Sometimes, a disparate crowd of random influences and a handful of scene-makers coalesce out of nothing, and before you know it a movement is happening. So it was in the UK in the early-to-mid- ‘80s, when an unlikely set of bands resurrected the spirit of mid-‘60s Garage Rock.
Fusing that sound with elements of the pre-Fab Four, Psych, Mod, Rockabilly and Psychobilly, and greasing the wheels of this new machine with a thick slab of post—punk sensibility, bands across the UK began to shout and holler like they hadn’t in years, capturing their work on often rough and ready recordings, issued on Big Beat, Hangman, Hit Records, Media Burn, Creation and other equally fried labels. From London, Medway and the South East to Edinburgh and beyond, the Trash movement spread, quickly reaching out into mainland Europe and beyond. Here in the UK, Trash finally enjoyed its moment in the sunshine in 1984, when four of the scene’s key bands appeared on Channel 4’s flagship music show The Tube.
Spiky, brash, loud and unfettered by delusions of grandeur, this is the sound of the post punk UK music scene looking backwards whilst moving forwards. Not for the faint-hearted, sure, and always likely to tell you where you can stick it, but this is a sound that has stuck. The garage and trash scene, albeit under different names and sprinkled with a layer of post-Millennial self-awareness, continues to thrive around the world. Wherever one finds guitars, amplifiers and the primal spirit, one finds Trash.
Packed full of rarities and collectibles – the Medway Valley and Billy Childish related material is currently particularly sought after – ‘Just A Bad Dream’ will appeal to fans of ‘80s Psychedelia, Mod Revival, Indie, Psychobilly and, of course, the ‘60s Garage Rock that influenced so many of these artists.
Disc 1
1. Thee Mighty Caesars – Little by Little (02:09)
2. The Cannibals – Submarine Song (02:01)
3. The Barracudas – Next Time Around (03:00)
4. The Sting-Rays – June Rhyme (02:59)
5. The Sid Presley Experience – Hup Two Three Four (03:43)
6. The Prisoners – What I Want (03:02)
7. The Bugs – Just a Bad Dream (02:51)
8. The Green Telescope – A Glimpse (02:53)
9. The Dentists – Writhing on the Shagpile (03:09)
10. Ug & The Cavemen – Go Gorilla (03:35)
11. Vibranaires – I Hear Noises (03:15)
12. Biff Bang Pow! – The Whole World Is Turning Brouchard! (01:27)
13. The Aardvarks – Drive Me Wild (02:19)
14. The Margin of Sanity – Get What I Can (02:39)
15. The Discords – Little Miss Misfit (01:41)
16. The Mild Mannered Janitors – Dirty Jean (03:44)
17. Blow–Up – 125 (02:03)
18. Auntie Vegetable – Stroll On (02:47)
19. The Inmates – Mr Unreliable (02:52)
20. Naz Nomad and the Nightmares – Just Call Me Sky (01:45)
Disc 2
1. Sexton Ming – You Can’t Polish a Turd (02:20)
2. The Escalators – Munsters Theme (01:32)
3. The Jesus and Mary Chain – Vegetable Man (03:34)
4. Tall Boys – Ride This Torpedo (02:21)
5. The Thanes – Don’t Let Her Dark Your Door (05:20)
6. Bananamen – The Crusher (01:49)
7. X-Men – Talk (02:58)
8. Emptifish – I Want That Girl (04:24)
9. The Morticians – I Don’t Care (03:45)
10. The Meteors – Swamp Thing (02:59)
11. Jasmine Minks – What’s Happening (01:50)
12. Nutmeg – And in England They’re Going Mental (04:48)
13. Prime Movers – Livin’ in My Own Nightmare (02:22)
14. Mindreaders – Fever in My Pocket (02:52)
15. King Kurt – Nervous Breakdown (02:46)
16. Stayrcase – I Know You Lied (02:09)
17. The Daggermen – One More Letter (02:43)
18. Psylons – Waiting Nation (05:26)
19. The Wigs – The Dead (02:03)
20. Thee Headcoats – Young Blood (live) (01:48)
Disc 3
1. The Playn Jayn – You Weren’t Born You Were Created (live) (03:53)
2. Thee Milkshakes – Brand New Cadillac (02:28)
3. Surfadelics – Don’t Be Sorry (02:30)
4. Marionette – Too Far Gone (03:44)
5. Beatpack – No Great Shakes (03:16)
6. The Unholy Trinity – Rock and Roll Traitor (03:50)
7. The Delmonas – He Tells Me He Loves Me (02:37)
8. The Wolfhounds – La Juice (03:44)
9. The Revolving Paint Dream – Garbagebrain (02:58)
10. Clapham South Escalators – Leave Me Alone (03:10)
11. The Primevals – My Emancipation (04:19)
12. Change Lings – Shelter From the Rain (04:32)
13. The Surf Rats – Plutonium Mind Shock (03:57)
14. The Golden Horde – The Curse (02:29)
15. The Delmontes – So It’s Not to Be (02:26)
16. The Gruff – Farmer John (01:56)
17. The Krewmen – The Hell Train (03:37)
18. Sunglasses After Dark – Hellhag Shuffle (02:22)
19. The Jackals – Ringing in My Ears (02:57)
20. Screaming Dead – This Is the End of the World (demo) (01:28)
