Since September 2010, this blog has recorded the journey of this music junkie as I attempt to listen to all the music in my CD collection. CDs revisited in their entirety from start to finish - no skipping tracks, no shuffle. Compact Discs only - no vinyl, no tapes, no files.

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Various Artists - The Big Stiff Box Set (2007)


UK Import

This was an impulse buy a couple of weeks ago and I can't stop listening to it.  As I told a friend, "This thing is scratchin’ me right where I itch."  98 songs across 4 CDs and I haven't even made a dent in the 68 page booklet. I won't bother going into detail about the Stiff label - if you're interested, just read their wikipedia page or their official website.  Or you could check out this BBC documentary.  I'm digging the whole irreverent D.I.Y. vibe here.

I've been introduced to a world of new music and artists (well, new to me, anyway).  After a few listens, I've fallen in love with Rachel Sweet and Kirsty MacColl, two ladies with whom I was only marginally familiar previously.  There's a wide variety of music here, from punk to ska to pop to New Wave to pub rock to reggae to novelty to mod to R&B.  The variety makes for a more interesting top-to-bottom listen, for sure.  Also, the Stiff roster has hosted some of the best band names, including Plummet Airlines, Roogalator, The Realists, Dirty Looks, Theatre of Hate, The Prisoners, The Enemy, The Deviants, The Tranzmitors, and my personal favorite, Eskimo Disco.  A lot of these groups probably only had one good song in them, so a compilation like this is the best way to go.

Overall, a great box set.  Recommended.  I don't have the similar 1992 Rhino compilation, The Stiff Records Box Set, but if you've got it and want to discuss the differences, please leave a comment below. Would I have listened to most of this music in the late '70s?  Probably not, but that doesn't really matter now.  I'm not particularly digging all the newer 2007 stuff at the end of disc 4, but that's a small price to pay for the other 90+ retro tracks.

What I'll do for this box set is list each track (with a link if the track has previously appeared on the blog), let you know if I was previously familiar with the artist (yes, no, or kinda), and whether I like the track (✔) or not (✘). We go:


DISC ONE
25 tracks, 77 minutes 21 seconds
1976-78
ArtistTitle
Familiar?
Like?
Nick LoweHeart Of The CityY
The Pink Fairies Between The LinesN
Roogalator All AboardN
Tyla Gang StyrofoamN
Lew Lewis & His Band Boogie On The StreetN
The Damned New RoseK
Plummet Airlines Silver ShirtN
Motörhead White Line FeverY
The Damned Neat Neat NeatK
Elvis Costello Less Than ZeroY
Devo (I Can't Get No) SatisfactionY
Max Wall England's GloryN
The Adverts One Chord WondersN
Nick Lowe Marie ProvostY
Wreckless Eric Whole Wide WorldK
Ian Dury Sex & Drugs & Rock & RollK
The Damned Problem ChildK
The Yachts Suffice To SayN
Larry Wallis Police CarN
Mick Farren & The Deviants Let's Loot The Supermarket Again Like We Did Last Summer N
Ian Dury & The Blockheads Sweet Gene VincentK
The Damned One Way LoveK
Wreckless Eric Reconnez CherieK
Jane Aire & The Belvederes Yankee WheelsN
Ernie Graham Romeo & The Lonely GirlN


DISC TWO
26 tracks, 77 minutes 18 seconds
1978-80
ArtistTitle
Familiar?
Like?
The Members Solitary ConfinementN
Humphrey Ocean & The Hardy Animals Whoops A DaisyN
The Realists I've Got A HeartN
Jona Lewie The Baby, She's On The StreetN
Lene Lovich I Think We're Alone Now Y
Devo Be Stiff Y
Wreckless Eric Take The Cash (K.A.S.H.) K
Mickey Jupp Old Rock 'n' Roller N
Rachel Sweet B.A.B.Y. K
Lene Lovich Lucky NumberY
The Sports Who Listens To The Radio?N
The Subs Gimme Your Heart N
The Rumour Frozen Years N
Rachel Sweet I Go To PiecesK
Lene Lovich Say WhenY
Madness One Step BeyondY
Kirsty MacColl You Caught Me OutK
Pointed Sticks Out Of Luck N
Dirty Looks Lie To Me N
Jona Lewie You'll Always Find Me In The Kitchen At PartiesN
Any Trouble Yesterday's LoveK
The Plasmatics Butcher BabyY
The Go-Go's We Got The BeatY
Motor Boys Motor Drive FriendlyN
Desmond Dekker Please Don't BendY
Joe "King" Carrasco & The Crowns Buena Y


