Album Review: Various Artists: Manchester North Of England: A Story Of Independent Music Greater Manchester 1977-1993


Compiled by the team behind other Cherry Red box sets (Scared To Get Happy, Still In A Dream, Millions Like Us, Action Time Vision, etc.), this 7 CD box set  tells the story of how indie music exploded in Manchester after the rush of Punk and the seminal release of the Buzzcocks’ Spiral Scratch EP.

There has long been arguments among the music elite of the most productive breakthrough English cities for independent music, London, Liverpool, and of course Manchester, one never settled, but there is no doubt in my mind that Manchester was and still remains probably the best of the big three.

Covering a 16 year span in the cities music window this new compilation gives us class acts , the more obscure, punk, reggae, avant garde, hip hop and dance tracks from the period.

CD1 takes us on a ride of early punk/post punk Manchester, Slaughter and the Dogs, The Nosebleeds, Jilted John, and some classics,The Light Pours Out Of Me by Magazine and She`s Lost Control by Joy Division.

Post punk and experimental, appear in CD 2, The Falls Roche Rumble, A Certain Ratio, and Durutti Column , with a few gems, In Shreds by The Chameleons and Deaf by Crispy Ambulance.

New Order take their bow on CD3, along with The Membranes, Section 25 and the Inca babies.

This set is expansive, there`s a lot of bands I had forgotten, and or didn’t even realise came from Manchester, and the more you play through the more appear, The Bodines, Miaow, Easterhouse, Man From Delmonte, Dub Sex and the Train Set.

Of course lets not forget and also featured on the set are tracks from some of the bigger hitter`s  James, Morrissey, The Stone Roses, Electronic, The Happy Mondays, 808  State and the Chemical Brothers.

This box set is presented in conjunction with MDMA, (Manchester District Music Archive) and is set for release this July.

I`ve really enjoyed listening to this, and let`s hope there is a Liverpool version, but for now Manchester doesn’t need to answer for anything.. it`s all said here..

9/10

Leggy Mountbatten

Track Listing

CD ONE:
1. BREAKDOWN (Demo) – Buzzcocks
2. CRANKED UP REALLY HIGH – Slaughter And The Dogs
3. AIN’T BIN TO NO MUSIC SCHOOL – The Nosebleeds
4. JUST WANT TO BE MYSELF (LP Version) – The Drones
5. PSYCLE SLUTS Pts. 1 & 2 – John Cooper Clarke
6. GOING STEADY – Jilted John
7. LOUIE LOUIE (Edit) – John The Postman
8. HEADS DOWN NO NONSENSE MINDLESS BOOGIE – Albertos Y Lost Trios Paranoias
9. THE LIGHT POURS OUT OF ME – Magazine
10. THE KILL – Spherical Objects
11. UP AND ABOUT – Steve Miro
12. MAN IN THE BOX – V2
13. MAYBE IT’S LOVE – The Distractions
14. STAY AWAKE – Grow-Up
15. VOICE IN THE DARK – Frantic Elevators
16. SHE’S LOST CONTROL – Joy Division
17. BAISER – Chris Sievey
18. TO YOU – The Smirks
19. MANCHESTER BOYS – Salford Jets
20. SNAP IT AROUND – 48 Chairs
21. DOWNPOUR – Foreign Press
22. WARREN ROW – She Cracked
23. ENGLISH BLACK BOYS (Edit) – X-O-Dus
24. DEM A SUS (IN THE MOSS) – Harlem Spirit

CD TWO:
1. ROWCHE RUMBLE – The Fall
2. THE KIDS JUST WANNA DANCE – Fast Cars
3. DOES IT MATTER IRENE? – The Mothmen
4. YESTERDAY’S LOVE – Any Trouble
5. BIG NOISE IN THE JUNGLE – The Tiller Boys
6. NO FORGETTING – Manchester Mekon
7. FAITH – Manicured Noise
8. EDWARD FOX – Smack
9. SOME LIKE IT HOT – Bet Lynch’s Legs
10. LIPS THAT WOULD KISS (FORM PRAYERS TO BROKEN STONE) – Durutti Column
11. THE FLOOD – Blue Orchids
12. I’M IN LOVE WITH THE GIRL ON THE MANCHESTER VIRGIN MEGASTORE CHECKOUT DESK – The Freshies
13. CLOUD OF FLIES – The Hamsters
14. ACID TABLA DUB – Suns Of Arqa
15. THE FOX – A Certain Ratio
16. DEAF – Crispy Ambulance
17. MY CHERRY IS IN SHERRY – Ludus
18. BRICKS – The Diagram Bros.
19. SUBLIMINAL – Eric Random
20. VALIUM GIRLS – Bee Vamp
21. IN SHREDS – The Chameleons

CD THREE:
1. TEMPTATION (7” Version) – New Order
2. MARKING TIME – Syncopation
3. ROSEMARY – Dislocation Dance
4. SUGAR DADDY – Carmel
5. YOU’VE GOT ME BEAT – Swamp Children
6. DISCIPLINE – Gods Gift
7. PROCESSION – Nico & The Invisible Girls
8. COOL AS ICE (U.S. 7” Edit) – 52nd Street
9. SHARP TONGUE – The Passage
10. AAIR CARE – Biting Tongues
11. OF ALL – LEAVES WERE FALLING – Jane
12. WORKING AND SHOPPING – Tools You Can Trust
13. LOVE TEMPO (Benelux Edit) – Quando Quango
14. GRUNT CADILLAC HOTEL – Inca Babies
15. REACH FOR LOVE – Marcel King
16. LOOKING FROM A HILLTOP – Section 25
17. TELL ME – Life
18. ALL AT ONCE – Stockholm Monsters
19. SPIKE MILLIGAN’S TAPE RECORDER – The Membranes
20. KITCHEN SINK DRAMA – A Witness
21. LOVE AT THE HACIENDA – Graham Fellows

