Adverts, Prince Far I, Pere Ubu, Brian Eno, 999, The Undertones, John Cooper Clarke, The Cramps, Devo, Telex, Tubeway Army, Scritti Politti, Talking Heads, Human League, Joe Gibbs, Siouxsie & The Banshees, A Certain Ratio, The Monochrome Set, Cabaret Voltaire and many more (January 2022 UK Ace Records 2CD Theme Compilation – Nick Robbins Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry...

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"...Prophesy Reveal..."

 

Almost as much as the 60ts, the Punk and New-Wave heyday of 1976 to 1979 (especially UK-based releases) has been done to death compilation-wise over the last three decades of CD reissue. And fans will be wary of yet another splurge, no matter how tastily presented it may be.

 

But compiler and Uber enthusiast Jon Savage is smart enough to know this, and so has spread the purview of his latest twofer of 46-cuts out to all manner of unlikely but relevant corners of the genre spectrum (all but one are 45-single versions). Electronica sits alongside Euro Disco and US Funk while Jamaican Reggae and Dub follows Northern English Industrial and Siouxsie Sue Psych B-sides. American Garage and Rockabilly are bedfellows with Mancunian Synth siblings nibbling at the warm leatherette of Canadian Garage Dropouts. Whilst Brian Eno soundscapes and homemade Punkettes heading towards Woolworths on the London Underground with a safety pin on their knee and a heart full of hope. Sheila B. Devotion and The Undertones on the same playlist – yum baby yum.

 

"Jon Savage's 1977-1979: Symbols Clashing Everywhere" is rather expensive for sure (upwards of £18 in places), but after living with it a tad, I'm thinking precisely because of the aforementioned cleverly-thought-out genre-spread, "Symbols..." is actually a brill compilation in a marketplace crowded with too many of these sets - most sporting obvious choices. And that's all right mama (as the boy once said). Much to discuss and lots to pogo to my peeps; so here are the wide-eyed and legless details...

 

UK released, 28 January 2022 - "Jon Savage's 1977-1979: Symbols Clashing Everywhere" by VARIOUS ARTISTS on Ace Records CDTOP2 1610 (Barcode 029667104623) is a 46-Track 2CD Compilation in a Year-by-Year Series (see full list below). It plays out as follows:

 

CD1 (78:18 minutes):

1. Prophesy Reveal - BO JANGLES [DJ Marvin Pitterson, Joe Gibbs Song & Production] (1977 Jamaican 45-single on Errol T Records, A-side)

2. Neat Neat Neat - THE DAMNED (February 1977 UK 45-single on Stiff BUY 10, A-side)

3. Heavy Manners - PRINCE FAR I (February 1977 UK 45-single on Lightning TRO 9000, A-side)

4. Soda Pressing - THE BOYS (April 1977 UK 45-single on NEMS Records NES 102, B-side of "I Don't Care")

5. Quick Step - THE ADVERTS (April 1977 UK 45-single on Stiff BUY 13, B-side of "One Chord Wonders")

6. Young Savage - ULTRAVOX! (May 1977 UK 45-single on Island WIP 6392, A-side)

7. Magic Fly - SPACE (June 1977 France on Vogue-45 V 140196, July 1977 UK 45-single on Pyne International 7N 25746, A-side)

8. The Modern Dance - PERE UBU (August 1977 US 45-single on Hearthan HR 104, A-side)

9. Day By Day - GENERATION X (September 1977 UK 45-single on Chrysalis CHS 2165, B-side of "Your Generation")

10. Utopia - Me Giorgio - GIORGIO (September 1977 German 45-single on Moroder/Oasis 11 538 AT, A-side)

11. The Passenger - IGGY POP (September 1977 UK 45-single on RCA Victor PB 9160, A-side)

12. Suspended Sentence - JOHN COOPER CLARKE (November 1977 UK 45-single 3-Track "Innocents" EP on Rabid TOSH 103, Track 1, A-side)

13. Bamba In Dub - REVOLUTIONARIES (1977 UK 45-single on Sky Note SKY 1002, B-side of "El Bamba")

14. No Bones For The Dogs - JOE GIBBS & THE PROFESSIONALS (1977 Jamaican 45-single on Errol T. Town & Country Records, A-side)

15. Emergency - 999 (January 1978 UK 45-single on United Artists UP 36399, A-side)

16. King's Lead Hat - BRIAN ENO (January 1978 UK 45-single on Polydor 2001 762, A-side)

17. Dontsplitit - SUBWAY SECT (March 1978 UK 45-single on Braik BRS 01, A-side)

18. 52 Girls - THE B-52's (July 1979 UK 45-singkle on Island PSR 438, B-side of "Rock Lobster")

19. Moving Away From The Pulsebeat - BUZZCOCKS (April 1978 UK Album Track on their debut LP "Another Music In A Different Kitchen" on United Artists UALP 15)

