Excitement abounds this week as my quest to restock, revisit and relive some revelatory Peel discoveries of yesteryear comes in the form of Domino's reissue (is that enough re's for you?) of Young Marble Giants: "Colossal Youth". A band definitely of their time but still of great relevance today. For me the sound of YMG summons up listening to John Peel on the BBC in the Post-Punk era of the late 70's, three day weeks, power cuts and the doom of the Cold War. The music was a reaction against the bombastic thrash, strum and angst of the three chord manifesto then adopted by the majority of boy-poonkers. YMG was simply bass, guitar, keyboard, voice and beatbox & effects through a mono ghetto blaster, although twee sounding Alison Statton's lyrics and vocalizations confronted the personal and the social/political backed by an experimental minimalist use of sub-funk basslines, tremolo drenched guitars, keyboard lines that predated the sound Stereolab made their own. There's also glimpses of DIY electronica soundscapes and fairground, easy-listening, muzak atmospherics. The CD package comes in a set of three with the "Colossal Youth" album, the singles and "Salad Days" album together with a John Peel session recorded in 1980. The vinyl outing just includes "Colossal Youth".
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What their label says...
Tracklisting: A1 EU* Boloto (6:46)Domino are proud to re-release ‘Colossal Youth’ and the Collected Works of Young Marble Giants, drawing together the band’s album and singles for the first time ever on a triple CD set in deluxe slipcase, with a 32 page booklet containing extensive sleeve notes by Simon Reynolds and a wealth of unseen photographs and ephemera.·Taking the unprecedented step of making Young Marble Giants’ first ever release a long player certainly paid off. ‘Colossal Youth’ became a parallel soundtrack to the unsteady stabs of the post punk early eighties, and quickly became one of (the then nascent) Rough Trade Records best sellers. Becalmed, resigned and a little tense, it created a new vocabulary for song. ‘Colossal Youth’ was followed by a couple of EPs, and then the group split up, to everyone’s surprise and dismay.Initial pressings of the set will include a third disc, which features six tracks the band recorded for John Peel in 1980, making it a complete package of Young Marble Giants’ recorded tracks. The heavyweight LP featuring the original album’s tracklist only.
CD1
Searching For Mr Right * Include Me Out * The Taxi Eating Noddemix * Constantly Changing * Nita * Colossal Youth * Music For Evenings * The Music Amplifier * Choci Loni * Wurlitzer Jukebox * Salad Days * Credit In The Straight World * Brand New Life * Wind In The Rigging
CD2 This Way * Posed By Models * The Clock * Clicktalk * Zebra Trucks * Sporting Life * Final Day * Radio Silents * Cakewalking * Ode To Booker T * Have Your Toupee Ready * Nita (Demo) * Brand New Life (Demo) * Zebra Trucks (Demo) * Chocolate Loni (Demo) * Wind In The Rigging (Demo) * The Man Shares His Meal With His Beast (Demo) * The Taxi (Demo) * Constantly Changing (Demo) * Music For Evenings (Demo) * Credit In The Straight World (Demo) * Eating Noddemix (Demo) * Ode To Bookert (Demo) * Radio Silents (Demo) * Hayman (Demo) * Loop The Loop (Demo)
Other items by Young Marble Giants
Colossal Youth Young Marble Giants LP (vinyl), £13.39 Sorry - sold out.
