VARIOUS ARTISTS
''NO THANKS! THE '70S PUNK REBELLION, DISC FOUR''
OCT 28 2003
RHINO
307:12
DISC ONE
1/Blitzkrieg Bop/Ramones
Dee Dee Ramone / Joey Ramone / Johnny Ramone / Tommy Ramone / Ramones/2:12
2/White Riot/The Clash
Mick Jones / Joe Strummer/1:59
3/Heart of the City/Nick Lowe
Nick Lowe/2:03
4/Boredom/Buzzcocks & Howard Devoto
Gary Brooker / Howard Devoto / Matthew Fisher / Keith Reid / Pete Shelley/2:53
5/(I'm) Stranded/The Saints
Chris Bailey / Ed Kuepper/3:33
6/Neat, Neat, Neat/The Damned
Brian James/2:42
7/In the City/The Jam
Paul Weller/2:19
8/Final Solution/Pere Ubu
Craig Bell / Tom Herman / Scott Krauss / Peter Laughner / David Taylor / David Thomas / Tim Wright/5:00
9/Roadrunner/The Modern Lovers
Jonathan Richman/4:06
10/Little Johnny Jewel/Television
Tom Verlaine/7:06
11/One Chord Wonders/The Adverts
TV Smith/2:36
12/Born to Lose/Johnny Thunders & The Heartbreakers
Johnny Thunders/3:02
13/Search and Destroy/Iggy & The Stooges
Iggy Pop / James Williamson/3:29
14/Let Me Dream If I Want To (Amphetamine Blues)/Mink DeVille
Willy DeVille/2:54
15/Oh Bondage Up Yours!/X-Ray Spex/2:50
16/12XU/Wire
Bruce Gilbert / Robert Gotobed / Graham Lewis / Colin Newman / Wire/1:57
17/Blank Generation/Richard Hell & The Voidoids
Richard Hell/2:44
18/(Get A) Grip (On Yourself)/The Stranglers
The Stranglers/4:03
19/Cherry Bomb/The Runaways
Kim Fowley / Joan Jett/2:19
20/Personality Crisis/New York Dolls
David Johansen / Johnny Thunders/3:42
21/Teenage Depression/Eddie & The Hot Rods
Dave Higgs/2:58
22/Two Tub Man/The Dictators
Andy Shernoff/3:33
23/Hey Joe/Patti Smith
Billy Roberts / William Roberts /5:08
24/Your Generation/Generation X
Billy Idol / Tony James/3:17
DISC TWO
1/Lust for Life/Iggy Pop
David Bowie / Iggy Pop/5:13
2/Gary Gilmore's Eyes/The Adverts
TV Smith/2:14
3/Saturday Night in the City of the Dead/Ultravox
John Foxx/2:34
4/What Do I Get?/Buzzcocks
Pete Shelley/2:55
5/X Offender/Blondie
Debbie Harry / Gary Valentine/3:12
6/Lookin' After No. 1/The Boomtown Rats
Bob Geldof/3:10
7/Don't Dictate/Penetration
Gary Chaplin / Pauline Murray/2:55
8/Bingo Masters Breakout/The Fall
Una Baines / Mark E. Smith/2:24
9/Free Money/Patti Smith
Lenny Kaye / Patti Smith/3:51
10/The Modern World/The Jam
Paul Weller/2:32
11/Chinese Rocks/Johnny Thunders & The Heartbreakers
Richard Hell / Jerry Nolan / Dee Dee Ramone / Johnny Thunders/2:55
12/New Rose/The Damned
Brian James/2:43
13/Ambition/Subway Sect
Vic Godard/3:04
14/See No Evil/Television
Tom Verlaine/4:04
15/Suspect Device/Stiff Little Fingers
Stiff Little Fingers / Gordon Ogilvie/2:43
16/Mannequin/Wire
Bruce Gilbert / Robert Gotobed / Graham Lewis / Colin Newman/2:37
17/Baby Baby/The Vibrators
Ian Carnochan/3:42
18/Love Comes in Spurts/Richard Hell & The Voidoids
Richard Hell/2:01
19/First Time/The Boys
Honest John Plain/2:22
20/Sonic Reducer/Dead Boys
Stiv Bators / Johnny Blitz / Cheetah Chrome / Jeff Magnum / David Thomas / Jimmy Zero/ 3:06
21/Shot by Both Sides/Magazine
Howard Devoto / Pete Shelley/4:01
22/Mystery Dance/Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello/1:37
23/Trash/New York Dolls
David Johansen / Sylvain Sylvain/3:09
24/The Day the World Turned Day-Glo/X-Ray Spex
Poly Styrene/2:51
25/Do Anything You Wanna Do/Eddie & The Hot Rods
Graeme Douglas / Ed Hollis/4:04
DISC THREE
1/Ready Steady Go/Generation X
Billy Idol / Tony James/2:58
