Date: Thu, 2 Oct 1997 20:05:10 +0000 From: Andrew Norman Subject: Re: pram / darla bliss-outs? > Also saw that there's a new Bark Psychosis release called "Game > Over" on Third Stone. What a cheesy title! Think this is a > collection of singles and previously unreleased stuff including the > mighty "Scum". Does the additional material make this a worthy > release at fourteen quid? No, in short. "Blue" is *not* the full-length 12" version but the CD edit (which missed less than a minute of ambient introduction but is otherwise the same), "Murder City" is incredibly noisy squalling guitar (left off Hex because it didn't fit, which it certainly wouldn't have), and the live "Pendulum Man" is nice but not essential. If you have "Hex" and "Independency" you have most of it anyway. They could have made a really good compilation by putting all the non-album B-sides and an assortment of album stuff on one CD and then pleased the fans too, but this one isn't going to satisfy collectors (who'll have all but two tracks) and wonderful though BP were I don't think they are going to attract many new fans now. If you have a spare fourteen quid, buy the new Bob Dylan album, or half a dozen 7" singles by groups you haven't heard of, or the new Cornershop album (on my list). Speaking of 7" singles, three new ones from Wurlitzer Jukebox arrived yesterday. Light's "Tenth Planet Rock" is rather strange - two of those "songs without a tune" that Amp do occasionally, with that echoing repetious style of the other Light releases. I'm not sure whether I like it or not. Plone teeter along the line between avant-garde synthesiser instrumentals and the sort of thing your granny would think was "a nice tune", as did Fuxa on "Very Well Organised", but unlike Fuxa they stay on the right side of the line most of the time. Transparent Thing are a disappointment - the previous single was great, but the A-side of the new one is a nursery rhyme with harmonium, like Pink Floyd's "Bike" after a dose of night nurse, and the B-side is also substandard.