Various Artists – Young Limbs Rise Again ( The Story Of The Bat Cave Nightclub 1982-1985) 6LP Box Set

Various Artists – Young Limbs Rise Again ( The Story Of The Bat Cave Nightclub 1982-1985) 

London 1982. As the new romantic youthquake of 1981/1982 faded, and after what felt like a lifetime since punk’s last gasp, a tiny nightclub opened its doors in London’s Soho. Drawing to it a new generation of misfits and miscreants with a penchant for polysexual hedonism, for dressing up and showing out, The Batcave became the dark heart of alternative club culture, just like The Roxy and The Blitz before it.

Art school students, ex-punks and psychobillys, boys and girls, gays, straights, don’t-knows and don’t-cares, Camden and Kensington Market stallholders, professional squatters, kids on the dole, kids in bands, nocturnal music journalists, edgy fashionistas, androgynous randoms and even a smattering of bona fide popstars – from Nick Cave to Siouxsie Sioux, Marc Almond, Robert Smith, Killing Joke and Sigue Sigue Sputnik. All were welcome to pile in, gawp at the hair, ripped, torn, bleached and rubberised fashions, and death-mask make-up and take in the dancefloor’s heady musical mix of beats-heavy post-punk pioneers, outsider icons like Wayne County and The Cramps, and a teetering pile of lusty glam rock singles from the likes of T. Rex and The Sweet.

The club even had its own house band, Specimen, fronted by charismatic and ghoulishly handsome frontman Olli Wisdom (RIP) as well as playing host to a slew of first-wave bands of what came to be known as “goth”. And it is with Specimen’s Jon Klein (later, a Banshee, too) and keyboardist Jonny Slut (later founder of legendary club night Nag Nag Nag) along with Sophie Chery from another stalwart Batcave band, Sexbeat, who’ve worked with Demon in putting together this deluxe and definitive musical and visual accompaniment to a moment that sparked a global youth cult.

Tracklist:
The Hop: A Night On The Dancefloor 1
A1 The Sisters Of Mercy– Temple Of Love (Extended Version) 7:40
A2 The Cure– Let's Go To Bed 3:34
A3 Xmal Deutschland– Incubus Succubus II 4:43
A4 Magazine– The Light Pours Out Of Me 3:28
A5 The Cramps– Garbageman 3:34

B1 Specimen– Kiss Kiss Bang Bang 4:53
B2 Virgin Prunes– Pagan Lovesong (Vibeakimbo) 6:49
B3 Getting The Fear– Against The Wind 3:42
B4 Theatre Of Hate– The Hop 2:48
B5 The March Violets– Fodder 2:39

Slowdive: A Night On The Dancefloor 2
C1 Killing Joke– Follow The Leaders 4:06
C2 Siouxsie And The Banshees– Slowdive 2:30
C3 The Birthday Party– Release The Bats 2:30
C4 The Psychedelic Furs– We Love You 3:27
C5 Nightmares In Wax– Black Leather 4:11
C6 Dave Ball Featuring Gavin Friday– Strict Tempo 3:42

D1 The B52's– Planet Claire 4:33
D2 The Meteors – My Daddy Is A Vampire 3:39
D3 Throbbing Gristle– United 4:00
D4 Fad Gadget– Collapsing New People 4:15
D5 Wasted Youth– I Wish I Was A Girl 5:43

Adolescent Sex: A Night On The Dancefloor 3
E1 Alien Sex Fiend– Ignore The Machine 6:47
E2 The Human League– Being Boiled 4:17
E3 Soft Cell– Soul Inside 4:31
E4 The Fall– Copped It 4:15
E5 Adam And The Ants– Kick! 2:06

F1 Japan– Adolescent Sex 4:13
F2 Propaganda– Dr Mabuse (First Life) 5:02
F3 The Glove– Like An Animal 4:42
F4 Gene Loves Jezebel– Punch Drunk 2:23
F5 Flowerpot Men– Jo's So Mean To Josephine 5:37

Club Country: A Night On The Dancefloor 4
G1 The Cult– Resurrection Joe (Long Version) 6:09
G2 The Associates– Club Country (12" Version) 6:57
G3 Scars – All About You 5:06
G4 Malaria!– Your Turn To Run 4:09
G5 SPK– Metal Dance 3:39

H1 PiL– This Is Not A Love Song (12" Version) 4:29
H2 Echo And The Bunnymen– The Back Of Love 3:13
H3 Simple Minds– I Travel 6:17
H4 The The– Uncertain Smile 4:56
H5 Vicious Pink– Ccan't You See... 3:32

Sexbeat: The Bands Who Played
I1 Specimen– Dead Man's Autochop 3:57
I2 Sexbeat– Sexbeat 3:35
I3 Alien Sex Fiend– RIP 3:49
I4 Zero LeCrêche– Last Year's Wife (12" Version) 4:35
I5 Marc And The Mambas– Sleaze 7:22

J1 Flesh For Lulu– Roman Candle (12" Version) 10:18
J2 Christian Death– Deathwish 2:13
J3 Lords Of The New Church– Dance With Me 3:25
J4 Play Dead– Propaganda 3:11
J5 Bone Orchard– Fats Terminal 2:45

Hell Raiser: The Glam Rock Roots
K1 The Sweet– Hell Raiser 3:16
K2 T. Rex– Telegram Sam 3:45
K3 Roxy Music– All I Want Is You 2:53
K4 Mott The Hoople– Roll Away The Stone 3:11
K5 Brian Eno– Needles In The Camel's Eye 3:10
K6 Mick Ronson– Only After Dark 3:31

L1 Sparks– Amateur Hour 3:37
L2 New York Dolls– Jet Boy 4:41
L3 Lou Reed– Vicious 2:55
L4 Suicide– Ghost Rider 2:33
L5 Iggy Pop– Funtime 2:53
L6 Suzi Quatro– Devil Gate Drive 3:47

Label: Demon Records  
Released: 2023