ROLLING ROLLING ROLLING, KEEP THAT WAGON ROLLING

"HOW MANY YEARS?"

THE INDEPENDENT newspaper today (sat 26th Jan) gave away a free CD of bands and singers from the STIFF label, the two part CD (part two next week) is entitled '30 years of stiff records'.

i know all things punk and 'new wave' are still trundling along on the increasingly full band wagon but this release is the worst yet, for starters the '30 years' of the title makes no sense because the label started in 1976, so this compilation is two years too late for starters.

The other noticeable thing about the CD is the fact that almost none of the labels best and well known bands are on it, apart from the MADNESS track, most of the songs didn't help define the labels 'credo' which was already well defined by the time of the earliest track on this volume (1980 apart from DESMOND DEKKERS 'the Israelites' which was released years before the label started and is an odd choice for a stiff compilation) and doesn't have any bands that helped to launch the label to the level of fame it got, there is no NICK LOWE or THE DAMNED for a start, and the only early stiff release on the CD is 'hit me with your rhythm stick' by IAN DURY AND THE BLOCKHEADS, and thats live.

What the CD is full of though is the one off songs that the label put out that made the charts, songs like 'its my party and i'll cry if i want to by DAVE STEWART and BABARA GASKIN, and one by TRACY ULLMAN called 'breakaway' -remember that? me neither, hardly songs that defined the label!

I know that stiff has released a 98 track box set (its advertised on the back of the CD cover) and so this is probably an advertising tool, yet anyone wanting 'stiff defining songs' or classics from the label will be left short and will be well disappointed to say the least, maybe part two will be better (but i doubt it).

The other 'acts' on the CD are JONA LEWIE, KIRSTY MACOLL ('new England' is an ok song i suppose), THE BELLE STARS, DEPARTMENT S (with 'is vic there', their highly annoying one hit wonder song) and CHRIS DIFFORD from SQUEEZE with a new song, and that's it.

The only saving grace is the CD's label side, it is made to look like a single with a middle and pretend record grooves which is 'cute', otherwise this is a waste of plastic and cardboard, thank god its free.

But as an advertising tool for the 98 track box set it is an ad-mans boo-boo and would i imagine put people off buying the box set.

And why '30 years of stiff' now after 32 years? what marked 1978 out as a watershed for the label sufficient enough to merit this date?

I'm buggered if i know.

Be warned, i advise you not to go there.