Punk 45: There Is No Such Thing As Society (subtitled: Get A Job, Get A Car, Get A Bed, Get Drunk! Underground Punk in the UK 1977-81, Vol.2) is a 2014 compilation album cataloguing punk and post-punk music from the United Kingdom released between 1977 and 1981. It was released by Soul Jazz Records and received positive reviews from AllMusic, Record Collector and The Times.
Music and content
Punk 45: There Is No Such Thing As Society is a compilation that was a follow-up to Soul Jazz Records' album Punk 45: Underground Punk in the United States of America, Vol. 1 (2013).[1][2] This album focuses on punk rock and post-punk music released between 1977 and 1981 that was not as popular as other groups of the era such as The Clash and The Sex Pistols.[1]
Tim Peacock of Record Collector praised the compilation, calling it "a fine balance between the seminal, the obscure and the downright arcane." and that the album could not compete with the book Punk 45 released by Soul Jazz, "but it’s still nigh-on essential".[2]
Aneet Nijar of AllMusic also praised the album, stating that "What makes this compilation so engaging is that the songs evoke images of a '70s Britain behest by strikes, rolling blackouts, Margaret Thatcher, and general disillusionment with the establishment alongside the genuine musical ingenuity and drive of the artists featured. By successfully capturing this spirit of discontent and the subsequent creativity that nurtured it, this collection is a brilliant snapshot of the rise of U.K. punk and post-punk and the explosive cultural shift that followed."[1] Will Hodgkinson of The Times gave the album a four out of five, stating that the album "proves what diamonds in the rough those singles so often were."[5]
