VA - Movement: BBC Radio 1 Peel Sessions 1977-1979 [2CD Set] (2011)

A collection of Peel Sessions featuring such electrifying acts as the Jam, Adam & the Ants, Penetration, and Magazine could hardly go wrong, and indeed, BBC Radio 1 Peel Sessions 1977-1979: Movement is the next best thing to taking a time machine back to the heyday of British and Irish punk and new wave. Along with expected standouts such as the Buzzcocks' "What Do I Get?" and Siouxsie and the Banshees' "Hong Kong Garden," incendiary performances from slightly less venerated acts as the Slits' simultaneously alluring and threatening "Love and Romance," the Adverts' relentless "Gary Gilmore's Eyes," and the Rezillos' sly "Top of the Pops" make Movement comprehensive and essential for fans of classic punk. As the set progresses, it traces the style's evolution as it spawned post-punk (including such definitive songs as Joy Division's "Transmission" and Public Image Ltd.'s "Poptones") and synth pop (à la Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark's "Messages"), and embraced ska and reggae (especially effectively on the Specials' "Gangsters" and UB40's "Food for Thought"). Taken all together, BBC Radio 1 Peel Sessions 1977-1979: Movement is equally dynamic and eclectic, and a must for anyone interested in any of these styles.