having been around now for quite a while the killing joke affiliated label, malicious damage label have decided to release a 2 cd showcase of the labels spread of punk, dub, reggae, ambient techno dub, leftfield pop, jam sessions by underground supergroups (the beautifully named vertical smile), and everything else in between, in a beautifully packaged release.
as the 2 cd set has been blended and put together by label associate, dr. alex paterson aka the orb (of whom drops in a great slab of dub of course) then it should come as no surprise that the best sections are where he digs into the labels reggae side, but even i cant deny a certain thrill in the bloodstream when the vibe is a little more intense via the addition of a couple of killing joke additions to the flow, though the sidetrack early on in cd 1 into the punk part of the catalogue doesn’t really gel too well, even if bloodsport is an in-joke, the results could never be described as essential.
thankfully, once the dub effects are switched on, and the woofers rattling, the compilation really takes off in a laid back, random festival sunday afternoon mood.
after all, you can never have too many trombone solos over a slab of gorgeous ambient reggae (japanese cars, by transit kings)
all of which means, that for anyone wanting to find out more about the label that revived the ever wonderful shriekback ( of whom 2 tracks are featured – both brilliantly mad and weird), while providing an outlet for a all manner of underground sounds, then this budget priced sampler, is a perfect jump off point.
set your alarms, and dive in.
side tick [cd1]
killing joke: turn to red
transmission: glade
bloodsport: bodies [feat. alex paterson on vocals + special friends]
headcount: control
killing joke: are you receiving
the orb: ba’albek
vertical smile: explode
analogue mindfield: guernica dub [subsonar mix]
beatundercontrol: electroshocker dub
transit kings: japanese cars [burning do’nuts mix]
teledubgnosis: the resurrection machine
analogue mindfield: cosmic dancehall [maya jane coles mix]
canola tenderfoot: first come first served
bob meyer: escondedo
transit kings: the last lighthouse keeper
belka & strelka: tico
running time: 1h 10m 52s
side tock [cd2]
caned & able: soul clapp
analogue mindfield: be careful out there
necessary intergalactic cooperation: driftin’
shriekback: bittersweet
the sun paulo: who i am
transmission: albion
smartyr: dark mother dub
belka & strelka: i’ll be your anything [dub mix]
rootmasters: janis joplin’s mum
the orb: sail
high frequency bandwidth: high five brother [malicious monitor]
nina walsh: bright lights & filthy nights
belka & strelka: eternalunlimitedfree
shriekback: waterbaby
caned & able: orchestra
beatundercontrol: departure
running time: 1h 10m 46s
more detail : here