A fantastic collection that covers five years' worth of Associatesdom, from the band's radically strange post-punk roots to the theatrical MOR of the mid-'80s, and containing a number of otherwise unavailable tracks, Sessions rivals Popera as a concise collection of Billy Mackenzie's work at its best. The first five songs feature the strong original lineup of Mackenzie, Rankine and Dempsey, who along with drummers John Murphy and Steve Golding demonstrated how guitar music could embrace chilly power and riveting spotlight ...
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A fantastic collection that covers five years' worth of Associatesdom, from the band's radically strange post-punk roots to the theatrical MOR of the mid-'80s, and containing a number of otherwise unavailable tracks, Sessions rivals Popera as a concise collection of Billy Mackenzie's work at its best. The first five songs feature the strong original lineup of Mackenzie, Rankine and Dempsey, who along with drummers John Murphy and Steve Golding demonstrated how guitar music could embrace chilly power and riveting spotlight drama at one and the same time. Magnificent takes on "Me, Myself and the Tragic Story" (later officially recorded as "The Associate") and "It's Better This Way" rub up against the campy giddiness of "A Severe Bout of Career Insanity" (easily rivaling contemporaries Soft Cell's "InsecureMe?" as a portrait of neurosis, and amazingly never formally recorded other than here) and early versions of "Waiting for the Love Boat" and the band's remake of "Love Hangover." The remaining batch of songs, recorded with Howard Hughes and a series of other performers, suffers only in comparison to such a strong opening. Quirky instrumentals like "Theme From Perhaps" (which never in fact ended up on the album of that name) are mixed in with fine takes on the likes of "Don't Give Me That I Told You So Look" and other unreleased gems like "Obsession Magnificent" -- possibly the ultimate Associates song title -- and "Give." Among the highlights is a dramatic piano/vocal version of the old standard "God Bless the Child." Concluding with a gentle lounge/late-night take on "Take Me to the Girl" entitled "The Girl That Took Me," Sessions succeeds brilliantly at capturing the wayward genius of Mackenzie and his art. ~ Ned Raggett, Rovi
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