CD FOUR:
1. CHAIN MAIL – James
2. BELLE VUE – Miaow
3. WHISTLING IN THE DARK – Easterhouse
4. SCAR TISSUE – The Bodines
5. WHY POPSTARS CAN’T DANCE – Big Flame
6. CHINA DOLL – The Weeds
7. GET HIGH – Yargo
8. SHARP – Twang
9. ME AND MY MINI – Edward Barton
10. D’YOU THINK I LOOK LIKE ELVIS PRESLEY? – Big Ed & His Rocking Rattlesnakes
11. GARAGE FULL OF FLOWERS (Flexi Version) – Inspiral Carpets
12. DAYS OF THE WEEK – The Danny Boys
13. LET GO – Thirst
14. DRIVE DRIVE DRIVE (TWENTY TWO AND STILL IN LOVE WITH YOU) – The Man From Delmonte
15. FALLING UPSTAIRS – The Monkey Run
16. SPEND MY WHOLE LIFE LOVING YOU – Metro Trinity
17. TAKE ME DOWN – Mirrors Over Kiev
18. THIS IS HOW I FEEL – The Paperboys
19. A PECK ON THE CHEEK À LA POLITIQUÉ – The Great Leap Forward
20. KILL ALL THE BOYS – Tot
21. MEAT MOUTH IS MURDER – Meat Mouth
22. CARIÑO – T-Coy

CD FIVE:
1. 24 HOUR PARTY PEOPLE – Happy Mondays
2. MAN IN A SUIT – Ambitious Beggars
3. SKIN STORM – Bradford
4. TIME TO LOSE IT (John Peel Radio Session Version) – Laugh
5. HURRY ON DOWN (WHEN WILL I SEE YOU AGAIN) – Too Much Texas
6. PESSIMISTIC MAN – Fallover 24
7. THE DEEPEST – The Waltones
8. NICE TIME AT THE DISCO – Raintree Country
9. SUBWAY LIFE – Johnny Dangerously
10. IN SALFORD THE SUN DOESN’T SHINE – Jean Go Solo
11. PASSION IN THE AFTERNOON – The Desert Wolves
12. THE LAST OF THE FAMOUS INTERNATIONAL PLAYBOYS – Morrissey
13. FANCIABLE HEADCASE – King Of The Slums
14. C’EST LA VIE – The Sun And The Moon
15. CHORUS OF THE LOST – The Reegs
16. THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN ARM – Barry Adamson
17. OOH! THIS FEELING – The Jazz Defektors
18. ALL THIS AND HEAVEN TOO (Radio Edit) – Chapter And The Verse
19. VOODOO RAY – A Guy Called Gerald
20. BORN IN THE NORTH – Us

CD SIX:
1. WHAT THE WORLD IS WAITING FOR – The Stone Roses
2. VEIN – What? Noise
3. SWERVE – Dub Sex
4. HOLD ON – The Train Set
5. WATERSKIN – The Jerks
6. AND THEN SHE SMILES – The Mock Turtles
7. 7 REASONS (Demo) – Revenge
8. GETTING AWAY WITH IT – Electronic
9. HOW SLEEP THE BRAVE (Jazz Mix Vocal Edit) – MC Buzz B
10. THE ONLY RHYME THAT BITES – MC Tunes vs 808 State
11. BIG – New Fast Automatic Daffodils
12. SHALL WE TAKE A TRIP – Northside
13. GET READY – The Rainkings
14. PERFUME – Paris Angels
15. BOX SET GO – The High
16. 18 DAZE – The Cygnet Ring
17. DAZED – Asia Fields
18. AND IT WASN’T A DREAM – Ruthless Rap Assassins
19. COMING THROUGH CLEAR – Krispy 3
20. LET OFF (7” Mix) – Kiss AMC featuring Ruthless Rap Assassins

CD SEVEN:
1. SPROSTON GREEN – The Charlatans
2. GIANT SEA – Swirl
3. SONS OF THE STAGE – World Of Twist
4. DREAM BEAM (7″ Edit By Ben Chapman) – Hypnotone
5. CUBIK (Original Mix) – 808 State
6. SPACE FACE – Sub Sub
7. CAMPER VAN – The Adventure Babies
8. FLY – The Days
9. MURDER – Kill Laura
10. CATERPILLARS – Wonky Alice
11. SOUP – Robinson
12. LIONROCK – Lionrock
13. SONG TO THE SIREN – The Chemical Brothers
14. CAN YOU FLY LIKE YOU MEAN IT (GUNGADIN) – Intastella feat. Shaun Ryder
15. OFFSHORE – Puressence
16. DIRT AND SOUL – Bandit Queen
17. BARNY – Molly Half Head
18. COLUMBIA (Demo)- Oasis

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