Avon Calling 2 – First Review
VARIOUS ARTISTS
AVON CALLING 2
Bristol Archive
This has been compiled by Simon Edwards, the man behind Heartbeat Records who gave the world the first AC comp, and if this doesn’t quite match that brilliant offering in terms of overall quality this will interest any Punk or Post-Punk fan because these are all unreleased beauties. It’s full of stylistic surprises, starting with SOCIAL SECURITY clearly a bit confused by their punk status during the dinky fun of ‘Self Confession’ where the singer reveals he is living for rock ‘n’ roll, and if you’ve ever wanted to hear a fey version of The Who covering ‘Rebel Rebel’ you’re in luck, because here’s EUROPEANS and their ‘The Only One.’
APARTMENT are impressively moody with ‘Broken Glass’, stirred by murky drums and bass as the guitar drips away from the grim vocals. PRIVATE DICKS are like a hyper version of The Members in ‘You Got It’ and the consistently aggravated X-CERTS surge bitterly through ‘People Of Today’, while a skimpy ESSENTIAL BOP do a lilting but seedily grazed ‘Audition Room.’ APARTMENT spin slowly through a chunky ‘Retrospect’ and they’re an interesting band as they led to The Escape but then on to the depressingly dire White Hotel. SNEAK PREVIEW also have an off-kilter jaunty punk spirit rubbing alongside the organ-based pop of ‘Mr Magoo.’ JOE PUBLIC come on like breezy punk mods in ‘Letters In My Desk’ then the urgently tawdry 48 HOURS get worked up over ‘Train To Brighton.’ (Imagine a more tuneful ATV.)
DIRECTORS further the mod cause with indie guile during the softly burnished ‘Showcase’ as PRIVATE DICKS drift in a becoming fashion through ‘Want Some Fun’ with some slow commercial smears encouraging nicely narrow punk tension. SNEAK PREVIEW bring us some intentionally perverse Play School reggae during ‘I Can’t Get Out’ and STEREO MODELS not only believe they’re in with the in-crowd, but have a thing for Cockney Rebels ‘Middle Of No Where’ disports itself in a genteel manner.
Who are THE PHONE? Their prickly ‘Any Takers’ sits up and deserves a pat on the head, and SEAN RYAN’s shaky ‘Suicide Man’ is also intriguingly forlorn early indie with guitar edge. JOE PUBLIC go a bit soppy in the well meaning but limp ‘Faster’ TVI’S get strangely dramatic in ‘Dancer’ then go seriously off the boil and DIRECTORS sound you’re your parents impersonating The Carpettes throughout ‘Empty Promise.’ That just saw us dip down quite a lot but we finish with UNKNOWN and ‘You Might As Well Enjoy Yourself’ which is another fascinating hybrids of punky angst and a fuller melodic sense of muted drama with catchy tendrils wrapping round the singers throat.
It’s a fantatsic compilation, available in August, and of some historical importance to people obsessed with that 1978-1980 period.
info@bristolarchiverecords.com