Thieves Of Fire

 

The Pop Group - Y [RAD 20 UK 1979 24-Bit FLAC]

As you may have noticed, I shied away from a re-rip of Metal Box, choosing instead this gem for a whole new rip with the moving coil cartridge on a ProJect Classic turntable. This brings a whole new depth to my original rip from May 2014, so dump that one if you have it and indulge in this original Radar Records pressing of an important album from 1979.

Instead of Manchester and its early doom-funk, let's travel to Bristol and indulge in some dub-punk. The Pop Group were around before A Certain Ratio, they worked similar seams and both have left significant legacies - both drew their inspiration from seventies black music. ACR had Martin Hannett to guide their studio chops before they mastered the studio craft for themselves, The Pop Group had Dennis Bovell, there is also some well founded suggestion that the The Pop Group had a greater influence on A Certain Ratio, than say, any of their local peers. Simon Underwood's funk basslines on Thief Of Fire underpinned by John Waddington's scratchy guitar must have had an impact on a younger Kerr & Moscrop. No other band had a Mark Stewart in their ranks.

When they first split, The Pop Group were to be remembered as the birthplace of an incredible string of Bristol acts, each finding their own way in music, with varying success, however each band were equally important. This is the album which launched many unconnected careers - Massive Attack, for instance, much have to thank their Bristolian fathers for.

Of note as well is that Y came out some six months before that other important dub-punk album, Metal Box. You will now recall the Wobble'ish bass on We Are Time. I will just leave you with that thought for now.

I picked up this second-hand copy of Y in 1988 (complete with poster), and it has survived pretty well, though audible noise at the start of side b, and a few scratches have been left in here to add authenticity, however RX7 helped with the removal of most evidence of vinyl abuse. I don't have the recent Mute repress/remaster but I bet it sounds nowhere near as good as this original vinyl pressing.

A1  Thief Of Fire
A2  Snowgirl
A3  Blood Money
A4  Savage Sea
A5  We Are Time
B1  Words Disobey Me
B2  Don't Call Me Pain
B3  The Boys From Brazil
B4  Don't Sell Your Dreams