Reissues
I think I have a problem. I have this bad habit of buying albums that I already own. I can't seem to stop. Everytime there's a remaster with bonus tracks and a thick booklet of new liner notes, I have to have it. Even if there's no discernable improvement in the sound, it doesn't matter. Gotta have it. Luckily most of the remasters really do improve on the sound, particularly with The Cure's Pornography, The Advert's Cast Of Thousands, Martha & The Muffins' This Is The Ice Age and the Funkadelic and Can reissues. There's some debate about the recent Fun House, but that's coming mostly from vinyl fetishists. I mostly excluded releases that slipped out of print, and have returned unchanged, such as Gang Of Four's Entertainment!, which was already remastered and reissued in 1995.
There's been so many great albums the last few years being given the deluxe treatment, that I'm devoting a a whole page to them. (see list of 2004 reissues here).
2005 Reissues
- The Stooges * Funhouse (Rhino/Elektra) 70
- The Associates * The Affectionate Punch (Fiction) 80
- Patti Smith * Horses (Arista) 75
- Can * Soon Over Babaluma (Mute/Spoon) 74
- Martha and the Muffins * This Is The Ice Age (Dindisc/Virgin) 81
- Funkadelic * Maggot Brain (Westbound) 71
- Willi Williams * Messenger Man (Blood & Fire) 80
- Funkadelic (Westbound) 69
- The Adverts * Crossing The Red Sea With the Adverts (Devils Jukebox) 78
- Can * Future Days (Mute/Spoon) 73
- Motorhead * Ace Of Spades (Roadracer) 80
- The Damned * The Black Album (Chiswick/Big Beat UK) 80
- The Fall * Hex Enduction Hour (Castle/Sanctuary) 82
- The Stooges (Rhino/Elektra) 69
- Bruce Springsteen * Born To Run (Columbia) 75
- Accept * Restless and Wild (Portrait/Steamhammer) 83
- Yello * Solid Pleasure (Ralph/Mercury) 80
- The Cure * Pornography (Fiction/Rhino) 82
- Van Der Graaf Generator * Pawn Hearts (Caroline/Charisma) 71
- Prince Far I * Silver & Gold 1973-79 (Blood & Fire)
- The Fall * Slates EP (Castle/Sanctuary) 81
- Run-D.M.C. * Raising Hell (Profile/Arista) 86
- Dinosaur Jr. * You're Living All Over Me (SST/Merge) 87
- Funkadelic * Cosmic Slop (Westbound) 73
- Funkadelic * Free Your Mind And Your Ass Will Follow (Westbound) 70
- Funkadelic * Standing On the Verge Of Getting It On (Westbound) 74
- Killing Joke (Caroline/EMI) 80
- Motorhead * Overkill (EMI) 79
- Leroy Brown * Color Barrier 1974-80 (Makasound)
- Gentle Giant * In A Glass House (DRT) 73
- Siouxsie & The Banshees * The Scream (Geffen) 78
- The Adverts * Cast Of Thousands (Devils Jukebox) 79
- Angel Witch (Castle/Sanctuary) 80
- Cornell Campbell * Natty Dread: Anthology 1972-75 (Trojan)
- The Fall * Perverted By Language (Castle/Sanctuary) 83
- Run-D.M.C. (Profile/Arista) 84
- Van Der Graaf Generator * Godbluff (Charisma/Blue Plate) 75
- Motorhead * Bomber (Bronze) 79
- Run-D.M.C. * The King Of Rock (Profile/Arista) 85
- Yello * Stella (Mercury) 85
- The In-Crowd * His Majesty Is Coming (Trojan)
- Gentle Giant * Octopus (DRT) 72
- The Travellers * Black Black Minds (Paradise/Pressure Sounds) 77
- Lee Perry * Dubstrumentals (Trojan) 75
- Orange Juice * The Glasgow School (Postcard/Domino) 1978-81
- Yello * Claro Que Si (Ralph/Mercury) 81
- Gentle Giant * Three Friends (DRT) 72
- Yello * You Gotta Say Yes To Another Excess (Mercury) 83
- Can * Landed (Mute/Spoon) 75
- The Cure * Seventeen Seconds (Fiction/Rhino) 80
- The Cure * Faith (Fiction/Rhino) 81
- The Fall * Room To Live (Castle/Sanctuary) 82
- Comus * Song To Comus: The Complete Collection (Sanctuary)
- Killing Joke * What's THIS For...! (Caroline/EMI) 81
- Gregory Isaacs * Extra Classic (Trojan) 77
- The Revolutionaries * Earthquake Dub (Joe Gibbs/Hot Pot) 78
- Carl Harvey * Ecstasy Of Mankind (Makasound) 78
- The African Brothers * Meets King Tubby In Dub (Nature Sounds) 76
- John Cooper Clarke * Snap, Crackle [&] Bop (Epic) 80
- Van Der Graaf Generator * H To He Who Am The Only One (Caroline/Charisma) 70
- Van Der Graaf Generator * The Least We Can Do Is Wave To Each Other (Caroline/Charisma) 70
- Defunkt * Defunkt/Thermonuclear Sweat (Hannibal) 80-82
- John Cooper Clarke * Disguise In Love (Epic/Sony) 78
- Funkadelic * Let's Take It To The Stage (Westbound) 75
- Funkadelic * America Eats Its Young (Westbound) 72
- Donovan * Barabajagal (EMI) 69
- Gentle Giant (DRT) 70
- Sonic Youth * Goo (Geffen) 90
- Motorhead * Bomber (Sanctuary) 79
- Adam Ant * Friend Or Foe (Epic/Sony) 82