DISC THREE
23 tracks, 75 minutes 36 seconds
1980-83
ArtistTitle
Familiar?
Like?
Any TroubleGirls Are Always Right K
The Equators Baby Come Back N
Nigel Dixon Thunderbird N
Jona Lewie Stop The Cavalry N
Dave Stewart & Colin Blunstone What Becomes Of The Broken Hearted?K
Tenpole Tudor Swords Of A Thousand Men N
Department S Going Left Right N
Theatre of Hate Do You Believe in The Westworld? N
Tenpole Tudor Wunderbar N
Alvin Stardust Pretend N
Dave Stewart & Barbara Gaskin It's My PartyK
Billy Bremner Loud Music In Cars K
The Dancing Did The Lost PlatoonN
Electric Guitars Language ProblemsN
Brigit Novik & M Danube K
The Belle Stars The Clapping Song Y
Via Vagabond Who Likes Jazz?N
The Belle Stars Sign Of The TimesY
Tracey Ullman BreakawayY
Yello I Love YouY
Eddie 'Tenpole' Tudor The Hayrick SongN
Passion Puppets Like Dust N
Tracey Ullman They Don't KnowY


DISC FOUR
24 tracks, 79 minutes 30 seconds
1983-2007
ArtistTitle
Familiar?
Like?
Kirsty MacCollTerry K
The Inspirational Choir Of The Pentecostal First Born Church Of The Living God Pick Me UpN
Tracey Ullman Move Over DarlingY
The Pogues   Dark Streets Of London Y
Kirsty MacColl A New EnglandK
The Pogues A Pair Of Brown Eyes Y
The Untouchables Free Yourself Y
Makin' Time Here Is My Number N
The Untouchables I Spy (For The FBI) Y
The Pogues Dirty Old Town Y
Ruefrex The Wild Colonial Boy N
Andy White Religious Persuasion N
The Mint Juleps Only Love Can Break Your Heart N
Furniture Brilliant MindN
Dr. Feelgood Don't Wait UpN
Tommy Chase Killer Joe (Right Cross)N
The Prisoners Whenever I'm GoneN
The Pogues feat. The Dubliners The Irish RoverY
The Enemy Dancin' All Night N
Eskimo Disco What Is Woman?N
The Producers Barking Up The Right TreeY
The Tranzmitors Broken HomesN
Any Trouble That SoundK
Ronald Reagan The Wit & Wisdom Of Ronald Reagan (Extract)Y




Blog post #950

1 comment:

  1. Kudos sir for undertaking the labour of lust that is the Big Stiff Box Set . By my math, you only disliked a third of the songs while freely admitting that fully half of the box was new to your ears.

    As someone who has that Stiff Records Box Set sitting on a shelf, here's the rundown:

    Big Stiff Box has 98 songs with 53 exclusives*
    Stiff Records Box has 96 songs with 51 exclusives*

    *songs the other box set doesn't have - both sets just have 45 tracks in common

    Having them both gives you 149 Stiff-erent songs so it just might be worth the effort and expense to seek the older box set out.

    The following is a list of those songs NOT on "your" set that are on "mine":

    Alberto Y Lost Trios Paranoias - Kill
    Any Trouble – Trouble With Love
    Belle Stars, The – Sweet Memory
    Damned, The – Stab Your Back
    Dave Edmunds – Jo Jo Gunne
    Department S – Is Vic There? (French Version)
    Desmond Dekker – Allamana
    Desmond Dekker – Israelites
    Devo – Jocko Homo
    Dirty Looks – Let Go
    Dr. Feelgood – Hunting, Shooting, Fishing
    Elvis Costello – Alison
    Elvis Costello – I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself
    Elvis Costello – Watching The Detectives
    Equators, The – If You Need Me
    Furniture – Shake Like Judy Says
    Graham Parker – Back To The Schooldays
    Graham Parker – Mercury Poisoning (Live)
    Graham Parker – Stupefaction
    Ian Dury – My Old Man
    Ian Dury – Razzle In My Pocket
    Ian Dury – What A Waste
    Ian Dury And The Blockheads – Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick
    Ian Dury And The Blockheads – Inbetweenies
    Jakko – Dangerous Dreams
    Jamie Rae – Pretty One
    Jill Read – Maybe
    John Otway – Green Green Grass Of Home
    Jona Lewie – I'll Get By In Pittsburgh
    King Kurt – Destination Zululand (Humdiddlededumhoowahayha)
    Kirsty MacColl – They Don't Know
    Lew Lewis Reformer – Lucky Seven
    Lew Lewis Reformer – Win Or Lose
    Madness – Baggy Trousers
    Madness – My Girl
    Mickey Jupp – You'll Never Get Me Up In One Of Those
    Nick Lowe – I Love My Label
    Nick Lowe – So It Goes
    Pogues, The – Sally MacLennane
    Pogues, The – The Sick Bed Of Cuchulain
    Pookiesnackenburger – Just One Cornetto
    Rachel Sweet – Who Does Lisa Like?
    Richard Hell – (I Belong To The) Blank Generation
    Roogalator – Cincinatti Fatback
    Rumour, The – Emotional Traffic
    Tenpole Tudor – Three Bells In A Row
    Tenpole Tudor – Throwing My Baby Out With The Bathwater
    Theatre Of Hate – The Hop
    Tracey Ullman – You Broke My Heart In 17 Places
    Untouchables, The – Wild Child
    Wreckless Eric – Semaphore Signals

    43 of the listed 51 are in this Spotify playlist

    Also recommended:
    The STIFF Singles Vols. 1-9

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