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The first track on my cd copy is actually their first single "She is beyond good and evil" which caused quite a stir at the time but sounds comparatively lightweight next to the album proper, which begins with "Thief of fire". Bovell's production is crucial. As well as harnessing the band's raw energy and ensuring that their predilection for extremes of volume and pitch never spirals out of control, he makes the whole thing sound like it was recorded in some sort of primordial echo chamber. "Snowgirl" is probably the most successful track, with its haunting theme and chaotic semi-improvised sequences seamlessly disintegrating into moments of quiet beauty; but it's all compelling, if uneasy listening.
The original lp includes a large poster featuring a collage of images indicating the band's moral and ideological concerns, but it's the music which did the talking on this album. Unfortunately they never managed to recapture that initial spark on their few subsequent releases where the music became a vehicle for their often tedious political sloganeering (mind you, their manic single "We are all prostitutes" is also a personal favourite).
Of course the various members of the Pop Group went on to form a multitude of other, generally more lightweight groups like Pigbag, Maximum Joy, Rip Rig & Panic (featuring a young Neneh Cherry) etc. Stewart bucked this trend by continuing his journey into paranoia, despair and torment with albums like "Learning to cope with cowardice" (an excellent sequel to "Y"). Their experiments also influenced a new generation of Bristol musicians (Massive Attack, Tricky, Portishead etc) but you'll never hear anything that sounds quite like this.
The original lp included a large poster featuring a collage of images indicating the band's moral and ideological concerns, but it's the music which did the talking on this album. Unfortunately they never managed to recapture that initial spark on their few subsequent releases where the music became a vehicle for their often tedious political sloganeering (mind you, their manic single "We are all prostitutes" is also a personal favourite).
Of course the various members of the Pop Group went on to form a multitude of other, generally more lightweight groups like Pigbag, Maximum Joy, Rip Rig & Panic (featuring a young Neneh Cherry) etc. Stewart bucked this trend by continuing his journey into paranoia, despair and torment with albums like "Learning to cope with cowardice" (an excellent sequel to �Y�). Their experiments also influenced a new generation of Bristol musicians (Massive Attack, Tricky, Portishead etc) but you'll never hear anything that sounds quite like this.
The band was made up of some angry young men who - depending on your point of view - were stellar musicians who managed to put across their musical/social/political ideas in an incredibly effective manner, or were political/social idealists who managed to make their musical talents perform those ideas in a way to convey them so eloquently and emotionally to their listeners. It's actually a bit of both, with lots of other elements thrown into the mix.
It's hard to say that the band was `fronted' by Mark Stewart's inimitable vocals - but let's call it that for the sake of argument. He has a voice that is unique and unmistakable - once you hear him in any setting, you'll recognize him in another (and he has performed in other ensembles, both during The Pop Group's existence and afterwards). Stewart croons, shrieks, growls, coos and more - he THROWS his voice at the listener, and the listener better be ready to catch it. Utilizing mixing and performing techniques of dub artists along with his already-formidable vocal palette, Stewart creates an atmosphere of intensity, alternately powered and driven by anger, love, fear, dread, and a whole range of other equally powerful emotions.
Instrumentally, the band is as unique as Stewart is vocally. Gareth Sager performs on guitar, piano, and saxophone - his love of free jazz artists such as the great Roland Kirk is evident in his technique (as well as in the heart-wrenching abandon/control combination of his playing). Bruce Smith (drums) and Simon Underwood (bass) lay down one of the greatest foundations you're ever likely to hear anywhere. John Waddington's guitar completes the audio picture, sending cascades of slashing rhythms across the mix. The whole thing is really, really indescribable. The overall feel, believe it or not (for those who have never heard this band) is steamingly funky - but make no mistake about it, this is NOT mindless dance music. There are multiple, intense and VITAL messages to be found in the band's lyrics - they address political and social issues that concern them (and should concern us all) without flinching or pulling any punches.
This cd release contains the entire album as it was originally released, with the addition of `She is beyond good and evil', the band's first (I think) single. Take a chance, take a dive, and experience this - AND TURN IT UP!
The leap from the punk thing to "Y" was way larger than the leap from Led Zeppelin to the Sex Pistols.
I probably won't buy this CD (although my vinyl copy is pretty worn out) but if you haven't heard it before, I urge you to pick it up. How did a bunch of kids from Bristol transform the UK music scene in 1979? The repercussions are still echoing around, think: Massive Attack, Tricky, Goldfrapp and any amount of bands from the 80's. The input from dub legend Dennis Bovell can not be understated (imagine Joy Division without Martin Hannett) but the passion was the boys' alone - if you had seen them play live at the time ( I did 5 times ) you would know Mark Stewart wasn't faking it! Of course band members went on to form Rip Rig and Panic, Pigbag, Glaxo Babies, Maximun Joy to name a few, and then the whole Adrian Sherwood scene......
Looks like this version has a bonus first track of the amazing "she is beyond good and evil" released originally as a 7" and the cover is a pretty good reproduction of the original (minus the Japanese)
Highly recommended - in fact it's my all time favorite album
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