20. Neverr - PENETRATION (May 1978 UK 45-single on Virgin VS 213, B-side of "Firing Squad")

21. Warm Leatherette - GRACE JONES (May 1978 UK 45-single on Mute 001, A-side)

22. I Remember - SUICIDE (May 1978 UK 45-single on Red Star/Bronze BRO 57, B-side of "Cheree")

23. True Confessions - THE UNDERTONES (September 1978 UK "Teenage Kicks" EP on Good Vibrations GOT 4, original version)

 

CD2 (79:03 minutes):

1. Being Boiled - THE HUMAN LEAGUE (June 1978 UK 45-single Fast Product FAST 4, A-side)

2. White Night - THE LINES (June 1978 UK 45-single on Linear SJP 782, A-side)

3. Come Back Jonee - DEVO (August 1978 UK 45-single on Virgin VS 223, A-side)

4. Tired Of Waking Up Tired - THE DIODES (August 1978 UK 45-single on Epic 6531, A-side)

5. Voices - SIOUXSIE & THE BANSHEES (August 1978 UK 45-single on Polydor 2059 052, B-side of "Hong Kong Garden")

6. 28/8/78 - SCRITTI POLITTI (October 1978 UK 45-single EP on St. Pancras Records SCRIT 1, Instrumental Last Track on Side B of a 3-Track EP)

7. The Set Up - CABARET VOLTAIRE (October 1978 UK 45-single "Extended Play" on Rough Trade RT 003, Last Track on Side 2 of a 4-Track EP)

8. Human Fly - THE CRAMPS (November 1978 US 45-single on Vengeance 668, A-side)

9. Found A Job - TALKING HEADS (October 1978 UK 45-single on Sire SIR 4004, B-side of "Take Me To The River")

10. Situations - THE MIDDLE CLASS (Autumn 1978 US "Out Of Vogue" EP on Joke 09831 - December 1978 UK on "Earcom 3" EP on Fast Product FAST 9c)

11. Times Encounter - NIGEL SIMPKINS (November 1978 UK "X. Enc." EP on Waldo's Swing Series 002)

12. Handling The Big Jets - THE MEMBERS (January 1979 UK 45-single on Virgin VS 242, Instrumental B-side to "The Sound Of The Suburbs")

13. Hippie - SUZANNES (March 1979 Dutch "New Disease Sells 2000 Copies In Europe!" EP on De 1000 Idioten IDI 333)

14. 3.38 - THE POP GROUP (March 1979 UK 45-single on Radar ADA 29, B-side of "She Is Beyond Good And Evil")

15. Warrior In Woolworths - X-RAY SPEX (April 1979 UK 45-single on EMI International INT 583, B-side of "Highly Inflammable")

16. Are 'Friends' Electric? - TUBEWAY ARMY (May 1979 UK 45-single on Beggars Banquet BEG 18, A-side)

17. All Night Party - A CERTAIN RATIO (May 1979 UK 45-single Factory FAC 5, A-side)

18. Pakmoväst - TELEX (July 1979 French Vogue 45 X 1172, B-side of "Moscow Diskow")

19. Eine Symphonie Des Grauens - THE MONOCHROME SET (June 1979 UK 45-single on Rough Trade RT 019, A-side)

20. A Question Of Degree - WIRE (June 1979 UK 45-single on Harvest HAR 5187, A-side)

21. I Heard It Through The Grapevine - THE SLITS (September 1979 UK 45-single on Island WIP 6505, B-side of "Typical Girls")

22. Hindu Gods (Of Love) - LIPSTICK KILLERS (Autumn 1979 Australian 45-single on Lost In Space PRS-2661, A-side)

23. Spacer - SHEILA & B. DEVOTION (November 1979 UK 45-single on Carrere CAR 128, A-side - written and produced by Bernard Edwards & Nile Rodgers of Chic)

 

The 28-page booklet is a beast allowing to Savage to pour out facts and highly personal opinions on every entry - many of which you will notice are the lesser-tread B-sides of big hitters. He also explains his leaning away from 'one chord wonders' into deeper stuff, and all of it sided with posters, trade adverts, and period 45 picture-sleeves collectors worship daily on. Can't say I've ever seen The Middle Class' American Joker Records original P/S for their "Out Of Vogue" Extended Play or the "New Disease..." EP by the obscure band Suzannes from the Netherlands either - very cool. Long-standing Audio Engineer to Ace Records NICK ROBBINS has handled the Mastering and done his usual daring-do with the tapes - great punch and that feeling you're boogieing through a digital jukebox with audio muscle. To the contents...

 

It opens with the echoed preaching of DJ Marvin Pitterson telling us about Marcus Garvey's prophesies for 1977 - pretty good sound for a Babylon-The-Wicked warning. Things go stellar though with the fantastic "Neat Neat Neat" by The Damned, a warp speed opener for Punk that sends me doolally still. Back to Dub Rhythms with Natty Dread worrin' 'bout War in the East and War in the West - tremendous stuff from Prince Far I commenting on Prime Minister Michael Manley's declared 'State Of Emergency' for Jamaica (you can so hear why The Clash took on these ideas and rhythms in their hybrids). Time to Rock 'n' Roll New York Dolls stylee with "Soda Pressing" by The Boys, a fab 'come on baby give me a smile' rocker that would have Joe Strummer sit up and wink. Amateur yet so full of vinegar, "Quick Step" ploughs the same grungy furrow that The Damned did in February 1977. I'd genuinely forgotten how great the rocking version of Ultravox! is - "Young Savage" benefiting from Steve Lilywhite's in-yer-face Production.

