Cherry Red Records is one of the best in the business at assembling compilation albums. From song selection to the look, feel and presentation, their themed multiple-CD boxsets never disappoint.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A common bugbear among collectors, however, is that most of their sets are CD-only, with no vinyl options available. I Just Want To Be Myself<\/em> rights that wrong in spectacular fashion; it’s a vinyl-only set featuring 32 tracks over two LPs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It’s a celebration of the birth of the independent labels which appeared in the UK in the wake of the first wave of punk, between 1977-1979.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Taking its name from The Drones<\/strong>‘ song which kicks off side two, it’s a wonderful slice of nostalgia which is sure to find its way into many old punks’ Christmas stockings this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n They’ve bent the rules a little to include The Electric Chairs<\/strong> and Pure Hell<\/strong>; both were from the US but their tracks were recorded and released in the UK. But hey, fuck the rules, this is punk rock, right?<\/p>\n\n\n\n These songs were meant to be listened to on vinyl, and hearing the likes of Angelic Upstarts<\/strong>‘ The Murder Of Liddle Towers<\/em> and UK Subs<\/strong>‘ C.I.D.<\/em> takes me all the way back to my youth, when I bought them on 7in singles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are plenty of big names here, including The Ruts<\/strong> (that bassline on In A Rut<\/em>!), Cockney Rejects<\/strong>, 999<\/strong>, The Adicts<\/strong>, The Fall<\/strong> and The Rezillos<\/em>, to name just a few.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Outcasts<\/strong>‘ Just Another Teenage Rebel<\/em> still sounds fantastic, as does Spizzenergi<\/strong>‘s Where’s Captain Kirk?<\/em>, and Patrik Fitzgerald<\/strong>‘s Safety Pin Stuck in My Heart<\/em> remains an iconic if oft-under-rated song.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But as is generally the case with Cherry Red comps, the real gems are to be found among the lesser-known acts; Puncture<\/strong>, whose Mucky Pup<\/em> would go on to be covered by The Exploited; US afro-punk Pure Hell<\/strong>‘s manic cover of Nancy Sinatra’s These Boots Are Made For Walking<\/em>, which somehow I’d never heard before; and The Rowdies<\/strong>, whose only single A.C.A.B.<\/em> is a very rare and collectable thing indeed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Other artists featured include Eater<\/strong>, The Boys<\/strong>, The Zeros<\/strong>, The Outsiders<\/strong>, Maniacs<\/strong>, ‘O’ Level<\/strong>, The Carpettes<\/strong>, The Wasps<\/strong> and Alternative TV<\/strong>, to name but a few.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At \u00a327.99 for a 2LP set, JWTBM<\/em> is also very reasonably priced – several of the singles featured would cost more than that on their own. I’d love to see Cherry Red issue more of these compilations on vinyl. 9\/10.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n