various artists - The Groups Of Wrath: Songs Of The Naked City

This one was hanging out on a low shelf, all by its lonesome, when i came across it a few months ago. And the title on the spine gave me doo-wop or jazz noir vibes. So imagine my surprise to discover this was a compilation originally compiled by Marty Thau, owner of Red Star Records and NYC new wave impressiaro. Any look at the emergence of punk and new wave is going to gain my interest; the selections herein grabbed my attention:

• A pair of cuts from the New York Dolls' second LP
• Two Thau-produced Ramones demos from 1975
• The first Blondie single on Private Stock ("X Offender" b/w "In The Sun")
• One of my all-time favorite 45s - Suicide's "Cheree" b/w "I Remember"
• Two contributions each from Bloodless Pharaohs and the Fleshtones, both originally appearing on 1980's "Marty Thau Presents"
• A dynamic duo from Richard Hell & the Voidoids' 1982 LP, "Destiny Street"

There's a good chance that you're like me, and you already own a fair amount of these in their original forms, or as reissues, or part of other compilations. But it's nice to share something like this, with very distinctive curaation, and some Bob Gruen photography on the cover, with someone who hasn't discovered this era yet. I probably would have lost my mind if I had gotten this on cassette in 1991; so many groups I now find influential all gathered in one place, the same year I discovered Sonic Youth and Nirvana and Public Enemy. It's pretty cool to think about, which is why my niece is getting a copy of this in the mail in time for Thanksgiving.

Discogs

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Gang Of Four - Entertainment & Yellow EP

Look, there's no need for me to spill the veritable digital ink over recordings that have been far better lauded than the likes of this humble ape. So let this tiny blog stand as a continuation of my ongoing Infinite Zero posts, a share of something I've owned since it came out in 1995, and a reminder that, even if I lose my job in the next 24 hours (a very possible future), no matter how bad things get, no one can take away the likes of Gang Of Four from me. A stone cold classic, a must own, a reason for continued existence.

Discogs

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Mission Of Burma - Mission Of Burma

My first exposure to Mission Of Burma was via Rhino's "Faster & Louder" series back in 1993, which might as well just serve as my Rosetta Stone for the music I'd obsess over during next three decades. The first volume remains imprinted in my brain; it's the mixtape from the older brother I never had. It's hard to overstate the impact of hearing "Pay To Cum", "Dicks Hate The Police", "Get It Away", and, yes, "That's How I Escaped My Certain Fate" all in the same place. Add in the cover art by Gary Panter, the photos by Ed Colver, Jenny Lens, and Glen Friedman, and suddenly I had a checklist of things to look for when I went to a record store, or when I started exploring modern art.

My second exposure to Mission Of Burma came a couple years later, when I turned up a cherry copy of Ryko's "Mission Of Burma" double LP for some stupidly-low amount of money at one of the numerous record stores that used to dot Fells Point. Maybe I paid $12 for a copy that didn't look like it'd ever been played and still had the obi strip on it. Ryko was still a couple years away from their comprehensive remastering program, and all that Ace of Hearts material from the 80s was out of print, so I snagged this, alongside a copy of "London Calling" and "Q: Are We Not Men?" for less than it'd cost to get a newly-pressed copy today.

There's been a couple rounds of reissues since then; the aforementioned 1997 Rykodisc remastering campaign, and Matador's consolidation of most of the Burma catalog in 2008. Matador has kept those records in print in really nice editions on vinyl, including a really sick copy of "Signals, Calls, And Marches" on orange wax that they released with Newbury a few years back. But this, comprised of their contemporary material released before their 1983 breakup, as well as a pair of live cuts and unreleased cuts, still lives near and dear to my heart. When I saw a seller who I was ordering another record from had it for a few bucks on CD, well, I knew what to do...

Discogs

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Scientist vs. Prince Jammy - Big Showdown

Scientist at Channel One – 1983 (Photo: Beth Lesser)

I don't have a lot to say here that I didn't already mention in my earlier Scientist post. This is Scientist and Prince Jammy, doing dub plates of Barrington Levy tracks, backed by Roots Radics. Pretty standard early 80s reggae excellence, as far as I'm concerned.

What's fun about this release is that the original Jamaican release on Jah Guidance apparently has completely difference music from the overseas releases on Greensleeves and Мирумир. This version comes from the 2015 Мирумир CD reissue, which omits Prince Jammy's credit on the cover. I found it new for $8 at a Half Price Books. How they ended up new copies, I'll never know.

Also worth pointing out: apparently Scientist and Greensleeves had a falling out in the recent past, so all the reissues coming out of the UK have no reference to the all-time great producer. It seems weird to me that the only legit reissue, with proper billing, comes from Russia. But it's a weird, weird world, ladies and germs. I'm just trying to hear some decent dub.

Discogs

Click here to download.