Left of the Dial: Dispatches from the '80s Underground
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| Left of the Dial: Dispatches from the '80s Underground | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Compilation album by various artists | |
| Released | October 5, 2004 |
| Genre | Alternative rock |
| Label | Rhino |
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 85/100[1] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
| The Austin Chronicle |  [3] |
| Blender | [4] |
| E! | B+[5] |
| Entertainment Weekly | A−[6] |
| Pitchfork | 8.3/10[7] |
| Rolling Stone | [8] |
| Stylus | A[9] |
| Uncut | [10] |
Left of the Dial: Dispatches from the '80s Underground is a four-disc alternative rock compilation album released by Rhino Records in 2004. Chris Dahlen of Pitchfork notes that "the mandate of Left of the Dial — to showcase anything that fit on college radio in the 80s — means you'll find everything from punk and post-punk to synth-pop and dream-pop".[7] The term "left of the dial", taken from a Replacements song (that does not appear in this collection), refers to the college and other non-commercial FM radio stations in the U.S., with frequencies typically in the reserved band on the left (i.e., lower) end of the FM broadcast band of the radio spectrum.[11]
Track listing
[edit]| No. | Title | Artist | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Radio Free Europe" | R.E.M. | 4:06 |
| 2. | "Going Underground" | The Jam | 2:56 |
| 3. | "A Forest" | The Cure | 4:55 |
| 4. | "Holiday in Cambodia" | Dead Kennedys | 4:39 |
| 5. | "I'm in Love with a German Film Star" | The Passions | 4:01 |
| 6. | "I Will Dare" | The Replacements | 3:19 |
| 7. | "That's When I Reach for My Revolver" | Mission of Burma | 3:53 |
| 8. | "Johnny Hit and Run Paulene" | X | 2:50 |
| 9. | "Just Like Honey" | The Jesus and Mary Chain | 3:02 |
| 10. | "Black Celebration" | Depeche Mode | 4:53 |
| 11. | "Tell Me When It's Over" | The Dream Syndicate | 3:33 |
| 12. | "Hollywood (Africa)" | Red Hot Chili Peppers | 5:03 |
| 13. | "Temptation" | New Order | 5:44 |
| 14. | "Ghosts" | Japan | 4:32 |
| 15. | "A Song from Under the Floorboards" | Magazine | 4:11 |
| 16. | "Oblivious" | Aztec Camera | 3:12 |
| 17. | "Don't Want to Know If You Are Lonely" | Hüsker Dü | 3:32 |
| 18. | "Rise Above" | Black Flag | 2:26 |
| 19. | "Back in Flesh" | Wall of Voodoo | 3:43 |
| 20. | "Cattle and Cane" | The Go-Betweens | 4:01 |
| No. | Title | Artist | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Message of Love" | The Pretenders | 3:26 |
| 2. | "Vienna" | Ultravox | 4:40 |
| 3. | "Freak Scene" | Dinosaur Jr. | 3:37 |
| 4. | "This Charming Man" | The Smiths | 2:44 |
| 5. | "Stigmata" | Ministry | 5:45 |
| 6. | "Ways to Be Wicked" | Lone Justice | 3:26 |
| 7. | "Wardance" | Killing Joke | 3:47 |
| 8. | "Enola Gay" | Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark | 3:32 |
| 9. | "Mirror in the Bathroom" | The English Beat | 3:08 |
| 10. | "Fairytale in the Supermarket" | The Raincoats | 3:00 |
| 11. | "Behind the Wall of Sleep" | The Smithereens | 3:24 |
| 12. | "Political Song for Michael Jackson to Sing" | Minutemen | 1:32 |
| 13. | "Punk Rock Girl" | The Dead Milkmen | 2:39 |
| 14. | "Still in Hollywood" | Concrete Blonde | 3:45 |
| 15. | "Love Will Tear Us Apart" | Joy Division | 3:27 |
| 16. | "Blister in the Sun" | Violent Femmes | 2:26 |
| 17. | "Lake of Fire" | Meat Puppets | 2:00 |
| 18. | "Amplifier" | The dB's | 3:08 |
| 19. | "When Love Breaks Down" | Prefab Sprout | 3:46 |
| 20. | "Goo Goo Muck" | The Cramps | 3:07 |
| 21. | "This Corrosion" | The Sisters of Mercy | 4:29 |
| 22. | "Senses Working Overtime" | XTC | 4:36 |
| No. | Title | Artist | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Cutter" | Echo & the Bunnymen | 3:55 |
| 2. | "Pay to Cum" | Bad Brains | 1:28 |
| 3. | "Birthday" | The Sugarcubes | 3:59 |