- Dinosaur Jr. * Bug (SST/Merge) 88
- Junior Delgado * Sons Of Slaves (Trojan)
- DJ Shadow * Endtroducing (Mo Wax) 96
- The Heptones * Unreleased Night Food & Rare Black Ark Sessions 1975-79 (Auralux)
- Sugar Minott * At Studio One (Soul Jazz)
- Chelsea * Urban Kids: A Punk Anthology (Castle UK) 79
- Peter Hammill * Fool's Mate (Chrysalis/Blue Plate) 71
- Van Der Graaf Generator * Still Life (Charisma/Blue Plate)
- Killing Joke * Revelations (Caroline/EMI) 82
- Pablo Moses * Pave The Way + Dubs (Young Tree) 81
- Donovan * Mellow Yellow (EMI) 67
- Barrington Levy * Love Your Brotherman: The Early Years (Trojan)
- Donovan * Sunshine Superman (EMI) 66
- Run-D.M.C. * Tougher Than Leather (Profile/Arista) 88
- Can * Unlimited Edition (Mute/Spoon) 1968-75
- Generation X * Kiss Me Deadly (Chrysalis/EMI) 81
- Dinosaur Jr. (Homestead/Merge) 85
- Donovan * Hurdy Gurdy Man (EMI) 68
- Adam Ant * Strip (Epic/Sony) 83
- Human League * Crash (Caroline/EMI) 86
- Motorhead * Iron Fist (Castle) 82
- Human League * Hysteria (Caroline/EMI) 84
- Killing Joke * Ha! Live EP (Caroline/EMI) 82
- Yello * One Second (Mercury) 87
- Adam Ant * Vive Le Rock (Epic/Sony) 85
- Funkadelic * Tales Of Kidd Funkadelic (Westbound) 76
- Yello * Flag (Mercury) 88
Motorhead, Overkill (Sanctuary) 79
Motorhead, Bomber (Sanctuary) 79
Motorhead, Ace Of Spades (Sanctuary) 80
Motorhead, Iron Fist (Sanctuary) 82
If Ozzy Osbourne is the loony, bumbling godfather of heavy metal, Ian "Lemmy" Kilmister is the scary, twitchy, warty uncle. Lemmy has been involved in rock 'n' roll as long as any of the early metal pioneers, joining his first R&B bands in 1964. After playing in several bands and working as a roadie for Jimi Hendrix and Pink Floyd, Lemmy joined Hawkwind in 1971, arguably sparking the band to a creative peak with his amphetamine fueled basslines and songwriting contributions. After a four year stint he was fired for being arrested for drug possession. It was more about his speedfreak demeanor not fitting in with the band's style of psychedelic space rock. Lemmy formed his own band, naming it after one of the songs he wrote with Hawkwind. Initially focusing on the the muscular type of blues boogie he cut his chops with in the 60s, Motorhead didn't yet stand out from the pack. United Artists rejected their first attempt at a debut album in 1976, On Parole. After replacing the first members with Phil "Philthy Animal" Taylor and Fast Eddie Clarke, the classic lineup was in place. Taking their cue from punk, they began to develop a fast, dirty sound, though it hadn't yet completely gelled on 1977's Motorhead.
Yet they were already creating an unholy union by implanting metal in punk's DNA, which would become increasingly ubiquitous in the next twenty years. Indeed, Motorhead was probably the only band at the time embraced both by metalheads and punkers. Lemmy's vocals were far from tuneful or skillful. With probably less than a quarter the range of Judas Priest's Rob Halford, Lemmy sang as if he had just gargled a concoction of whiskey, gasoline and volcano ash. Often his voice simply wailed, blending in as just another instrument. Which is not to say his lyrics weren't worth taking the effort to decipher, as every tune carried witty turns of phrases. What also set them apart was Lemmy's bass playing. While most metal bands simply used the bass as a rhythmic bedrock on which guitarists stand on to grandstand, preen and solo, Lemmy's loud, ultra-distorted bass dominated and drove the songs, often carrying the melody. Despite their abrasive, non-mainstream sound, the album peaked at number 43 in the British charts. By 1979's Overkill, Motorhead had been touring with the same lineup for three years and were wound tight as a loaded spring. It was a hard, vicious classic of peak-era Motorhead, produced by Jimmy Miller (Rolling Stone's Exile On Main Street). The fast and furious title track demonstrated that Motorhead had perfected their mix of faster-than-punk speed, harder-than-nails metal, and rougher than the dirtiest blues and rock 'n' roll. With Overkill, Motorhead inspired a slew of younger bands to play faster and harder than the first wave of metal bands (particularly New Wave of British Heavy Metal bands like Raven, Venom and Iron Maiden). The sound was also the blueprint for the thrash metal that would emerge in the United States by 1983.
