Left of the Dial: Dispatches from the '80s Underground [Box]

Performer: Various Artists
Engineer: Jay Dublee
Producer: Chris D.; Cocteau Twins; Concrete Blonde; Conrad Plank; Robert Smith; Daniel Miller; Dave Allen; Dave Jerden; David Roback; Depeche Mode; Mike Thorn; Don Dixon; John A. Rovers; Earle Mankey; Ed Stasium; Ethan James; Dave Young Orchestra; Faith No More; Michael Hedges; Jim E. Hill; Gareth Jones; Geoff Travis; George Clinton; Gil Norton; Glen E. Friedman; Glenn Mercer; Bernie Clarke; Grant Hart; Greg Ladanyi; Greg Sage; Oliver Hatch; David Birkett; Hermes Pan; Hugh Padgham; Hypo Luxa; Dave Allen; Ian Broudie; J Mascis; Norm; Chris Thomas; Pete Wilson; Japan; Mark Abel; Jesus & Mary Chain; Jim Steinman; Jimmy Iovine; John Brand; John Leckie; John Lydon; John Porter; Jon King; Kate Bush; Killing Joke; Alan Thorne; Love & Rockets; Mark Van Hecke; Martin Hannett; Matt Wallace; Mayo Thompson; Meat Puppets; Mike Howlett; Mike Stewart; Minor Threat; Mitch Easter; New Order; Nicholas Sansano; Nick Launay; Nigel Gray; Andrew Gill; Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark; Andy Metcalfe; Paul McKenna; Paul Westerberg; Perry Farrell; Peter Jesperson; Phil Thornalley; R. Shulman; Rain Parade; Ray Manzarek; Richard W. Harte; Robyn Hitchcock; Scott Litt; Siouxsie & The Banshees; Sonic Youth; Spot; Stephen Street; Steve Berlin; Steve Fjelstad; Steve Nye; The Church; The Cramps; The Psychedelic Furs; The Raincoats; Ultravox; Vic Coppersmith-Heaven; Waddy Wachtel; Wall Of Voodoo; XTC; Bauhaus; Elvis Costello; Bill Krauss; Bill Laswell; Bill Million; Black Flag; Bob Mould; Bob Sargeant; Brian Beattie; Butthole Surfers; Camper Van Beethoven; Gary Stewart (Compilation); Mark Leviton (Compilation)
Distributor: WEA (Distributor)

Notes: Personnel: Matt Piucci (vocals, guitar, sitar); Jasper Thread (vocals, guitar, accordion); Cosey Fanni Tutti (vocals, guitar, cornet); Peter Holsapple (vocals, guitar, organ); Matt Johnson (vocals, guitar, keyboards, percussion); Chris Cacavas, John Flasnburgh, Alain Jorgensen, David Faulkner (vocals, guitar, keyboards); David Roback, Brad Shepherd (vocals, guitar, percussion); Chris Molla, Chris Stamey, Chrissie Hynde, Curt Kirkwood, D. Boon, Daniel Ash, Dave Wakeling, David Lowery, Paul John Weller, Gordon Gano, Louis Gutierrez, Grant McLennan, Jim Reid, Ian McCulloch, J Mascis, Julian Cope, Lee Ranaldo, Midge Ure, Ana Da Silva, Paddy McAloon, Pat DiNizio, Andy Partridge, Philip Chevron, Robert Forster, Robyn Hitchcock, Roddy Frame, Shane MacGowan, Steve Wynn, Thurston Moore, Barbara Gogan, William Reid, Bernard Albrecht, Bernard Sumner, Billy Bragg, Black Francis , Dan Stuart, Bob Mould, Clive Timperley (vocals, guitar); Bill Million (vocals, acoustic guitar); Glenn Mercer (vocals, electric guitar, shaker, temple blocks); Paul Westerberg (vocals, electric 12-string guitar, mandolin); Jeffrey Lee Pierce (vocals, slide guitar); Vicki Aspinall, Jonathan Segel (vocals, violin); Spider Stacy (vocals, tin whistle); John Linnell (vocals, accordion, keyboards); Genesis P-Orridge (vocals, clarinet); Einar �rn (vocals, trumpet); Jeff Conolly (vocals, organ); Martin L. Gore, Paul Humphreys (vocals, keyboards, synthesizer); David Sylvian (vocals, keyboards, tapes); Mike Mariano, Jaz Coleman, Stan Ridgway, Billy Currie, Bj�rk Gudmundsdottir (vocals, keyboards); Andy McCluskey (vocals, synthesizer); Dennis