2/Teenage Kicks/The Undertones
John O'Neill/2:26
3/Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll/Ian Dury
Ian Dury / Chaz Jankel/3:04
4/Ever Fallen in Love?/Buzzcocks
Pete Shelley/2:42
5/Rocket U.S.A./Suicide
Martin Rev / Alan Vega/4:17
6/Mongoloid/Devo
Gerald V. Casale / Robert Casale / Bob Mothersbaugh / Mark Mothersbaugh / Alan Myers/3:34
7/Homicide/999
Nick Cash / Guy Days/3:42
8/Mr. Big/Dils
Chip Kinman / Tony Kinman/1:43
9/Warsaw/Joy Division
Bernard Albrecht / Ian Curtis / Peter Hook / Stephen Morris / Bernard Sumner/2:26
10/Where Were You?/The Mekons
Tom Greenhalgh / Jon Langford/2:43
11/Lexicon Devil/The Germs
Darby Crash/2:05
12/(My Baby Does) Good Sculptures/The Rezillos
John Callis/2:53
13/The Wait/Pretenders
Pete Farndon / Chrissie Hynde/3:11
14/We Got the Neutron Bomb/The Weirdos
John Denney / Cliff Roman/3:00
15/Pablo PicassoThe Modern Lovers
Jonathan Richman/4:22
16/Action Time Vision/Alternative TV
Alex Fergusson / Mark Perry/2:31
17/2-4-6-8 Motorway/Tom Robinson
Tom Robinson/3:18
18/We Are the One/Avengers/2:41
19/Borstal Breakout/Sham 69
Dave Guy Parsons / Jimmy Pursey/2:06
20/Wasted/Black Flag
Greg Ginn / Keith Morris/0:51
21/Sheena Is a Punk Rocker/Ramones
Dee Dee Ramone / Joey Ramone / Johnny Ramone / Tommy Ramone / Ramones/2:48
22/I Love Livin' in the City/Fear
Lee Ving/2:11
23/She's So Modern/The Boomtown Rats
Johnnie Fingers / Bob Geldof/2:58
24/Ghosts of Princes in Towers/The Rich Kids
Glen Matlock / Steve New/3:34
25/We're Desperate/X
Exene Cervenka / John Doe/2:01
26/You Drive Me Ape (You Big Gorilla)/The Dickies
Stan Lee / Chuck Wagon/1:53
27/Dancing the Night Away/Motors
Nick Garvey / Andy McMaster/3:14
DISC FOUR
1/Hong Kong Garden/Siouxsie An The Banshees
John McKay / Kenny Morris / Steven Severin / Siouxsie Sioux/2:56
2/Hanging on the Telephone/Blondie
Jack Lee/2:21
3/Top of the Pops/The Rezillos
John Callis/3:22
4/Adult Books/X
Exene Cervenka / John Doe/3:15
5/The Sound of the Suburbs/Members
Jean-Marie Carroll / Nicky Tesco/3:55
6/California Über Alles/Dead Kennedys
Jello Biafra / John Greenway / Dead Kennedys/3:28
7/Another Girl, Another Planet/The Only Ones
Peter Perrett/3:03
8/(I Want to Be An) Anglepoise Lamp/The Soft Boys
Robyn Hitchcock/3:00
9/Radio, Radio/Elvis Costello & The Attractions
Elvis Costello/3:07
10/Typical Girls/The Slits
Viv Albertine / Tessa Pollitt / Ari Up/3:55
11/Human Fly/The Cramps
Lux Interior / Poison Ivy Rorschach/2:15
12/Psycho Killer/Talking Heads
David Byrne / Chris Frantz / Tina Weymouth/4:20
13/Babylon's Burning/Ruts
Paul Fox / John Jennings / Malcolm Owen / Dave Ruffy/2:32
14/If the Kids Are United/Sham 69
Dave Guy Parsons / Jimmy Pursey/3:48
15/Alternative Ulster/Stiff Little Fingers
Stiff Little Fingers / Gordon Ogilvie/2:44
16/Boys Don't Cry/The Cure
Michael Dempsey / Robert Smith / Laurence Tolhurst / Lol Tolhurst/2:41
17/She Is Beyond Good and Evil/The Pop Group
The Pop Group/3:23
18/Is She Really Going Out With Him?/Joe Jackson
Joe Jackson/3:36
19/Get Over You/The Undertones
John O'Neill/2:43
20/Love Like Anthrax/Gang Of Four
Gang of Four/3:19
21/Peaches/The Stranglers
Andy Dimartino / The Stranglers / Dan Van Vliet/4:07
22/Into the Valley/The Skids
Stuart Adamson / Richard Jobson/3:17
23/You Can't Put Your Arms Round a Memory/Johnny Thunders
Johnny Thunders/3:04
24/Love Will Tear Us Apart/Joy Division
