http://wp.me/a2CFGm-1bp
After first reading about them in Trouser Press in 1982, I finally heard the Fingerprintz 31 years later. I have had them on my want list since at least college, but I didn't look consistently. I heard was seems like a CD rip of the Scottish band's first album, and vinyl rips of the other two, and they're really great. The Very Dab (1979) is a unique mix of scratchy post-punk and melodic power pop with interesting lyrics. They got more hooky on the next album and then went full on into funk and dance music on Beat Noir along similar lines as Gang Of Four, The Jam, etc. But even the first album had early evidence of dance-influenced dub, such as "Wet Job."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uuPr4FGK1lk
This stuff needs to be reissued yesterday!
The Very Dab (Virgin Int'l) 1979
Distinguishing Marks (Virgin) 1980
Beat Noir (Stiff) 1981
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Trouser Press Record Guide:
It's difficult to categorize Fingerprintz, which may explain why the group never garnered a large following. The primitively recorded first album occupies a dark, throbbing zone of bobbing pop and wry-to-bizarre lyrics ("Punchy Judy," "Beam Me Up Scotty"). Leader/guitarist Jimme O'Neill's Scottish accent and offbeat songwriting combine to chilling effect on the crime-obsessed narratives "Fingerprince" and "Wet Job"; the former's music also suggests a valid response to reggae/dub influence.The considerably slicker Distinguishing Marks, in contrast, is pure pop in extremis — musically, anyway. The songs hum like a finely tuned motor, with producer Nick Garvey removing any rough sonic edges. Only the relentlessly perverse lyrics betray a refusal to play by the book; O'Neill's disjointed visions are inspired by pulp fiction, police blotters and hospital charts. A catchy collection that all sounds like hit single material.
Beat Noir took yet another 180-degree turn, away from pop and towards a rock/funk fusion. Finally in synch with the times, Fingerprintz delivered a stunning, idiosyncratic package of heavy bass lines, winsome melodies and O'Neill's thematic fetishes (paranoia, frustration). The album was kinky enough to catch on in rock clubs, but too peculiar to reach a broader audience. (The US version deletes two songs.) Drenched in atmosphere, it remains a compelling work.
― Fastnbulbous, Saturday, 19 October 2013 14:35 (eleven years ago)
two weeks pass...