Left of the Dial

"Left of the Dial" chronicles rock underground

Rhino Records will release Left of the Dial: Dispatches from the '80s Underground on October 5th. The four-disc compilation includes tracks from such alternative-rock pioneers as the Replacements, Minor Threat, Husker Du, the Jam, the Smiths, R.E.M. and Sonic Youth.

Included are interviews with Greg Ginn and Peter Jesperson, founders of influential indie-rock labels SST and Twin/Tone respectively, as well as reflections on the era from Manchester scenemaker Tony Wilson and Dream Syndicate frontman Steve Wynn.

DIY punks like the Dead Kennedys and Black Flag were at the forefront of the movement and largely labored outside the reach of the limelight, while artists like the Red Hot Chili Peppers and the recently split Jane's Addiction were able to capitalize on the momentum of the wave created by the earlier groups.

At the time of Jane's Addiction recent split, singer Perry Farrell furnished an epitaph for the band, that could easily have doubled for the groups that helped bring punk and alternative to the mainstream. "She laid a foundation for unbridled underground music to rise up on," Farrell told Rolling Stone. "The newly coined 'alternative music' came on to replace a stale music scene. We encouraged people to make scary choices."

Left of the Dial track listing:

Disc One

"Radio Free Europe," R.E.M.
"Going Underground," the Jam
"A Forest," the Cure
"Holiday in Cambodia," Dead Kennedys
"I'm In Love With a German Film Star," Passions
"I Will Dare," the Replacements
"That's When I Reach for My Revolver," Mission of Burma
"Johny Hit and Run Paulene," X
"Just Like Honey," the Jesus and Mary Chain
"Black Celebration," Depeche Mode
"Tell Me When It's Over," the Dream Syndicate
"Hollywood (Africa)," the Red Hot Chili Peppers
"Temptation," New Order
"Ghosts," Japan
"A Song From Under the Floorboards," Magazine
"Oblivious," Aztec Camera
"Don't Want to Know If You Are Lonely," Husker Du
"Rise Above," Black Flag
"Back in the Flesh," Wall of Voodoo
"Cattle and Cane," the Go-Betweens

Disc Two

"Message of Love," the Pretenders
"Vienna," Ultravox
"Freak Scene," Dinosaur Jr.
"This Charming Man," the Smiths
"Stigmata," Ministry
"Ways to Be Wicked," Lone Justice
"Wardance," Killing Joke
"Enola Gay," Orchestral Maneuvers in the Dark
"Mirror in the Bathroom," the English Beat
"Fairytale in the Supermarket," the Raincoats
"Behind the Wall of Sleep," the Smithereens
"Political Song for Michael Jackson to Sing," Minutemen
"Punk Rock Girl," the Dead Milkmen
"Still in Hollywood," Concrete Blonde
"Love Will Tear Us Apart," Joy Division
"Blister in the Sun," Violent Femmes
"Lake of Fire," Meat Puppets
"Amplifier," the dB's
"When Love Breaks Down," Prefab Sprout
"Goo Goo Muck," the Cramps
"This Corrosion," Sisters of Mercy
"Senses Working Overtime," XTC

Disc Three

"The Cutter," Echo and the Bunnymen
"Pay to Cum!," Bad Brains
"Birthday," the Sugarcubes
"Madonna of the Wasps," Robyn Hitchcock and the Egyptians
"We Care a Lot," Faith No More
"Teen Age Riot," Sonic Youth
"To Hell With Poverty," Gang of Four
"Fa Ce-La," the Feelies
"Ana Ng," They Might Be Giants
"Swamp Thing," the Chameleons U.K.
"The Mercy Seat," Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
"I Look Around," the Rain Parade
"All That Money Wants," Psychedelic Furs
"Under the Milky Way," the Church
"Rise," Public Image Ltd.
"Kundalini Express," Love and Rockets
"Gravity Talks," Green on Red
"Adrenalin," Throbbing Gristle
"She Bangs the Drum," the Stone Roses

Disc Four

"Monkey Gone to Heaven," Pixies
"Uncertain Smile," the The
"Bela Lugosi's Dead," Bauhaus
"Christine," Siouxsie and the Banshees
"Straight Edge," Minor Threat
"I Want to Help You Ann," the Lyres
"Our Secret," Beat Happening
"Jane Says," Jane's Addiction
"World Shut Your Mouth," Julian Cope
"Running Up That Hill," Kate Bush
"Sex Beat," Gun Club
"Take the Skinheads Bowling," Camper Van Beethoven
"Institutionalized," Suicidal Tendencies
"Pearly-Dewdrops' Drops," Cocteau Twins
"24 Hour Party People," Happy Mondays
"I Want You Back," Hoodoo Gurus
"Suburban Home," Descendents
"A Pair of Brown Eyes," the Pogues
"Jet Fighter," the Three O'Clock
"Moving To Florida," Butthole Surfers
"A New England," Billy Bragg


COLIN DEVENISH
(Posted Jul 13, 2004)