Labelled as “a field study of over 500 punk rock, post-punk, new wave, hardcore punk, and alternative rock compilations from their beginnings in 1976 as major label samplers and live showcases of the ‘new wave’ through their rapid evolution into a documentary art form of D.I.Y. punk rock creativity and expression” Welly Artcore's latest book, Nefarious Artists, explores one of the unsung bastions of the punk rock underground, the compilation album.
When it arrived on the back of a postal truck at Personal Punk HQ for review, as well as asking the same question as every other scene devotee does, namely “how a book like this hasn’t already been written is a mystery likely to remain unsolved”, they also said that “there is no safer pair of hands to steer the ship than Welly fuckin’ Artcore. Sure, he may have a dryly caustic wit that can cut through bullshit with consummate ease – it’s part of his charm – but he keeps it to a minimum here, treating the subject with the research-led gravitas it deserves. Meeting such a potentially intimidating project with a forensic thirst for knowledge, attention to structuring, and an eye-catching aesthetic” and that “Welly renders Nefarious Artists a hell of a juicy read”
If you worship at the altar of the punk rock, have a rabid desire to explore the history of the scene and the bands and labels who helped to sustain and build it, and love the sound of a needle dropping on obscure, incredible vinyl, then you need to point your cursor toward Earth island Books and let Welly guide you through the hidden realms of the punk rock compilation.
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