INSTANT POP CLASSICS UPDATE....Got the good word from Thomas at Moonflower Records regarding INSTANT POP CLASSICS, Volume 3. It's on. A track list is being prepared, and Volume 3 will be out early this summer. You may recall that we discussed these exceptional, hard to find UK 80s post-punk D.I.Y. compilations last week (scroll down for posting). The first two volumes re-introduced the world to buried treasure from the likes of the Native Hipsters, I Jog & The Tracksuits (top 10 rock band names of all time), Desperate Bicycles, Gerry & The Holograms, Lemon Kittens, and the absolutely perfect girl-pop of DOLLY MIXTURE ("Everything and More" -- along with the Mo-Dettes' "White Mice", these are my picks for the UK nominees to the greatest all-time pop song sweepstakes). Seems as is he's willing to bend the purist "D.I.Y." rules a bit in favor of neglected independent 45s of ANY production quality -- not simply the tinny, skeletal, voice-down-a-corridor hallmarks of the weirdest and best UK keyboard-driven early 80s trash. Exhibit A would be the inclusion of Alison Stratton's post-Young Marble Giants band Weekend on Volume Two, as well as the aforementioned Dolly Mixture. Thomas has got some catching up to do before the Messthetics series finishes going through the alphabet, but if his past track record is any indication, this will be a release absolutely worth scouring the planet for.

posted by Jay H. at 9:21 AM