VA - Big Gold Dreams, A Story of Scottish Independent Music 1977-1989 (5 x CDs)

SCOTTISH INDIE

VA - Big Gold Dreams, A Story of Scottish Independent Music 1977-1989 (5 x CDs)

Following on the heels of the documentary film of the same name that covered the lively post-punk era in Scotland, Big Gold Dreams widens the scope and digs deeper than the film did. The five-disc set covers the years 1977 to 1989 and charts the winners, losers, oddballs, and geniuses who helped shape one of the more intriguing and rewarding music scenes of its age. The first disc mostly shows how the Scots reacted to the punk explosion and gathers up all sorts of rough-hewn gems that blend manic energy and huge pop hooks. Tracks like the Rezillos' "I Can't Stand My Baby," the Freeze's "Paranoia," and Bee Bee Cee's "You Gotta Know Girl" proved that there were plenty of bands around the country making first-rate punk-pop. Once that groundwork was laid, bands started shooting off in all sorts of interesting directions. Disc two captures a wide range of sounds that stretch from the goth goofiness of Altered Images to the bombastic art pop of the Associates, and the arch artiness of Josef K to the stuttering lo-fi synth pop of Thomas Leer. There's a nice mix of well-known artists and obscurities here and through the rest of the set; half the joy of working through the tracks is finding gems like the Delmontes' "Tous Les Soir" or APB's immense dance-punk floor-filler "Palace Filled with Love." The next three discs follow a similarly diverse course, but a couple strands start to come into focus with the jangly introspective pop of Creation Records bands like Jasmine Minks and Biff Bang Pow, the noisy clatter of post-C86 bands like Shop Assistants and the Vaselines, and the sophisticated sound of post-Postcard artists like Paul Quinn and the Orchids helping to shape much of what people think of when they think of the country's music. Of course, there is still a lot of ground to cover outside those areas, and the compilation does a really fine job sorting and presenting lesser-known songs by big bands like the Cocteau Twins, Aztec Camera, and the Waterboys; left-field gold like the High Bees' lilting ballad "Some Indulgence" or the Church Grims' chiming chamber pop miniature "Think Like a Girl"; and forgotten classics like Edwyn Collins' brilliant slice of big pop "Don't Shilly Shally" or Jesse Garon & the Desperadoes' great "The Adam Faith Experience." Even without any tracks by Orange Juice, Big Gold Dreams paints a picture of Scotland as an underground pop music paradise. Listeners could drop in anywhere on any of the discs and find a string of songs guaranteed to bring a smile to their face, a lump to the throat, or a swelling heart. It's a well-chosen, carefully annotated collection made both for people who were there and want a trip down memory lane and for a newcomer looking to do some serious exploring. Either one will come away glad they took the time to take this deep dive into some of the best music ever made.  (AllMusic Review by Tim Sendra)

