Customer Reviews

Left of the Dial: Dispatches from the '80s Underground

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Every single song on this collection, all 82, are happy memories of a time before "alternative" hadn't been coopted by MTV and a raw spirit of experimentation and musical excitement was possible amid a sea of mainstream radio dross. Inspired choices abound, along with some that are obvious but also essential in a round-up of this era. I'm worried that I'm becoming trapped in my youth for listening to music, but it's so rare for me to hear new music that has this energy and drive.

Complain all you like about Joy Division being represented by "Love Will Tear Us Apart," that song was emblematic of it's time and essential for inclusion here. So are many others.

There will always be nitpickers who don't appreciate what they've got. Sure, there are things I would have included, and anyone familiar with this era can play armchair record producer. But what the producers have done here is such a joy all around that you hope they simply plan to do a Volume 2 to include more of this material.

Oh, and to the confused fellow who somehow believes that the "Left" in the title refers to a political leaning: You really seem so driven by a political motivation that you simply ignore the origin of the title. This is college radio stuff. College radio stations almost always sit in the FM high 80s through low 90s. On the left of your dial. If some of the material on this collection is of a liberal leaning, that's because the right gives them so much to be disgusted by. But the name originates elsewhere.

It's obvious from the long list of reviews that purists will quibble over which tracks from which artists represent their quintessential 80ness. But us ordinary folks, who just want a cross-section of the playlist from the alternate radio station we listened to in the 80s, won't care nearly as much. If you like a particular artist from this selection (and there are 82, so you probably do), you probably have several albums by that band or performer. I know I do.

Where this collection of songs shines -- and it does shine -- is in making you feel like you turned on the radio on a very good day. For every artist whose stuff I own (REM, The Pogues, They Might Be Giants, Kate Bush) there were three who made me say, "Oh wow, I hadn't even thought of that band in ages!" The Jesus & Mary Chain? Husker Du? Wall of Voodoo? In some cases, the tracks reminded me why I was willing to forget them, but that's what you get from any anthology.

Personally, if I had a long car ride coming up, I'll grab this set of four CDs and bring 'em along. I don't think I'd be bored for a moment.

I will probably wind up purchasing this box set because to me it represents a lot of the post-punk era's best work, but it might be too scattered for a lot of people. Great box sets like No Thanks! and Nuggets have unifying musical themes. The closest Left of the Dial has to a theme is that these artists weren't Madonna or Michael Jackson or any of the other zillion-selling money machines of the 80's.

And that's great, but unless you actually like both the Bad Brains and the Cocteau Twins, or Kate Bush and the Cramps, or the Go-Betweens and the Dead Kennedys, this collection might be too artistically unfocused. But if you want to get a good overview of what eventually came to be known as "alternative" because we ran out of other things to call it, there are a lot of classic tracks here that no discriminating record collection should be without. And yes, as one reviewer pointed out, it seems as though there must be a law requiring "Love Will Tear Us Apart" by Joy Division in every box set this side of Pat Boone, but it is just about the greatest song ever written. I'd like to have seen the Fall, Wire and Cabaret Voltaire included and I can't understand how Prefab Sprout wound up surviving the cut, but I admit that's nitpicking. And sticking in artists like the Raincoats and Throbbing Gristle was a good move, they're the types of bands who often get overlooked for these projects.

Now I'm waiting to see a good box set of '78-'80 skinny tie/pointed shoes new wave pop like the Cars/Knack/Vapors/Split Enz, etc.

Oh, and Amazon, the Dead Kennedys' track is "Holiday in Cambodia," not "Holiday in China." Wrong regime.

This is the boxed set for people who watched '120 Minutes' on MTV. The artists had me reliving my college days when none of the music I liked was on the radio. Spending what little money I had on music that no one else listened to (or so I thought).

It has all my favorite artists from that time; Pixies, The Replacements, REM, Jesus & Mary Chain, XTC, Husker Du, Sonic Youth. I think more than anything else, this set has moved me to listen to albums that I haven't heard in years and rediscover their brilliance.