Diken, Grant Hart, Andrew Ranken (vocals, drums); Chuck Mosley, Colin Moulding, Siouxsie Sioux, Cris Kirkwood, David J, Dez Cadena, Elizabeth Fraser, Exene Cervenka, Gibby Haynes, Gina Birch, Rodney Amadeus Anonymus, Rankin Roger, Henry Rollins, Howard Devoto, Ian Brown, Ian Curtis, Ian MacKaye, Jack Waterson, Clyde Bramley, David Gahan, Jello Biafra, John Doe , John Lydon, Johnette Napolitano, Jon King, Kim Gordon, Klaus Flouride, Lou Barlow, Lux Interior, Maria McKee, Michael Stipe, Mike Mesaros, Mike Muir, Milo Aukerman, Andrew Eldritch, Patricia Morrison, Perry Farrell, Peter Murphy, Anthony Kiedis, Richard Butler, Shaun Ryder, Steve Kilbey, Steven Roback, Victor Krummenacher, Wendy Smith, Youth, Birdy, Michael Quercio, Bruce Foxton, Cait O'Riordan, Calvin Johnson (vocals); John McGeoch (guitar, 12-string guitar, Farfisa, background vocals); Ward Dotson (guitar, slide guitar); Johnny Marr (guitar, harmonica); Andrew Fletcher (guitar, drum machine); Joey Santiago (guitar, background vocals); Clint Conley, Grant Estes, Robert Smith , David Gregory, Dave Navarro, East Bay Ray, Thor Eldon Jonson, Frank Navetta, Ryan Hedgecock, Greg Ginn, Greg Lisher, Honeyman Scott, James, Hillel Slovak, Danny McCormack, Mark "Cow" Day, James Mankey , Jim Babjak, Jim Martin, John Ashton, John Squire, Karl Precoda, Kid Congo Powers, Alan Murphy, Lyle Preslar, Marty Willson-Piper, Mike Campbell , Andrew Gill, Andy Cox, Paul Leary, Peter Buck, Peter Koppes, Poison Ivy, Robin Guthrie, Roger Miller , Steve Vai, Will Sergeant, Billy Zoom, Bret Lunsford, Bob Stinson, Marc Moreland (guitar); Donald Ross Skinner (electric guitar, slide guitar); Jem Finer (banjo); Will Glenn (violin, keyboards); Karen Karlsrud, Corine Metter (violin); Henry Benagh (fiddle); Arthur Fiacco, Ann Rorich (cello); Shankar (strings); Crispin Cioe (flute, saxophone); Tommy Keane (Uilleann pipe); James Fearnley (accordion, piano); Maceo Parker, Saxa (saxophone); Benny Cowan (trumpet); Fred Wesley (trombone); Dick Cuthell (horns); Benmont Tench (piano, organ); Joe Kernich (piano); Double DeHarrison (Clavinet, organ); Ray Manzarek (organ); Chris Carter, Gillian Gilbert, Thomas Dolby, Charles T. Gray (keyboards, synthesizer); Steve Jansen (keyboards, drums, electronics); Richard Barbieri (keyboards, tapes); Andy Metcalfe (keyboards, background vocals); Dave Formula, Roland Barker, Bernie Clarke, Einar Mellax, Mathieu Hartley, Paul Davis, Roddy Bottum, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Greg Kuehn, Bruce Moreland (keyboards); Peter Christopherson (synthesizer, tapes); Awesome Welles (Synclavier); Chris Mars (drums, tambourine); Malcolm Holmes, Dave Ruffy, Kevin Haskins, Sigtryggur Baldursson, Joe Nanini (drums, percussion); Earl Hudson, Reni , Dean Clean, Lindy Morrison (drums, background vocals); Chris Whitten, Danny Benair, Cliff Martinez, Stuart Elliot, Neil Conti, Paul Ferguson, D.J. Bonebrake, Richard Williams, Eddie Kalwa, Dennis Duck, Derrick Bostrom, Don Heffington, Everett Morton, Jeff Nelson & Covenant, Heather Lewis, Gary Whelan, George Hurley, Terry Chambers, Ginger Baker, Doktor Avalanche, Alex MacNicol, Warren Cann, Harry Rushakoff, Hugo Burnham, King Coffey, Nick Knox, Palmolive, James "Iron Head" Baker, Bill Berry, Anthony Guess, Mike Joyce, Amery AWOL Smith, Morris Windsor, Murph, Paul Murphy , Pete de Freitas, Peter Prescott, Richard Ploog, Rick