Heaven Sent - The Rise of New Pop 1979-1983

A term forever associated with tastemaker NME scribe turned Svengali Paul Morley, ‘New Pop’ came to describe any forward-thinking British music of the early 1980s which wasn’t ‘rockist’ (macho men with guitars, etc.) or overtly punky and anti-establishment in outlook. New Pop was an aspiration. Punk had shaken up the UK music industry – and more importantly, had inspired a generation of art students, budding musicians and others with a sense of what was possible. By the end of 1979, while many artists continued to forge a futuristic vision for guitar-based rock music, others saw the potential of reinventing Pop. But this was not chintzy, tacky pop of the kind that had survived punk’s great reset. Instead, credible, progressively minded artists sought to “bring back life to the radio, to make the single count” as Morley himself put it.

Taking its cue from 1979’s big three – M, Flying Lizards and The Buggles – Heaven Sent explores five seismic years that saw aspiration and success replace anti-success, DIY culture for many. Covering a broad musical palette packed, image conscious, highly curated and too sharp for anybody over twenty-five to understand, this was in many ways as much an overhaul of pop music as punk had been of the tired rock scene. Subtler and less anarchic certainly, but always fresh and inventive.

Conceived and curated by the team behind many of our most critically acclaimed post punk, pop and electronica compilations, Heaven Sent is a time capsule period piece, framing perfectly that period between the post-punk aftershock and the mid-80s dominance of Thatcherite High Street pop. A must for collectors and musical historians alike.

TRACK LISTING

DISC ONE

1 M - Pop Musik (Full Length Disco Mix)

2 The Flying Lizards - Money

3 The Buggles - Video Killed The Radio Star

4 Godley And Creme - An Englishman In New York (Single Version)

5 The Korgis - Young & Russian

6 New Musik - Living By Numbers

7 Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark - Red Frame/ White Light

8 Toyah - Bird In Flight

9 Grace Jones - She’s Lost Control

10 Pauline Murray And The Invisible Girls - Dream Sequence (One)

11 The Clash - Hitsville U.K.

12 The Passions - I’m In Love With A German Film Star

13 The Human League - Boys And Girls

14 China Crisis - African And White (Inevitable Version)

15 Fad Gadget - Make Room

16 Department S - Is Vic There?

17 Japan - The Art Of Parties

18 Altered Images - A Day’s Wait

19 Heaven 17 - I’m Your Money

20 Thomas Leer - Letter From America

21 The Associates - Q Quarters

DISC TWO

1 Eurythmics - Never Gonna Cry Again

2 Thomas Dolby - Urges

3 The Slits - Earthbeat (7” Version)

4 Monsoon - Ever So Lonely (Indipop version)

5 Hazel O’Connor - Hanging Around

6 Anthony More - World Service (Single Version)

7 A Flock Of Seagulls - Telecommunication

8 Simple Minds - Sweat In Bullet

9 Soft Cell - Bedsitter

10 Chas Jankel - Questionnaire

11 The Creatures - Mad Eyed Screamer

12 Tears For Fears - Suffer The Children

13 Haircut One Hundred - Favourite Shirts (Boy Meets Girl)

14 Dexy’s Midnight Runners - Liars A To E (Single Version)

15 The Teardrop Explodes - Tiny Children

16 Rip Rig And Panic - Bob Hope Takes Risks

17 Mari Wilson - Beat The Beat

18 TV21 With The Cannizarro Strings - All Join Hands

19 The Undertones - Beautiful Friend

20 Blue Rondo A La Turk – Klactoveesedstein

21 John Cooper Clarke - The Day My Pad Went Mad

DISC THREE

1 ABC - Poison Arrow

2 Fashion – Streetplayer-Mechanik

3 The Fun Boy Three - The Telephone Always Rings

4 Culture Club - White Boy (Extended Mix)

5 Scritti Politti - Faithless

6 Elvis Costello & The Attractions - You Little Fool

7 Haysi Fantayzee - John Wayne Is Big Leggy

8 The Apollinaires - The Feeling’s Gone

9 Weekend - Past Meets Present

10 King Trigger - River

11 Swamp Children - Taste What’s Rhythm

12 Dead Or Alive - The Stranger

13 Paul Young - Iron Out The Rough Spots

14 Wide Boy Awake - Chicken Outlaw

15 Comsat Angels - After The Rain (Single Remix)

16 The Higsons - Tear The Whole Thing Down

17 The Pale Fountains - Thank You

18 Set The Tone - Dance Sucker

19 The Jam – Shopping

DISC FOUR

1 The Cure - Lets Go To Bed

2 Malcolm McLaren And The World’s Famous Supreme Team - Buffalo Gals

3 The Stranglers - European Female

4 Madness - Tomorrow’s (Just Another Day)

5 Tracie - The House That Jack Built

6 Hey! Elastica - Suck A Little Honey

7 Paul Haig - Heaven Sent

8 Eyeless In Gaza - New Risen

9 The Style Council - Headstart For Happiness (Single Version)

10 JoBoxers - Johnny Friendly

11 The Kane Gang - Brother Brother

12 The Special AKA - Bright Lights

13 Dislocation Dance - Show Me

14 Friends Again - State Of Art

15 Ian Dury - Really Glad You Came

16 Colour Box - Shotgun

17 Furniture - Robert Nightman’s Story

18 Swallow Tongue - Animation

19 The Art Of Noise - Moments in Love