Bomber was released later the same year, and the sound did not vary even a little bit. This would set the pattern that suited the metal audiences well. While rock bands of that era traditionally were praised for mastering an eclectic array of styles, metal bands tended to develop a singular signature sound and stick with it. Their fairly conservative fans focus on the "good parts" (fast riffing, singular vocal style) and leave the extraneous stuff (experimentation with instrumentation and genres) behind. Without the variation, it seemed doubtful Motorhead could top Overkill. Bomber had enough distinctive tunes like "Dead Men Tell No Tales," "Stone Dead Forever" and "Bomber" to satisfy fans (in fact it surpassed its predecessor in the charts, reaching number 12 over the other's peak at 24). Amazingly, Ace Of Spades did manage to top Overkill. The differences are subtle, but it the songs are fine-tuned to razor sharpness, particularly the standout hit title track, which sounds like a jackhammer handled with the precision of a dentist's drill. Their sense of humor is evident in their campy bad men in black spaghetti western costumes on the cover. "Jailbait," "(We Are) The Road Crew" and "The Hammer" were anthems that kept Motorhead on top of the metal heap long enough to celebrate with the triumphant live album, No Sleep 'Til Hammersmith (1981).
The peak did not last. Iron Fist (1982) had a flat production, and its slowed down tempos gave the impression that Motorhead were tired. There were still some great tunes, like "(Don't Need) Religion," "Speedfreak" and "America." But soon Lemmy with lose both Fast Eddie and Philthy, and the classic era was over. Lemmy struggled somewhat through the rest of the 80s, while he watched his peers enjoy huge commercial success. Yet every album had at least a handful of worthy songs, and once Motorhead was properly recognized for their massive influence by the 90s, Lemmy seemed recharged and once again began to at least match the sound and fury of the early classics. Lavish is not something one associates with Motorhead albums, but the Sanctuary reissues earn it, with excellent remastered sound and double CD packages that include gobs of juicy extras, including rare b-sides, nearly all the Peel Sessions from the era, and live recordings.
The Fall, Slates EP (Castle/Sanctuary) 81
The Fall, Hex Enduction Hour (Castle/Sanctuary) 82
The Fall, Room To Live (Castle/Sanctuary) 82
The Fall, Perverted By Language (Castle/Sanctuary) 83
Every year The Fall?s body of work seems ever more impossible to get a handle on, a constantly growing mountain of endless variations on a seemingly singular theme ? repetition. The fact that the band has pulled this off for 28 years and is still winning over new fans is a testament to their genius. John Peel?s (RIP) favorite band has released so many great albums, it?s impossible to get a consensus on what?s their best. Some prefer the primitive, almost rockabilly-like early albums, Live At The Witch Trials (1979), Dragnet (1980) and Grotesque (1980), which were all re-released last year. Non-completists will find a succinct summary of that era on It's The New Thing! The Step Forward Years (1978-80). Despite the simplicity of their style, The Fall stood apart from their contemporaries, never acknowledging kinship with other bands. They didn?t even acknowledge the existence of the mighty Joy Division, even though dock worker Mark E. Smith would often pass by a similar-looking bloke with the same donkey jacket on his way to work named Ian Curtis, who loved the same bands (The Doors, Velvets, Stooges, Can), and even rehearsed in the same building and shared bills.
At first The Fall were pretty political, and participated in Rock Against Racism benefits. They soon distanced themselves from trendy jingoism and became more elliptical and non-linear, kind of like Dylan. As Simon Reynolds noted in Rip It Up And Start Again: Post-Punk 1978-1984, they were big fans of literature (Philip Dick, Burroughs, Yeats, Camus, Lovecraft, Algernon Blackwood, Arthur Machen) and psychedelic drugs, Smith described The Fall as ?head music with energy.? They'd spend days in Heaton Park picking psilocybin mushrooms (the same that Iggy Pop consumed while recording Funhouse), tripping and exploring music and their inner demons. Of course, amphetamines was also a major factor in Smith's twitchy paranoia, shamanistic pretensions, and nearly OCD allegiance to repetition, repetition, repetition. Not just in cyclical rhythms and verses, but album after album forms a nearly singular groove. If The Fall were competing to become the definitive Manchester band, one wonders how it would have turned out if it was Smith who threw himself a necktie party instead of Curtis. But that just wasn't in the cards -- Smith is a survivor, like a cockroach. He had better records to make.
In listening to the singles compilation from that next era, Palace Of Swords Reversed 1980-1983, you?d think they had become relentlessly catchy, with songs like "Totally Wired," "How I Wrote 'Elastic Man'" and "The Man Whose Head Expanded." There was also an added layer of sophistication, with second guitarist Marc Riley adding inventive, dissonant riffs on top of Craig Scanlon?s skeletal licks. Often overlooked in the shadow of the following year?s Hex Enduction Hour, Slates EP is when The Fall shifted up a gear, and for some, their concise peak. Mark Sinker wrote in The Wire?s ?The 100 Best Records Ever Made,? ?Smith?s unfooled bile seemed perfectly dialectically visionary, wearily energized, utterly untimely: his un-musicality a higher music?a guitar-sound jabbing barbs into your skin, razor-edge squeals into your head ? Man With Chip?s voice yabbers scarily on through a thick fog of textured noise.? Smith?s withering invective is unbeatable here, with the devastating London put-down ?Leave the Capitol? and ?Slates, Slags, Etc.,? where Smith lets loose a spray of ire about spilled drinks and shitty new wave bands, as the band cranks out an awesome two-chord jam. ?An Older Lover,? is ominously creepy, as it slithers to a pulsing, subdued rhythm that skips a beat every now and then, demonstrating the band?s uncredited virtuosity. ?Everybody hears the hum at 3 A.M.? sings Smith on ?Prole Art Threat,? which could be the result of hearing damage from being blown away by a Fall show earlier in the evening, as they belt out savage rockers like this song. The reissue fills the EP out with four Peel session tracks, and the essential single "Lie Dream Of A Casino Soul" and "Fantastic Life."
