Sounds from the streets .
P. D. Laffey | Hitchin | 03/16/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Rough Trade is a legendary independant record shop based in London that has always been able to supply the clued up record collector with the latest cutting edge singles . The cultural significence of this shop is immense as it has always fanned the flames for new musical directions whether this was punk , or cool Jamaican roots reggae in the seventies , or the cutting edge sounds of today . This 4 cd box set has been released to celebrate 25 years of Rough Trade shops and it certainly does the company justice . Unknown artists sit side by side with musical legends like Pere Ubu , Joy Division , a young Bjork , The Pixies , Lee "Scrath" Perry , and The Smiths ( whose legendary legacy was released on the Rough Trade record label ) . The only thing that links the eclectic music on this collection ( apart from the quality ) is that all the songs were recorded by musical mavericks who were keen to push the sonic envelope back . If you want to hear four hours of exciting , groundbreaking music at a criminally cheap price . START HERE!"
Now that's what I call eclectic!
Rob Hymer | Middlesbrough, People's Republic of Yorkshire | 05/10/2001
(3 out of 5 stars)
"This is interesting - I think it must represent what Rough Trade had on their shelves at some time in the last 25 years (Has it been that long?) An interesting selection, though by know means a great one. Worth the cost of entry is 'Final Day' by Young Marble Giants, which I hadn't heard in 19 years (and it's still splendid)and the Television Personalities 'Part time Punks', neither of which, I'm almost certain, ever appeared on CD before. At the other end of the scale, Einsturzende Neubaten sound characteristically like a group of drunks trying to get home from the pub through a scrapyard, and the female lead of ...And The Native Hipsters has the most annoying voice of any human being in history. (I feel like sueing the group for the four minutes of my life that they claimed from me). For the rest, although there's a lot of filler in there, there should be something that everyone will like. Good luck, Rough Trade, I hope I'm around for the 50th Anniversary compilation. It's just a big pity you had to put the Native Hipsters on there."
A good starting point
Jacob Marshall | Melbourne, Australia | 06/25/2001
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Obviously with a compilation that covers so many musical epochs and genres there is going to be a lot of material you don't like. Indeed there are quite a few of the 56 songs here that I just don't care for, but there are just as many songs on here that I love that have introduced me to some artists that I mightn't have otherwise heard: Spacemen 3, Pere Ubu, Cabaret Voltaire, The Chills etc; this 4 disc set is like meeting someone with a great punk and indie record collection and having them play a whole bunch of stuff for you. Some of it you might have heard before, but there'll always be some songs that passed you by that you'll want to own. Don't be put off by the price either, for four discs of such classic music it's well worth the admission fee."
Track Listings (17) - Disc #1