If you are like me you might not be the biggest fan of music collections - but this collection flows really well and rereleases some forgotten greats. The collection brings together a few different genres (or maybe sub-genres) of alternative music from the time it was called "alternative". This is not a collection of those songs that fill 1980's sampler CDs but a collection of artists that were somewhere between experimental and mainstream and are still enjoyable and thouroughly amazing.

One thing that really makes me enjoy this set is the variety. Putting Minor Threat, The Smiths and Ministry (among a host of others) in one set proves that the '80s wasnt abouth synths and hair but a whole lot more. In the post punk madness of the 1980's we see that there is depth and breadth to the non mainstream music scene. The liner notes are great and in some cases the story behind the music outshines the music itself.

If you are looking for a great set of music from the 1980's that that isnt just nostaglic but artistic. This set will make a great gift for others or yourself. It provides hours of music and I was amazed at how many great tracks and bands I overlooked in my neverending quest for good music. If you are exploring great 80's music for the first time this is a perfect way to start. I hope you enjoy this as much as I do and I look forward to possible additional volumes.

Ted Murena

Having been born in mid-1984 and being only five years old when even the most recent of these tracks were released, I never knew most of this music existed. Of course, youth is no excuse for ignorance, and I've always made it a personal priority to seek out great music from before my time, from kitschy lounge sounds and dusty 78rpm relics to the Russian Romantics and honky-tonk troubadours (just so you don't go getting the idea that I'm a music snob, I've sung along to my share of cheesy disco records.)

Older music, especially the rare "underground" stuff, isn't just shoved in front of you, a facet of every popular entertainment medium, bound to get stuck in your head whether you want it there or not. You've got to go LOOKING for it, as if on a hunt for an abandoned relic nobody else can guide you to. In the case of the 1980's, the problem wasn't that I didn't think to seek it out, but that I was under the false delusion that there was really nothing worth seeking. MTV and my local radio stations all lied to me, and many others of my generation. Not a big lie, but enough to shut us off from experiencing some pretty powerful music. We were led to believe the '80s were all about hair metal, pastel-clad yuppies in skinny neckties, and the "Me Generation." Well, the contents of this eye-catching pink box tells an entirely different story, one of boundless creativity, musical innovation, disgust with authority and convention, and unexplored horizons which still haven't been charted by commercial radio or experienced by mainstream audiences. This is the quirky, iconoclastic, progressive, and politically conscious music of the decade that somehow managed to evade notoriety in all but the most "clued in" of music-lovers.

Sheer curiosity grabbed hold of me and forced me to buy this set as a birthday present for my younger sister. As it turned out, I ended up listening to the set far more than she did! Something about the mix of all of these seemingly unrelated styles, artists, and musical approaches struck me like a comet, and I realized just how versatile, inventive, and exciting the music of the 1980's really was, underneath all of the MTV trivialization and spin. From these four discs, I uncovered gems from artists who would soon become my idols, namely The Replacements, The Cure, The Smiths, and the incomparably brilliant Pixies. They changed my life for the very first time on this set, and I shudder to think of who or where I would be without their influence. I know the seasoned experts here decry the set's "obvious" song choices, but I would implore them to reconsider whether or not this is a bad thing. For someone like me who never heard any of these songs before "Left of the Dial," these "obvious" songs have been an absolute revelation.

In closing, if you enjoy this music, have never heard it but want to, or even possess the slightest curiosity about what the "good stuff" must sound like, you owe it to yourself to hear this earth-shattering compilation. Also recommended: Nuggets, Children of Nuggets, and No Thanks! The '70s Punk Rock Rebellion.

Hats off to Rhino Records for continuing an unparalleled tradition of excellence in re-masters and compilations with this deliciously eclectic set. Showcasing an almost encyclopedic catalog of seminal tunes, this box is nothing short of a god-send to an avid music fan. Across four jam-packed discs, the set delves into numerous genres from punk to industrial to brit-rock, and everything in between. There seems to be some discontent among fans about certain album tracks being too obvious, but it seems that Rhino Records possible intentions are to bring this music to the ears of an un-anointed generation.