Adding original drummer Karl Burns for a double-pummel attack, The Fall traveled to Reykjavik, Iceland to record some of their next album. The result, Hex Enduction Hour is considered by some as their masterpiece. What better way to kick it off than with one of their greatest songs, ?The Classical.? With the distorted bass high in the mix, the band lurches like The Birthday Party with tribal drumming. Dinky toy keyboards can be heard, barely, as the din peaks in a wall of noise while Smith rails against the vacuous popular culture of London and the New Romantics Spandau Ballet and Duran Duran, ?too much romantic here, I destroy romantics, actors, kill it.? The original sound introduced by that song alone would be copied by many bands. ?Hip Priest? stalks the rhythm slowly and deliberately, like a serial killer, while sonic details are given space to breathe, like the clacking bones of a xylophone. The band?s usual gripes about current culture is balanced with Smiths fascination with ancient mysticism. The lava walls of the Reykjavik studio seemed an appropriate place to meditate on primordial black magic on ?Iceland.? The spare bass and piano track drive the song to unbearable tension, never climaxing. It makes previous Fall records sound old fashioned. The dark, distorted organ of Velvet Underground?s ?Sister Ray? haunts the album like a ghoulish spector, such as the frenzied cacophony of ?Fortress/Dear Park.? ?Winter? is split into two parts, featuring an elliptical bass riff and almost pretty guitar textures as Smith tells a dark tale of an insane child taken over by an alcoholic spirit. ?Just Step S?ways? actually has a catchy, bass-driven melody that you can almost sing along to ? ?Just step outside this future world today.? In ?Who Makes The Nazis?? Smith succinctly answers, ?intellectual half-wits,? complete with a garbled chorus, ?nnnggduuuhhh!? Classic. The bonus disc includes two Peel Sessions, the hilarious single, "I'm Into C.B.," and six live tracks.
My initial experience with Hex was as part of Hip Priests And Kamerads, which adds selections from Room To Live, which is between the length of an EP and full album, stupidly leaving out a couple key Hex tracks. So for me, Room To Live is an essential companion piece. Recorded just a few months later, it doesn?t measure up to its predecessor, but is certainly a worthwhile piece in the Fall?s peak period. ?Marquis Cha-Cha,? features some truly complex percussion and an actual funky guitar and bass, making it one of their more entertaining songs about the Falklands war. The rest of the mini-album was more loosely structured, with the unrehearsed band avoiding the big sound of Hex and instead attempting improvisation. ?Joker Hysterical Face? sounds like a relatively tight, classic Fall opener, while ?Hard Life In Country? is more formless, while ?Room To Live? features some saxophone in tribute to Smith?s favorite prog band, Van Der Graaf Generator. The spare ?Detective Instinct? is little more than a bass riff with haunting, echoey guitar patterns. ?Solicitor In Studio? drags a bit before erupting into feedback. The sentiments of ?Papal Visit? are still relevant, but the musical ideas are somewhat dried up.
Perverted By Language introduces Smith?s new American wife, Brix on guitar and vocals, replacing Marc Riley. Her songwriting assistance and Smith?s elevated mood don?t exactly make for a post-punk Tupelo Honey, but its misanthropy is certainly muted, and the melodies more apparent, as the band continues to experiment and evolve. For example, on the Brix-sung ?Hotel Bl?edel,? there are acoustic guitars, and Smith actually plays violin and contributes spoken words to her vocal melodies, resulting in a beautiful, gothic sound. ?Hexen Definitive? also has a lighter, almost twangy touch that hasn?t graced a Fall record before. Elsewhere, ?Neighbourhood of Inifinity? has more familiar chugging metronomic beats, while ?Tempo House? showcases Smith?s masterful vocal delivery in a live-in-the-studio context. ?Garden? is the greatest highlight, an enchanting ?All Tomorrow?s Parties? drone with Smith ranting about a ?Jew on a motorbike.? Overall, Perverted is a necessary transitional album before the band enters, arguably, their greatest peak with The Wonderful And Frightening World Of The Fall (1984) and This Nation?s Saving Grace (1985). The reissue includes the great singles "The Man Whose Head Expanded" and "Kicker Conspiracy," and several alternative takes and live tracks.
Van Der Graaf Generator * The Least We Can Do Is Wave To Each Other (Caroline/Charisma) 70
Van Der Graaf Generator * H To He Who Am The Only One (Caroline/Charisma) 70
Van Der Graaf Generator * Pawn Hearts (Caroline/Charisma) 71
Van Der Graaf Generator was an enigma from the start, and remain just as mysterious over 35 years later. From the beginning they defied easy categorization. They didn?t fit easily into the niches of psychedelic rock, folk, jazz fusion or progressive rock, yet there were all of those elements and more. At the peak of the punk era, when the bloated circus road shows of Pink Floyd, Yes and Genesis were dismissed by punkers as irrelevant, Johnny Rotten famously gave props to Van Der Graaf singer Peter Hammill during a radio show. Mark E. Smith of The Fall was also a fan. It?s easy to hear why. When other so-called ?progressive? bands were polishing their schtick into static performances, Van Der Graaf Generator embodied that restless, questing spirit that led to constant change. They never played the same songs the same way, often pushing themselves to the point failure, alienating half their audiences. This of course sabotaged their commercial viability, but generated awe and respect mostly among fellow musicians.
