Rhino's DIY Series: The Modern World - UK Punk II (1977-78) [1993]

DIY: The Modern World - UK Punk II (1977-78) continues the timeline established with Anarchy In The UK - UK Punk I's 1976-77 starting point. Five of the artists from that first disc make an encore appearance (or two) on The Modern World making for sonic semblance and a sense of familiarity. There are 19 songs on this CD and all but 5 of them can also be found on the Dolby HX Pro encoded cassette. Both formats once again feature liner notes penned by Jon Savage, who provides first-hand knowledge and puts things into perspective. Classic British Punk, much like disco and early rap, was a singles-driven genre and two of my favorite punk singles of all-time can be found on The Modern World:

Even with the requisite sonic wall of noise the genre calls for, "What Do I Get?" still remains pop-song catchy right from the rising roar of its intro and is rightfully considered an early new wave song as well as classic punk. Pete Shelley's wounded confession of emotional vulnerability (or is it sexual frustration?) rises above the din of boredom, absolute rage, and calls for revolution that is a hallmark of many punk snarlers and shouters.

I cannot recall the first time I heard the song "Homicide" (I know it wasn't in 1978) but I can tell you how many times I have purchased CDs that have "Homicide" on them: 3! Is it about murdering someone? Or murder in general? I honestly can't tell ya but I sing it until my throat aches and then I do it all over again because the hoarseness of my voice puts it more in tune with Nick Cash's snarling rasp. (Sharp-eyed label readers like yourself will undoubtedly note that both "Homicide" and "What Do I Get?" were produced by the underrated Martin Rushent.)   

When paired with Anarchy In The UK, I would bet The Modern World could satisfy most every fan of punk rock with nearly every key act (with the notable exception of The Clash) from the all-too-brief Classic British Punk scene of 1976-78 represented. No less than 15 of the songs on The Modern World later made an appearance on the epic No Thanks! The '70s Punk Rebellion box set from 2003, which was also compiled by Gary Stewart.