Being only a toddler when some of this came out the first time around, I'm tickled pink to be discovering some of these artists for the first time and to hear early work from bands with which I am currently familiar. Not to mention being completely floored when I stumbled upon the funky strut of "To Hell with Poverty" by Gang of Four, as well as other tracks that I don't know how I could have survived without (including "Moving to Florida" by the Butthole Surfers which is quite likely the weirdest song I've laid ears upon). Painstakingly thorough and incredibly vast, this is one set a true fan of underground rock cannot afford to be without. Dive in and see for yourself!

I love reading these reviews that say "great but they should've included..." This compiliation introduced me to bands I'd somehow missed, and your reviews are pointing out more great bands I'd missed.

My $0.02 about what's missing: when I was in college (Reed, '82) women were starting to take off their high heels and put on combat boots. "Left of the Dial" should have included more of the women that started the riot grrrl movement. This compilation includes The Raincoats "Fairytale in the Supermarket" (I would've picked "In Love" as their best song) and Siouxsie & the Banshees "Christine." I can see skipping Patti Smith, The Pretenders, Blondie, and Joan Jett as they were commercial successes in the early '80s (although the compilation includes male commericial successes such as REM). IMHO this compilation should have included:

The Slits "Typical Girls"
The Waitresses "I Know What Boys Like"
Barbara Manning (28th Day) "25 Pills"
Bow Wow Wow "Louis Quatorze"
Martha and the Muffins "Echo Beach"
Wendy and the Plasmatics "A Pig Is a Pig"

Two other bands I would've included:

Stiff Little Fingers "Alternative Ulster"
The Specials "It's Up To You"

I just read this on a website about The Slits:

"...are one of the most significant female punk-rock bands of the late '70s. Not only did they bravely (or foolishly, you be the judge) leap into the fray with little, if any, musical ability (on their debut tour with the Clash, Mick Jones used to tune their guitars for them), but through sheer emotion and desire created some great music..."

This is a very comprehensive collection of all the "unheard" classics of 80's alternative/underground music scene. I use "unheard" in quotes because many of the songs were heard on college radio, independent music stations, etc. I was surprised by the inclusion of a few songs ("Message of Love" by Pretenders and "Ways To Be Wicked" by Lone Justice) as I wasn't too sure how "underground" they really were. I'm sure some more mainstream stations played them. But anyway it was really good to hear the Lone Justice song again after so many years. And I was REALLY pleased with the inclusions of "Swamp Thing" by The Chameleons and "When Love Breaks Down" by Prefab Sprout.

All of the complaints about songs that were excluded, I think, can only be remedied by adding another disc or two. Four discs just isn't enough. I would have added songs by Throwing Muses, Shriekback, Comsat Angels and Wire to name a few. But overall, it's a great collection. And the booklet with pictures, notes, essays is worthwhile too.

I bought this box set when it first came out and it still holds a prominent place on my shelf and on my iPod. Broad blanket statements are often useless, but in this case, they apply: This box is the best collection of 80s college rock/alternative rock for your money.

You want Jane's Addiction? Sonic Youth? X? The Replacements? They're here. The Pixies? R.E.M.? Black Flag? Husker Du? You'll get them too.

You'll also get bands that always had a cult following but never broke out in their peak years or in some cases, not at all: Camper Van Beethoven, the Butthole Surfers, Robyn Hitchcock & The Egyptians, the Passions, Cocteau Twins, Bauhaus, Minor Threat, Bad Brains, Happy Mondays.

Plus, classic tunes by The Jam, Dead Kennedys, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Stone Roses, New Order, Depeche Mode, The Cure, and Kate Bush are also included. This set has a variety of styles that is mind-blowing, and it proves once and for all that 80s music did not suck.

While it is true that this box doesn't include Dumptruck, Fugazi, Galaxie 500, Skinny Puppy, Big Black or Cabaret Voltaire...that's nit-picking, and the absence of those artists doesn't really hurt this set, because the quality of the music on the four discs here is so good you won't notice what's missing.

Buy this. Drop the 60 bucks. You won't regret it.