THE MERRY MONTH OF MAY (Day 13) : THE CLASS OF '79 - POSTGRAD PUNK REUNION

Since Vinyl Villain does such a fine job of keeping vintage music from the Class of '79 alive, I thought it might be enlightening to put the spotlight on some of that year's more notable graduates. The lads have been quite busy from the looks of things, acquitting themselves well out there in the cold, cruel, postpunk world. Without further ado, the charter members of 2009's distinguished Honor Roll.

Stiff Little Fingers released four phenomenal records in its first incarnation, but the lackluster response to 1982's Now Then was a major factor in breaking up the original SLF operation. Jake Burns released some solo work in the '80s, but when he got the old gang together for a few St. Patrick's Day events in 1988, ironically it was the overwhelming positive reaction to those live shows that convinced SLF to reform for good, and they've been back at it ever since, releasing new albums and touring steadily. The band got their feet wet in 1991 with Flags & Emblems, but by 1994's Get a Life they were back in top form, with bassist Bruce Foxton, ex of The Jam, now a full-fledged member. I picked the song Cold because it doesn't sound like a Stiff Little Fingers song yet it stands up to their best work the first time around. Not only is every song on the album brilliant, but live versions of five classic SLF tunes close out the CD. A nice touch.

mp3 : Stiff Little Fingers - Cold

The original Buzzcocks broke up around the same time as their Irish counterparts, with Pete Shelley pulling the plug and pursuing a solo career in 1981. To that end, he released three interesting but uneven albums in the '80s: Homosapien, XL1 and Heaven & the Sea. Steve Diggle flew a bit more under the radar, with most of his post-Buzzcocks work released under Flag of Convenience, much of it highly worth hearing. But when Diggle and Shelley thankfully dusted off the good Buzzcocks name, sporting a brand new rhythm section, with the 1993 release of Trade Test Transmissions, they didn't disappoint: a batch of songs that fit right alongside Singles Going Steady. And they kept right on rolling with the superb All Set (1999) and then Modern, which might be my favorite Buzzcocks release period. Turn of the Screw is from that 1999 record, and if it sounds a bit like 1981's Why She's a Girl From A Chainstore, I don't see how that in any way can be a bad thing. Listen, and be moved.

mp3 : Buzzcocks - Turn Of The Screw

Punk legends The Clash held out a little longer, the original lineup splintering apart in Orwell's dreaded 1984 when founders Mick Jones and Joe Strummer could no longer agree on the political direction of the band. Jones went on to find chart success with Big Audio Dynamite, while Strummer seemed to do his best work in the 1980s in movies, not only acting in indie films like Mystery Train, but making standout contributions to the soundtracks for Walker, Sid & Nancy and Permanent Record. He collaborated once again with Jones on B.A.D.'s No. 10 Upping Street, produced The Pogues' Hells Ditch, and even toured with the Irish folk-punkers for a while. Never one to rest on his considerable laurels, Strummer went on to write some of his best songs while fronting the Mescalaros on albums like 1999's underrated Rock Art The X-Ray Style and 2001's Global A Go-Go. The 2003 release of Streetcore, coming as it does on the heels of his passing, is particularly haunting to listen to now. All Music Guide's Thom Jurek nails it when he says Streetcore "sends Strummer into rock & roll heaven a roaring, laughing, snarling lion." Coma Girl, from that album, represents everything that made Strummer great in the first place.

mp3 : Joe Strummer & The Mescalaros - Coma Girl

Paul Weller had his full of The Jam by 1982, and at the height of that bands popularity, he changed direction by forming a "soul" band, The Style Council, which lasted most of the decade, to the dismay of almost everybody. His first true solo album was 1992's eponymous Paul Weller, and he released about one album per year for most of the '90s, collected in greatest hits form under the modest title Modern Classics in 1998. And while I wouldn't be looking for Weller to reunite The Jam anytime soon, he's still making solo records, all of which contain gems. In fact, As Is Now, released in 2005, might be his best material ... ever; it's a no-frills, back to basics approach without sounding retro, with Weller himself in "roaring, laughing, snarling" form, sometimes all in the same song, like the imploring, riveting Come On/Let's Go, which as I listen right now has me singing along loudly with something very close to joy:

"I Believe Again, We are Everything,and I feel the Wind, and I get so High!"

mp3 : Paul Weller - Come On/Let's Go

TODAY'S GUEST POSTING IS COURTESY OF THE WARDEN, FROM ASTORIA, (WHICH I AM NOW RELIABLY INFORMED IS IN QUEENS, A FULLY-FLEDGED BOROUGH OF NEW YORK CITY) AND OF THE BLOG WARDEN'S WORLD.