Burning Ambition: The History of Punk, Vols. 1-3 attempts to be a definitive overview of American and British punk in the '70s, and while it falls short of its goals, it's nevertheless an admirable effort. Admittedly, some of the selections are strange -- there are some odd choices for major artists, plus a few alternate takes, poor mixes or live cuts -- and the anthology leans toward more obscure artists, but there's enough basic material here from the likes of the Buzzcocks, the Fall, Wire, the 101'ers, 999, the Adverts, the Stranglers, the Vibrators, X-Ray Spex, the Saints, the Damned, Killing Joke, the Dead Kennedys, the Exploited, the Angelic Upstarts, the U.K. Subs, the Undertones, New Model Army, Sham 69 and the Anti-Nowhere League to make it worthwhile for listeners who already have a basic knowledge of punk, want to dig a little deeper, and don't mind taking the good with the bad. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide