Various Artists

Martin Green Presents: Super Sonics – 40 Junkshop Britpop Greats


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From the makers of Sharon Signs To Cherry Red , further inspired by its own Junkshop Glam series and genre defining box set “All The Young Droogs”, RPM follows up with Super Sonics. A celebration of the multi-faceted British alt. rock/pop scene which flourished 1992-1998, midway through attracting the term Brit Pop.

Compiled by DJ, curator and contemporary scenester Martin Green, who ran the London club Smashing during the period. Artists such as Blur, Oasis, Pulp were all attendees, and the club became a breeding ground for many future bands. In parallel Martin compiled and co-produced the genre defining Loungecore compilation The Sound Gallery released on EMI in 1995, using many tracks which had populated the early club sets. Martin tells the full story in the booklet.

Capturing the scene then as Time Out’s nightlife editor, and representing it now with his images on our front cover and inside the booklet is renowned pop culture journalist and club photographer Dave Swindells.

The scene was a fusion. Grunge was out Glam was in. 70’s charity shop tops, jeans went skinny, fringes floppy and sportswear vintage donned. Soundtracks, TV themes, Moog grooves, Punk, Indie, Hi Nrg, Glam and New Wave hit the decks. Different aspects of 20th Century musical culture collided to create something new. Super Sonics is a slice of ‘single’ heaven from across the range of musical styles which sprouted. Such styles were referred to as the New Wave Of New Wave, The Scene That Celebrates Itself and more until Brit Pop was coined to cover it all.

The criteria for a successful collectors ‘Junkshop genre’ to evolve is a music scene happening when ‘singles’ were currency, and a tier of artists who didn’t necessarily progress up the charts or into albums but who were fully involved in the scene. Super Sonics includes representations from other key scene clubs such as Blow Up (the label from which is still going today) and Fantasy Ashtray whose nightly host was Davina McCall. Other scene alumni include radio presenter Lauren Laverne – famously emerging from Kenickie; Louis Elliott from Rialto who founded the Port Elliott festival; Ella Guru of the Voodoo Queens – a leading artist of the Stuckist art movement; We Are Pleb (whose track here is previously unreleased) begat TV sensation Dennis Pennis by way of singer Paul Kaye and Paul Jones guitarist with Linoleum and later Elastica who now guides today’s artists as A&R at Rough Trade Records.

In Super Sonics Martin Green has compiled a compelling listening experience. And it’s very Brit: Dave Devant is the 90s Alan Klein (the 60s Londoner whose LP “Well At Least It’s British” inspired Damon Albarn’s “Modern Life is Rubbish”); other songs dwell on London Girls, the virtues of Pimlico and a Penthouse in Belgravia; and Earl Brutus request Take me to your Harvester…

Tracklist

DISC ONE
1. AFRODISIAC – Powder
2. MARQUIS – Linoleum
3. ROUGH LOVER – Posh
4. SAD – Mantaray
5. REVOLVE – Pimlico
6. SO SMALL – Showgirls
7. COME OUT 2NITE – Kenickie
8. WE DON’T CARE – Shampoo
9. CHARLOTTE’S PARTY – Peepshow
10. GOLDMINE – Spearmint
11. INELEGANTLY WASTED IN PAPA’S PENTHOUSE PAD IN BELGRAVIA – The Weekenders
12. DON’T TURN THIS LOVE INTO SORROW – World Of Leather
13. NOSEBLEED – Chest
14. CHANGE ME – Jocasta
15. ENTERTAINMENT – Speedway
16. PLASTIC ASHTRAY – Urusei Yatsura
17. MONICA WEBSTER – Delgados
18. HER JAZZ – Huggy Bear
19. TROPHY GIRLFRIEND – Heavenly
20. SUPERMODEL-SUPERFICIAL – Voodoo Queens

DISC TWO
1. LONDON GIRLS – Duffy
2. SOMETIMES THE KIDS ARE NOT ALRIGHT – The High Fidelity
3. INEVITABLE FAST ACCESS – Add N To X
4. PIT STOP – VA6
5. MOOD MUSIC – We Are Pleb *
6. STRIP POLKA – Velocette
7. PIMLICO – David Devant And His Spirit Wife
8. CONKER FIGHT IN WENDY’S HOUSE –
Sexton Ming And Steady
9. CHRYSALIS – Pram
10. VDT – Scala
11. ON ME NOT IN ME – Earl Brutus
12. DAYDRE@MER (STUDENT UNION MIX) – Menswe@R *
13. EDIT LIFE FORM – Sound 5
14. CURL UP – Sweetie
15. KEROLEEN – Bis
16. CRAWL (RAW MIX) – Elizabeth Bunny *
17. DO YOU ALWAYS DRESS LIKE THAT IN FRONT OF OTHER PEOPLES GIRLFRIENDS – Mambo Taxi
18. STEAL STEAL STEAL – Minxus
19. JUDY GARLAND LIFE – Gretschen Hofner
20. UNDERDOGS – Rialto

* PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED