MOJO
MOJO ALBUM REVIEW FEB 2010
THE BEST OF FRIED EGG RECORDS
Bristol Archive Records
3/5
First compilation from Bristol’s premier independent label.
This collection from 1979-’80 embodies the almost wilful eclecticism of that post-punk period, with reggae jammed up against disco, indie jangle and art-punk. The lyrics are either critical (“The nuclear bomb is a blunt instrument in the hands of disturbed children”, chide Art Objects on Hard Objects) or whimsical, the sound open and black-influenced. The overwhelming sense is that these groups are playing for the hell of it.
Nobody writes songs like the simultaneously amusing and irritating Invasion of The French Boyfriends are more (thank you, Shoes for Industry). On balance, that is a bad thing. While not essential, this labour of love sheds light on a forgotten time and place-one that is fascinating to consider in terms of what came out of the city 10 years later.
(Jon Savage)
