VA - Now That's What I Call an Era, The Sound of The Suburbs 1977-1980 (4 x CDs)

ROCK

VA - Now That's What I Call an Era, The Sound of The Suburbs 1977-1980 [2025] (4 x CDs)

Now That’s What I Call an Era: The Sound of the Suburbs 1977–1980 isn’t just a compilation, it’s like cracking open an old diary filled with punk scrawls, highlighter-streaked mixtapes, and the pulse of youth culture that still refuses to be quiet. Across four discs, it captures the restless energy of the late '70s, when British suburbia was teeming with rebellion and reinvention, and music became a lifeline.

There’s something about the way bands like The Jam, The Undertones, and The Skids sound here that feels urgent, like they were trying to tell you something before the moment passed. These weren’t just musicians—they were suburban prophets with guitars, turning concrete routines into defiant choruses. And the inclusion of lesser-known gems from acts like The Jags or Tonight gives this set a sense of depth, like it’s letting you behind the scenes of a movement that ran on grit as much as glam.

But it wasn’t just the UK shaking things up. The compilation threads in transatlantic rebels like The Ramones, Blondie, DEVO, and Plastic Bertrand, reminding us that these sounds, punk, new wave, pub rock—weren’t confined to one postcode. They bled across borders, found new fans in places like the Netherlands and Australia, and gave rise to global conversations in stereo.

What’s clever here is how it evolves. You start with jagged riffs and punchy lyrics, then slide into synth-laced soundscapes with Japan, Gary Numan, and John Foxx. It’s like watching the suburban sprawl suddenly light up with neon, as post-punk gave way to the icy allure of the new romantic wave. Every track adds another brushstroke to a sprawling mural of youth, angst, creativity, and change.

For someone who lived through those years, even from afar, this compilation doesn’t just jog memories, it rewires them. You hear Echo Beach, and you’re back in a room with sticky floors and crackling speakers. You hear London Calling, and suddenly the world feels bigger, louder, more alive. It’s nostalgia, sure, but it’s also discovery, because somehow there’s still more to uncover in these grooves.

In the end, The Sound of the Suburbs is more than just an era, it’s a vibe. One that says the suburbs weren’t sleepy at all. They were wide awake, guitar in hand, and ready to make some noise. (B)

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Track lists

CD1

01 Clash - London Calling 3:20

02 Ramones - Blitzkrieg Bop 2:12

03 Iggy Pop - Lust for Life (Edit) 3:05

04 Jam - Going Underground 2:53

05 Boomtown Rats - Rat Trap 4:55

06 Undertones - Teenage Kicks 2:25

07 Siouxsie & The Banshees - Hong Kong Garden 2:54

08 Rezillos - Top of the Pops (7'' Version) 3:20

09 Plastic Bertrand - Ca Plane Pour Moi 3:01

10 Squeeze - Cool for Cats (Single Edit) 3:14

11 Cure - Boys Don't Cry 2:36

12 Joy Division - Love Will Tear Us Apart 3:24

13 Dexys Midnight Runners - Geno 3:27

14 Police - Roxanne 3:11

15 Pretenders - Brass in Pocket 3:05

16 Blondie - Atomic 3:48

17 Martha & The Muffins - Echo Beach 3:30

18 Joe Jackson - It's Different for Girls 3:43

19 Roxy Music - Over You 3:23

20 Adam & The Ants - Antmusic 3:36

CD2

01 Members - The Sound of the Suburbs 3:54

02 Stranglers - No More Heroes 3:28

03 Ruts - Babylon's Burning (Single Version) 2:31

04 Ramones - Sheena is a Punk Rocker 2:46

05 Runaways - Cherry Bomb 2:17

06 Generation X - King Rocker 2:17

07 Patti Smith Group - Because the Night 3:22

08 Joe Jackson - Is She Really Going Out with Him? 3:35

09 Elvis Costello & The Attractions - (I Don't Want to Go To) Chelsea 3:10

10 Jonathan Richman & The Modern Lovers - Roadrunner (Once) 4:43

11 Tom Robinson Band - 2-4-6-8 Motorway 3:17

12 Dr. Feelgood - Milk and Alcohol 2:49

13 Yellow Dog - Just One More Night 3:29

14 Eddie & The Hot Rods - Do Anything You Wanna Do (Single Edit) 4:03

15 Only Ones - Another Girl, Another Planet 3:01

16 Skids - Into the Valley 3:17

17 Magazine - Shot by Both Sides 3:58

18 Vibrators - Automatic Lover (Single Version) 2:26

19 Sham 69 - If the Kids Are United 3:45

20 Dickies - Banana Splits 1:55

CD3

01 Specials - Gangsters 2:47

02 Madness - The Prince 2:29

03 Selecter - On My Radio 3:05

04 Beat - Mirror in The Bathroom 3:07

05 Bad Manners - Special Brew (Single Version) 3:18

06 UB40 - Food for Thought 4:08

07 Clash - (White Man) in Hammersmith Palais 4:01

08 Boomtown Rats - Like Clockwork 3:44

09 Public Image Ltd. - Death Disco 4:15

10 Grace Jones - Love is The Drug (Single Version) 4:41

11 DEVO - (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction 2:40

12 Slits - Typical Girls 3:55

13 Regents - 7 Teen 3:22

14 XTC - Making Plans for Nigel 4:12

15 Squeeze - Take Me I'm Yours (Single Edit) 2:48

16 Blondie - Hanging on the Telephone 2:22

17 Pretenders - Stop Your Sobbing 2:38

18 Motors - Airport 4:36

19 Secret Affair - Time for Action 2:42

20 Jags - Back of My Hand 3:20

21 Jam - All Around the World 2:22

CD4

01 B-52's - Rock Lobster 4:54

02 Bow Wow Wow - C30 C60 C90 Go 3:01

03 Adam Ant - Dog Eats Dog 3:09

04 Toyah - Ieya 5:11

05 Siouxsie & The Banshees - Happy House 3:52

06 Hazel O'Connor - Eighty Day 3:11

07 Devo - Whip it 2:39

08 Flying Lizards - Money 2:31

09 Human League - Nightclubbing 2:56

10 Psychedelic Furs - Sister Europe 5:38

11 Joy Division - Atmosphere 4:09

12 John Foxx - Underpass 3:18

13 Gary Numan & Tubeway Army - Are Friend's Electric? 5:22

14 Japan - Life in Tokyo 3:31

15 Orchestral Manoeuvres in The Dark - Messages 4:01

16 Sparks - The Number One Song in Heaven 3:50

17 Ultravox - Sleepwalk 3:12

18 Spandau Ballet - To Cut a Long Story Short 3:20

19 Buggles - Video Killed The Radio Star 3:22

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Music weaves itself into the fabric of our emotions, dances through the corridors of memory, and whispers to the soul of who we are. Sharing these stories deepens the connection, turning the experience into something timeless and profound.

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