Bernard Albrecht / Ian Curtis / Peter Hook / Stephen Morris / Bernard Sumner/3:25
REVIEW
by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Like all the great rock revolutions, punk was fueled by singles. Sure, there were a lot of tremendous albums, but all the artists that cut great LPs also had great 7"s -- and in the case of Television and Patti Smith, they had independent singles released prior to their first albums that never appeared on their debuts. Since rock criticism tends to be album-driven, singles tend to get slightly overlooked, and since punk is a rock critic's favorite, some revisionist historians paint the era as fueled by albums, not singles. Rhino's excellent four-disc No Thanks! The '70s Punk Rebellion corrects that error by focusing on the singles, winding up with a one-stop introduction and summary of the era that is as good as Loud, Fast & Out of Control, their similar set on early rock & roll. The compilers have bent the rules of punk slightly, deciding to include proto-punkers like New York Dolls, the Stooges, the Dictators, and Jonathan Richman, and then to not present the cuts in a strictly chronological order. This benefits the album, since these artists are in the same spirit of the bands they inspired, and the sequencing plays like a great mixtape. Rhino has also evenly balanced the set between American and British punk, including both early hardcore punkers the Dead Kennedys and British pub rock renegades like Nick Lowe and Ian Dury in equal measure. Though there's a bit of difference between "California Über Alles" and "Heart of the City," they deserve to be paired on this set because they both were genuinely independent, exciting 45s that crackled with energy and captured the spirit of punk, albeit in different ways. And that's what makes No Thanks! work so well -- it illustrates how diverse punk and new wave were in the late '70s, but it places a premium on adventure and excitement, which means even artier bands like Pere Ubu and Suicide come across as pure rock & roll. If there is any flaw to the box, it's that most record collectors will already own the lion's share of these songs -- in fact, if they own Rhino's previous 1993 multi-disc punk retrospective D.I.Y., they'll own no less than 53 of these songs (an additional 14 songs have appeared on other Rhino titles, making for a grand total of 67 of 100 songs already released by Rhino). While this is undoubtedly a problem for some collectors, it is also true that it functions more as an overview for fans that don't already own a bunch of this on CD, and on that level it can't be faulted. True, this may contain no tracks from the Sex Pistols, since John Lydon refused them permission (allegedly because Rhino chose not to release the 2002 Sex Pistols box set in the States), but every other major player is here, and the music here is so good they're not missed at all. Finally, if a collector is wondering whether it's worth the expense to buy this box, there are three rare singles that make their debut here: the aforementioned Television and Patti Smith singles, "Little Johnny Jewel" and "Hey Joe [version]," plus an early single version of the Pretenders' "The Wait." (Note: "Little Johnny Jewel" was released nearly simultaneously on an expanded reissue of Television's Marquee Moon.) For those that can afford it, that's reason enough to pick up the set.