| 4. | "Madonna of the Wasps" | Robyn Hitchcock and the Egyptians | 3:07 |
| 5. | "We Care a Lot" | Faith No More | 4:05 |
| 6. | "Teen Age Riot" | Sonic Youth | 6:58 |
| 7. | "To Hell with Poverty" | Gang of Four | 3:28 |
| 8. | "Fa Cé-La" | The Feelies | 2:03 |
| 9. | "Ana Ng" | They Might Be Giants | 3:21 |
| 10. | "Swamp Thing" | The Chameleons UK | 6:00 |
| 11. | "The Mercy Seat" | Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds | 5:12 |
| 12. | "I Look Around" | Rain Parade | 3:07 |
| 13. | "All That Money Wants" | The Psychedelic Furs | 3:52 |
| 14. | "Under the Milky Way" | The Church | 4:59 |
| 15. | "Rise" | Public Image Ltd. | 6:08 |
| 16. | "Kundalini Express" | Love and Rockets | 5:51 |
| 17. | "Gravity Talks" | Green on Red | 2:34 |
| 18. | "Adrenalin" | Throbbing Gristle | 3:58 |
| 19. | "She Bangs the Drums" | The Stone Roses | 3:45 |
| No. | Title | Artist | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Monkey Gone to Heaven" | Pixies | 2:56 |
| 2. | " Uncertain Smile" | The The | 4:54 |
| 3. | "Bela Lugosi's Dead" | Bauhaus | 9:34 |
| 4. | "Christine" | Siouxsie and the Banshees | 2:59 |
| 5. | "Straight Edge" | Minor Threat | 0:46 |
| 6. | "Help You Ann" | Lyres | 2:30 |
| 7. | "Our Secret" | Beat Happening | 2:48 |
| 8. | "Jane Says" | Jane's Addiction | 4:53 |
| 9. | "World Shut Your Mouth" | Julian Cope | 3:34 |
| 10. | "Running Up That Hill" | Kate Bush | 5:00 |
| 11. | "Sex Beat" | The Gun Club | 2:48 |
| 12. | "Take the Skinheads Bowling" | Camper Van Beethoven | 2:30 |
| 13. | "Institutionalized" | Suicidal Tendencies | 3:49 |
| 14. | "Pearly-Dewdrops' Drops" | Cocteau Twins | 4:11 |
| 15. | "24 Hour Party People" | Happy Mondays | 4:38 |
| 16. | "I Want You Back" | Hoodoo Gurus | 3:11 |
| 17. | "Suburban Home" | Descendents | 1:42 |
| 18. | "A Pair of Brown Eyes" | The Pogues | 4:53 |
| 19. | "Jet Fighter" | The Three O'Clock | 3:27 |
| 20. | "Moving to Florida" | Butthole Surfers | 4:31 |
| 21. | "A New England" | Billy Bragg | 2:13 |
References
[edit]- ^ "Reviews for Left Of The Dial: Dispatches From The '80s Underground by Various Artists". Metacritic. Retrieved September 22, 2017.
- ^ Unterberger, Richie. "Left of the Dial: Dispatches from the '80s Underground – Various Artists". AllMusic. Retrieved February 4, 2010.
- ^ Gray, Christopher (December 10, 2004). "Left of the Dial: Dispatches From the 80s Underground". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved April 26, 2025.
- ^ Powers, Ann. "Various Artists: Left of the Dial: Dispatches the 80's Underground". Blender. Archived from the original on December 10, 2004. Retrieved September 22, 2017.
- ^ "Various Artists - Left of the Dial: Dispatches from the '80s Underground". E! Online. October 12, 2004. Retrieved April 26, 2025.
- ^ Weingarten, Marc (October 29, 2004). "Left of the Dial: Dispatches From the '80s Underground". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on March 16, 2020. Retrieved September 22, 2017.
- ^ a b Dahlen, Chris (October 19, 2004). "Various Artists: Left of the Dial: Dispatches from the 80s Underground". Pitchfork. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
- ^ Wolk, Douglas (October 28, 2004). "Various Artists: Left of the Dial: Dispatches from the '80s Underground". Rolling Stone: 104.
- ^ Unterberger, Andrew (October 19, 2004). "Various Artists – Left of the Dial: Dispatches from the Underground – Review". Stylus Magazine. Archived from the original on September 25, 2008. Retrieved October 4, 2018.
- ^ "Various Artists: Left of the Dial: Dispatches from the '80s Underground". Uncut (93): 94. February 2005.
- ^ "Left of the Dial". KCRU.org. 2018. Retrieved 2021-10-05.
Left of the Dial takes its name from the Replacements song of the same name, and is a reference to the position of the radio dial on which non-commercial radio stations are typically located.