Pretty Vacant: the History of Punk/+DVD

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Customer reviews

review by: ROYALS FAN date: 2007-04-20 rating:
Cheap and nearly cheerful
Whilst the other reviews here voice some legitimate concerns about "Pretty Vacant,A History Of Punk" ,there are a few plus points that make this set a worthwhile purchase.

The dvd for example boasts some very hard to get video clips of seminal bands like The Ruts,Buzzcocks[the 1978 version!],Stranglers,and Stiff Little Fingers,as well as some oddities like 999[the brilliant" Emergancy",complete with state of the art circa 1978 bleaching effects],and XTC's not very punk,but very welcome, "Making Plans For Nigel".There are a few missable tarcks as well,but overall i'm kind of glad to have these to watch when i'm feeling nostalgic.

The cd is also very hit and miss,but it includes classic tracks like "Your Generation",by Generation X,Up Against The Wall,by the Tom Robinson Band,and the cut version of XTC's Statue of Liberty.

Not a definitive collection,and a bit cobbled together,but great value with a few real gems tucked away on both formats.For that alone its worth a decent rating

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review by: date: 2007-03-19 rating:
Another bottom-of-the-barrel compilation
As more and more punk comps have come out over the last 20 years, every dredge has been scraped up, it seems. The Pistols and The Clash have traditionally rejected most compilation requests for tunes (until recently, the Pistols' Goodman demos were always on these things). Every demo or BBC session has been plundered. Every post-punk "latter" recording has been pillaged. All the "Big Names" of UK punk have been collected and recollected endlessly. The "Small Names" have been given definitive releases on labels like Captain Oi and have been collected elsewhere. Most other big, but less heard "punk" era bands (like early, pre-1980 Adam and the Ants) are NEVER on comps.

So where does that leave this?

Sadly, it is another questionable collection of stuff you'd be better off buying elsewhere. Sure, you get a DVD of rare vids. But, the comp itself is nothing to shout about. The two stars are for the DVD which, like most current comps, strains the imagination in defining "punk" ("Pet Semetary"??? When there are older Ramones things to include instead???). My vote, skip it. Look for the vids being traded online for free and buy the bands' individual CDs (look for good remasters and reissues like on Captain Oi or other import versions).


review by: date: 2007-02-22 rating:
Dodgy Remakes
Some great tracks but .... there's no way some of these tracks are the original recorded material. 'In A Rut' for instance, 'Sound Of The Suberbs' .... 'Roadrunner' they've all lost that raw sound ....why oh why, are they re-butchered ?????

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