This compilation on Easy Action records seeks to show that although totally unheralded Birmingham had as vital a post punk scene as Liverpool, Manchester or London. It of course includes several bands who either became legendary or well known and with liner notes from Dave Twist who plays in several of the 19 bands on the album. It has further liner notes by Stewart Lee and like all good comps features a mix of familiar names and names you wish you knew more about.
The album opens with We're The Fashion by Fashion Music who of course went on to be Fashion, this is a slice of Bowie obsessed proto new romantic, almost whimsical glammy post-punk that would sound just as at home on a junk shop glam comp as a post punk one.
The legendary Swell Maps Vertical Slum follows and is far more angsty and has a good chanted section while being nicely odd.
Dada describe there hometown on Birmingham UK that feels like it's in similar territory to Rema Rema with a steady bass and John Taylor (later of Duran Duran) guitars distorting off of it and Dave Twist's solid back drop drumming keeping it all together.
The Prefects classic The Bristol Road Leads To Dachau is next a song that John Peel loved and Stewart lee froths over and it's easy to hear why, this is a live version that's as angsty as it pulsates with Robert Lloyd sounding like he's twitching as he barks out the lyrics over Dave I'm in all the bands Twist's drums that anchor things down for Alan Appleby and Joe Crow's guitars to mangle and feedback into the howls of anguish you might associate with Dachau.
TV Eye play an almost radio ad in writing with Stevie's Radio Station, a song that seems to know that one day just about anyone that wants one will be able to have there own radio station, Dave Kusworth's guitar jangles impressively as Andy Wickett's rather droll vocal delivery gets more intense as he pledges his love for Stevie and his radio station.
Denizens take us down to an Ammonia Subway that sounds like somewhere we don't want to end up and it's no surprise that a singer called Andy Downer would sound as down as he does as the fumes get to him as he certainly isn't a germ free adolescent.
I love the version of Big Store that featured on last years remarkable release of The Hawks album with Stephen Duffy's magisterial vocals going over Dave Kusworth's jangling guitar runs and of course Dave Twist is drumming with yet another legendary band.
Five to Monday by the Nervous Kind is fey indie for the tragically hung over, as they try to find a way to get themselves ready to go back to the day job on a Monday morning, as all the events of the weekend still swirl around inside their heads.
A Fistful Of Seeds by the Bible Belt brings together Dave Kusworth with Dave Twist for a song whose lyrics can be taken more than one way and well it sounds great if on the low-fi side of the bullring.
Robert Lloyd makes his second appearance this time in The Nightingales on Idiot Strength that has Paul Apperley playing his drums like they are a drum machine and some suitably obtuse lyrics that Robert has spent the last 42 years perfecting as an art, great to hear this very early 'Gales stormer.
Lowdown International sing about the film Batteries Not Included or do they, as the film didn't come out for another 7 year's I doubt it. this is twitchy post punk with angularity and was apparently recorded at Bourneville Post Office.
The Final Touch by Joe Crow is the only totally solo song on the album as Joe plays everything including a Wasp as he talks about how he's been lied too and how no one ever really tells the truth.
Nikki Sudden then takes us on a Channel Steamer where he shares vocals with Lizard and this has a great garage punk sound to it, it also leaves me wondering if drummer Empire is really epic soundtracks or not?
Either way both Nikki and Epic feature on I Remember by Cult Figures as backing vocalists as Gary Jones tells us just what he remembers this is a lot more low-fi that the band's latest album Deritend that came out last year.
Love Song by the Au Pairs has some very funky guitar and urgent drumming from Pete Hammond as Lesley Woods sings about washing machines and champagne bubbles among other things, this is as close to a no wave song as anything on this album.
What A Waste by Fast Relief is like a cross between Bow Wow Wow and Pigbag and has some fantastically matter of fact lyrics about the ridiculous expectations put on some young women to have children young while also talking about drug casualties a truly brilliant gem from a band I've never heard of previously and is one of the best tunes on the album as they tell you not to take too many drugs.
Vision Collision give us a very different vision of Cuba to the one The Silo's named an album after as they discuss the Cuban Missile crisis over some taught and slightly fraught post punk that feels almost episodic.
Revolve Around You by Dance is low-fi garage post punk with vocals by Mathew Edwards who unlike on his more recent material with The Unfortunates hasn't been dumped but is just getting to grips with being obsessed with his latest girlfriend and he has some cool harmonies with Tina Adams, this is sparse and good fun and has the albums only dub section that sounds like they have been hanging out in Handsworth looking for a little revolution to skank along too.
The album closes with Open Commune by The Pinkies that thankfully features Keith Harris on drums but without Orville as they sing about the free love and freedom of being in an Open Commune that was still a viable way of living if you could find a good building to squat in, this has some cool sax from Jayne Morris and Lindy Shortt on this dance punk ending to a great compilation.
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