The Best Free Compilation From My Youth…Ever! (Plus One)

Although I’m an iPod owner, and an avid iTunes user, until this morning I’d never downloaded a song from the Apple Music Store (or anywhere else for that matter).  Call me old-school, but I like having the CDs.  I do have all of my CDs ripped to my iPod, and some I’ve never even heard straight off the plastic, but I still feel happier having the physical backup.

A couple of days ago I read a buddy’s ‘blog entry describing how he’d recreated a vinyl-only compilation from yesteryear by purchasing the individual tracks online.  Co-oncidentally, at the same time, my service provider (Belgacom) announced that they’d come to an agreement with Apple to give away 10 free downloads a month to broadband subscribers.  So this month I decided to build my own compilation of songs from yesteryear that I love, but probably not enough to buy a whole album by the artist.  Here’s what I ended up with:

1. Dexy’s Midnight Runners, Geno
   This is one of the first singles that really excited me. It still lifts me up even now.
2. The Vapors, Turning Japanese
   Another classic single from back in the day.  A great tune, with lyrics that would do any obsessive stalker proud.  Who was to know it was about onanism?
3. The Ruts, Babylon’s Burning
   A friend had the single of this at boarding school, and we’d sneak into the study of a sixth-former who actually had a record-player to listen to it over and over again.
4. The Clash, London Calling
   I was never a big Clash fan – I could never take them seriously after hearing Lost In The Supermarket.  But this is and always will be a standout song – a statement of intent and call to arms, rolled into one.
5. The Only Ones, Another Girl Another Planet
   A staple from an ‘alternative’ disco I used to go to at college.  I’ve got Blink 182’s version, but you can’t beat the original.
6. The Buzzcocks, Ever Fallen In Love With Someone
   The best song ever written, bar none.  And a love song it’s OK for a bloke to like.  Fine Young Cannibals should never have covered it, because you can’t better perfection.
7. Althea and Donna, Uptown Top Ranking
   Another one I remember from my past. I didn’t have a clue what they were singing about, didn’t know my Roots from Reggae, but as soon as this started up I’d be skanking like Natty Dread.  Pure genius.
8. Clint Eastwood and General Saint, Stop That Train
   Another one from my (alternative) disco days. I don’t know why, but this one has been swimming around in my head ever since. I had to search on the lyrics to find out who it was by, but it’s a worthy addition to my free compilation.
9. Motorhead, Overkill
   I was a huge Motorhead fan as a kid.  I got over it, but Overkill still remains an essential track.  Philthy Animal Taylor’s drumming is blisteringly fast from the outset, and never lets up.  I know Motorhead were Heavy Metal, but this is pure punk – speed (both types!), attitude, and agression, it’s got it all.
10. Bob Dylan, Things Have Changed
    I did want Seventeen by The Regents, which would have rounded out this retro-compilation perfectly, but Apple’s Music Store didn’t have that, so I settled for this.  It’s a classic Dylan track, but isn’t on any of his official albums apart from the Essential compilation, and I refuse to buy that as I have everything else on it on the actual albums.  Life of a completist, eh?

And that’s it.  I’m now officially a ‘downloader’.  I don’t think I’ll be paying to download anything in the near future (Amazon’s share price would dive if I removed my patronage), but I’m already planning what to get with next month’s 10 free downloads…