VA - Perfect Unpop, Peel Show Hits & Long-Lost Lo-Fi Favourites Vol. 1 (2008) & Vol. 2 (2026 Remaster) (2 x CDs)

K SPECIAL EXPANDED EDITION

EARLY PUNK, POST PUNK & LO-FI

VA - Perfect Unpop, Peel Show Hits & Long-Lost Lo-Fi Favourites Vol. 1 (2008) & Vol. 2 (2026 Remaster) (2 x CDs)

Perfect Unpop captures a moment when independent music was raw, inventive and carried forward by the enthusiasm of listeners rather than the machinery of the industry. Drawn from 1976 to 1980, the compilation reflects the spirit of John Peel’s radio show, where small‑label singles, rough demos and oddball experiments found a home. These tracks were not polished for charts or commercial radio. They were made by young bands working quickly, shaping ideas with urgency and instinct, and Peel’s support allowed them to be heard beyond their local scenes.

The sequencing moves through early punk, post‑punk and lo‑fi pop with a sense of discovery. Tours open the set with Language School, a track that feels like a manifesto for the era: sharp, direct and full of nervous charm. The Vibrators, Subway Sect and Young Marble Giants follow with performances that show how varied the late‑seventies underground could be. Some tracks lean toward jagged rhythm, others toward minimal melody, but all share the same sense of possibility.

Kleenex, The Bears and Wreckless Eric add colour and humour, while Swell Maps and The Out push into more fractured territory. The compilation keeps its pace by balancing familiar names with lesser‑known groups such as The Disco Zombies, The Wasps and The Carpettes, each offering a glimpse of scenes that thrived outside mainstream attention. By the time The Monochrome Set and Au Pairs appear, the set has widened into the early shape of post‑punk, where ideas became sharper and more deliberate.

Across its twenty‑four tracks, Perfect Unpop preserves the honesty and inventiveness of youth, capturing the moment when independent music felt wide open and full of promise. It stands as a reminder of how Peel’s support helped these songs exist at all, giving them a place where their rough edges became strengths rather than obstacles. (B)

A number of tracks have since been remastered following this original 2008 release and have featured on quite a few Cherry Red box sets. These better sounding remasters from much better sources and original master tapes are now reflected in this newly updated volume 1.

VA - Perfect Unpop, Peel Show Hits & Long-Lost Lo-Fi Favourites Vol. 2 1976-80 (2026)

If a Vol. 2 had ever been released, I think this could very well have been it.

27 classics all championed by John Peel and big favourites on his show - 17 of which I rushed out and bought the original 45s often the day after I first heard them played on air!

This is my own compilation and volume 2 that sadly never materialised, but I think sits perfectly with volume 1 , featuring 27 classic tracks all from small independent labels and played many times by John Peel on his BBC Radio 1 show. (K)

PLEASE THANK K FOR SHARING THESE VERSIONS.

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Track lists

Vol. 1

1 Tours - Language School 2:10

2 The Vibrators - Whips and Furs 2:10

3 Subway Sect - Ambition 3:06

4 Young Marble Giants - Final Day 1:40

5 Kleenex - Hedi's Head 2:10

6 The Bears - On Me 3:11

7 Wreckless Eric - Whole Wide World 2:58

8 Swell Maps - Real Shocks 2:15

9 The Out - Who Is Innocent? 3:24

10 Eater - Thinkin' of the U.S.A. 3:01

11 The Disco Zombies - Mary Millington 4:18

12 Mo-dettes - White Mice 3:38

13 The Outcasts - Self-Conscious Over You 3:09

14 The Wasps - Teenage Treats 3:03

15 The 45s - Couldn't Believe a Word 3:10

16 Glaxo Babies - This Is Your Life 3:05

17 The Prefects - Going Through the Motions 4:56

18 The Carpettes - Radio Wunderbar 2:52

19 The Tights - Bad Hearts 3:35

20 The Monochrome Set - He's Frank (Slight Return) 2:39

21 Au Pairs - It's Obvious 5:44

22 The Sinatras - Happy Feeling 2:40

23 The Boys - Brickfield Nights 3:15

24 Blue Orchids - The Flood 4:19

Vol. 2

01 The Damned - New Rose (Original 1976 Stiff Records 7" Single Version) 2:42

02 Buzzcocks - Boredom (Original 1977 New Hormones 7" Single Version) 2:53

03 The Ruts - In a Rut (Original 1979 People Unite 7" Single Version) 3:41

04 Delta 5 - Mind Your Own Business (Original 1979 Rough Trade 7" Single Version) 3:13

05 The Passions - Hunted (Original 1979 Fiction Records 7" Single Version) 3:31

06 The Shapes - (I Saw) Batman (In the Launderette) (Original 1979 Sofa Records 7" Single Version) 2:39

07 Television Personalities - Part Time Punks (Original 1978 King's Road Records 7" Single Version) 2:38

08 Notsensibles - I'm in Love with Margaret Thatcher (Original 1979 Redball Records 7" Single Version) 3:38

09 The Piranhas - I Don't Want My Body (Original Vaultage '78 Version) 3:48

10 Protex - Don't Ring Me Up (Original 1978 Good Vibrations 7" Single Version) 2:38

11 Rudi - Big Time (Original 1978 Good Vibrations 7" Single Version) 2:43

12 Gang of Four - Damaged Goods (Original 1978 Fast Product 7" Single Version) 3:28

13 The Teardrop Explodes - Sleeping Gas (Original 1979 Zoo Records 7" Single Version) 4:40

14 The Rezillos - I Can't Stand My Baby (Original 1977 Sensible Records 7" Single Version) 2:38

15 The Raincoats - Fairytale in the Supermarket (Original 1979 Rough Trade 7" Single Version) 2:59

16 Fatal Microbes - Violence Grows (Original 1979 Small Wonder Records 7" Single Version) 3:13

17 Patrik Fitzgerald - Babysitter (Original 1978 Small Wonder Records 7" Single Version) 1:10

18 The Martian Schoolgirls - Life in the 1980s (Original 1979 Red Planet Records 7" Single Version) 3:00

19 The Teenage Filmstars - I Helped Patrick McGoohan Escape (Original 1980 Fab Listening 7" Single Version) 2:55

20 The Fall - Rowche Rumble (Original 1979 Step-Forward 7" Single Version) 4:01

21 The Cure - Killing an Arab (Original 1978 Small Wonder Records 7" Single Version) 2:23

22 Skids - Charles (Original 1978 No Bad Records 7" Single Version) 2:34

23 Cockney Rejects - Flares 'n' Slippers (Original 1979 Small Wonder Records 7" Single Version) 1:36

24 The Normal - Warm Leatherette (Original 1978 Mute Records 7" Single Version) 3:23

25 The Mekons - Where Were You? (Original 1978 Fast Product 7" Single Version) 2:40

26 Spizzenergi - Where's Captain Kirk? (Original 1979 Rough Trade 7" Single Version) 2:17

27 Stiff Little Fingers - Suspect Device (Original 1978 Rigid Digits 7" Single Version) 2:44

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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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