After a tentative start with 1968?s Aerosal Grey Machine, the band gelled with 1970?s The Least We Can Do Is Wave To Each Other (taken from a John Minton quote, ?We?re all awash in a sea of blood, and the least??). Hammill?s talents as a worldly lyricist become apparent as he tackles mysticism, numerology, religion and even the Spanish Inquisition in ?White Hammer.? On ?Refugees? he takes a more personal slant with the melancholia of fading friendships. The music at times had the folksy feel of the Canterbury scene, though they didn?t really listen to any contemporary bands at the time. While they may have had kindred spirits in the Soft Machine?s Robert Wyatt, King Crimson?s Robert Fripp and Gong, Van Der Graaf Generator sounded like no one else. The remaster salvages the horrible original CD transfer, adds the ?Refugees? single and its B-side, and sounds brilliant.
He To He Who Am The Only One (1970) is another step forward, with Hammill?s lyrical concerns extending to science fiction themes, given a dark veneer with the powerful, ominous sounds of a Hammond organ. ?Killer? is more haunting and powerful than anything by Black Sabbath or Deep Purple, while Robert Fripp guests on ?Emperor In His War Room.? An intruiging bonus track is ?Squid/Octopus,? a 15:24 live favorite that gets an unhinged live-in-the-studio performance some time before commencing sessions for Pawn Hearts, which brought its madness to a peak as one of the most uncompromising albums of the early 70s. Experimentation with electronics gave their sound an edge that sounded even more evil than before, creating a truly monumental clash of beauty, chaos and horror, particularly in the featured composition, ?A Plague Of Lighthouse Keepers.? The remaster adds several solo compositions from each of the members. After several exhausting tours of Italy and Europe, the band took a hiatus as Hammill tried his hand at some solo work. In two and a half years, the band would return stronger than ever.
Killing Joke (Caroline/EMI) 80
Killing Joke, What's THIS for...! (Caroline/EMI) 81
Killing Joke, Revelations (Caroline/EMI) 82
Starting early on (1978) with a strong concept of how his band should sound (?define the exquisite beauty of the atomic age?like the earth vomiting?), Jaz Coleman and Killing Joke did quite well with their singular sound of tribal drumming and a heavy wall of electronic and guitar sounds that signify an impending apocalyptic doom at the hands of either alien invaders or our own stupidity. They emerged fully formed for the first self-titled full length. While some sneered that they took a small facet of the grey, metallic dirges of Joy Division and Public Image Ltd. and pounded it into oblivion, this isn?t necessarily a bad thing. Just as the Ramones and Mot?rhead maintained a singular sound, tweaking it only slightly during their long careers, Killing Joke created a fertile template with their first album, inspiring bands like Big Black, Metallica, Ministry, Jane?s Addiction, Fugazi and Nine Inch Nails. ?Requiem? displays one of the most powerful synthesizer intros ever to kick off an album. With this remaster it seems virtually earthshaking. ?Wardance? is an early single and a succinct example of their martial beat and buzzing guitar sound. Like The Birthday Party's Rowland S. Howard, Geordie successfully repurposed Keith Levene's sinister guitar into his own distinct niche. The apex is ?The Weight,? a pounding, repetitive riff and distorted vocals that?s heavier than anything from 1980.
Incredibly, the band was dissatisfied with the effort, labeling it as ?weak.? Knowing they had What?s THIS for?! in the can, one can hear why. The thundering drums sound like falling mountains on ?Unspeakable,? while ?Follow The Leaders? is nearly catchy. There?s some experimentation too, such as the frenzied samples of ?Who Told You How?? that sound like a cross between Savage Republic and Chrome. ?Butcher? explores a slower tempo, sounding like a tribute to one of their inspirations, Joy Division. Aside from those variations, the general lack of melody and hooks makes it difficult to listen all the way through. Recorded in Berlin with Conny Plank, Revelations (1982) tones down the intensity slightly. While the sound is overall more crystalline than the earlier, dirty sounding efforts, the repetition and lack of diversity is less of a virtue here. The biggest standout is ?Empire Song.? Despite spending some time in Iceland because they thought the world was ending, Killing Joke would continue to tone down their sound throughout the 80s with varying success. After taking a break from the band and working as a classical composer, Coleman reunited Killing Joke in the late 90s. In 2003 they came back strong with another self titled album. Jaz the wild-eyed apocalyptic seer is back.
The Associates, The Affectionate Punch (Fiction/Universal) 80
With bands like Franz Ferdinand paying homage to post-punk pioneers Josef K, and Orange Juice getting a high-profile reissue, it?s ironic that Scotland?s most commercial, and arguably greatest band remains pretty much unknown in the states. Perhaps the reissue of their 1980 debut The Affectionate Punch will give them their due as the missing link between the dread of PiL and exuberance of ABC, not to mention the template for U2?s The Edge (hear the spiky, cascading riffs on ?Paper House?). Alan Rankine and singer Billy MacKenzie met in the 70s as members of a cabaret ensemble called Mental Torture. Influenced by movie soundtracks, Sparks, Bowie, Can, Kraftwerk, Roxy Music and Scott Walker, the duo boldly announced their arrival by covering Bowie?s ?Boys Keep Swinging? only months after the original was released in 1979.