 

In come the Synths and Euro Electronic Disco beats with the shockingly hip "Space" by Magic Fly, a Star Wars vs. The Dancefloor seven-inch single we were regularly asked for when I worked in Reckless Records in Berwick Street. Smartly following that is the warbling-vocal jerky-neck beat of Pere Ubu; their "Modern Dance" sounding like the lovechild of Talking Heads and Devo. Back to full-speed-ahead British Punk with Billy Idol in suitable sneering mode for "Day By Day" – Generation X produced by the man who twiddled knobs for glam queens The Sweet.

 

Italian Disco icon Giorgio Moroder gives it some pulsing trouser-trust with his so-camp "Utopia: Me Giorgio" perfectly followed by another stunning show off in top (no top) form – Iggy Pop riding "The Passenger" – arguably one of the great unsung hero 45s of the year. Page 3 Big Bum lyrics liven up the anarchic "Suspended Sentence" where John Cooper Clarke writes to the Sun to argue the return of hanging (for everyone) – what a nice chap! Genius follow-on comes in the shape of a Jackie Mittoo cover done in a bass-kicking Dub style by The Revolutionaries – and again I get the feeling that The Clash are listening and Sandinista appreciating. Joe Gibbs gives it some flute-and—reggae-rhythm echo for his sought-after barky-starky "No Bones For The Dog".

 

Savage starts 1978 with the strident "Emergency" – Nick Cash of 999 snarling out those make-em-pay lyrics with genuine Punk attitude. So very "Low" period Bowie gone Punk – Brian Eno gets metallic sounding with his frantic "King’s Lead Hat" – a tune and vocal that could easily have been on the Talking Heads: 77 debut album. Other goodies on CD1 include The Normal's decidedly -in-the-now smarts displayed in "Warm Leatherette" and the mighty Undertones "Teenage Kicks" EP on Terry Hooley's Belfast-based Good Vibrations - their cut of "True Confessions" differing on that homemade EP than the re-cut LP version that came later.

 

CD2 opens in June 1978 with the 'ok, ready, let's do it' of The Human League sounding so DIY Electro-Pop on "Being Boiled" - it hurts. The flashing-lights of suburbia obsess The Lines and their excellent New-Wave guitar throwback "White Night" - a brilliant inclusion. Smart choices also goes to restlessness of "Tired Of Waking Up Tired" by Canada's The Diodes suffering from too much time to kill and I gotta say, I felt like a full-on pogo to the fabulous Siouxsie B-side "Voices" - a very cool piece of treated guitar warbling menacing its weird way across your speakers.

 

The shadow of Talking Heads and their edgy US Funky New Wave sound starts to dominate much of the scene and I loved that. Feels like 1976 for the very Ramones "Hippie" from Euro-types Suzannes and there isn't surely anyone who dug the period that wouldn't smile at X-Ray Specs giving us their rebel on the underground making his way into a "Warrior In Woolworths" (great choice). And on it goes the Lipstick Killers grungy kick-ass "Hindu Gods (Of Love)" sounding fantastic only to be followed by something that shouldn't work - a Chic-sounding "Spacer" - indicating the more Pop-Soul future to come.

 

I'm not sure that everything on this latest Jon Savage 2CD tome will hit the mark with everyone everywhere, but I love a good comp me and this is one compiled from roads less traveled that deserve a second--go-round. Nice one broheem...

 

  Titles in Jon Savage's Year Series are (2CDs, 48-Track Compilations)

 

1. Jon Savage's 1965: The Year The Sixties Ignited (January 2018 UK 2CD set on Ace CDTOP2 1513 (Barcode 029667086028)

 

2. Jon Savage's 1966: The Year The Decade Exploded (October 2015 UK 2CD set on Ace CDTOP2 1452 (Barcode 029667074223)

 

3. Jon Savage's 1967: The Year Pop Divided (March 2017 UK 2CD set on Ace CDTOP2 1495 (Barcode 029667079525)

 

4. Jon Savage's 1968: The Year The World Burned (November 2018 UK 2CD set on Ace CDTOP2 1536 (Barcode 029667092821)

 

5. Jon Savage's 1969-1971: Rock Dreams on 45 (25 October 2019 UK 2CD set on Ace CDTOP2 1559 (Barcode 029667096621)

 

6. Jon Savage's 1972-1976: All Our Times Have Come (26 March 2021 UK 2CD set on Ace CDTOP2 1594 (Barcode 029667101523)

 

7. Jon Savage's 1977-1979: Symbols Clashing Everywhere (28 January 2022 UK 2CD set on Ace CDTOP2 1610 (Barcode 029667104623) – 46 Tracks

"Jon Savage's 1972-1976: All Our Times Have Come" by VARIOUS ARTISTS – Featuring UK, US, GERMAN, DUTCH and FRENCH 45-Singles by Little Feat, The Move, Grin, Faust, Mott The Hoople, Big Star, Free, Sparks, Lou Reed, David Bowie (4 Tracks have connections), Andy Pratt, New York Dolls, Dana Gillespie, John Lennon, Sparks, Neu, Dr. Feelgood, Hawkwind, Kraftwerk, Murray Head, Roxy Music, Yoko Ono, The Runaways, The Hammersmith Gorillas, Blondie, Nick Lowe, Blue Oyster Cult, The Count Bishops and more (March 2021 UK Ace Records 2CD 44-Track Compilation with Nick Robbins Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry...