''NO THANKS! THE '70S PUNK REBELLION, DISC FOUR''
OCT 28 2003
RHINO
307:12
DISC ONE
1/Blitzkrieg Bop/Ramones
Dee Dee Ramone / Joey Ramone / Johnny Ramone / Tommy Ramone / Ramones/2:12
2/White Riot/The Clash
Mick Jones / Joe Strummer/1:59
3/Heart of the City/Nick Lowe
Nick Lowe/2:03
4/Boredom/Buzzcocks & Howard Devoto
Gary Brooker / Howard Devoto / Matthew Fisher / Keith Reid / Pete Shelley/2:53
5/(I'm) Stranded/The Saints
Chris Bailey / Ed Kuepper/3:33
6/Neat, Neat, Neat/The Damned
Brian James/2:42
7/In the City/The Jam
Paul Weller/2:19
8/Final Solution/Pere Ubu
Craig Bell / Tom Herman / Scott Krauss / Peter Laughner / David Taylor / David Thomas / Tim Wright/5:00
9/Roadrunner/The Modern Lovers
Jonathan Richman/4:06
10/Little Johnny Jewel/Television
Tom Verlaine/7:06
11/One Chord Wonders/The Adverts
TV Smith/2:36
12/Born to Lose/Johnny Thunders & The Heartbreakers
Johnny Thunders/3:02
13/Search and Destroy/Iggy & The Stooges
Iggy Pop / James Williamson/3:29
14/Let Me Dream If I Want To (Amphetamine Blues)/Mink DeVille
Willy DeVille/2:54
15/Oh Bondage Up Yours!/X-Ray Spex/2:50
16/12XU/Wire
Bruce Gilbert / Robert Gotobed / Graham Lewis / Colin Newman / Wire/1:57
17/Blank Generation/Richard Hell & The Voidoids
Richard Hell/2:44
18/(Get A) Grip (On Yourself)/The Stranglers
The Stranglers/4:03
19/Cherry Bomb/The Runaways
Kim Fowley / Joan Jett/2:19
20/Personality Crisis/New York Dolls
David Johansen / Johnny Thunders/3:42
21/Teenage Depression/Eddie & The Hot Rods
Dave Higgs/2:58
22/Two Tub Man/The Dictators
Andy Shernoff/3:33
23/Hey Joe/Patti Smith
Billy Roberts / William Roberts /5:08
24/Your Generation/Generation X
Billy Idol / Tony James/3:17
DISC TWO
1/Lust for Life/Iggy Pop
David Bowie / Iggy Pop/5:13
2/Gary Gilmore's Eyes/The Adverts
TV Smith/2:14
3/Saturday Night in the City of the Dead/Ultravox
John Foxx/2:34
4/What Do I Get?/Buzzcocks
Pete Shelley/2:55
5/X Offender/Blondie
Debbie Harry / Gary Valentine/3:12
6/Lookin' After No. 1/The Boomtown Rats
Bob Geldof/3:10
7/Don't Dictate/Penetration
Gary Chaplin / Pauline Murray/2:55
8/Bingo Masters Breakout/The Fall
Una Baines / Mark E. Smith/2:24
9/Free Money/Patti Smith
Lenny Kaye / Patti Smith/3:51
10/The Modern World/The Jam
Paul Weller/2:32
11/Chinese Rocks/Johnny Thunders & The Heartbreakers
Richard Hell / Jerry Nolan / Dee Dee Ramone / Johnny Thunders/2:55
12/New Rose/The Damned
Brian James/2:43
13/Ambition/Subway Sect
Vic Godard/3:04
14/See No Evil/Television
Tom Verlaine/4:04
15/Suspect Device/Stiff Little Fingers
Stiff Little Fingers / Gordon Ogilvie/2:43
16/Mannequin/Wire
Bruce Gilbert / Robert Gotobed / Graham Lewis / Colin Newman/2:37
17/Baby Baby/The Vibrators
Ian Carnochan/3:42
18/Love Comes in Spurts/Richard Hell & The Voidoids
Richard Hell/2:01
19/First Time/The Boys
Honest John Plain/2:22
20/Sonic Reducer/Dead Boys
Stiv Bators / Johnny Blitz / Cheetah Chrome / Jeff Magnum / David Thomas / Jimmy Zero/ 3:06
21/Shot by Both Sides/Magazine
Howard Devoto / Pete Shelley/4:01
22/Mystery Dance/Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello/1:37
23/Trash/New York Dolls
David Johansen / Sylvain Sylvain/3:09
24/The Day the World Turned Day-Glo/X-Ray Spex
Poly Styrene/2:51
25/Do Anything You Wanna Do/Eddie & The Hot Rods
Graeme Douglas / Ed Hollis/4:04
DISC THREE
1/Ready Steady Go/Generation X
Billy Idol / Tony James/2:58
2/Teenage Kicks/The Undertones
