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Apr 14, 2021 Web Exclusive By Dom Gourlay

Mention the term “post-punk” and thoughts of politicized lyrics set to obtuse rhythms with swathes of angular guitars immediately spring to mind. Yet while that may be true to some extent, it only tells a small part of the story. After all, post-punk surely incorporates anything and everything that came after 1977’s initial wave, right? Right.

So, it comes as a welcoming respite from every Fall imitator doing the rounds that this latest boxset from Cherry Red—arguably the standard bearers when it comes to retrospective compilations—focuses on the
dancefloor rather than garage rehearsal spaces. That’s not to say many of these acts didn’t cut their teeth on the original punk circuit. Most of them did with varying degrees of success, but while punk slithered away into a seaside postcard of Mohawks and leathers shouting slogans befit of a right-wing rally. Many of its founders used punk as a launchpad to nourishing their experimental urges into previously unchartered territories.

With the onset of funk and disco mirroring punk’s phenomenal rise towards the tail end of the 1970s, dance music became the ideal focus for a lot of those artists wishing to broaden their horizons. Shake the Foundations takes its title from Glaxo Babies classic 1980 single of the same name (included here of course!) and concentrates predominantly on music released between the years of 1978 and 1984. Comprised of 49 tracks spread across three discs alongside an informative 36-page booklet with its foreword penned by acclaimed writer and DJ Bill Brewster.

Shake the Foundations features a host of acts whose music leant towards the growing UK club scene of the time. Artists unafraid to introduce disco, dub, electronica, funk, and pop into their already polemic world. Challenging their audiences while leaving a lasting legacy of incredible and at times, groundbreaking music into the bargain.

Some of the artists here became household names. Simple Minds, Ian Dury, and The Stranglers among them. The latter two already firmly established by this point, yet both unashamedly intent on pushing new boundaries on the funk driven “Trust Is a Must” and tennis themed “Love 30” respectively. Haircut 100’s jaunty instrumental “100 Evil Smokestacking Baby” is a million miles away from the radio friendly pop more
commonly associated with them. While John Cooper Clarke’s 1978 single “Post-War Glamour Girls” still packs a mighty punch today, aided and abetted by Martin Hannett’s awkward production.

However, it’s some of the lesser-known acts that steal the show here. Leeds duo Vicious Pink being one of them, their “Cccan’t You See” taking high energy disco to a higher plain than the chart placing of #
67 it ridiculously stalled at upon release. Likewise, Paul Haig’s happy go lucky post Josef K dalliance with electronica “Blue For You” and Manchester-via-Rotterdam outfit Quando Quango’s excellent “Tingle.”

As the decade moves on, the stereotypical ‘80s production starts to creep in (slap bass, synthetic drums, overly echoed vocals) but as a document of a time that was nothing short of revolutionary, Shake
the Foundations captures the moment in style. (www.cherryred.co.uk)

Author rating: 8/10