So named because the six songs come from two different sessions -- the earlier ones with Canty in the late '80s, the rest with what would become the regular full-time lineup in 1990 -- Nineties Vs. Eighties made for a rough but memorable calling card for the band. Janney's production abilities bring out the full-bodied assault of the group excellently, while McCloud turned out to be a fierce singer, having generally let Bobby Sullivan do most of the vocals in Soul Side. The tracks with the regular lineup already display the ...
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So named because the six songs come from two different sessions -- the earlier ones with Canty in the late '80s, the rest with what would become the regular full-time lineup in 1990 -- Nineties Vs. Eighties made for a rough but memorable calling card for the band. Janney's production abilities bring out the full-bodied assault of the group excellently, while McCloud turned out to be a fierce singer, having generally let Bobby Sullivan do most of the vocals in Soul Side. The tracks with the regular lineup already display the weird but right fusion of synth hooks, ominous, brawling rhythms, and cut-to-the-quick rock power that the group would later display in full -- it's still a starting point more than anything else, but a good one. "Kitty-Yo," after which the noted German label named itself, strictly keeps to a low, quiet approach that's all the more threatening because of it, with Temple's bass snaking along. The '80s songs betray a more industrial approach -- not quite as astonishing as Ian Mackaye's collaboration with Al Jourgensen as Pailhead, but in a gentler way it's an enjoyable enough combination. Janney's work on sampler is much more prominent here, and the whole thing really is an experiment more than anything else. ~ Ned Raggett, Rovi
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