‘That Summer!,’ a British Soundtrack, Makes a Strong Argument for New Wave Music

I don’t make a habit of reviewing hard-to-find imports, but That Summer!, a British soundtrack, is too valuable to ignore. True, a few of the tracks contain nothing to write home about, but the bulk of the 16-song program adds up to the best argument for new-wave music I’ve heard so far. Sprinkled throughout are such frequently heard delights as the Ramones’s “Rockaway Beach,” Patti Smith’s “Because the Night,” and Richard Hell’s “Blank Generation.” But what really makes this special are the handful of gems that have yet to garner much stateside attention. Though not included on any of his U.S. albums, for example, Elvis Costello’s “(I Don’t Want to Go to) Chelsea” ranks among his most impressive creations. The Only Ones’ irresistibly hooked “Another Girl, Another Planet” constitutes even less familiar territory but that burst of energy alone offers more than enough reason to search the import shops for this LP.