Buckler, Robo, Stephen Morris, Stephen Perkins, Steve Shelley, Victor de Lorenzo, Vince Ely, Will Rigby, Bill Rieflin, Bill Stevenson, Terry Graham, Martin Chambers, Bobby Gillespie, John Doyle , Budgie , David Lovering (drums); Anton Fier (bass drum, snare drum); Bobbye Hall (tambourine); Bez (percussion, dancer); Michael Farmer (percussion); Alan Wilder (electronics); Dr. Know, Joel Virgel, Louis Kabbabie, Lord Maniac, Gary Shider, George Clinton , Darryl, Shirley Hayden, Steve Boyd, Mike Payne, Andre Williams, Pat Lewis, Barry Adamson, New York Choral Society, Robert "Billy" Johnson (background vocals). Audio Remasterers: Dave Schultz; Dan Hersch; Bill Inglot. Liner Note Authors: Mark Leviton; Tim Scanlin; Gary Stewart; Karen Schoemer; John Srebalus; Anthony Wilson ; Tim Scanlin; Karen Schoemer; Gary Stewart; Kathleen Billus; Steve Wynn. Illustrator: John Seabury. Photographers: Steve Double; Lynn Goldsmith; Fabio Nosotti; Mike Proir; Fraser Gray; Erica Echenberg; Richard "Dread" Mann; Lisa Haun; Joe Hughes ; Claudia Thompson; Ross Marino; Patricia Steur; Catherine McGann; Ebet Roberts; Pieter Maz�l; Andy Freeberg; Ian Tilton; B.C. Kagan; Chris Walter; Glen E. Friedman; Glenn A. Baker; Paul Cox; George Moore ; Julian Barton; Monica Dee; Steve Jennings; Scott Weiner; Charles Peterson ; Fredrich Cantor; Virginia Turbett; Stephanie Chernikowski; Fin Costello; Tony Mottram; Sue Brisk; Kristin Callahan; Marcia Resnick; Janette Beckman; Derek Ridgers; George DuBose; Paul Slattery; Laura Levine; Simon Fowler; Tom Sheehan. Unknown Contributor Roles: Matt Johnson ; Bill Million. The '80s compilation is a dicey operation; many sounds danced about in glorious contrast, and one person's nirvana is the next person's nightmare. LEFT OF THE DIAL focuses on the college radio of the era (the music that truly fostered the alternative boom of the next decade), and paints a deliriously diverse picture of an underground bursting at its seams to break through. Alongside early classics from the Replacements, Depeche Mode, and R.E.M. (and the compilation gleefully steers away from the obvious) are minor classics from Magazine and Hoodoo Gurus. And the prismatic four-disc set runs the gamut from hardcore (Minor Threat, Bad Brains) to pure pop (XTC, They Might Be Giants, the Smiths) to capture the spectral flow of the decade behind the decade. Alternative rock of the 1980s was such a large and diverse scene that any box set documenting the genre is bound to be the cause of debate as to what is and isn't included, even a four-CD, 82-track production such as this one. Despite the inevitable exclusions, Left of the Dial: Dispatches from the '80s Underground does a decent job of collecting representative cuts from all spectrums of the style, even if it does tilt toward the more mainstream of such acts. Of course, artists like R.E.M., the Cure, Aztec Camera, the Pretenders, Ultravox, Lone Justice, the Smithereens, Concrete Blonde, Echo & the Bunnymen, and the Church (all sampled on this box) were "mainstream" only by the standards of the more left-leaning college radio programmers; by the measurements of the actual mainstream, they were still pretty "alternative," even "underground" in some cases. And the set doesn't neglect the edgier side of '80s underground rock, with tracks by the Dead Kennedys, Minor Threat, Throbbing Gristle, the Minutemen, Black