Left Of Dial

One thing I’ve been surprised about is the quality of the CD’s in the Randwick library. From past experience local library’s collections are hopelessly outdated and/or contain Abba compilations and generic ‘Hits of the 50’s’.

I was able to pick up a 4 CD box set called ‘Left Of The Dial’ that was released by Rhino records a few years back. This partial track list reads like one of James’ Rage video compilations

Radio Free Europe - R.E.M.
Going Underground - The Jam
A Forest - The Cure
Holiday in Cambodia - Dead Kennedys
I Will Dare - The Replacements
Hollywood (Africa) - The Red Hot Chili Peppers
Temptation - New Order
Don't Want To Know If You Are Lonely - Husker Du
Cattle And Cane - The Go-Betweens
Freak Scene - Dinosaur Jr.
The Charming Man - The Smiths
Behind The Wall Of Sleep - The Smithereens
Love Will Tear Us Apart - Joy Division
Blister In The Sun - Violent Femmes
Goo Goo Muck - The Cramps
Senses Working Overtime - XTC
Birthday - The Sugarcubes
We Care A Lot - Faith No More
Ana Ng - They Might Be Giants
The Mercy Seat - Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
She Bangs The Drums - The Stone Roses
Monkey Gone To Heaven - Pixies
Uncertain Smile (Original 7 Inch Version) - The The
Running Up That Hill - Kate Bush
Take The Skinheads Bowling - Camper Van Beethoven
Pearly-Dewdrops' Drops - Cocteau Twins
24 Hour Party People - Happy Mondays
A Pair Of Brown Eyes - The Pogues
A New England - Billy Bragg


Anyway, this wasn’t supposed to be a record review. (I've been sworn off record reviews since grade 10 when I typed up the above mentiond James’s review of ‘Under A Blood Red Sky’ and changed all the references to Martin Luther King -MLK to ‘Milk’. Hey Bob Geldof had an argument with Maggie Thatcher about Butter, why couldn’t Bonno sing about Milk?)

While we are reminiscing, ‘The Queen Is Dead’ is 20 years old this month. The current airfreight copy of the NME* has a cover story and a fair chunk if the magazine devoted to it. Box set still on the cards for September.



*available Tuesday