Make More Noise! – Women In Independent Music UK 1977-1987 – album review

Make More Noise!

Women In Independent Music UK 1977-1987, Various Artists,

Cherry Red

4CD Box Set

Out now

Cherry Red continue their series of compilation CD box sets with a four CD ninety track set exploring the work of female artists in the decade following the punk explosion.There’s music from household names and legends including Alison Moyet, Toyah, Kirsty MacColl, Nico, Tracey Thorn, Chrissie Hynde, Neneh Cherry, Pauline Murray, Sinead O’Connor, Tracey Ullman, Cosey Fanni Tutti to underground figureheads and unsung pioneers. Fighting Boredom have been listening, have a read what we thought below.

You put this on and the first thing you hear is Poly Styrene, ‘Some people think that little girls should be seen and not heard but I think… Oh Bondage Up Yours!’ and that’s it for the next few hours. You try taking it off without listening to just one more song, guessing what’s coming next or reading the tracklist and waiting for another old favourite. The trouble with compilations like this is the way they point you at music you’d either forgotten, missed first time round or love and when you hear it again realise how much you love it. Whichever way you go, it all leads to one thing, buying more music. I can’t tell you how many of these songs made me grin madly, dance around the room or just plain stop what I was doing and think what the hell is this?? 

What you get is four CDs of music made by women from 1977 until 1987. It’s got gaps of course, but what you do get is an almost definitive collection obviously lovingly compiled from what’s available and a list of bands and artists that many won’t have heard or even heard of and that fully deserve their place in this little slice of musical history. The range of sounds here is staggering, from anarcho-punk to pop, jazz to ska, smooth soul to folk. Just dip in randomly, whatever you play will be worth hearing. All of these artists are either led by or consist of women, something that came about far more after Punk, women singing about sex, politics, men, stupidity and more, so much more. The only way to fully experience this collection is to listen. Listen and dance. Listen, dance and smile.

You can find out more on the Cherry Red website.

The tracklist for the whole collection is

TRACK LISTING

DISC ONE

1. OH BONDAGE UP YOURS! – X-Ray Spex
2. TURN MY MOTOR ON – Kirsty MacColl
3. LUCKY NUMBER – Lene Lovich
4. HIDDEN FROM HISTORY – Bright Girls
5. DREAM SEQUENCE I –
Pauline Murray And The Invisible Girls
6. BORED HOUSEWIVES – Androids Of Mu
7. WHITE MICE – Mo-Dettes
8. EE-I-ADIO – Hazel O’Connor
9. VIOLENCE GROWS – Fatal Microbes
10. OLD TART’S SONG – Poison Girls
11. PLASTIC FLOWERS – Devil’s Dykes
12. DIET – Au Pairs
13. DON’T DICTATE – Penetration
14. FOOD – The Chefs
15. KID – Pretenders
16. TYPICAL GIRLS – The Slits
17. LOVE AND ROMANCE – Spoilsports
18. BODY AND SOUL – The Passions
19. TAKE IT ALL AWAY – Girlschool
20. YOU DO – April And The Fools
21. MOTORWAY – Emma Sharpe

DISC TWO

1. BIRD IN FLIGHT – Toyah
2. PUMPING IRON – The Flatbackers
3. BRUTE FURY – Lora Logic
4. I HATE BEING IN LOVE – Amy And The Angels
5. RUDER THAN YOU – The Bodysnatchers
6. SAETA – Nico
7. GUILTY DUB – Honey Bane
8. PRIVATE ARMIES – Vivien Goldman
9. SMALL TOWN GIRL – Tracey Thorn
10. SELF DEFENCE – Ova
11. BEEN TEEN – Dolly Mixture
12. STUCK – And The Native Hipsters
13. FAST BOYFRIENDS – Girls At Our Best
14. AIE A MWANA – Bananarama
15. YOU’RE MY KIND OF CLIMATE – Rip, Rig & Panic
16. BLACK AND BLUE – The Selecter
17. YOUR YOUR LAY LAY – Pragvec
18. EVERYBODY THINKS EVERYBODY ELSE IS DEAD BAD – The Skodas
19. MONEY – The Mockingbirds
20. NORMAL – The Petticoats
21. IN THE RUINS OF YOUR BODY – Real Insects
22. REBEL – Teezers
23. NEGATIVE CONVERSATION – The Objeks

DISC THREE

1. IT’S A FINE DAY – Jane
2. SUCH IS LIFE (FT JOHN LACEY) –
Cosey Fanni Tutti
3. WINTER KILLS – Yazoo
4. I WISH – Pink Industry
5. NO ONE’S LITTLE GIRL – The Raincoats
6. THE BOILER – Rhoda with The Special AKA
7. JIMMY’S GRIN – Margox
8. SPEAK NO EVIL – Cocteau Twins
9. NOTHING YOU SAY –
Grab Grab The Haddock
10. THEY DON’T KNOW – Tracey Ullman
11. WE ARE NINJA – Frank Chickens
12. IT’S ONLY MONEY – Chantage
13. DRUM BEAT FOR BABY – Weekend
14. SHE IS SO – A Craze
15. A PLACE IN THE SUN – Marine Girls
16. DEAR MARJE – The Gymslips
17. CRUSH – The Twinsets
18. GOVERNMENT POLICY – The Expelled
19. DYING MAN – The A-Heads
20. LIVING IN A COFFIN – Lost Cherrees
21. BLACK SHEEP – Vice Squad
22. YOUNG TOO YOUNG GIRL –
Rhythm And Faith
23. PALE YELLOW – Two

DISC FOUR

1. X X SEX –
We’ve Got A Fuzzbox… And We’re Gonna Use It
2. SON OF A GUN – The Vaselines
3. GO AWAY – Strawberry Switchblade
4. DON’T GO AWAY – Talulah Gosh
5. BURNING OIL – Skeletal Family
6. BALLAD OF MISS DEMEANOUR – The Flowers
7. YOU DON’T KNOW – Rote Kapelle
8. BELLE VUE – Miaow
9. CRASH (DEMO) – The Primitives
10. SIGN ON THE LINE – The Fizzbombs
11. ALL DAY LONG (SLOW VERSION) –
Shop Assistants
12. COMIN’ HOME BABY – The Delmonas
13. IF I DIE – Biff Bang Pow!
14. PROTECTION – Joolz
15. JUST A CITY – Voice Of The Beehive
16. SPIN (FLEXI VERSION) – Darling Buds
17. MANDINKA – Sinéad O’Connor
18. TOY – The Heart Throbs
19. THERE’S A GOOD TIME-A-COMIN’ –
Wilderness Children
20. IT MAKES ME REALISE – Go! Service
21. FEELS LIKE IT’S LOVE – Makin’ Time
22. WOOD SONG – The Fabulous Dirt Sisters
23. LIBERA ME – Cagliostra

All words by Adrian Bloxham

Adrian Bloxham

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