Various Artists: Recommended Records Sampler 1982- 25th Anniversary Edition

Chris Cutler and Nick Hobbs had a vision and in the late 1970s their vision became a reality and Recommended Records was established. The bands that appeared on this label were definitely not from the mainstream of popular music. I suppose the main genre represented in this collection is RIO (Rock In Opposition) and music that is experimental in nature. At the time the RIO slogan was "The music the record companies don't want to hear" and is very applicable to this collection of songs. The variety of styles is quite varied. This is due largely in part because many of the RIO artists in the late 70s were making music quite different from their counterparts. If you have not heard the genre, you will get a good overview by listening to this disc. By 1982 the label had been in existence for 4 years and Cutler and Hobbs felt it was as good a time as any to release a record that would give a good overview of their roster of artists. At the time, these tunes were recorded for this release; this was not a rehashing of what had been done before. Fast forward to 2008 and what we have here is the re-mastered edition of that venerable release.

There is a large amount of music to absorb and I will not cover everything in this review but rather touch on a few of the albums highlights. The proceedings get off to a good start with "Flaschenzung" by Vogel. Very vibrant and melodic in a chaotic sort of way, especially the guitar. The vocals reminded me a little of Bowie, but much more raw. The Stormy Six tune "Reparto Novita" is another upbeat number with a cool bass line and pretty good melody. "Walk Before Imitate" by The Homosexuals reminded me of the Jam or perhaps the Clash with its punky beat and vocals that have a Joe Strummer quality about them. The opening guitar work on "Houdini" by The Work has a somewhat 60s feel. This song boasts a variety of tempos and some chaotic yet effective drumbeats.

The second cd is more experimental than the first and thus the melodies are not as frequent. For that reason I found this one pretty hard to get into. My favorite tune, by Vera C, has quite a beautiful and somber melody. The keyboards and string arrangement are all very haunting, unfortunately this is one of the shorter songs on the cd. I do have to give kudos to the label and the artists for making something so vastly different than what is found in commercial music. If heavy doses of experimentation in your music is what you seek, this cd will probably satisfy. As for me, the first disc warrants 3 stars, the second 2, for an average of 2.5 stars overall.

Track Listing:
CD 1
1. Vogel – Flaschenzug
2. Faust – Extract from Faust Party 3
3. Art Bears – All Hail!
4. Stormy Six – Reparto Novita
5. The Homosexuals – Walk Before Imitate
6. Joseph Racaille & Patrick Portella - On ne peut plus compter sur ses doigts
7. Feliu Gasul
8. [Changing Sides]
9. The Black Sheep – Strangelove
10. Univers Zero – Influences
11. Aksak Maboul/Honeymoon Killers – Boss de Crosses dans le Doulos
12. The Work – Houdini
13. Henry Cow – Slice
14. Henry Cow – Viva Pa Ubu
15. Decibel – Radio Extract

CD 2
1. Art Zoyd – Simulacres
2. The Muffins – 2 from Chronometers
3. Heiner Goebbels – Berlin Kudamm
4. Amos – Steer Clear of England
5. Conventum – Commerce Nostalgique
6. Vera C
7. [Turning Over Time]
8. This Heat – Pool
9. The Residents – Walter Westinghouse
10. R. Stevie Moore – Pedestrian Hop
11. R. Stevie Moore – Copy Me
12. Ron Pate/Raudelunas – I Talk to my Haircut
13. Piccio Dal Pozzo – Uccelini del Bosco
14. Robert Wyatt – The Internationale

Added: January 28th 2009
Reviewer: Jon Neudorf
Score:
Related Link: Recommended Records
Hits: 2083
Language: english

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