My recent trawl though a selection of old mixtapes brings me to a playlist of my favourite post-punk records. The years immediately following punk (in particular 1979-81) revealed a very fertile period for independent music. Moving on quickly from the faux-nihilism of “classic” punk, many of these bands revealed a greater depth than the “1,2,3,4…” head banging, pogoing, gobbing, safety pins and three chord thrash launched by the class of ’76-77. Not that the initial shock of punk was unwelcome or without merit, in its bid to shove aside the indulgences of prog rock and shallowness of glam. But the initial spark caused too many pale imitators, and besides, many of the early pioneers of UK punk weren’t afraid to reveal their love of Kraftwerk, Can, Faust, Pere Ubu, dub reggae and Bowie.
In addition to heralding new soundscapes, post-punk was a beneficiary of the nascent fanzine cottage industry and the plethora of independent record labels launched to cater for this new music.
The following selection (in no particular order) is my attempt to distill this influential and diverse “movement” into a handy playlist for the streaming age. It comprises mainly 7″ singles (including some B-sides or EP tracks), and in many cases these were the first releases by these bands.
- Clock DVA – “4 Hours”
- Blue Orchids – “The Flood”
- The Nightingales – “Idiot Strength”
- The Pop Group – “She Is Beyond Good and Evil”
- The Slits – “Typical Girls”
- Wire – “Outdoor Miner”
- Joy Division – “Transmission”
- Scritti Politti – “Skank Bloc Bologna”
- Monochrome Set – “Eine Symphonie Des Grauens”
- Wah! Heat – “Better Scream”
- A Certain Ratio – “Flight”
- Durutti Column – “Sketch For Summer”
- Young Marble Giants – “Final Day”
- Gang of Four – “At Home He’s A Tourist”
- Delta 5 – “Anticipation”
- Au Pairs – “It’s Obvious”
- Josef K – “Chance Meeting” (Postcard version)
- The Raincoats – “Shouting Out Loud”
- Cabaret Voltaire – “Seconds Too Late”
- 23 Skidoo – “Last Words”
- I’m So Hollow – “Dreams To Fill The Vacuum”
- Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark – “Electricity”
- The Human League – “Empire State Human”
- Orange Juice – “Simply Thrilled Honey”
- The Teardrop Explodes – “Sleeping Gas”
- Echo & The Bunnymen – “The Pictures On My Wall”
- The Fall – “Leave The Capitol”
- Essential Logic – “Fanfare In The Garden”
- Ludus – “Patient”
- Throbbing Gristle – “United”
- Fad Gadget – “Back To Nature”
- The Normal – “T.V.O.D.” / “Warm Leatherette”
- Magazine – “A Song From Under The Floorboards”
- Swell Maps – “Read About Seymour”
- The Mekons – “Where Were You”
- Nightmares In Wax – “Shangri-La”
- Modern Eon – “Choreography”
- Music For Pleasure – “The Human Factor”
- Thomas Leer – “Private Plane” / “International”
- Dance Chapter – “Anonymity”
- Eyeless In Gaza – “Kodak Ghosts Run Amok”
- Bron Area – “Dancing”
- Ciaran Harte – “Love Is Strange”
- René Halkett, David Jay* – “Nothing” / “Armour”
- Bauhaus – “Bela Lugosi’s Dead”
I recommend you dig deep into the individual discographies, and for further listening, check out these influential compilation albums of the era:
- The Wonderful World Of Glass Volume One
- NME/Rough Trade C81
- Hicks From The Sticks
- Pillows & Prayers
- Wanna Buy A Bridge?
- Avon Calling (The Bristol Compilation)
Next week: Food Glorious Food
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