I’ve been a fan of The Byrds for as long as I can remember, it’s those shimmering 12-string Rickenbacker’s and the vocal harmonies that do it for me. Back in 1990 CBS put out a fantastic 4 CD box set covering their whole career and I played it to death. 

This album does what it says on the tin, a chronological compilation of The Byrds singles and B-sides from “Mr. Tambourine Man” to “So You Want To Be A Rock 'n' Roll Star”. It finds it’s way into my collection purely for the track “Captain Soul”, a most un-Byrds like R&B type instrumental which was the B-side of “5D (Fifth Dimension)”. I’ve been after a copy of the 7” for a while and this will have to do until I find one.

Captain Soul - https://youtu.be/S7MJft5hsuY

When I look back on that initial Punk Rock rush that hit me and my mates in 1977 there are only a few bands I think of as being the first wave of Punk. The Damned, Sex Pistols and The Clash obviously. I include The Jam as although they moved on pretty quickly they were definitely part of it in ’77. Then Siouxsie & The Banshees, The Adverts, X-Ray Spex, Generation X and of course the Buzzcocks are the ones that immediately come to mind when thinking about those incredible times.

We all know about the Buzzcocks, purveyors of perfectly crafted pop-punk love songs, right ? Well no, or not on “Another Music In A Different Kitchen” anyway. But this album has the ghost of another member drifting around it. It hadn’t been so long since main songwriter and singer Howard Devoto had left the band to start a new venture, Magazine. This album is top and tailed with the riff from “Boredom”, a song from Buzzcocks debut EP written and sung by Devoto.

This whole album is faster, louder and less lovelorn than the Buzzcocks were to become. The guitars scream and crackle, the drums boom and thunder and Pete Shelley hasn’t quite found that inner femininity that he later bestowed on the tough Punk boys. His lyrics here are concerned with dangerous fast cars, anti corporate campaigners, a big no to cheap thrills, demanding to be in control of yourself. Yes he’s finding his way to writing songs about the pathetic clown who keeps hanging around (“I Don’t Mind”) but this is a much more Punk than pop record.

Shelley’s lyrical and songwriting genius would develop very quickly from here (not only is "Ever Fallen In Love With Someone (You Shouldn't've Fallen In Love With)?" one of the greatest songs ever written, we found out years later it had the most incredible lyrical twist) but this album is proper 1st wave Punk Rock.

Fast Cars - https://youtu.be/cpareF9xy-U

RL Burnside was a Blues guitarist, songwriter and singer born in 1926 somewhere in Mississippi (no-one knows where for sure). His actual name was either Rural (which is on his tombstone), Robert Lee, Rule, or Ruel (no-one knows for sure). He learned to play guitar from Mississippi Fred McDowell and remained pretty much unknown until the 1990’s when he began recording and touring with Jon Spencer (he of the Blues Explosion). RL passed away in 2005.

There are a couple of reasons I own this album. Two of the tracks (“Shuck Dub” and “It’s Bad You Know”) were part of the soundtrack of TV series “The Sopranos” with which I was/am slightly obsessed. And unbelievably “It’s Bad You Know” started being played at some “Rare Soul” events I was attending in the 2010’s. The 7” started selling for astronomical sums so I bought the album instead.

“Come On In” is a remix album, mixing Burnside's songs and playing with electronica, samples, dance music styled beats, a real drummer (his grandson Cedric) and Hip Hop techniques. What you end up with is a raucous mix of the Blues and “dance music”. Modern Drummer magazine described it as a "weird fusion of Old South and East Village."

The album gives you everything from one man and his guitar Blues and live performances (the title track covers both of those) to full on dance floor crushers (the already discussed “It’s Bad You Know”) all interspersed with dub and trippy grooves (“Don’t Stop Honey”). 

It’s Bad You Know - https://youtu.be/MQ-6fpuVeFA