Tuesday, July 21, 2020
VA - Optimism-Reject, UK Punk & Post Punk Meets D-I-Y Aesthetic 1977-1981 (4 x CD's)
UK D-I-Y AESTHETIC
VA - Optimism-Reject, UK Punk & Post Punk Meets D-I-Y Aesthetic 1977-1981 (4 x CD's)
The punk explosion of 1977 in the U.K. resulted in boatloads of bands playing hard-and-fast music with spiky attitudes and anthemic choruses. While to many people it felt like a blast of freedom, it soon became a kind of stylistic straitjacket with bands being slagged for not being punk enough. As this familiar plot played out, there were many bands who took the D.I.Y. approach of punk and applied it more liberally to their sound, look, and attitude. They used the freedom that came with punk to explore different sonic landscapes, make weird noises, and generally do whatever they liked without any fear. Cherry Red's thrilling box set Optimism/Reject: Punk and Post Punk Meets D-I-Y Aesthetic rounds up 105 songs by bands untethered to the norms of both mainstream rock and punk. That's not to say there aren't bands that sound very punk, complete with snotty singers, slashing guitars, and jumped-up tempos. The punks here are more rickety and lo-fi than the Clash, though, and less metal than the Pistols, too. Groups like Subway Sect or the Tights weren't going to scare the charts either. Most of the set details the different paths bands took after punk's initial landing. From the poetry of John Cooper Clarke to the doomy goth of Sisters of Mercy, the horn-y blast of the Higsons to the poppy bounce of the Chefs, or the abrasive howl of the Membranes to the whispered beauty of Marine Girls, the set covers a lot of territory in fascinating fashion. There are only a few bands recognizable to anyone without a PhD in post-punk. None of the big bands like the Fall or Josef K are represented by their best-known songs, and the groups like Thompson Twins or Scritti Politti, who actually became hit-makers, are represented by songs that sound nothing like their hits. Like most compilations, there are a few duds to skip over, but the ratio of hits to misses here is exceedingly high, and like the best compilations it inspires further investigation. Practically every other track compels the listener to check if the band has more music to track down. Whether it's the skronky noise of Essential Logic, the goofy charm of the Shapes' "(I Saw) Batman (In the Launderette)," the angular pseudo-glam of Weird Strings' "Oscar Automobile," or the Laughing Apple's clanging "Chips for Tea," there are numerous obscure and wonderful treasures to be found within these four discs. It's an invigorating history lesson that shows that you don't have to be a punk to be punk, and that the underground was alive and well. Not only that, but unlike punk, women were far more involved and the music was completely unpredictable and weird. Listen from start to finish or drop in as you like, Optimism/Reject is a vital document of an era that hasn't been captured as fully and impressively as this before. (AllMusic Review by Tim Sendra)
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VA - Optimism-Reject, UK Punk & Post Punk Meets D-I-Y Aesthetic 1977-1981 [2019] CD1+CD2
https://www90.zippyshare.com/v/auEN6rYQ/file.html
VA - Optimism-Reject, UK Punk & Post Punk Meets D-I-Y Aesthetic 1977-1981 [2019] CD3+CD4
https://www90.zippyshare.com/v/qfcQL6vm/file.html
or
VA - Optimism-Reject, UK Punk & Post Punk Meets D-I-Y Aesthetic 1977-1981 [2019] ALL
https://pixeldrain.com/u/7bcUDxgb
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Track lists
CD1
01 Eater Michaels Monetary System 1:45
02 Drones You'll Lose 3:38
03 Alternative Tv Love Lies Limp 3:07
04 Outsiders Freeway 4:10
05 John Cooper Clarke Suspended Sentance 2:51
06 ‘O’ Level O Levels 2:07
07 Swell Maps Black Velvet 1:57
08 Patrik Fitzgerald Optimism/Reject 1:11
09 Attrix Hard Times 4:09
10 Subway Sect Nobody's Scared 2:06
11 Freshies Washed Up 3:07
12 Skids Charles 2:34
13 Angelic Upstarts Police Oppression 3:31
