Manchester: A City United In Music / Various Manchester: A City United In Music / Various CD

Starting with Ewan MacColl's 'Dirty Old Town', written about the great metropolis and capturing the effects of 200 years of industrial revolution and it's aftermath, "Manchester; A City United In Music" moves through the 60s beat revolution, Strawberry Studios pop era, northern punk, indie mayhem and on to the Madchester years, culminating with an Oasis modern day-anthem. The tracks vary from the multi-million selling hits of Wayne Fontana, 10cc, Herman's Hermits and Simply Red to the cult musical art of Haydock's Rockhouse, Wynder K Frog and Smack. Well-known artists like the Hollies, Georgie Fame and John Mayall are heard on some of their lesser-known but top-notch tracks. Cult singles are featured by the Purple Gang, Toggery 5, Gerry & the Holograms and the Dakotas. Local personalities abound - Chris Sievey in pre-Frank Sidebottom guise with the Freshies, the Bard Of Salford - Mr John Cooper-Clarke and Graham Fellows aka John Shuttleworth when he was Jilted John. Future stars like Graham Gouldman and Dave Formula are present on great tracks recorded before fame arrived, while legendary producer Martin Hannett's name threads through the track-listing. Manchester's soulful roots can be heard on tracks by Elkie Brooks, Sweet Sensation, M People and Blue Zone, while earlier attempts at R&B were made by beat groups the Measles, Pete MacLaine & the Clan and the Whirlwinds. A dozen years later a raucous "in your face" musical rebellion was taken up by Buzzcocks, Slaughter & the Dogs and the Salford Jets. That burst of pent-up energy was then followed by the moodier angst-ridden sounds of Joy Division, Magazine and the Fall, and their younger followers the Stone Roses, Happy Mondays and Inspiral Carpets. Sequenced mainly chronologically, this 2CD set and it's accompanying booklet tell a fascinating story of a city's musical history and examine how it came to be. Photos - many by noted Manchester scene photographer Kevin Cummins - and artwork from the period, along with the reminiscences from the players, bring it to life again. The striking digipak features a photo of Chris Sievey lurking outside Market Street's Virgin Megastore, and the package is enhanced with a 44-page booklet and extensive notes by compiler CP Lee with an overview by Jon Savage.

1. Dirty Old Town - Ewan Maccoll Featuring Peggy Seeger 2. Yes I Do - Pete Maclaine ; The Clan 3. If You Gotta Make A Fool Of Somebody - Freddie ; The Dreamers 4. Baby That's All - The Hollies 5. Crawling Up A Hill - John Mayall ; The Blues Breakers 6. Baby Not Like You - The Whirlwinds 7. I'm Gonna Jump - The Toggery Five 8. Nothing Left To Do But Cry - Elkie Brooks 9. The Game Of Love - Wayne Fontana ; The Mindbenders 10. In The Meantime - Georgie Fame 11. Bye Birdie Fly - The Measles 12. She Thinks - HaydockÆs Rockhouse 13. East Side Story - St. Louis Union 14. How To Find A Lover - The Mockingbirds 15. Rumplestiltskin - The Magic Lanterns 16. This Door Swings Both Ways - Herman's Hermits 17. Granny Takes A Trip - The Purple Gang 18. I'm A Man - Wynder K. Frog 19. The Spider And The Fly - The Dakotas 20. Geordie - Greasy Bear 21. Mocking Bird - Barclay James Harvest 22. You Really Got Me û Stack Waddy 23. Life Is A Minestrone - 10cc 24. Mr Cool - Sweet Sensation 25. Orgasm Addict - Buzzcocks 26. You're A Bore - Slaughter ; The Dogs 27. Innocents - John Cooper Clarke ; The Curious Yellows 28. Gobbin' On Life - Alberto Y Lost Trios Paranoias 29. Going Steady - Jilted John 30. Gerry ; The Holograms - Gerry ; The Holograms 31. A Song From Under The Floorboards - Magazine 32. Edward Fox - Smack 33. Who You Looking At? - Salford Jets 34. IÆm In Love With The Girl On The Manchester Virgin Megastore Checkout Desk - The Freshies 35. Leave The Capitol - The Fall 36. Dead Souls - Joy Division 37. Thieves Like Us - New Order 38. Come To My Aid - Simply Red 39. Thinking About His Baby - Blue Zone With Lisa Stansfield 40. How Can I Love You More - M People 41. I Wanna Be Adored (7-Inch Version) - The Stone Roses 42. This Is How It Feels (Radio Mix) - Inspiral Carpets 43. Kinky Afro (Mix) - Happy Mondays 44. New Town Velocity (Single Version) - Johnny Marr 45. Rock æN' Roll Star - Oasis