Copyright
Copyright rose from the ashes of the mighty Slow, and were by far my favorite band for quite a long while. Fuckers broke my heart too, just like the Dolls before them - and never lived up to their potential. They got close though; I still insist that this band's '91 debut is one of the best albums of that decade.
They got signed to Geffen on the basis of a locally-legendary demo tape (which they've never released but, I assure you, is so fucking excellent that words fail me). Trouble with Geffen started immediately, as the band insisted on naming itself the copyright symbol (this was before Prince went the same route, remember) - and after much drama, the debut got recorded with John Porter as producer (fresh off his work on the Stone Roses debut).
Circle C, as it came to be known, was an amazing album. The band resisted verse/chorus/verse structure, and yet each song was imbued with hooks. You can hear snatches of classic bands like the Stones and Led Zep, but they're obviously reaching for something else here. I compare it to
OK Computer, but 5 years earlier and by a band that could rock. The first six songs of this tenner are from that debut - see what you think.
And then it all fell apart. Geffen buried them. Their local live shows were fantastic, and they were writing scads of new material - but it took 5 years before they released their next album, and it was a colossal disappointment. Overly polished, with shamefully pretentious lyrics that truly deserved to be called pretentious. Only the song "Radio" is from that album - although I've included the never released "A-Frame" from that time period as well. Perversely, the band didn't include that song on the album.
And then another 5 years elapsed before album #3. If anything, it was even worse. There were some good songs, but some atrocious keyboard/synth sounds doing their best to wreck them. Also, leader Tom Anselmi's fascination with Brecht/Weill cabaret had turned this once transcendental band into a cheap three penny opera. The best songs were the Stonesy (almost) "Into the Light" and the just-plain-odd "Whatever Befalls Me", both included here.
And that's where the story ends. So far. Maybe one day they'll allow those original demo tapes to see the light of day, or even get the Slow stuff out on digital. But I wouldn't hold my breath for any of it.
1. The Climb
2. Epiphone Song
3. Dust
4. ?
5. State to State
6. R.S.V.P.
7. Radio
8. A-Frame
9. Into The Light
10. Whatever Befalls Me
Code:
http://www.mediafire.com/?hd9eyiiyorj
RIYL: experimenting within the rock tradition, frustration, tragedy