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"...School's Been Blown To Pieces..."

I love a CD compilation me and this rather angry little brute has more than its fair share of fabulous snarling moments. 

Part of Jon Savage's ongoing year-by-year exploration of Rock's 60ts beginnings through to its 70ts multi-genre developments as issued on seven-inch singles (see series list below) - his latest for March 2021 is this - a 44-Track 2CD growl through what he loosely describes as 'punk' covering five years in the Seventies - 1972 to 1976. 

Wot! Punk Rock between 1972 and 1976 you say! Didn't it start during 1976 and explode thereafter? Well, it's more the ethos that Savage is getting at – the subterranean screams that lie in say Alice Cooper's "School's Out" (that symbol of control and establishment blown to pieces) or the edgy Art-School neck-jerk that's inherent in Roxy Music's brilliant "Editions Of You" (a rare Euro-only single) or Patti Smith's stunning snot-nose rendition of "Hey Joe" - the Billy Roberts song done by The Leaves in 1966 and made famous by Hendrix's Experience that same year. 

But like so many compilations dragged down by the omission of big names that can't be licensed and (let's be mean mister mustard here) a few of his own dubious choices - "All Our Times Have Come" also falls in places despite some genuinely brilliant inclusions on those roads less travelled. 

That aside - I like "All Our Times Have Come" a lot – an alternative listen worth a tremble in the trouser area. "1972-1976" is also stuffed to the gunnels - check out the near 80-minute playing times for both CDs listed below. And the annotation Savage puts in is second-to-none - a rammed 28-page booklet that's even more fact-windy than this review. Time to get teenage and wasted...

UK released 26 March 2021 - "Jon Savage's 1972-1976: All Out Times Have Come" by VARIOUS ARTISTS on Ace Records CDTOP2 1594 (Barcode 029667101523) is a 44-Track 2CD compilation of 45-Single Remasters that plays out as follows:

CD1 (79:39 minutes, All Tracks are 45-Single Versions):

1. Easy To Slip - LITTLE FEAT (January 1972 US on Warner Brothers WB 7553, A-side)

2. Do Ya - THE MOVE (April 1972 UK on Harvest HAR 5050, One B-side of "California Man")

3. End Unkind - GRIN (April 1972 US on Spindizzy ZS7 4006, A-side Edit, featuring Nils Lofgren)

4. School's Out - ALICE COOPER (June 1972 UK on Warner Brothers K 16188, A-side)

5. I Hardly Know Her Name - THE WACKERS (May 1972 UK on Warner Brothers K 12054, A-side)

6. So Far - FAUST (May 1972 GERMAN on Polydor 2001 299, A-side edit)

7. Slow Death - FLAMIN' GROOVIES (July 1972 UK on United Artists UP 35392, A-side, Produced by Dave Edmunds)

8. One Of The Boys - MOTT THE HOOPLE (July 1972 UK on CBS Records S 8271, B-side of "All The Young Dudes", Written by Mick Ralphs (later with Bad Co) and Ian Hunter, Produced and Arranged by David Bowie)

9. When My Baby's Beside Me - BIG STAR (August 1972 US on Ardent ADA 2902, A-side)

10. She Means A Lot To Me - SMYLE (October 1972 NETHERLANDS on Polydor 2050 215, B-side of "It's Gonna Be Alright")

11. Wishing Well - FREE (December 1972 UK on Island WIP 6146, A-side)

12. Full Circle - THE BYRDS (June 1973 UK on Asylum AYM 517, A-side - Written by Gene Clark, Produced by David Crosby)

13. Blockbuster! - THE SWEET (January 1973 UK on RCA Victor RCA 2305, A-side - written by Mike Chapman and Nicky Chinn)

14. Vicious - LOU REED (March 1973 UK on RCA Victor RCA 2318, A-side - Produced by David Bowie and Mick Ronson)

15. Avenging Annie - ANDY PRATT (June 1973 UK on Epic S EPC 1538, A-side)

16. Yang Yang - YOKO ONO/PLASTIC ONO BAND (April 1973 UK Apple APPLE 47, B-side of "Death Of Samantha")

17. Editions Of You - ROXY MUSIC (June 1973 GERMANY on Island 12 713, B-side of "Do The Strand")

18. Search And Destroy - IGGY & THE STOOGES (June 1973 US on Columbia 4-45877, A-side)

19. 48 Crash - SUZI QUATRO (July 1973 UK on RAK Records RAK 158, A-side - written by Mike Chapman and Nicky Chinn)

