Early PD Material

The band, the music & all related topics.

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Dave the Fish
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Early PD Material

Postby Dave the Fish » 24 Jul 2010, 23:27


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Postby OX4 » 06 Aug 2011, 16:35

I agree with you about much of the earlier material, there are many redeeming features about much of it and without an official history and an explanation why these songs were disowned I think there is always going to be speculation about the reasons why.
The audio quality of the first two singles is certainly inferior to their later work but for a new band who were probably working to a very tight budget, this is certainly understandable. It is interesting to note though, that some of the characteristics of the 'Play Dead sound' are already in place. Pete Waddleton's aggressive bass style seems to have arrived fully formed and the funky undercurrent that seemed to be a permanent fixture all the way through the band's career is already noticeable too.
What is different on the first couple of singles is firstly Wiff's drumming style, there is a more straightforward 'rock' feel in 'Poison Takes a Hold' 'Introduction' and 'TV Eye' (even though that might seem to contradict my previous statement about funky undercurrents) and, of course, the fact that Steve Green only plays on one of the four songs. However- and I don't know whether this is true or not, its just a theory from listening to the recordings- what I feel may be the major factor in the band's rejection of their early work is the fact that Rob seems to be trying to find his natural vocal style, as it varies from a monotone ('Poison') to almost spoken ('Introduction' and 'Final Epitaph') to almost uncomfortably affected (as opposed to effected) on 'TV Eye'. None of these vocal performances are bad and the songs themselves are still perfectly enjoyable but he does not sound as self assured and consistent as he does from the 'Propaganda' single onwards.
I also agree with your assessment that it is Pete who drives these first few songs along. Although I don't have an aversion to minimalist guitar lines, the guitar work on 'Poison Takes A Hold' is rather uninspiring unfortunately, so the fact that the bass is rather more in-your-face that would be usual is what plays a great part in saving the song. 'Introduction' is similar but also suffers from having no chorus. So, although these two songs are not entirely convincing its not fair to dismiss them completely because I can see in them many elements that came to greater fruition later so for curiosity value they are a very important part of the band's story but I wouldn't use them as an introduction to the band for a new listener.
Although 'Final Epitaph' comes from the same era as 'Poison' and 'Introduction' the slower tempo and darker mood actually suit the understated guitar style and guitarist Re must be credited with perfect judgement in allowing the rhythm section to ride all over this one. A tribal bastardisation of the Bo Diddly beat carries aloft a tautly syncopated bass line that stutters and grunts its way through Robs musings on an un-named dead man, his past and what this man he has left behind him. Its an underrated gem this song and is particularly interesting when you compare the accents and drum hits that appear in the chorus of this song to the ones on the single version of 'Propaganda'. I think this song is the pick of the bunch from the first two singles, even though its A-side 'TV Eye' features the first appearance of new guitarist Steve Green. I've made no secret of my admiration for Steve's talents (see here for further appreciations http://www.companyofjustice.com/forum/v ... .php?t=176) and it is immediately obvious the difference he has made to the band when you listen to 'TV Eye'. Even though the flanged bass runs and accents are quite obviously overdubbed, its still a much more sophisticated piece than the other three songs and Steve's playing is much more dynamic and versatile than Re's. There is even a proper guitar solo on this one. 'TV Eye' is the stepping stone between the earlier material and the more capable and forceful band that released 'The First Flower'
Before 'The First Flower' appeared though, the first Peel session gave us an insight into what was going on and it is interesting to note that the bass riff of 'Metallic Smile' is very reminiscent of the 'TV Eye' riff. You may have disowned the song but you can't keep a good riff down...
Even though I'm not with you on 'Effigy'- although Steve is great on this one, in fine crunch and grind mode, overall the song seems too self consciously doomy- I will agree that 'Pray to Mecca' seems to be treading water a bit, which makes it all the more surprising that only this and 'Propaganda' from this period made it into the band's next phase. I can still recall them playing 'Pray to Mecca' live as late as October 1983. Speaking of 'Propaganda' though, the version on this Peel session differs from the later version as it has yet to gain the accents lifted from 'Final Epitaph' (allegedly...as I said, you can?t keep a good riff down) and Steve is playing the verses in a tight funky style, as opposed to the washes of powerchords on the single version. The later version works far better, I feel.
No discussion of the band's early work pre 'First Flower' would be complete, of course, without an appreciation of 'Bloodstain Pleasure' from 'The Whip' compilation. This is a far superior version to the one later recorded for Clay Records during the 'Promised Land' era. Also there are a couple of songs that were never recorded and released. 'Judgement Day' was the band's set opener for a while that featured a nice slap bass section in the middle eight but eventually disappeared into oblivion sometime late in 1983. Then there was 'Season of Despair' which, although this was dropped at a similar time as 'Judgement Day', its lyrics were later recycled for large parts of 'Walk Away'. There is also a song which I think was called 'Slide' which appears on a bootleg somewhere and is the only recording of the song that I have.
Anyway, excellent thought provoking stuff. Thanks for posting Dave and sorry it took so long to get round to replying with an opinion- busy times at the moment don'tcha know...


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