One of the great disconnects in popular music is the line traced from the late 1960s to the early 1990s. We had the Beatles and Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin, then we somehow got to the Carpenters and Donny Osmond. Next came Prince, Madonna and Sting, then Motley Crue, and then all of a sudden U2 and Nirvana and Pearl Jam showed up and the world was right again.

Most people know that punk in the 70s was a response to the overblown arena rock, progressive pomposity and weenie pop that dominated the radio and sales. But the movement, at least the British side of it, seemed to peter out quickly, replaced by new wave and post-punk. That led to the synthesizer-dominated music of the 80s, punctuated with the occasional rock boom of Bruce Springsteen and Guns ‘n’ Roses.

But let’s back up and follow the other path, the one blazed and forgotten by the punks. It turns out that punk had not died in America, but had opened the ears of many kids who had grown up on their father’s 60s albums. In Britain, those who didn’t subscribe to new wave were pursuing their own post-punk-meets-British-invasion style. It was a new sort of music, an alternative to what was on the radio, and it touched a nerve with those who heard it. All of a sudden, it was cool to like a band that maybe 12 other people had heard of, a band that played clubs, traveled in vans and was only heard on the hippest of hip college stations, a band that believed in the traditions of garage rock.

That feeling and those bands make up the backbone of Left of the Dial: Dispatches from the 80s Underground, and it is a true alternative rock catalog. The music of the 90s, while often called alternative or alt-rock, was popular all over and therefore could not actually be an alternative to anything; this is where all of that started, before it became known as indie rock.

Name an alternative band of the 80s that achieved at least a modicum of success or were influential, and they are probably here: The Cure, The Smiths, R.E.M., The Pretenders, Psychedelic Furs, Butthole Surfers, Jane’s Addiction, Kate Bush, The Replacements, Depeche Mode, New Order, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Equally present are the American punk and hardcore bands of the era: Black Flag, Dead Kennedys, X, Dead Milkmen, The Cramps, Bad Brains and Minor Threat. Other lesser-known bands as a whole but very well known to a select few round out the set.

One might wonder how an alternative box set can get away with music from bands that eventually became quite popular, and Rhino solves it by picking selections from the band’s earliest days, ones that fit the sound of the project as a whole. R.E.M. used to be truly underground, so their first single “Radio Free Europe” kicks off the first disc, and it remains an inscrutable classic. The Red Hot Chili Peppers also used to be freaky and weird, and they are represented by “Hollywood (Africa).” Even the Pretenders, before they got slick, are here with the truly odd “Message of Love,” which is miles away from “Back on the Chain Gang.”

Your tolerance for punk will depend on how much you get out of some of this, and it should be noted that not every underground band was necessarily good, though a band’s best songs are always open to debate. Early singles by The Cure (“A Forest”) and Depeche Mode (“Black Celebration”) are just fine, but songs by the Dream Syndicate, Aztec Camera and Wall of Voodoo just don’t go anywhere on the first disc.

The second disc is notable for the Smithereens’ excellent “Behind the Wall of Sleep” and Joy Division’s “Love Will Tear Us Apart,” but the version of the Meat Puppets’ “Lake of Fire” is terrible and Prefab Sprout’s “When Love Breaks Down” is fine, but the band had far better songs. XTC, Sisters of Mercy and the English Beat also are here.

The third disc has early Faith No More, They Might Be Giants, Nick Cave and Love and Rockets, though the best songs belong to Australia’s The Church (“Under the Milky Way”) and the Stone Roses’ “She Bangs the Drums.” The final disc features the Pixies, Camper Van Beethoven and the Pogues; the best songs here are Kate Bush’s sublime “Running Up That Hill,” Jane’s Addiction’s “Jane Says” (truly out of place here) and the Hoodoo Gurus’ “I Want You Back.” It should be noted that some of these songs were the best known by that particular band and were Top 40 hits in Britain and/or Austrailia; perhaps selecting a lesser-known song by these bands would have fit the sensibility of this project better, even if it's still great to have them all in one place. Plus, it helps the listener decide which bands they want to know more about.

Perhaps sensing this, Rhino covers their ass by making a big deal out of where each band is from, both on the back of the box and on each individual CD cover and song list, not to mention the liner notes and song-by-song list in the book (obviously, this was assembled with care). The implication is that, before the world found out about them, these bands were only known to a handful of hardcore fans and those who were clever enough to tune in a little left of the radio dial, and they should be regarded as such. Imagine the Red Hot Chili Peppers as a little L.A. band playing in clubs in 1983, before John Frusciante and "Under The Bridge" and lightbulb outfits and whatnot, and you get the drift.

The box set is like listening to a college radio station from the 80s; those familiar with it will recognize many of the songs and bands and probably wonder about some exclusions, but will nonetheless enjoy the trip down memory lane and the wide assortment of styles; to date, this is probably the best one-stop canon of the alternative movement. Those familiar only with the biggest songs of these bands may scratch their heads at some of the stuff, but even they are likely to find some gems – and will want to seek out more by whatever band grabs their ears – hidden among the more mundane songs.

Whichever way you lean, Left of the Dial is worth the time. This is what the hip kids were listening to while Madonna and Michael Jackson were playing on Top 40. Moreover, it gives a glimpse into a bygone era that does not deserve to be lost.

Rating: B+

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