20. Trash - NEW YORK DOLLS (August 1973 US on Mercury 73414, A-side- Produced by Todd Rundgren)

21. Andy Warhol - DANA GILLESPIE (August 1974 UK on RCA Victor RCA 2446, A-side - written and produced by David Bowie)

22. No. 9 Dream - JOHN LENNON (January 1975 UK on Apple R 6003, A-side)

 

CD2 (77:23 minutes):

1. Girl From Germany - SPARKS (June 1974 UK on Bearsville K 15516, A-side - from 1973's LP "A Woofer In Tweeter's Clothing")

2. You Really Got Me - THE HAMMERSMITH GORILLAS (September 1974 UK on Penny Farthing PEN 849, A-side - cover of The Kinks 60ts hit, Produced by Larry Page)

3. The Man Who Couldn't Afford To Orgy - JOHN CALE (July 1974 UK on Island WIP 6202, A-side - Produced by John Cale, Brian Eno and Phil Manzanera) 

4. Hey Joe (Version) - PATTI SMITH (November 1974 US Mer Records 601, A-side - cover of The Leaves and Jimi Hendrix 1966 hit)

5. Third Uncle - ENO (1974 FRENCH on Island 6837 233, A-side)

6. Kings Of Speed - HAWKWIND (May 1976 UK on United Artists UP 35808, A-side - Dave Brock and Michael Moorcock song)

7. I Don't Mind - DR. FEELGOOD (March 1975 UK on United Artists UP 38515, B-side of "She Does It Right" - Mono Single from the Mono LP "Down By The Jetty")

8. After Eight - NEU (June 1975 UK on United Artists UP 35874, B-side of "Isi")

9. Red Temple Prayer (Two Headed Dog) - R. ERICSON & BLEIBALIEN (1975 US on Mars Records No. 1000, A-side - Roky Ericson of The 13th Floor Elevators, Produced by Doug Sham)

10. Roadrunner - JONATHAN RICHMAN (August 1975 UK on United Artists UP 36006, A-side)

11. Say It Isn't So Joe - MURRAY HEAD (October 1975 UK on Island WIP 6252, A-side)

12. Radioactivity - KRAFTWERK (February 1976 UK on Capitol CL 15853, A-side)

13. Final Solution - PERE UBU (March 1976 US on Hearthan 102, A-side)

14. Blitzkrieg Bop - RAMONES (July 1976 UK on Sire 6078 601, A-side)

15. Max's Kansas City '76 Pt. 1 - WAYNE COUNTY & THE BACKSTREET BOYS (1976 US on Max 1213, A-side)

16. Cherry Bomb - THE RUNAWAYS (September 1976 UK on Mercury 6167 392, A-side - written by Kim Fowley and Joan Jett)

17. X Offender - BLONDIE (March 1977 UK Private Stock PVT 90, A-side - written by Debbie Harry and Gary Valentine)

18. Horseplay (Weary Of The Schmaltz) - EDDIE & THE HOT RODS (June 1976 UK on Island WIP 6306, B-side of "Wooly Bully" - Lew Lewis on Harmonica)

19. Keys To Your Heart - THE 101'ERS (June 1976 UK on Chiswick S 3, A-side - written by and featuring Joe Strummer before he formed The Clash)

20. (Don't Fear) The Reaper - BLUE OYSTER CULT (July 1976 UK on CBS Records S CBS 4483, A-side)

21. Heart Of The City - NICK LOWE (August 1976 UK on Stiff BUY 1, B-side of "So It Goes")

22. Train, Train - THE COUNT BISHOPS (August 1976 UK on Chiswick S 5, A-side)

ARTIST INDEX (Alphabetical): 

Big Star – CD1, Track 9

Blondie - CD2, Track 17

Blue Oyster Cult - CD2, Track 20

The Byrds – CD1, Track 12

John Cale - CD2, Track 3

Alice Cooper – CD1, Track 4

The Count Bishops - CD2, Track 22

Wayne County & The Backstreet Boys - CD2, Track 15

Dr. Feelgood - CD2, Track 7

Eddie & The Hot Rods - CD2, Track 18

(Brian) Eno - CD2, Track 5

Roky Erickson and Bleibalien - CD2, Track 9

Faust – CD1, Track 6

Flamin' Groovies – CD1, Track 7

Free – CD1, Track 11

Dana Gillespie – CD1, Track 21 (David Bowie connection) 

Grin – CD1, Track 3

The Hammersmith Gorillas - CD2, Track 1

Hawkwind - CD2, Track 6

John Lennon – CD1, Track 22

Little Feat – CD1, Track 1

Murray Head - CD2, Track 11

Iggy & The Stooges – CD1, Track 18 (David Bowie connection)

Kraftwerk - CD2, Track 12

Nick Lowe - CD2, Track 21

Mott The Hoople – CD1, Track 8 (David Bowie connection)

The Move – CD1, Track 2

Neu - CD2, Track 8

New York Dolls – CD1, Track 20

The 101'ers (featuring Joe Strummer) - CD2, Track 19

Yoko Ono/Plastic Ono Band – CD1, Track 16

Pere Ubu - CD2, Track 13

Andy Pratt – CD1, Track 15

Suzi Quatro – CD1, Track 19

Ramones - CD2, Track 14

Lou Reed – CD1, Track 14 (David Bowie connection)