John O'Neill/2:26
3/Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll/Ian Dury
Ian Dury / Chaz Jankel/3:04
4/Ever Fallen in Love?/Buzzcocks
Pete Shelley/2:42
5/Rocket U.S.A./Suicide
Martin Rev / Alan Vega/4:17
6/Mongoloid/Devo
Gerald V. Casale / Robert Casale / Bob Mothersbaugh / Mark Mothersbaugh / Alan Myers/3:34
7/Homicide/999
Nick Cash / Guy Days/3:42
8/Mr. Big/Dils
Chip Kinman / Tony Kinman/1:43
9/Warsaw/Joy Division
Bernard Albrecht / Ian Curtis / Peter Hook / Stephen Morris / Bernard Sumner/2:26
10/Where Were You?/The Mekons
Tom Greenhalgh / Jon Langford/2:43
11/Lexicon Devil/The Germs
Darby Crash/2:05
12/(My Baby Does) Good Sculptures/The Rezillos
John Callis/2:53
13/The Wait/Pretenders
Pete Farndon / Chrissie Hynde/3:11
14/We Got the Neutron Bomb/The Weirdos
John Denney / Cliff Roman/3:00
15/Pablo PicassoThe Modern Lovers
Jonathan Richman/4:22
16/Action Time Vision/Alternative TV
Alex Fergusson / Mark Perry/2:31
17/2-4-6-8 Motorway/Tom Robinson
Tom Robinson/3:18
18/We Are the One/Avengers/2:41
19/Borstal Breakout/Sham 69
Dave Guy Parsons / Jimmy Pursey/2:06
20/Wasted/Black Flag
Greg Ginn / Keith Morris/0:51
21/Sheena Is a Punk Rocker/Ramones
Dee Dee Ramone / Joey Ramone / Johnny Ramone / Tommy Ramone / Ramones/2:48
22/I Love Livin' in the City/Fear
Lee Ving/2:11
23/She's So Modern/The Boomtown Rats
Johnnie Fingers / Bob Geldof/2:58
24/Ghosts of Princes in Towers/The Rich Kids
Glen Matlock / Steve New/3:34
25/We're Desperate/X
Exene Cervenka / John Doe/2:01
26/You Drive Me Ape (You Big Gorilla)/The Dickies
Stan Lee / Chuck Wagon/1:53
27/Dancing the Night Away/Motors
Nick Garvey / Andy McMaster/3:14
DISC FOUR
1/Hong Kong Garden/Siouxsie An The Banshees
John McKay / Kenny Morris / Steven Severin / Siouxsie Sioux/2:56
2/Hanging on the Telephone/Blondie
Jack Lee/2:21
3/Top of the Pops/The Rezillos
John Callis/3:22
4/Adult Books/X
Exene Cervenka / John Doe/3:15
5/The Sound of the Suburbs/Members
Jean-Marie Carroll / Nicky Tesco/3:55
6/California Über Alles/Dead Kennedys
Jello Biafra / John Greenway / Dead Kennedys/3:28
7/Another Girl, Another Planet/The Only Ones
Peter Perrett/3:03
8/(I Want to Be An) Anglepoise Lamp/The Soft Boys
Robyn Hitchcock/3:00
9/Radio, Radio/Elvis Costello & The Attractions
Elvis Costello/3:07
10/Typical Girls/The Slits
Viv Albertine / Tessa Pollitt / Ari Up/3:55
11/Human Fly/The Cramps
Lux Interior / Poison Ivy Rorschach/2:15
12/Psycho Killer/Talking Heads
David Byrne / Chris Frantz / Tina Weymouth/4:20
13/Babylon's Burning/Ruts
Paul Fox / John Jennings / Malcolm Owen / Dave Ruffy/2:32
14/If the Kids Are United/Sham 69
Dave Guy Parsons / Jimmy Pursey/3:48
15/Alternative Ulster/Stiff Little Fingers
Stiff Little Fingers / Gordon Ogilvie/2:44
16/Boys Don't Cry/The Cure
Michael Dempsey / Robert Smith / Laurence Tolhurst / Lol Tolhurst/2:41
17/She Is Beyond Good and Evil/The Pop Group
The Pop Group/3:23
18/Is She Really Going Out With Him?/Joe Jackson
Joe Jackson/3:36
19/Get Over You/The Undertones
John O'Neill/2:43
20/Love Like Anthrax/Gang Of Four
Gang of Four/3:19
21/Peaches/The Stranglers
Andy Dimartino / The Stranglers / Dan Van Vliet/4:07
22/Into the Valley/The Skids
Stuart Adamson / Richard Jobson/3:17
23/You Can't Put Your Arms Round a Memory/Johnny Thunders
Johnny Thunders/3:04
24/Love Will Tear Us Apart/Joy Division