Coming off a tour with labelmates The Cure, the band's vision was fully formed, only to evolve more in the studio with cuts like the dramatic "Matter Of Gender" and "Transport To Central." The music seemed both timely and beyond its time, referring to the Teutonic iciness of Bowie and Eno?s Berlin sessions, and anticipating the New Romantics. The sound is stark and sparse, with the drums playing a secondary role of a simple, metronomic beat that lends a hypnotic quality not unlike contemporaries Young Marble Giants, and The Cure?s first singles. Yet Rankine?s imaginative guitar playing added splashes of color to these shadowy songs, while MacKenzie?s vocals are flamboyant, sometimes nearly operatic. "Dogs In The Wild" morphs into a strangely catchy, horn driven amalgam of Kurt Weill and Scott Walker. The Associates were clearly meant to be stars. Yet not even a half dozen brilliantly experimental singles (compiled on 1981?s Fourth Drawer Down, reissued on V2 in 2000) could get them chart action, though they certainly gave Wire's 154 competition for the most creative production, with the assistance of a young Flood. It wasn?t until the velvety, almost sickly sweet pop of Sulk did they briefly get the attention they deserved. As boldly innovative as their later work was, The Affectionate Punch remains for me the most satisfying and visceral, as a band?s seemingly infinite initial promise is almost always more enticing than the reality that?s later manifested.
The Stooges (Elektra/Rhino) 69
The Stooges, Fun House (Elektra/Rhino) 70
Lore has it that John Cale all but castrated the mighty, sprawling power that was The Psychedelic Stooges. Having not been born yet, I can only imagine what the early Psychedelic Stooges gigs were like from historical accounts. By most accounts they were noisy, chaotic, experimented with homemade instruments, and sometimes self-indulgent and awful. Though we?ll never know for sure, I?m betting Cale was a good influence, forcing the band to focus and write some real songs. The Stooges dropped the excess flab from their name and music. You can hear some original Cale mixes on the second disc. While the buzzsaw guitar and Iggy?s vocals were pushed slightly back in the mix, there?s no denying that these sessions smoked. It?s nice to hear the full versions of ?Ann? and ?No Fun,? but the official versions pretty much nailed what they were getting at. ?We Will Fall? justified its length with its narcotic furry venus drone. While The Doors can be heard as an influence, they?ve never been this hypnotic. And Jim Morrison could never match the pure Dionysian id that Iggy naturally embodied.
No wonder Iggy was asked to front The Doors a couple years later. With Fun House, he created the perfect rock album. Writing songs around Ron Asheton?s amazing riffs, The Stooges assembled the live set that would become Fun House. Balancing their love of John Cage, Sun Ra, John Coltrane and Harry Partch with dumb rock, they fine tuned their performances with military precision. Appropriately, the label assigned Don Galluci, organist on The Kingsmen?s ?Louie Louie? to attempt to get the live sound on tape. At first he didn?t think it could be done. But he stripped the L.A. studio of its carpet and drapes, hotwired Iggy?s vocals live, and let rip a song a day, in the order they?d appear on the album. It?s fascinating to hear some of the early mixes on disc two. Despite being on various substances, the band was incredibly focused. It?s amazing to hear how they went from the rough takes to the perfect cuts used on the album within a single day. The predatory bass-and-drums riff of ?Down On The Street? gives the impression of a coiled panther ready to pounce, while ?Loose? breaks the damn and lets the floods roar, reaching its first peak in the maelstrom that is ?T.V. Eye,? which is much more successful at an orgiastic money shot than ?Whole Lotta Love.? ?Dirt? slows down to roll about in gutter poetry, and damn if it isn?t sensual. ?1970,? a classic covered by the likes of The Damned and Mission of Burma, brings the energy level back to mayhem, while ?Fun House? is the aqueous portal to the album?s heart of darkness. It?s an even more hedonistic ?Sister Ray,? pretzel-knotted with ecstatic jazz and primal screams. ?L.A. Blues? takes it to even further, ridiculous extremes. Which is what great rock ?n? roll should do ? push beyond the comfort level, astound with its audacity and insanity, leaving you exhausted and purged.
35 years later, hundreds of bands have been influenced by these two albums, worshipped them, and attempted to match the live power of Fun House. Everyone failed, including The Stooges themselves.
Can, Future Days (Spoon/Mute) 73
Can, Soon Over Babaluma (Spoon/Mute) 74
Can, Landed (Spoon/Mute) 75
Can, Unlimited Edition 1968-75 (Spoon/Mute) 76
Can are widely considered the leading experimental group of the 70s, even the 20th century. Because of that reputation, their most listenable albums have been undervalued, eclipsed by praise for their most challenging work in 1971?s Tago Mago, all hectic tribal rhythms and shrieking. Like Captain Beefheart?s Trout Mask Replica, it might be too much difficult listening for an introduction to the band?s work. This year?s batch of Can reissues might be the best place to start. Vocalist (can?t really call him a singer) Damo Suzuki?s final album with Can, Future Days (1973) calms down the wild experimentation enough to project a more cohesive sound. It aims to sound otherworldly and futuristic and succeeds, making good on the term ?kosmische musik? (cosmic music). The band is locked into a hypnotic groove could be credited as an origin of the Western version of ?trance? music, which wouldn?t be explored much more for another 20 years. It also anticipates Brian Eno?s ambient music. ?Future Days? sets the pace with Jaki Liebezeit?s drums keeping a steady pulse rather than the usual chaotic eruptions, and Michael Karoli?s guitar floating ethereally in the background. Irmin Schmidt introduces more atmospheric keyboards and electronics on ?Spray.? ?Bel Air? is the 20 minute centerpiece, featuring several peaks and valleys. On the short ?Moonshake,? Suzuki?s vocals play a larger role, at least augmenting the rhythm with his whispers. Overall though, he played a more key role in previous albums as the Wildman. Here, he?s not obtrusive, but certainly inessential. Fanboys like Julian Cope in his book Krautrocksampler dismisses later Can because of this, calling Future Days a ?schizophrenic stalemate? and dismissing later albums as ?patchy, flawed.?