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Track Lists

CD1

01 Rezillos - I Can't Stand My Baby [Sensible Version] 2:39

02 Exile - Hooked on You 2:55

03 Drive - Jerkin' 3:36

04 Valves - Robot Love 3:06

05 Pvc 2 - Put You in the Picture 3:06

06 Jonny & the Self Abusers - Dead Vandals 3:07

07 Bee Bee Cee - You Gotta Know Girl 2:41

08 Subs - Gimme Your Heart 3:04

09 Skids - Reasons 2:09

10 Fingerprintz - Dancing With Myself 3:18

11 Zips - Take Me Down 2:40

12 Another Pretty Face - All the Boys Love Carrie 2:31

13 Visitors - Electric Heat 3:41

14 Jolt - See Saw 2:44

15 Simple Minds - Chelsea Girl 3:59

16 Shake - Culture Shock 3:47

17 Headboys - The Shape of Things to Come 3:26

18 Fire Exit - Time Wall 2:17

19 Freeze - Paranoia 3:13

20 Fakes - Sylvia Clarke 2:42

21 Tpi - She's Too Clever for Me 3:54

22 Fun 4 - Singing in the Showers 2:11

23 Flowers - Confessions 3:07

24 Tv21 - Playing With Fire 3:06

25 Alex Fergusson - Stay With Me Tonight 3:49

CD2

01 Altered Images - Dead Pop Stars 3:20

02 Prats - Die Todten Reyten Schnell 5:35

03 Delmontes - Tous Les Soirs 3:13

04 Cuban Heels - Walk on Water 2:56

05 35mm Dreams - More Than This 2:17

06 Presidents Men - Out in the Open 2:48

07 Scars - All About You 4:03

08 Associates - Tell Me Easters on Friday 4:31

09 Josef K - Sorry for Laughing 3:05

10 Article 58 - Event to Come 2:43

11 Restricted Code - Love to Meet You 2:51

12 Thomas Leer - Don't 5:31

13 Fire Engines - Big Gold Dream 3:42

14 Wake - On Our Honeymoon 2:10

15 Boots for Dancing - Ooh Bop Sh'bam 2:54

16 Happy Family - Puritans 3:17

17 Everest the Hard Way - Tightrope 4:14

18 Apb - Palace Filled With Love 4:30

19 Paul Haig - Running Away 2:45

20 French Impressionists - Pick Up the Rhythm 2:05

21 Hey! Elastica - Eat Your Heart Out 3:08

22 Laughing Apple - Participate! 2:58

CD3

01 Cocteau Twins - Feathers Oar-Blades 4:27

02 Twinset - Out of Nowhere [Demo] 3:23

03 Bluebells - Cath 3:51

04 Waterboys - A Girl Called Johnny 3:59

05 Friends Again - Lucky Star [Moonboot Version] 3:01

06 Strawberry Switchblade - Trees and Flowers 3:50

07 Jazzateers - Sixteen Reasons 4:00

08 Suede Crocodiles - Stop the Rain 3:26

09 Revolving Paint Dream - Flowers in the Sky 2:26

10 Jasmine Minks - Think! 3:21

11 Biff Bang Pow! - There Must Be a Better Life 3:09

12 Aztec Camera - All I Need is Everything 3:48

13 Pop Wallpaper - Over Your Shoulder 3:57

14 Wee Cherubs - Dreaming 3:49

15 Finitribe - Cathedral 4:29

16 Jesus and Mary Chain - Upside Down 3:01

17 Pastels - Baby Honey 6:58

18 Memphis - You Supply the Roses 3:57

19 Paul Quinn - Ain't That Always the Way 3:09

20 Win - Unamerican Broadcasting 3:15

21 Blood Uncles - Swallow 3:56

CD4

01 Primal Scream - All Fall Down 2:14

02 Meat Whiplash - Don't Slip Up 3:21

03 Del Amitri - Hammering Heart [Single Version] 2:50

04 High Bees - Some Indulgence 3:36

05 Jih - Big Blue Ocean 3:44

06 Momus - Hotel Marquis De Sade 3:26

07 Primevals - Living in Hell 3:22

08 Styng Rites - Baby's Got a Brand New Brain 2:32

09 Botany 500 - Bully Beef 4:01

10 Soup Dragons - Whole Wide World 1:45

11 Bmx Bandits - Strawberry Sunday 3:54

12 Close Lobsters - Firestation Towers 1:50

13 Green Telescope - Face in a Crowd 2:31

14 Goodbye Mr. Mackenzie - The Rattler [Original 12" Version] 4:00

15 Wild Indians - Peniless 3:51

16 Shop Assistants - Somewhere in China [Lp Version] 3:13

17 Lowlife - Hollow Gut 3:58

18 Kevin McDermott - Slow Time and Temptation 3:43

19 Incredible Blondes - Where Do I Stand? 2:31

20 Fizzbombs - Sign on the Line... 2:01

21 Beat Poets - Killer Bee Honey 2:11

22 Edwyn Collins - Don't Shilly Shally 3:50

23 Dragsters - I'm Not an American 2:44

24 Motorcycle Boy - Room at the Top 3:57

25 Thanes - Hey Girl (Look What You've Done) 3:01

CD5

01 Shamen - Happy Days 3:59

02 Mackenzies - Mealy Mouths 5:50

03 McCluskey Brothers - She Said to the Driver 4:33

04 Baby Lemonade - Jiffy Neckwear Collection 2:09

05 Bachelor Pad - Girl of Your Dreams 3:15

06 Clouds - Jenny Nowhere 2:02

07 Rote Kapelle - Marathon Man 2:34

08 Jesse Garon & the Desperadoes - The Adam Faith Experience 3:08

09 Vaselines - Teenage Superstars 3:28

10 Orchids - Tiny Words 3:43

11 Groovy Little Numbers - A Place is So Hard to Find 4:00

12 Vultures - Good Thing 1:55

13 This Poison - The Great Divide 3:41

14 Prayers - Head Start 3:06

15 Submarines - Take Me Away 2:56

16 Church Grims - Think Like a Girl 6:29

17 Wilderness Children - If You Love Him, Let Him Go 2:32

18 Cateran - Traffic Drone 3:15

19 Nyah Fearties - Hills O' New Galloway 2:47

20 Dog Faced Hermans - Miss O'grady 3:32

21 Stretchheads - Groin Death 1:20

22 Cindytalk - The Beginning of Wisdom 6:42

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