Y is the debut studio album of English post-punk band The Pop Group. The album was produced by dub musician Dennis "Blackbeard" Bovell at Ridge Farm Studios in Surrey, and was released on 20 April 1979 through Radar Records.[1] It has since been reissued several times, including in 2019 by Mute Records with bonus material to mark its 40th anniversary.[2]
| Y | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 20 April 1979 | |||
| Recorded | 1978–1979 | |||
| Studio | Ridge Farm Studios in Surrey, England | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 40:11 | |||
| Label | Radar | |||
| Producer |
| |||
| The Pop Group chronology | ||||
| ||||
Y initially received mixed critical reviews but has since received acclaim. Pitchfork ranked it at number 35 on its list of The Top 100 Albums of the 1970s.[3] The Wire included it in its list of "The 100 Most Important Records Ever Made".[4]
Background and recording
editInspired by the energy of punk rock but disillusioned by its musical traditionalism, The Pop Group initially set out as funk band, drawing influence from black dance music and radical political traditions. Soon after forming, they began to gain notoriety for their live performances, landing them a contract with Radar Records[5] and a cover of the NME.[6] They issued their debut single, "She Is Beyond Good and Evil" in early 1979.[6]
To record their debut, the group teamed with British dub reggae producer Dennis Bovell. Critic Simon Reynolds wrote that "Bovell's mix of acid-rock wildness and dub wisdom made him [...] the ideal candidate for the not hugely enviable task of giving The Pop Group's unruly sound some semblance of cohesion," noting that he grounded the band's sound in its rhythm section while utilizing a variety of production effects.[6] Writing for Fact, Mark Fisher characterized the album's sound as a "delirial montage of funk, free jazz, Jamaican audio-mancy and the avant-garde," describing it as "both carvernous and propulsive, ultra-abstract yet driven by dance music’s physical imperatives." He noted the "sonic alchemy" of Bovell's production work.[7] PopMatters wrote that the group "sharpened the straightforward guitar lines of punk, the bounding throb of funk rhythms, and the sonic manipulation of dub and let them penetrate each other in ridiculously slapdash fashion."[8]
Critical reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [9] |
| Mojo |  [10] |
| Record Collector | [11] |
| Sounds | [12] |
| Uncut | 9/10[13] |
Upon its release, Y received mixed reviews. In 1979, the NME described it as "a brave failure. Exciting but exasperating."[6] In recent years, the album has risen in critical estimations. Simon Reynolds called it "a heroic mess, glorious in its overreach."[6] In 2008, Mark Fisher wrote "Joy Division’s Closer is often considered the crown jewel of post-punk, but Y – inchoate with potential, the fire to Joy Division’s ice – has an equal claim."[7] Stylus Magazine called the album "a landmark of lunatic post-punk," writing that "these are political punk tunes deconstructed so that only the skeleton remains, and weaving between those bare bones are some of the nastiest sounds ever made."[14]
In 2004, Pitchfork ranked Y at number 35 on its list of the greatest albums of the 1970s, saying that "unlike most of the late-70s' no-wave types (and perennial imitators), The Pop Group were less concerned with eschewing convention than with vehemently eviscerating it."[3] PopMatters named it the 11th best post-punk album ever in 2017.[8] The album has had a lasting impact, with artists such as the Minutemen, Primal Scream, Sonic Youth and Nick Cave citing the album as an influence on their work. Minutemen bassist Mike Watt commented that "The Pop Group said 'let’s take Funkadelic and put it with Beefheart. Why not?'"[15]
Accolades
edit| Publication | Country | Accolade | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rockerilla | Italy | Albums of the Year[16] | 1979 | 14 |
| The Wire | United Kingdom | The 100 Most Important Records Ever Made[4] | 1992 | * |
| Spex | Germany | The 100 Albums of the Century[17] | 1999 | 51 |
| Il Mucchio Selvaggio | Italy | 100 Best Albums by Decade (1971-1980)[18] | 2002 | 41 |
| Rock de Lux | Spain | The 200 Best Albums of All Time[19] | 2002 | 145 |
| Paul Morley | United Kingdom | Words and Music, 5 x 100 Greatest Albums of All Time[20] | 2003 | * |
| Pitchfork | United States | Top 100 Albums of the 1970s[3] | 2004 | 35 |
| PopMatters | United States | The 50 Best Post-Punk Albums Ever[8] | 2017 | 11 |
| Stylus | United States | Top 101-200 Albums of All Time[14] | 2004 | 168 |
| Blow Up | Italy | 600 Essential Albums[21] | 2005 | * |
| Uncut | United Kingdom | The 100 Greatest Debut Albums[22] | 2006 | 82 |
| The Guardian | United Kingdom | 1000 Albums to Hear Before You Die[23] | 2007 | * |
(*) designates unordered lists.
Track listing
editOriginal album
All tracks are written by The Pop Group
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Thief of Fire" | 4:35 |
| 2. | "Snowgirl" | 3:20 |
| 3. | "Blood Money" | 2:56 |
| 4. | "Savage Sea" | 3:01 |
| 5. | "We Are Time" | 6:29 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Words Disobey Me" | 3:25 |
| 2. | "Don't Call Me Pain" | 5:34 |
| 3. | "The Boys From Brazil" | 4:15 |
| 4. | "Don't Sell Your Dreams" | 6:37 |
2007 Rhino/Radar Reissue CD
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "She Is Beyond Good and Evil" | 3:23 |
| 2. | "Thief of Fire" | 4:35 |
| 3. | "Snowgirl" | 3:21 |
| 4. | "Blood Money" | 2:57 |
| 5. | "We Are Time" | 6:29 |
| 6. | "Savage Sea" | 3:02 |
| 7. | "Words Disobey Me" | 3:26 |
| 8. | "Don't Call Me Pain" | 5:35 |
| 9. | "The Boys From Brazil" | 4:16 |
| 10. | "Don't Sell Your Dreams" | 6:42 |
| 11. | "3'38" | 3:38 |
1 and 11 are the A and B sides of the "She is Beyond Good and Evil" single. The 1996 reissue CD and LP on Radar consists of tracks 1-10 above.