Jonathan Richman - CD2, Track 10

Roxy Music – CD1, Track 17

The Runaways - CD2, Track 16

Patti Smith - CD2, Track 4

Smyle – CD1, Track 10

Sparks - CD2, Track 1

The Sweet – CD1, Track 13

The Wackers – CD1, Track 5

The 28-page booklet is more than impressive, Savage going the extra mile with 'both' US and UK seven-inch single catalogue numbers and release dates and a lengthy seriously knowledgeable paragraph on every song. There's clever stuff like Sparks, The Hammersmith Gorillas and Dr. Feelgood all benefitting from Euro Picture Sleeves because their British equivalents only came in label bags, while other pages contain collages of magazines, trade adverts, demos of 45-single labels, and wads of rare picture sleeves like Faust's "So Far", the New York Dolls' "Trash" and the titled demo sleeve for Murray Head's aching "Say It Ain't So Joe" on Island. 

I also found that long-standing Audio Engineer for Ace NICK ROBBINS - who has probably been round more 45 master tapes than many human beings on the planet would ever want - has achieved a remarkable clarity and even-handedness to the sound. For instance although I adore Little Feat and The Move, I thought Savage's pairing of the slick Rock-Funk of "Easy To Slip" with the Raw-Rock riffage of "Do Ya" in the first two opening tracks on CD1 would be a disaster - it isn't. Zipping right over to both Nick Lowe and The Count Bishops on the tailend of CD2 - I have these tunes on other remastered CDs, but somehow the Robster has squeezed more oomph out of them. Very cool. To the music...

You have to love a compilation that digs down to find the US-only 45s for "End Unkind" and "When My Baby's Beside Me" by Grin (with Nils Lofgren) and Big Star – both great examples of post-Beatles Pop Songs that impress and jangle. But I have to say that both The Wackers and The Byrds entries leave me stone cold even if Gene Clark and David Crosby are present on the second. But then genius choices kick in – The Dutch group Smyle is a superb new one on me and the relentlessness of the Faust and Flamin’ Groovies tracks work so well. Mike Chapman and Nicky Chinn feature large in my youth and frankly anything on RAK Records – so its chipper to see Suzi and The Sweet bask in all their Glam Rock sun and pomp (we don’t know just what to do!). Bowie androgynous punk-riffing shadow looms over four entries – Mott The Hoople, Lou Reed, Iggy & The Stooges and Dana Gillespie (looking buxom on Page 16 never mind 3). And I had forgotten the brilliance in both "Editions Of You" and "♯ 9 Dream" – Ferry and his gang of Glam marauders shining snotty alongside a sensual-sounding Lennon dreaming of "Walls and Bridges" and elaborate album artwork. 

Tunesmith slick-willies of British and US Punk and New Wave pepper CD2 - Blondie, The Count Bishops, Dr. Feelgood, The Runaways, Nick Lowe, The Ramones, Pere Ubu and more – while The Sweet, Suzi Quatro, Lou Reed, Iggy Pop, New York Dolls, Big Star and Dana Gillespie all Glam/Alternative/Space Rock/Bowie-esque up CD1. But Savage then throws in the desperate but gorgeous melody of Murray Head, the can't get out of my head space of John Lennon, the longing Feminism of Yoko Ono or the ahead-of-its-time Stooges-like guitar-wild of Neu and the Euro-Electronic angst of Kraftwerk and even Sparks. Just out of hospital and some five years after the 13th Floor Elevators' Roky Erickson gets angry while the Velvet's John Cale worries about men who can't afford to orgy. There's straight up Seventies Rock, Glam Rock, Kraut Rock, Art Rock, Post Rock 'n' Roll, Early Punk, British & US New Wave, Space Rock, Comedy - it's a cool and varied ride. Hit me with a flower. 

"...They're all revved up and ready to go..." screamed The Ramones in their impossibly cool reinvention of 60ts Garage - one foot in the past but the other ready to race towards the future. "1972-1976: All Our Times Have Come" embodies that girls, boys and all-points in-between world of excitement and restlessness with a bullet. CDTOP2 is right...  

Titles in the Jon Savage Year-By-Year Series of Compilations

CD:

1. Jon Savage's 1965: The Year The Sixties Ignited (26 June 2018 UK on Ace Records CDTOP2 1513, 2CDs, 48-Tracks, Barcode 029667086028)

2. Jon Savage's 1966: The Year The Decade Exploded (30 October 2015 UK on Ace Records CDTOP2 1452, 2CDs, 48-Tracks, Barcode 029667074223)

3. Jon Savage's 1967: The Year Pop Divided (31 March 2017 UK on Ace Records CDTOP2 1495, 2CDs, 48-Tracks, Barcode 029667079525)

4. Jon Savage's 1968: The Year The World Burned (30 November 2018 UK on Ace Records CDTOP2 1536, 2CDs, 48-Tracks in Mono and Stereo, Barcode 029667092821) – see REVIEW

