JOHN COOPER CLARKE
[updated 7/11/97]
Give it Some Punk
This complilation album is one of those new re-release on CD type deals from Receiver Records. The catalog number for this particular one is RRCD 210, and features 25 tracks of early punk stuff.
TRACKS:
The liner notes read as follows...
Slaughter & The Dogs, Manchester's talcum powder punk outfit, who released their classic debut 45 'Cranked Up Really High' for the indie Rabid Records back in 1977 as did 'Punk Poet' John Cooper Clarke whose three track 'Innocents' EP remains a classic of the genre. Incidentally the charmingly named Nosebleeds, who were led by vocalist Ed Banger, also issued their one and only 45 'Ain't Bin To No Music School' for Rabid and later featured Smiths vocalist Morrisey and Cult guitarist Billy Duffy in their line up!
All three of the above appeared at the Punk Mecca The Roxy, a stark and basic yet highly exciting toilet, sorry, venue, that used to be in the heart of London's Covent Garden. It was here that the likes of The Adverts, The Buzzcocks, X-Ray Spex, The UK Subs, Wire and Sham 69 built platforms for themselves to go on and achieve chart success - The Subs scored 7 Uk hit singles, Sham also managed seven, the 'Cocks' chalked up 9, The Adverts and Wire got two, whilst Poly and The Spex achieved 4 - not a bad haul for a movement that was apparantly 'an overnight fad'!!! Even hardcore heroes like GBH and Discharge scored a modicum of chart success, particularly in the Independent Chart where Abrasive Wheels and The English Dogs reigned supreme in the early 80's whilst more humorous acts like The Dickies and The Toy Dolls all became household names and as for Max Splodge - well, if John Cooper Clarke was 'thinking man's' humour, the Splodgenessabounds were a 'drinking man's'!!!
Of course, it was the first wave of Punk bands that managed to score the most success and whilst The Sex Pistols may have 'come, seen and destroyed', The Damned and The Stranglers are still treading the boards (and treading on the boreds!) to this very day along with the like's of Gen October's Chelsea and The Lurkers. Unfortunately the likes of The Ruts Malcom Owen and the legendary Johnny Thunders departed to the great gig in the sky whilst Eddie & The Hot Rods actually had a 'curse' put on them by followers of Alistair Crowley - for a picture of their 'leader' with Mickey Mouse ears on!! - and they never reached the dizzy heights of success that the sound of 'Do Anything You Wanna Do' seemed to indicate.
Almost 20 years to the day Punk 'officially' started with the release of The damned's "New Rose' 45 - and despite nuerous attempts by the media to prove otherwise - Punk is still very much alive and kicking as a new breed of bands like Offspring, Green Day, the brilliant Rancid and the soon to be massive Stains, to name but a few, are selling records by the truck load and performing with power and passion to capacity crowds - getting cranked up, getting really high and giving it some serious punk!
1. Cranked Up Really High... SLAUGHTER & THE DOGS
The poor quality black & white scan up top is from a photocopy the guys at Specialist/Trojan sent me. I did cheekily ask for a promo copy or an actual booklet to scan, but I suppose this was better than nothing at all.
2. Innocents... JOHN COOPER CLARKE
3. What Do I get? (live)... THE BUZZCOCKS
4. God Save The Queen... SEX PISTOLS
5. I'm On Fire... CHELSEA
6. Identify... X-RAY SPEX
7. Drag You Out... THE LURKERS
8. Something That I Said... THE RUTS
9. Something Better Change (live)... The Stranglers
10. Geordie's Gone To Jail... THE TOY DOLLS
11. Ain't Bin To No Music School... THE NOSEBLEEDS
12. Love Song (live)... THE DAMNED
13. Bored Teenagers (live)... THE ADVERTS
14. Angels With Dirty Faces (live)... SHAM 69
15. Pscho Killer... RNGLISH DOGS
16. Decontrol... DISCHARGE
17. Eye Of Destruction live)... THE DICKIES (shouldn't this be 'Eve' of Destruction? Wemaster)
18. City Baby Attacked By Rats... G.B.H.
19. Banner Of Hope... ABRASIVE WHEELS
20. Stranglehold (live)... U.K. SUBS
21. Born To Lose (remix)... JOHNNY THUNDERS & THE HEARTBRAKERS
22. 12XU (live)... WIRE
23. A Touch Of The Rods (A day In The Life Of A Quireboy)... SPLODGENESSABOUNDS
24. Do Anything You Wanna Do (live)... EDDIE & THE HOT RODS
25. So Much Fun... THE STUPIDS
“And on the eighth day The Lord gave to us...