Punk Lost And Found

(Shanchie/Beloved)
by Joshua Brown

A good question to ask when confronted with a nostalgia compilation that uncovers relatively forgotten songs is, “Are we finding gemstones in a wall of rock or are we scraping the bottom of the barrel?” Punk Lost & Found engages in the latter activity more often than not. The main selling point of the CD is that its owner will have a jump on his peers in music trivia. “Do you know the name of the punk band that had Dexy’s Midnight Runners’ Kevin Rowland in it?” Another novelty is Eater‘s cover of the Velvet Underground’s “Waiting for the Man.” Also attention-grabbing is the ability the Freshies had to make a line as long as “I’m in Love With the Girl on the Manchester Virgin Store Checkout Desk” catchy. So, that is how Punk Lost & Found is useful. The recording quality on the CD is quite awful, however. When it should be making you do the anarchist’s dance of joy, it gives you a migraine. (And don’t bother making DIY arguments, because the digital age can bring with it new levels of suck.)