Moving Away from the Pulsebeat: Post Punk Britain 1977-1981
is essentially a companion piece to the magnificent 2017 anthology
To the Outside of Everything
, featuring different tracks by many of the same bands but also digging deeper and further, uncovering other gems from the era. Inevitably, it also covers similar territory as
Cherry Red
's many other in-depth post-punk compilations, particularly the ones focusing on specific scenes and cities. Even if there's some overlap, the label always does a thorough job researching and putting the music into context through extensive liner notes, presenting familiar tracks and cult favorites alongside total obscurities, so that plunging into them gives the listener more of a big-picture perspective of what was happening during the time period. The title comes from a
Buzzcocks
song included in the set, and it's more of a drum-heavy, Krautrock-inspired groove than the pop-punk anthems the band is best known for. Likewise, there's
the Clash
's disco-rap fusion "The Magnificent Seven" and many raw, early tracks by bands that would become much poppier, from
XTC
's manic, ska-influenced "Crowded Room" to
Dead or Alive
's surprisingly gothy debut single "I'm Falling." In a few instances, the compilers went with alternate versions, such as
Bow Wow Wow
's cassette-loving classic "C30 C60 C90 Go!" sung in Spanish, or the live
Heathen Earth
recording of
Throbbing Gristle
's gloriously icky "Something Came Over Me." A few selections are well-known genre staples like
the Cure
's "A Forest" or
Joy Division
's "Disorder," but there are also B-sides like
Siouxsie & the Banshees
' abstract, haunting "Voices" and
Swell Maps
' energetic group chant "Black Velvet." Of the lesser-known highlights, there's the tongue-in-cheek "Everybody's on Revolver Tonight" by
'O' Level
(essentially
Television Personalities
minus
Dan Treacy
) and
the Crazies
' buzzsaw ripper "Strontium" (recorded in 1978 but unreleased until 2021). Several tracks evocatively express angst and alienation, particularly
Art Attacks
' brash rant "Rat City," while
the Fall
's deceptively jaunty "Fiery Jack," in which
Mark E. Smith
repeats "eat this grenade," seems like it might comment on war and the political climate, but is actually about alcohol addiction. Like other
genre deep dives,
Moving Away from the Pulsebeat
is a treasure trove. ~ Paul Simpson