Section 25 From The Hip

Master the Art of Denim Tailoring and Design to Craft Your Dream Jacket

Never feel left out of a Musical Discussion again! Broaden your Music History knowledge with our Curated Playlists.

The drum path from Zero to Advanced

You can become an expert at selecting the right size for you in any sewing pattern!

Continuing his long-running and highly respected series for Ace, spanning year by year since the germination of his 1966 volume for both Ace and Faber Books, Jon Savage serves us up another of his spectacular insights into popular culture, this time for the years 1983 to 1985. Born out of the ashes of post-punk, there were plenty of experimental singles during the early part of this period: Siouxsie’s ‘Swimming Horses’, Shriekback’s ‘Lined Up’, Soft Cell’s ‘Heat’, Echo & The Bunnymen’s ‘Gods Will Be Gods’, and the Smiths’ ‘Girl Afraid’ – a perfect kitchen sink scenario. Pete Shelley and Scritti Politti went the electronic route to great effect, while the Special AKA delivered the perfect riposte to ‘Hard Times’ (all those ripped jeans) and having fun on the dole with the under-appreciated ‘Bright Lights’.

Live is a 1998 bootleg CD-R by Philadelphia rap group The Roots, who are now the house and on The Tonight Show. The recordings come from different sources, including vinyl white pressings of their songs from live recordings or radio shows, most of which have never been officially released. This was sold at charity shops and flea markets on the east coast of America.

Over the last few months, I’ve been reviewing just a few of the Backbeats series of compilations released by Harmless since 2009. This is a comprehensive overview of various genres of music that numbers everything from Deep Soul, Eighties Garage and Northern Soul to Philly Soul, Disco and House music. One of my favorites of the thirty compilations that Backbeats, a subsidiary of Harmless have released is The Big Apple Bites Back-New York House and Remix Culture, released in July 2010. This is compilation that contains a combination of Salsoul and house music, many of which are remixed by various DJs. Among the DJs remixing tracks are Frankie Knuckles, Kerri Chandler, Joe Clausell and Blaze.

‘The Sun Shines Here’ captures perfectly the moment indie pop emerged from the ashes of the post-punk years, bringing a brighter, more ambitious sound, and an enthused cross-section of British youth culture, into the spotlight. A must for lovers and collectors of independent music and admirers of the independent spirit that enabled it.
Eight years later, Cherry Red presents the sequel, ‘The Sun Shines Here’. Once again referencing a Hurrah! song, this 3CD set revisits and explores the birth of Indie Pop, a period when, in the early 1980s, as London centred around more angular, aggressive music, bands emerged from Scotland, Liverpool and Manchester drawing on the cooler end of ‘60s and ‘70s music to create something fresh and new.

Continuing his long-running and highly respected series for Ace, spanning year by year since the germination of his 1966 volume for both Ace and Faber Books, Jon Savage serves us up another of his spectacular insights into popular culture, this time for the years 1983 to 1985. Born out of the ashes of post-punk, there were plenty of experimental singles during the early part of this period: Siouxsie’s ‘Swimming Horses’, Shriekback’s ‘Lined Up’, Soft Cell’s ‘Heat’, Echo & The Bunnymen’s ‘Gods Will Be Gods’, and the Smiths’ ‘Girl Afraid’ – a perfect kitchen sink scenario. Pete Shelley and Scritti Politti went the electronic route to great effect, while the Special AKA delivered the perfect riposte to ‘Hard Times’ (all those ripped jeans) and having fun on the dole with the under-appreciated ‘Bright Lights’.