Although this disc was released several months ago the coolness factor of the tunes more than makes up for any slowness on my part. It's on Shanachie Records, which right away surprised me because they generally do folk-related releases, but I popped this sucker in and was swept away on a sea of punk bliss.
The basic concept of the album is rare tracks, most of which were only available on vinyl, and some of which were never released at all. That's not all: the second concept is that many of these tracks are by bands that feature people who later went on to greater success in other projects. There's a fantastic track called "Shakin' All Over" by Generation X (Billy Idol's old band) and the rest is just as cool. There's the 101'ers (featuring Joe Strummer of the Clash), The Nips (featuring Shane MacGowan), Riff Raff (featuring Billy Bragg), The Radiators From Space (featuring the Pogues' Phil Chevron), and more.
Other than the big-name factor, the songs themselves are absolutely fantastic. Some of the best ones are by the bands that contain no famous folks. "Where's Captain Kirk" by Spizzenergi is a triumph of hooks and quirky lyrics, and it's coincidentally a track I have been searching for on CD for years! Eater does a good cover of Lou Reed's "Waiting for the Man", and the classic song "Smash it Up" by The Damned is thrown on here for kicks (and kick it does). Another track that struck me quite favorably was the impossibly-named tune, "I'm in Love With the Girl On the Manchester Virgin Megastore Checkout Desk" by The Freshies.
An excellent compilation (which has become something rare these days of cashing in on trends), and it deserves to be heard. Punk Lost & Found makes a great addition to anyone's CD collection; particularly to collectors seeking that rare punk track, but it can easily be appreciated by the average music lover as well.