2019 Mute 40th Anniversary Reissues
The original album appears in all versions in its original track order, half-speed remastered at Abbey Road Studios. The CD includes "She is Beyond Good and Evil" and "3'38" as tracks 10 and 11, while the LP and the deluxe and regular vinyl box sets include them as an extra 45 RPM 12" single, which was also half-speed remastered. A limited edition cassette (its first legitimate release on that format) contains the album only, but the enclosed download code includes the single tracks. Also included in the deluxe vinyl and CD sets (and reissued as stand alone vinyl LPs in 2020) were two extra related albums, with studio outtakes and live performances of the album's songs. All the vinyl versions except the 2020 extras reissues include download cards for high-definition digital files of their respective audio contents.
Alien Blood
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Kiss the Book" | 2:32 |
| 2. | "Don't Call Me Pain (First Mix)" | 2:24 |
| 3. | "Thief of Fire (Bass Addict)" | 4:29 |
| 4. | "Words Disobey Me (Dennis the Menace Mix)" | 3:25 |
| 5. | "Don't Sell Your Dreams ('A' Mix)" (track 10 on the LP) | 5:34 |
| 6. | "Boys from Brazil (Ridge Reels)" | 4:36 |
| 7. | "Savage Sea (Sparse)" | 2:44 |
| 8. | "Snowgirl (Take 3)" | 3:24 |
| 9. | "Blood Money (Slow Thief)" | 4:24 |
| 10. | "We Are Time (Ricochet)" (track 5 on the LP) | 6:23 |
Y Live!
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Thief of Fire" | 4:41 |
| 2. | "Snowgirl" | 3:57 |
| 3. | "Blood Money" | 1:47 |
| 4. | "Savage Sea" | 3:09 |
| 5. | "We Are Time" | 7:03 |
| 6. | "Words Disobey Me" | 3:31 |
| 7. | "Don't Call Me Pain" | 4:50 |
| 8. | "The Boys From Brazil" | 4:33 |
| 9. | "Don't Sell Your Dreams" | 1:57 |
Personnel
editAdapted from the Y liner notes.[24]
|
|
Release history
edit| Region | Date | Label | Format | Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 1979 | Radar | LP | RAD 20 |
| Japan | Warner-Pioneer Corporation | P-10705F | ||
| United Kingdom | 1996 | Radar | CD | SCANCD14 |
| Japan | WPCR-722 | |||
| United Kingdom | 2007 | Rhino, Radar | 5101-19920-2 | |
| Japan | 2013 | Warner Music Group | WPCR-15282 |
References
edit- ^ "Y LP". thepopgroup.net. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
- ^ "The Pop Group - Debut album 'Y' - Remastered Reissue Boxsets". Mute Records. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
- ^ a b c Ubl, Sam (23 June 2004). "The 100 Best Albums of the 1970s". Pitchfork. p. 7. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
- ^ a b "100 Most Important Records Ever Made". The Wire. No. 100. June 1992. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
- ^ Dougan, John. "The Pop Group". AllMusic. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
- ^ a b c d e Reynolds, Simon (2012). UK Post-Punk: Faber Forty-Fives: 1977–1982. Faber and Faber. ISBN 9780571296538.
- ^ a b Fisher, Mark (29 August 2007). "Stealing Fire: The Pop Group's Y LP". Fact. Archived from the original on 18 March 2008. Retrieved 20 March 2017.
- ^ a b c Fitzgerald, Colin (25 January 2017). "The 50 Best Post-Punk Albums Ever: Part 4, James Chance to the Pop Group". PopMatters. Retrieved 20 March 2017.
- ^ Deming, Mark. "Y – The Pop Group". AllMusic. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
- ^ Mulvey, John (December 2019). "Y Wanna Be Anarchy!". Mojo. No. 313. p. 105.
- ^ Mackay, Emily (June 2007). "The Pop Group – Y". Record Collector. No. 337. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
- ^ Dadomo, Giovanni (14 April 1979). "This is the (Penguin classic) modern world". Sounds. pp. 38, 54.
- ^ Watts, Peter (December 2019). "The Pop Group: Y". Uncut. No. 271. p. 45.
- ^ a b Howard, Ed (22 March 2004). "Top 101–200 Albums Favorite Albums Ever". Stylus Magazine. Archived from the original on 20 May 2007. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
- ^ Manchester, Guy (29 August 2014). "Legendary Post Punk Band The Pop Group Release Video for Colour Blind". Louder Than War. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
- ^ "Rockerilla End of Year Lists". Rockerilla. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
- ^ "100 (+17) Alben". Spex. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
- ^ "100 Best Albums by Decade". Il Mucchio Selvaggio. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
- ^ "The 200 Best Albums of All Time". Rock de Lux. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
- ^ "File Under Popular Music (4) – 100 or More Greatest Albums". Bloomsbury Publishing. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
- ^ "600 Essential Albums". Blow Up. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
- ^ "The 100 Greatest Debut Albums". Uncut. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
- ^ "1000 Albums to Hear Before You Die". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
- ^ Y (sleeve). The Pop Group. London, United Kingdom: Radar Records. 1979.
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