5. Jon Savage's 1969-1971: Rock Dreams On 45 (25 October 2019 UK on Ace Records CDTOP2 1559, 2CDs, 43-Tracks in Mono and Stereo, Barcode 029667096621)

6. Jon Savage's 1972-1976: All Our Times Have Come (26 March 2021 UK on Ace Records CDTOP2 1594, 2CDs, 44-Tracks in Mono and Stereo, Barcode 029667101523)

VINYL:

1. Jon Savage's 1965-1968: The High Sixties On 45 (June 2019 UK on Ace Records XXQLP2 060, 35-Track 2LP Set on Orange Vinyl in Stereo and Mono, Barcode 029667009515)

"Jon Savage's 1968: The Year The World Burned" by VARIOUS (30 November 2018 UK Ace 2CD Compilation of Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry...

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"...Shadows On Stones..."

This is the fourth in a series by compiler and Music Lover Jon Savage (see list below) and like the others, it features an eclectic combo of 48 great, good, not-so-good but rare, overly familiar and downright bat-dung crazy moments - a 2CD aural journey aided and equally hampered by inclusions and exclusions (what can and can't be licensed). Let's get our pretty bits burned baby...

UK released Friday, 30 November 2018 (7 December 2018 in the USA) - "Jon Savage's 1968: The Year The World Burned" by VARIOUS ARTISTS on Ace Records CDTOP2 1536 (Barcode 029667092821) offers 48-Tracks Remastered across 2CDs.

The beautifully laid out and fact-filled 28-page booklet sees Savage make a case in his own liner notes for every song and smartly he's included deep discography info for number nerds like me - the US and UK release dates and separate catalogue numbers for their respective 45s.

Disc 1 (71:53 minutes):

1. Honey Chile - Martha Reeves and The Vandellas

2. Sunshine Help Me - Spooky Tooth

3. How Does It Feel? - The Creation

4. Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In) - The First Edition [with Kenny Rogers]

5. Dear Delilah - Grapefruit

6. Carpet Man - The 5th Dimension

7. Big Bird - Eddie Floyd

8. Tighten Up - Archie Bell and The Drells

9. Changes (TYGSTL) - The Ceyleib People

10. Everydays - Buffalo Springfield

11. Talkin' About The Good Times - The Pretty Things

12. Just For You - Dave Mason [of Traffic]

13. Danse A La Musique - The French Fries

14. Israelites - Desmond Dekker and The Aces

15. Why Does It Feel So Right (Doing Wrong) - The Shades Of Jade

16. Wonderboy - The Kinks

17. Gotta See Jane - R. Dean Taylor

18. Do You Know the Way To San Jose - Dionne Warwick

19. Classical Gas - Mason Williams

20. Your Mind And We Belong Together - Love

21. Dino's Song - Quicksilver Messenger Service

22. World In A Jug - Canned Heat

23. Lift Me - The Beau Brummels

24. The Snake - Al Wilson

Disc 2 (72:24 minutes):

1. Fire - The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown

2. Hard To Handle - Otis Redding

3. Eastern Organ - Brother Dan All Stars

4. People Got to Be Free - The Rascals

5. I Say A Little Prayer - Aretha Franklin

6. Piece Of My Heart - Big Brother and the Holding Company

7. Lord Of The Manor - The Everly Brothers

8. Lincoln County - Dave Davies [of The Kinks]

9. Omnibus - The Move

10. I'm In A Different World - The Four Tops

11. Say It Loud - I'm Black And I'm Proud (Part 1) - James Brown

12. Rain - Kak

13. A Song For Jeffrey - Jethro Tull

14. Magic Carpet Ride - Steppenwolf

15. Freedom Train - James Carr

16. Smell Of Incense - The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band

17. Cloud Nine - The Temptations

18. Train To Nowhere - Savoy Brown

19. Everyday People - Sly and The Family Stone

20. I Got A Line On You - Spirit

21. Throwaway Street Puzzle - Fairport Convention

22. Crimson And Clover - Tommy James and The Shondells

23. Machines - Lothar and The Hand People

24. Kick Out The Jams (Preview Version) - MC5

Every entry has either a label repro - Aretha's "I Say A Little Prayer", The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown and his "Fire", Fairport Convention's rare B-side "Throwaway Street Puzzle" along with Big Brother & The Holding Company's cover of Erma Franklin's "Piece Of My Heart" all get either sheet music or Cash Box trade adverts and so on. Mastering is by long-time Ace associate NICK ROBBINS and the Audio depends greatly on the source - The First Edition (with Kenny Rogers) and their Psych take on Mickey Newbury's "Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)", Spooky Tooth's plea for uplift on their "Sunshine Help Me" both sound kicking as does the fabulous Church Soul of "Freedom Train" by James Carr and the tear-down-the-ramparts Punk of MC5 delivering "Kick Out The Jams" (a Preview Version with "Brothers And Sisters" replacing the MFs). But the Canned Heat tune reflects their typically sloppy way of recording.