Bernard Albrecht / Ian Curtis / Peter Hook / Stephen Morris / Bernard Sumner/3:25
REVIEW
by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Like all the great rock revolutions, punk was fueled by singles. Sure, there were a lot of tremendous albums, but all the artists that cut great LPs also had great 7"s -- and in the case of Television and Patti Smith, they had independent singles released prior to their first albums that never appeared on their debuts. Since rock criticism tends to be album-driven, singles tend to get slightly overlooked, and since punk is a rock critic's favorite, some revisionist historians paint the era as fueled by albums, not singles. Rhino's excellent four-disc No Thanks! The '70s Punk Rebellion corrects that error by focusing on the singles, winding up with a one-stop introduction and summary of the era that is as good as Loud, Fast & Out of Control, their similar set on early rock & roll. The compilers have bent the rules of punk slightly, deciding to include proto-punkers like New York Dolls, the Stooges, the Dictators, and Jonathan Richman, and then to not present the cuts in a strictly chronological order. This benefits the album, since these artists are in the same spirit of the bands they inspired, and the sequencing plays like a great mixtape. Rhino has also evenly balanced the set between American and British punk, including both early hardcore punkers the Dead Kennedys and British pub rock renegades like Nick Lowe and Ian Dury in equal measure. Though there's a bit of difference between "California Über Alles" and "Heart of the City," they deserve to be paired on this set because they both were genuinely independent, exciting 45s that crackled with energy and captured the spirit of punk, albeit in different ways. And that's what makes No Thanks! work so well -- it illustrates how diverse punk and new wave were in the late '70s, but it places a premium on adventure and excitement, which means even artier bands like Pere Ubu and Suicide come across as pure rock & roll. If there is any flaw to the box, it's that most record collectors will already own the lion's share of these songs -- in fact, if they own Rhino's previous 1993 multi-disc punk retrospective D.I.Y., they'll own no less than 53 of these songs (an additional 14 songs have appeared on other Rhino titles, making for a grand total of 67 of 100 songs already released by Rhino). While this is undoubtedly a problem for some collectors, it is also true that it functions more as an overview for fans that don't already own a bunch of this on CD, and on that level it can't be faulted. True, this may contain no tracks from the Sex Pistols, since John Lydon refused them permission (allegedly because Rhino chose not to release the 2002 Sex Pistols box set in the States), but every other major player is here, and the music here is so good they're not missed at all. Finally, if a collector is wondering whether it's worth the expense to buy this box, there are three rare singles that make their debut here: the aforementioned Television and Patti Smith singles, "Little Johnny Jewel" and "Hey Joe [version]," plus an early single version of the Pretenders' "The Wait." (Note: "Little Johnny Jewel" was released nearly simultaneously on an expanded reissue of Television's Marquee Moon.) For those that can afford it, that's reason enough to pick up the set.