But just because Can shed a skin and grew a new one doesn?t mean they?re any less groundbreaking or engrossing. Future Days is one of their best, and their next, Soon Over Babaluma is my favorite. Karoli and Schmidt split the vocal duties and do a find job of blending into the music well. Violin is more prominent here, as is Holgar Czukay?s bass. In fact, everything seems to have evolved a step ? the guitar playing is nearly Flamenco like in its delicate intricacy, while everything from reggae, Latin and African rhythms are subtly incorporated. There may be few grandstanding moments, but overall the album is even more beautiful sounding than Future Days. ?Dizzy Dizzy? and ?Come Sta, La Luna? are as pioneering as anything from earlier albums, while they retain a slight intense sense of dread in ?Chain Reaction/Quantum Physics.? In The Wire?s 1992 feature, ?The 100 Most Important Records Ever Made,? Simon Reynolds wrote, ?Humour, poignancy, awe, groove, Dada, intimacy, immensity ? sometimes I wonder why I bother listening to anything else. Anticipates (or pre-empts): the Fourth World pan-Globalism of Talking Heads? Remain In Light, Byrne/Eno?s My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts, Jon Hassell, the avant-funk of PiL and The Pop Group, The Raincoats, 23 Skiddoo, AR Kane?s oceanic rock, even some rap and rave.? I?m glad someone agrees.
On Landed and Unlimited Edition, Can loosens up. While Landed abandons the alien beauty of the previous two albums, it presents yet another side that?s hardly throwaway. Can rocks out more, and tackles more conventionally concise song structures. This time the rhythm takes a back seat to the more upfront vocals (on three tracks), guitar (some of Karoli?s fiercest playing is found here), and electronics. ?Full Moon On The Highway? and ?Hunters And Collectors? may not have been hits, but they are certainly Can at their catchiest, at least until their later hit with ?I Want More.? Yet the album?s highlight is one of Can?s most sonically ambitious pieces. ?Vernal Equinox? is like an epic battle between guitars and synths, as if they?re determining the future of music itself. The answer in the end is they sound best together, intertwined like lovers. It?s like King Crimson infused with punk energy, similar to French electro-prog pioneer Richard Pinhas? work in Heldon. ?Red Hot Indians? features a stuttering rhythm with various percussion, actually funky guitar riffs, saxophone and scratchy electronic sound effects that Pere Ubu may very well have plagiarized a couple years later. ?Unfinished? sounds just that, 13:20 of incoherent filler. Landed may not be an ?important? album, but it sure as heck is fun. Flow Motion should have been the next album to be remastered in this batch, since Unlimited Edition is merely a bunch of outtakes. While some of the songs are part of Can?s Ethnomusicological Forgery Series, most are merely fragments rather than songs, dating back to 1968-71. ?Gomorrah? dates from 1973 and may be the best track. But overall, it?s Can?s least essential album. Though its easy to see how, in getting reacquainted with their amazingly rich catalog, one would obsessively want it all.
Martha and the Muffins, This Is The Ice Age (Dindisc/Virgin) 81
When the reissue of Martha & The Muffins? first album, Metro Music was announced, I only had the vaguest recollections of them as some sort of new wave one hit wonder on the order of Berlin or Yaz. Listening to the album set me straight. ?Echo Beach? was a minor hit for the band, but the album was full of witty, powerful songs. For most bands of the era, it would have been downhill from there. But Martha & The Muffins were still holding back. After a modest-to-a-fault second album (Trance & Dance), the band earned the tag as the Canadian Talking Heads with This Is The Ice Age. Their secret weapon was a young Daniel Lanois, who would play the Brian Eno role for a trilogy of albums. It?s like the band went from black and white to Technicolor. Lanois incorporated incidental sounds and digital synthesizers filtered through delays and reverbs that made it sound less synthetic than their peers. The drum sounds themselves are impressively ahead of their time, like they used giant rubber mallets. It sounds like Tricky may have sampled them on Maxinquaye 14 years later. Embedded toward the end of the title track, you?ll hear a snippet of a scrambled, processed vocal that sounds suspiciously like the intro to Radiohead?s Kid A.
