About this item

HARMONY IN MY HEAD is another of Cherry Red’s celebrations of a bygone era – this time, the boom in Power Pop and New Wave which followed the Punk explosion in 1977. This triple-CD box set spins off the success of the 4-CD compilation Action Time Vision (2016), which documented Punk on independent labels. New Wave was a term coined in 1977 to describe a clutch of new artists whose music shared much of the energy of punk, but boasted a more sophisticated level of musicianship and a heavier reliance on traditional pop melodies. Although the term had such a wide definition in the States that it was quickly rendered almost meaningless, it was more strictly applied in the UK, with the radio-friendly likes of Elvis Costello and Squeeze scoring numerous hits and influencing younger bands to the extent that, by the early Eighties, the New Wave itself had become Old Wave.

The British scene’s reiteration of the appeal of a more traditional pop approach saw several attempts to provide an alternative to the unsatisfactory ‘New Wave’ epithet. Nick Lowe coined the phrase “pure pop for now people” to describe his approach, early brand leaders The Pleasers described their sound as Thamesbeat (a literal update of Merseybeat), while a handful of bands (including The Monos! and The Monochrome Set) played regularly at a London club that marketed itself as Newbeat, “a reaction to punk”. But none of these terms caught on, and instead the genre became known as Power Pop. Once again, there was a significant difference between the UK and US models, but Britain had its own Power Pop scene that slowly mutated into the Mod Revival. Many of the Mod bands drew heavily on melodic 60s records (it was, after all, The Who’s Pete Townshend who had coined the term ‘Power Pop’ back in 1967), although by late 1981 that scene had in turn morphed (in London, at least) into the short-lived New Psychedelia movement.

HARMONY IN MY HEAD includes many of the New Wave/Power Pop scene’s biggest hitters alongside the more melodic Punk bands. Name acts include Elvis Costello, Squeeze, Buzzcocks, Eddie & The Hot Rods, Nick Lowe, The Jags and Wreckless Eric, who are joined by other less successful but nevertheless key players (The Records, The Freshies, The Flysetc) as well as a host of rare 45s on tiny labels, many of which have never been on CD before. The deluxe clamshell package includes a weighty booklet full of illustrations, with a 12,000-word sleeve-note incorporating band-by-band biographies by compiler David Wells.

TRACK LISTING

Disc: 1
1. HARMONY IN MY HEAD - The Buzzcocks
2. YOU BELONG TO ME - Elvis Costello & The Attractions
3. TIME GOES BY SO SLOW - The Distractions
4. TAKE ME I'M YOURS - Squeeze
5. TROUBLE WITH LOVE - Any Trouble
6. RICH KIDS - Rich Kids
7. TEENARAMA - The Records
8. BORN A WOMAN - Nick Lowe
9. SUFFICE TO SAY - Yachts
10. FIRST TIME - The Boys
11. HE'S FRANK (SLIGHT RETURN) - The Monochrome Set
12. SARAH SMILES - Bram Tchaikovsky
13. YOU KNOW WHAT I'M THINKING GIRL - The Pleasers
14. DOES STEPHANIE KNOW - Squire
15. HOWARD HUGHES - The Tights
16. SHE'S GONNA BREAK YOUR HEART - Salford Jets
17. TEENAGE CRUSH - The Trend
18. STRIKE TALKS - The Donkeys
19. COULDN'T BELIEVE A WORD - The 45's
20. THIS IS THE WAY â| OK - Bleeding Hearts
21. (YOU'RE GONNA) LOSE THAT GIRL - The Name
22. CAN'T SEE - The Drones
23. TURN THE LIGHTS OUT - Venigmas
24. CRAZY TODAY - UXB
25. (I WISH IT COULD BE) 1965 AGAIN - The Barracudas

Disc: 2
1. DO ANYTHING YOU WANNA DO - Eddie & The Hot Rods
2. I'VE GOT A HEART - The Realists
3. THE REAL ME - Radio Stars
4. IRENE - The Photos
5. I'M SORRY - Straight Eight
6. WEST ONE (SHINE ON ME) - Ruts
7. BILLY - The Circles
8. BROKEN DOLL - Wreckless Eric
9. I NEVER WAS A BEACH BOY - The Jags
10. BIFF! BANG! POW! - The Times
11. LET'S TALK ABOUT THE WEATHER - The Radiators
12. JILLY - The Piranhas
13. EVERYDAY, EVERYWAY - Really 3rds
14. HOW ABOUT ME AND YOU - The Carpettes
15. UFO - The Monos!
16. 9 O'CLOCK - Snips
17. SHATTERED BY IT ALL - TV21
18. HEY BABY - Disguise
19. SOME BOYS - Going Red
20. DON'T WANT YOU BACK - The Letters
21. RUBY TOOT - The Vandells
22. WHILE I'M STILL YOUNG - The Autographs
23. WASTING TIME - Strangeways
24. CURTAINS FOR YOU - The Accidents
25. DOWN AT THE ZOO - Those Naughty Lumps
26. 24 HOURS - The Chefs

Disc: 3
1. LOOK AT THE OUTSIDE - Chelsea
2. PLAIN JANE - New Hearts
3. CRAZY WEEKEND - Staa Marx
4. STRAIGHT LINES - New Musik
5. COMMON TRUTH - Amazorblades
6. YOU'RE SO FUNNY - Fast Cars
7. SHE'S SO GOOD LOOKING - Knox
8. ANGRY WITH MYSELF - The Smirks
9. MY BUSINESS - Eater
10. NOW THAT IT'S OVER - The Users
11. SCIENCE FICTION (BABY YOU'RE SO) - The Dodgems
12. LADY OF THE AFTERNOON - Shooter
13. NO MONEY - The Freshies
14. NAME DROPPING - The Flys
15. OUT OF PLACE - The Outsiders
16. MAGIC ROUNDABOUT - The Stiffs
17. SOMETHING TO TELL YOU - The Wasps
18. (I CAN'T) PUT MY FINGER ON YOU - The Amber Squad
19. MR. SAD - The Thought Police
20. SONS OF SURVIVAL - Doctors Of Madness
21. HAPPY SONG - The Nips
22. WAIT A MINUTE - The Cherry Boys
23. HIGH RISE - The Trainspotters
24. DRUMMER MAN - Tonight
25. HEARTS IN HER EYES - The Searchers