V.A. They Shall Not Pass (1981-1982)

Another eighties manifesto from the British musical left, this time in support of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament. With just The Mekons crossing-over from Dig: A Tribute to the Great Strike (see HERE), this album shows the depth of talent that was willing to stand up to the British state under Thatcher.













Let us know what you think of this defiant document in the COMMENTS section!


Read more on the Redskins HERE!

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Dig This: A Tribute to the Great Strike (1985)

While the death of British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher earlier this year elicited a flurry of angry words, it also caused a lot of singing. There was even a brief chart war between "Ding Dong the Witch is Dead" from The Wizard of Oz and The Not Sensibles "I'm in Love With Margaret Thatcher" (with the level of musical animosity aimed at Maggie, apparently her proponents felt a humorously anti-Thatcher song would be their best shot at a rallying cry!) As for the radio in my head, it put The English Beat's "Stand Down Margaret" on heavy rotation. In the end, it's conceivable that the wealth of musical agitprop that the Iron Lady inspired may be her greatest legacy. Dig This: A Tribute to the Great Strike (Forward Sounds International) was a benefit album to support the Miners Solidarity Fund during the bitter miners' strike of 1984-1985. The album (good piece on it here) features a head-spinning stylistic variety; the driving folk-punk of The Men They Couldn't Hang, the twisted art-country of the Mekons, the loping reggae-punk of Omega Tribe, the frightening anglo-synth rap of Akimbo, the accusatory goth-rock of Leningrad Sandwich, the fierce noise-punk of The Ex, the anarcho-weirdness of The Posion Girls, the hard-to-classify Steve Lake and, of course, the only band on earth who can be described as both Crass' heirs and one-hit wonders, Chumabawamaba.







Tracklist

A1     Poison girls –     Cry        
A2     Poison girls –     Voodoo Pappadollar        
A3     Mekons –     Flitcraft        
A4     Mekons –     Trouble Down South        
A5     Men They Couldn't Hang –     Jack Dandy        
A6     Men They Couldn't Hang –     Rawhide
    
B1     Akimbo –     The Rap        
B2     Steve Lake –     Turn Out The Lights        
B3     Leningrad Sandwich –     We Will Rise        
B4     The Ex –     We've Got Everything We Never Wanted        
B5     Omega Tribe –     Young John        
B6     Chumbawamba –     The Police Have Been Wonderful        

Side I: Live at Southbank Poly
Side II: Studio Recordings





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'Til Things Are Brighter: A Tribute To Johnny Cash (1988)

 

Y'know, I'd like to offer you context about my re-up of this proto-alt-country collection of Johnny Cash covers done at his career's nadir by a bunch of British post-punkers like Mark Riley of The Fall, Jon Langford of the Mekons (who together were the executive producers), Pete Shelley of The Buzzcocks, Mary Mary of Gaye Bykers on Acid, Mark Almond of Soft Cell et al but Graeme Thompson over at The Guardian did it so well right HERE.





To learn about twenty-three covers that prove that Johnny Cash always kept in touch with the underside of culture, please go read (and listen to) THIS POST, of which I take great pride in.





 Tracklist

1     Michelle Shocked –  One Piece At A Time  3:38    
2     Stephen Mallinder –  I Walk The Line   2:11    
3     Steve Mack –  Rosanna's Goin' Wild  1:55    
4     Sally Timms –  Cry, Cry, Cry   3:01    
5     David McComb –  Country Boy  1:48    
6     Marc Riley –  Wanted Man   2:42    
7     Pete Shelley –  Straight 'A's In Love   1:45    
8     Cathal Coughlan – Ring Of Fire   2:25    
9     Tracey + Melissa Beehive –  5 Feet High And Risin'  1:39   
10    Brendan Croker –     Home Of The Blues     2:33    
11    Mary Mary  –     Boy Named Sue   3:32    
12    Mekons –     Folsom Prison Blues   3:19    
13    Marc Almond –     Man In Black   3:08

Note: Sure Michelle Shocked is going through a bad patch right now (were it not ever so?) but that doesn't reflect on the quality of this record in the slightest.

What do you make of this early attempt to restore some lost cool to Johnny Cash's reputation? Leave us a COMMENT to let us know what you think.