Jon Savage – Jon Savage's 1976 Something Was Going To Happen / Various

A vinyl-only two-album set featuring the revered pop culture pundit's choice of singles from a year that culminated in the release of the first punk 45s. Here's Jon himself with the background. OK, here's the situation. The Top 10 best-selling singles of 1976 included just one banger - Abba's 'Dancing Queen' - and a variety of horrors topped by the Brotherhood Of Man ('Save Your Kisses For Me') and Elton John and Kiki Dee ('Don't Go Breaking My Heart'). At #7, after a couple of smooth US rockers, was another horror: 'Fernando' by Abba. Down a bit at #16 was perhaps the most egregious example of a bad year: the Wurzels' 'The Combine Harvester (Brand New Key)'. For this compilation, same rules as usual: singles only, roughly chronological by UK release dates. Slight liberties have been taken with Roxy Music and Buzzcocks, but both existed in some real form during 1976. As usual, around two-thirds are records I listened to at the time and that meant something to me, while the remainder I found more recently, filling in my understanding of the year. 'Shack Up' is a good example: I heard it through A Certain Ratio and found the Banbarra original in the bins shortly afterwards.

Disc 1

1. Roxy Music - Both Ends Burning
2. Burning Spear - Old Marcus Garvey
3. Max Romeo ; The Upsetters - War In A Babylon
4. Patti Smith Group - My Generation
5. 10cc - I'm Mandy Fly Me
6. Candi Staton - Young Hearts Run Free
7. Banbarra - Shack Up
8. Hello - Teenage Revolution
9. Ramones - Havana Affair
10. The Runaways - Cherry Bomb
11. Blondie - In The Sun
12. The 101'ers - Keys To Your Heart

Disc 2

1. Eddie ; The Hot Rods - Horseplay (Weary Of The Schmaltz)
2. Junior Murvin - Police And Thieves
3. The Flamin' Groovies - Shake Some Action
4. Hot Blood - Soul Dracula
5. Blue Öyster Cult - (Don't Fear) The Reaper
6. Nick Lowe - Heart Of The City
7. Lewis Furey - Top Ten Sexes
8. Miami - Kill That Roach
9. The Saints - (I'm) Stranded
10. The Damned - New Rose
11. Pere Ubu - Street Waves
12. Buzzcocks - Time's Up

Label: Ace Records Uk

Catalog: 6703271

Genre: Rock