14 Art Attacks Neutron Bomb 2:59
15 Victim Mixed Up World 3:12
16 Essential Logic Aerosol Burns 2:01
17 Tights It 2:41
18 Punishment of Luxury The Demon 4:05
19 Fall Bingo-Master's Breakout 2:22
20 Cravats Situations Vacant 3:36
21 Scritti Politti Is and Ought the Western World 3:45
22 Pragvec Wolf 1:48
23 Jerks Cool 3:12
24 Monochrome Set He's Frank 2:37
25 Thomas Leer International 4:02
26 Devil's Dykes Fruitless 2:14
27 Vice Creems 01-01-212 2:39
28 Nigel Simpkins Times Encounter 1:55
CD2
01 Ruts H-Eyes 2:48
02 Dodgems Lord Lucan Is Missing 3:30
03 Passage The Competition 1:39
04 Nicky & The Dots Girl Gets Nervous 2:21
05 Scissor Fits Playing Golf (With My Flesh Crawling) 2:48
06 Spizzoil Cold City 2:02
07 Shapes (I Saw) Batman (In The Launderette) 2:39
08 Proles Stereo Love 2:05
09 Molesters Commuter Man 5:40
10 Pack Heathen 2:39
11 Raincoats In Love 3:06
12 Tea Set Sing Song 1:35
13 Artery Mother Moon 2:16
14 Murder The Disturbed The Ultimate System 4:00
15 Family Fodder Playing Golf (With My Flesh Crawling) 4:31
16 Frantic Elevators Every Day I Die 1:26
17 They Must Be Russians Nagasaki's Children 4:15
18 Second Layer Metal Sheet 1:22
19 Metrophase Cold Rebellion 3:28
20 Disturbed I Don't Believe 4:25
21 Door And The Window Subculture Fashion Slaves 3:50
22 Steppes God's Got Religion 2:51
23 Gl*XO Babies Christine Keeler 3:37
24 Associates Boys Keep Swinging 3:39
25 Fatal' Microbe Beautiful Pictures 1:49
26 Disco Zombies Top Of The Pops 2:19
27 Pneumania Exhibition 2:51
CD3
01 Au Pairs Domestic Departure 2:21
02 English Subtitles Reconstruction 5:03
03 Medium Medium Them Or Me 3:55
04 Modern Eon Choreography 2:40
05 Josef K Chance Meeting 2:54
06 Lines On The Air 3:33
07 Mo-Dettes Masochistic Opposite 3:33
08 Deep Freeze Mice Minstrel Radio Yoghurt 2:39
09 Chefs You Get Everywhere 2:41
10 Golinski Brothers Bloody 2:33
11 Lillettes Hey Operator 2:11
12 Bodies Art Nouveau 3:39
13 Nightmares In Wax Shangri-La 3:32
14 Weird Strings Oscar Automobile 3:07
15 Again Again Self Employed 4:26
16 Membranes Fashionable Junkies 1:42
17 Manic Jabs Autophagous 2:02
18 Blancmange Modichy In Aneration 2:05
19 Mystere V's No Message 3:15
20 Eyeless In Gaza The Feelings Mutual 2:40
21 Distributors Lean On Me 3:39
22 Tagmemics Chimneys 4:34
23 Rhythm Clicks Short Time 3:10
24 Blurt Get 3:44
CD4
01 Young Marble Giants Final Day 1:43
02 Charge You Get What You Deserve 3:04
03 Sisters Of Mercy The Damage Done 3:02
04 Girls At Our Best Politics! 3:16
05 A Popular History Of Signs Justice Not Vengeance 3:58
06 Thompson Twins Could Be Her, Could Be You 3:20
07 Fire Engines Everything's Roses 3:16
08 Emma Sharpe Motorway 2:00
09 Red Squares The Russians Are Coming 1:51
10 Room Motion 3:02
11 49 Americans Should Be More Ideal 2:39
12 Cult Figures I Remember 2:54
13 Higsons Insect Love 3:29
14 Laughing Apple Chips For Tea 2:19
15 Legendary Pink Dots Defeated 2:28
16 Marine Girls Holiday Song 2:14
17 Normil Hawaiians The Return 3:14
18 Reflections Zigzagging 2:52
19 Sad Lovers And Giants When I See You 3:17
20 To The Finland Station Domino Theory 3:38
21 Vivien Goldman Launderette 3:47
22 23 Skidoo Ethics 3:40
23 Screen 3 Shades Of Black 3:18
24 Happy Few Plan 9 From Outer Space 3:35
25 Tesco Bombers Break The Ice At Parties 1:54
26 …And The Native Hipsters I Wanna Be Around (Paul) 2:30
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Damn, where do you find this stuff!
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to it, thanks!
Hi Gummo,
DeleteI wake up each day and say "What would be nice to post", No magic just how I wake up.
I have purchased albums just because I like the cover as well.
Cheers.
wow! this looks really good!
ReplyDeletethanks a lot Butterboy!
Cheers
Hi Il Commendatore,
DeleteLots of great tunes here. Enjoy.
Cheers.
Half way through this mate, bloody great. Thanks a bunch. J in Liverpool
ReplyDeleteHi SonofTransitFord,
DeleteI agree with you, This is great . I really enjoyed the overall feel of these tracks. Hope you enjoy the rest of the tracks.
Cheers.