Scritti Politti: search & destroy

The point I didn't really make properly is that at the time post- Songs To Remember Scritti just 'blended in' too much to be interesting. Yes, if you really listen they're different - but I am very suspicious of this 'subverting the mainstream from within' argument. OK, Green was never exactly Genesis P Orridge, but a little more adventure in the 'sound' would have improved things no end. As you say though, I should re-listen,.

I don't recognize this 'disliking something tribally and self- consciously at the time'. What do you mean?

The first handful of singles have always fascinated me because you couldnt hear them but now I have heard them thanks to the marvellous offices of Phil T above I think they're in danger of being overrated a bit. Sure I'm always going to choose swoon over scratch but a lot of the tracks - the Peel Sessions especially - are hard going. "Skank Bloc Bologna" is good and the more light gets shed on postpunk strategies the better but but but I'm just not hearing what other people seem to hear, especially not compared to the tensions and sighs and bright rhythms of the hits.

As Maura actually suggested somewhere in her site-labyrinth there's a danger in postpunk becoming too rigidly 'influential' not only because the influenced bands soon turn dreary but because their drear back-infects the source material. Listening to the strange bubble of 78-81 p-p after the fact I've always had to pleasantly suspend history and imagine this stuff as being at a right-angle to the rest of pop because the "Hey, why not do THIS..." element is so crucial to the music's success for me. "Might Work - Try It!" to quote Jon Savage quoting Peter Yorke (!) - but Might Work Try It is so much more thrilling than "Did Work - Learn From It" and that's the attitude you sense coming through in the postpunk archival revival.

Oh yeah, Destroy....that grungerock one on the last album, and bits of Provision are flat but I forget the titles.

Maybe I'm reading you wrong, and I wasn't suggesting that *you* didn't rate the Associates or anyone, but:

"(they) just 'blended in' too much to be interesting"

That's the point you were certainly making to me. I was suggesting that, removed from that time and place, the greatness (as it appears to me) of Cupid and Psyche 85 might appear to you.

By "disliking something tribally and self-consciously at the time", I got the impression (perhaps mistakenly) that you disliked chartpop in the mid-80s *as a whole*: your "might as well listen to a Paul Young record" line suggested that you thought of it as a whole, rather than as its various parts. Like you I'm suspicious of the "subverting the mainstream from within" idea, but there is something special to me about Scritti's work at the time. I'd be very interested in your comments after re-listening.

Tom, the grungerock one: that wasn't "The World You Understand (Is Over)", was it?

I love "Overnite" off Provision, but I can understand people finding it flat. Is that what you were thinking of?

I liked lots of chartpop in the mid 80's, but not as much as in the early 80's, by the way.

So, yea...
Search: pre-Cupid & Psyche 85.
Destroy: Cupid & Psyche 85

BLECH! I feel dirty! The worst eight bucks I've ever spent. It sounds like the soundtrack to fucking Weird Science. AAAGH!

Being an Eighties pop freak, Cupid really fills my bucket and remains my favourite album ever: Absolute, WoodBeez, Word Girl, heck!, all of them!

Provision is more restrained and not too disapointing for that:Oh Patti and Lovesick constrast pleasantly enough; Songs To Remember comes next in my estimation having the lovelly Sweetest Girl on it and showing the rudimentary pop leanings of Mr G; Early is an enjoyable hash of rough and ready songs of an intimacy not found on the other albums.

Anomie though, is the nearest to a disapointment I feel with Scitt's work: Tinseltown works nicely as a one off, but with Green handing over alot of the work to Mos Def etc, I yearn to find more of G's input in the rest of the album. Brushed With Oil; Dusted With Powder and Mystic Handyman redeem the album suitably enough not loose the faith.

However, since I would happly listen to a recording of Green flushing the john and making armpit farts, most of my critical faculties regarding SP's work turn out moot!

Here's to White Beer/Black Bread, if that's what it's called.

"Cupid & Psyche" is such a perfect pop album. Any idea if it'll get 25th aniversary deluxe release next year? What would you want to see as far as bonus material? There's lots of fun remixes from then... "Wanted to hear the b-side, b-side, b-side...."

I hope so!

cupid & psyche has some of the sweetest jams EVER, thanks 80s poll. how did it take me this long to hear this???

holy shit, the things he does with his voice on A Little Knowledge makes me wanna like eat the music, is that weird? or maybe like float on a golden cloud and put some of it in a jar and give it to a poor little kid for xmas.

It's nice to see someone discovering one of your old favorites. Your enthusiasm for the album is completely justified!

i think the Mario Bros cribbed a melody from A Perfect Way

awesomely weird video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMdf1onDkxA