There are moments listening to "The Year The World Burned" when you admire and even applaud Savage's savvy choices - the fantastically trippy Sitar of "Changes" by an acid-dropping bunch of yeah baby sessionmen called The Ceyleib People (the track was actually called an unpronounceable "Tygstl" on the album and re-titled for the 45 on Vault Records 940 in February of that year) or those tyre-burning compatriots over the way in France who had The French Fries (yes folks that was their name) sing a French language version of Sly & The Family Stone's "Dance To The Music" as "Danse A La Musique" (I can see those mini-skirts and thigh-high boots a-calling me home). Other goodies come in the genuine message song "People Got To Be Free" by those grooving Rascals - a number one smash in their native USA for five weeks that but a tune that meant diddly squat in the UK. There is the seriously great and completely forgotten "Lord Of The Manor" - a hugely unlikely Psychedelic piece from The Everly Brothers (yes folks the Eves did Psych, maybe just once mind you) tucked away on the B-side of "Milk Train" on Warner Brothers Seven Arts 7226 in August 1968.

But then you get the lightweight Pop of "Do You Know The Way To San Jose" and "Classical Gas" by Dionne Warwick and Mason Williams or the flanged Blues Rock and get-up-in-the-morning Reggae rally cry of "A Song For Jeffrey" and "Israelites" by Jethro Tull and Desmond Dekker - and you seriously wonder what any of these songs had to do with burning anything down. I can understand the inclusion of James Brown's "Say It Loud! I'm Black And I'm Proud" or "Cloud Nine" by The Temptations on the grounds of emerging ethnic pride sat uncomfortably alongside their cities and communities being flooded with the horrors of drug addiction. But songs like the funk of "Hard To Handle" or "Gotta See Jane" by Otis Redding and R. Dean Taylor leave me baffled or even the whimsy of "Wonderboy" by The Kinks and the girly Rock of "Omnibus" by The Move. If we actually want to show a 1968 world on the boil as opposed to the love-in that represented 1967 - what should be here of course is "Revolution" by The Beatles or "Jumping Jack Flash" by The Stones or even "Mrs. Robinson" by Simon & Garfunkel to reflect "The Graduate" film. And when I look at the UK and US Top 40 charts of 1968 – there were full of absolute Pop like Gary Puckett and The Union Gap giving us the optimism of "Young Girl", British cardigan crooner Des O'Connor getting his moment with his "I Pretend", The 1910 Bubblegum Company inflicting their "Simon Says" chant and loveliness/joie-de-vie personified in the Bond theme of "What A Wonderful World" by Louis Armstrong.

None of the above reflects 1968 society torching itself – but having said that I’ve been living with this 2018 twofer for some days now and I find myself returning to the fantastic "Rain" by the obscure Kak – a fuzzed-up guitar-groover B-side to "Everything’s Changing" on Epic Records in September or even the neck-jerking Reggae-Ska instrumental "Eastern Organ" by Brother Dan’s All Stars, the Byrds-pretty big-eyed wonder of "Smell Of Incense" by The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band or the sexy naughtiness of "Why Does It Feel So Right (Doing Wrong)" where The Shades Of Jade sound like a Motown act with a lady vocalist discovering illicit sex can be something else other than a heartbreak.

Discovery of the new, kids dismantling the old, high school guys and gals dipping in and dropping out, future dot.com execs on the hippy trail, cloud nine dandies disrespecting mama while other brothers die overseas in someone else's war - they're all in here. Will we ever see the like of those crazy swirling days again? Fifty years on and we are still referencing them.

With a knowing wink Al Wilson sings "...Take me in tender woman...in a curvature of silk...take me in for Heaven's sake...hissed the Snake..." in his warning moment at the end of Disc 1.

Try this Magic Carpet Ride and find out what tempted those impressionable lads and lassies over to the wayward side and why part of them (even now) is kinda glad they succumbed...

Titles in Jon Savage's Year Series are (2CD, 48-Track Compilations)

 

1. Jon Savage's 1965: The Year The Sixties Ignited (January 2018 2CD set on Ace CDTOP2 1513 (Barcode 029667086028)

 

2. Jon Savage's 1966: The Year The Decade Exploded (October 2015 2CD set on Ace CDTOP2 1452 (Barcode 029667074223)

 

3. Jon Savage's 1967: The Year Pop Divided (March 2017 2CD set on Ace CDTOP2 1495 (Barcode 029667079525)

 

4. Jon Savage's 1968: The Year The World Burned (November 2018 2CD set on Ace CDTOP2 1536 (Barcode 029667092821)

 

5. Jon Savage's 1969-1971: Rock Dreams on 45 (25 October 2019 UK 2CD set on Ace CDTOP2 1559 (Barcode 029667096621)

 

6. Jon Savage's 1972-1976: All Our Times Have Come (26 March 2021 UK 2CD set on Ace CDTOP2 1594 (Barcode 029667101523)

 

7. Jon Savage's 1977-1979: Symbols Clashing Everywhere (28 January 2022 UK 2CD set on Ace CDTOP2 1610 (Barcode 029667104623)

 

8. Jon Savage's 1980-1982: The Art Of Things To Come (24 February 2023 UK Ace Records CDTOP2 1625 (Barcode 029667107921)