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The second posted mix from the ‘1981′ box set, the ‘Convertible’ compilation showcases a side of the post-punk sound that usually gets the least attention: its poppy, melody-oriented, hummable, playful persona. Some of this gets lumped under “New Wave,” but for many that term connotes a synth-based sound that ascended later in the decade. The sounds on this mix in some ways reflect a more traditional, sometimes even pre-psychedelic, singer-songwriter-oriented “pre-punk” or “un -punk” approach to songwriting. Some of it foreshadows the late-80s rise of “indie rock” as an ‘antidote’ to excessive perceived synthetic-glam, but in 1981 there’s not much of the anti-artrockist twee feeling of 80s indie. This is simply catchy pop music, a continuation of a long tradition, with a feeling that is nevertheless uniquely informed by the heady musical freedom in the underground of the era.
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I put ‘Convertible’ together as further evidence that post-punk was fun, for those under the looming cultural shadow of Joy Division and the other dark-side mopers. The music found here isn’t nearly as “cool” as a lot of the other stuff on the ’81 set, but it simply doesn’t need to be: it’s just right the way it is, simple, well-crafted, cleanly produced. As usual, there are big names (Costello, REM, Go-Go’s, TheRamones, Pretenders) and less so (Go Betweens, Pylon, The Suburbs, The Stranglers, and the Necessaries, featuring Arthur Russell, transitional Scritti Politti, pre -Everything But the Girl Marine Girls), but to my ears again the remarkable thing is the parity, the consistently high quality of the era’s broad zeitgeist, between those who received lots of attention at the time or went on to become mainstream acts, and those who never came close (or never wanted to). More information about the ‘1981’ box set in general (as well as the first mix in the series posted toMusicophilia) can be found here. Keep your eyes open for more mixes from the ‘1981’ set in upcoming weeks, including synthy goodness, weirdo careening, and the very height of 1981 “cool”. Full tracklist and download link after the “more…”.
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1 9 8 1 | Convertible
01 Young Marble Giants – Final Day (1981) [1:43]
02 Orange Juice – Poor Old Soul (1981) [2:29]
03 Martha & The Muffins – This Is the Ice Age (1981) [4:06]
04 Altered Images – Happy Birthday (1981) [3:01]
05 The Church- Too Fast For You (1981) [3:33]
06 Scritti Politti – The Sweetest Girl (1981) [4:09]
07 Romeo Void – Myself To Myself (1981) [3:46]
08 Barracudas – Don’t Let Go (1981) [3:28]
09 The dB’s- Black and White (1981) [3:09]
10 Go-Go’s – Our Lips Are Sealed (1981) [2:45]
11 Magazine – The Honeymoon Killers (1981) [3:39]
12 Suburbs – Spring Came (1981) [3:18]
13 Marine Girls – Tonight (1981) [1:22]
14 Pretenders – Message of Love (1981) [3:07]
15 Necessaries – More Real (1981) [2:48]
16 The Teardrop Explodes – Falling Down Around Me (1981) [3:08]
17 Squeeze – Is That Love (1981) [2:31]
18 The Go Betweens – Your Turn, My Turn (1981) [3:03]
19 Robyn Hitchcock – Love (1981) [4:34]
20 The Stranglers – Golden Brown (1981) [3:28]
21 The Ramones – It’s Not My Place (1981) [3:23]
22 XTC – Respectable Street (1981) [3:40]
23 Pylon – Crazy (1981) [3:13]
24 Elvis Costello – Strict Time (1981) [2:42]
25 REM – Radio Free Europe (1981) [3:49][Total Time: 79:50]
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