The First After Epiphany (side A)

1987's The First After Epiphany is not only consistent but even surprisingly uniform for a label sampler. The biggest obvious influence here was early Gang of Four (fortunately, the sampler seems to de-emphasize the tracks on the Ron Johnson label that sound like late-era Gang of Four). Other references that poke out include the Birthday Party, the Nightingales, and maybe even A Certain Ratio. Overall, the sampler is low on surprises, but it includes tracks from many of the best post-punk of its era, including The Ex, who've outlasted most of the bands of the era, and Stump, who went on to have a minor MTV hit. It sounds surprisingly good for a sampler on a small label, and the cover image is striking and weird (likely weirder than the music contained on the LP).