Flag, Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, Gun Club, the Butthole Surfers, the Raincoats, and Beat Happening as well. Between the poles are numerous slices of music of different shades of anti-mainstreamdom, from the paisley underground (the Three O'Clock, the Rain Parade, the Dream Syndicate) and an iconoclastic singer/songwriter (Billy Bragg) to British guitar-grounded sounds (the Jesus and Mary Chain, the Stone Roses, XTC), goth (Sisters of Mercy, Bauhaus), folk-punk (the Violent Femmes), retro-garage (the Lyres), ska (the English Beat), and even punk novelty (the Dead Milkmen). Naturally, there's room for argument about some of the choices: Prefab Sprout's alt-rock credentials are certainly specious, for instance, and the roll call of missing notables includes the Fall, Shonen Knife, the Chills, Romeo Void, the Television Personalities, the Wipers, the Mekons, and many others. There are few real surprises or underexposed gems: the Passions' 1981 single "I'm in Love With a German Film Star" is about the only item by a group that hasn't been canonized in the '80s alternative rock pantheon, though actually that song was a British hit. On the other hand, the astute and eclectic programming makes for a better listen than other attempts that have been made to compile '80s alternative rock. It's sort of like listening to an actual '80s college radio station, but one that's more listenable than any college radio stations actually were, both because of the catholic stylistic assortment and the selection of some of these artists' very best songs. If you did listen to this sort of music devotedly back in the '80s, in fact, much of this will be like revisiting familiar hits and standards, even if few of them actually made the charts as actual hits (and then usually in the U.K.): R.E.M.'s "Radio Free Europe," the Dead Kennedys' "Holiday in Cambodia," the Jesus and Mary Chain's "Just Like Honey," Joy Division's "Love Will Tear Us Apart," the Violent Femmes' "Blister in the Sun," XTC's "Senses Working Overtime," the Sugarcubes' "Birthday," Faith No More's "We Care a Lot," the Church's "Under the Milky Way," Siouxsie & the Banshees' "Christine," Gun Club's "Sex Beat," and Suicidal Tendencies' "Institutionalized," for instance, all fall into that category. And if you didn't experience the music directly during the era, this box set still gives you a pretty good idea of what was going on, and what paths to travel down for further investigation. ~ Richie Unterberger

Rolling Stone (p.104) - 4 stars out of 5 - "[V]irtually all of these songs and recordings have held up beautifully." Entertainment Weekly (p.69) - "[T]his is like the great college radio station that never was..." - Grade: A- Uncut (p.94) - 3 stars out of 5 - "[I]ts 82 tracks document countless musical impulses....This eclecticism - punk's ideals brought to life - is testament to an era of idealistic, artistic oasis, one pulsing with urgency and defiance." Alternative Press (p.98) - "[A] comprehensive compendium of the best the '80s underground had to offer." Magnet (p.97) - "[A] success....Non-mainstream rock splintered and spiraled in a dozen compelling directions, instigating a creative boom whose aftershocks still rumble and whose epicenter deserves the kind of revisit LEFT OF THE DIAL does its best to inspire."

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