The songwriting is as equally stunning as the band?s vivid new sound. After an abrasive opening sound of what sounds like a traffic jam, ?Swimming? slides in, smooth and oily, a sinewy bass track undulates around Mark Gane?s buttery baritone, and that incredible drum sound. From its sound, bittersweet lyrics and unconventional song structure, it?s one of the most singularly original songs of the 80s. Showcasing Martha Johnson?s vocals, ?Women Around the World At Work? is a stunning single, with a metronomic rhythm that anticipates Stereolab, a searing guitar solo that echoes the dry, brittle tone of Television?s Tom Verlaine, and Andy Haas? melancholy saxophone solo that?s too atonal to have that clich??d 80s sound. If anything, it recalls a more introverted, melancholy mix of Roxy Music and Steely Dan. The simple, piano driven ?One Day In Paris? is one of Martha?s finest showcases, in which Lanois hangs back with the most subtle of touches to let the song breathe. ?You Sold The Cottage? is a grown-up followup to the lyrical theme of ?Echo Beach.? The album concludes with the stunningly beautiful two-part ?Three Hundred Years/Chemistry.? The first section is an instrumental synth and farfisa piece that rivals anything on Eno?s Another Green World or Bowie?s Low. It then gradually bleeds into a short, transcendent vocal number that ties the album up perfectly. It?s over far too quickly, which is why the two bonus tracks are more than welcome. On other albums they might be standouts, but here they?re just nice extras after a flawless album. Now if they would please reissue the next two albums, Danseparc (1982) and Mystery Walk (1984).
The Adverts, Crossing The Red Sea With The Adverts (Devils Jukebox) 78
The Adverts, Cast Of Thousands (Devils Jukebox) 79
One of the big myths of punk was that everyone was an amateur who didn?t know how to play their instruments, when in fact a good number of the punks were experienced musicians, some having already spent years on the pub rock circuit. The Adverts, however, were a classic exception of non-musicians who simply willed themselves into a great band with passion and determination. Their first single ?One Chord Wonders? most likely refers to their January 1977 debut at The Roxy with the refrain, ?Come back when you?ve learned to play.? T.V. Smith actually knew at least two chords by then, but was not yet able to sing and play guitar at the same time. Bassist (and Stooges fan) Gaye Advert and drummer Laurie Driver learned to play at the gigs. Remarkably, the band already had a batch of great original songs that all sounded like hit singles with catchy, anthemic choruses and a hectic, driven energy. This was enough to impress The Damned?s Brian James to invite them on tour, its poster reading, ?The Damned can play three chords. The Adverts can play one. Hear all four at??
With only a few months of experience, it really did seem like a miracle that The Adverts could produce an entire album. Much credit of Crossing The Red Sea?s success was given to producer John Leckie, who was known for his work with George Harrison, John Lennon, Pink Floyd, Be-Bop Deluxe and Doctors of Madness. His genius was in making relatively clean, uncluttered recordings that played on the band?s strengths of Smith?s breathless yet concise choruses framed by simple guitars and fast rhythms. There?s enough subtle sonic details that flesh out their sound to show why Leckie later became a choice producer for bands ranging from Magazine, P.i.L., Felt, The Fall, Stone Roses and Radiohead. Aside from the singles ?Gary Gilmore?s Eyes? (which was left off the original version of the album), ?Bored Teenagers,? ?Safety In Numbers? (a presciently rabid slash at biters and bandwagon jumpers) and ?No Time To Be 21,? the album had enough variety to captivate through the last song. ?On The Roof? starts with a slow, doom-laden bass groove before exploding into action, while the angular rhythms of the brilliant, intense ?Newsboys? was inspired by Captain Beefheart and Pere Ubu. The Adverts? debut is too often overlooked, as it equals or betters contemporary albums by The Clash, Sex Pistols, The Damned and The Buzzcocks. This deluxe double disc reissues includes the three original singles with B-sides ?Quickstep? and ?We Who Wait,? along with a short live performance.
The remastered version of The Adverts? second and last album, Cast Of Thousands calls for a critical reappraisal. Originally dismissed because it lacked the dervish punk energy of their debut, The Adverts were victims of the stifling conservatism of the punk scene without benefiting from canonization of post-punk the same way that Wire or Public Image Ltd. did. In hindsight, the album?s restless spirit can be heard in seemingly unlikely bands as The Arcade Fire. While the live shows remained fiery, the band?s sound changed drastically on record with the addition of keyboardist Tim Cross, and new drummer Rod Latter, who was less primal than his predecessor. The result is more of an experimental art pop record, where each song had its own distinct sound. The Beatles had done this, but apparently it was not acceptable in punk. . It?s hard to believe the opening title track, with its big sound, piano and choirs, is the same band that less than two years previously could barely play. The album certainly did not lack passion. If anything, T.V. Smith sounds even more excitable, like an evangelist preacher who had just caught on fire, but was determined to finish his sermon. ?Fate of Criminals? is another mini-masterpiece, with truly creepy, processed chorus, and a surprising guitar solo that?s nearly rockabilly. ?Love Songs? is a classic anti-love song with some very tricky time changes. ?I Surrender? begins with bells, handclaps, and Smith?s captivating vocal melody before the band makes a dramatic entrance. The clanging sound is from a rat running lose in the reverb room. It sounds like a lost anthem. Already aware that the band was sinking due to extremely negative reactions to their singles, Smith?s disenchantment culminates with his anguished cries in ?I Looked At The Sun? while the rest of the band chants ?Some-thing!? 25 years after the bitter disappointment of being deserted by fans and disembowled by critics, hindsight has shown people warming up to the album, and even preferring it to Red Sea. In the liner notes, Smith wrote, ??each of these albums has a point to make, and I?m proud of them both. If they sound completely different to each other ? well, so be it. We followed our instincts and created something unique. As far as I?m concerned, that?s punk.?
