Colossal Youth [debut]release date: Feb. 1980
format: cd (1994 reissue)
[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,88]
producer: Dave Anderson, Young Marble Giants
label: Les Disques du Crépuscule - nationality: Wales, UK
Track highlights: 1. "Searching for Mr. Right" - 2. "Include Me Out" - 4. "Eating Noddemix" - 6. "N.I.T.A." - 8. "Music for Evenings" - 12. "Salad Days" - 13. "Credit in the Straight World" - *18. "The Clock"
*Bonus track on '94 reissue taken from Testcard E.P. (ep) (1981)Studio debut and only album by Walesian post-punk trio, Young Marble Giants, originally released on Rough Trade Records. The band was founded by the Moxham brothers, bassist Philip and primary songwriter, composer, and guitarist, Stuart, together with vocalist Alison Statton. In the course of band's early lifetime also keyboardist Peter Joyce took part in the formation, but here they have been reduced to a trio, where Stuart is also credited organ.
Style-wise, this is something quite orginal at a time when punk rock was still alive and new styles emerged on the music scene while no one understood new potentials in indie pop and jazz pop, but Young Marble Giants were pioneers. Unfortunately, they dissolved as early as 1981 after which Stuart amd Philip Moxham continued briefly as another remarkable act called The Gist - a single album, Embrace the Herd made almost single-handedly by Stuart was released in '82.
Colossal Youth is truly an album to know of.
[ allmusic.com, Blender 4,5 / 5, The Guardian, Uncut 5 / 5, Pitchfork 9,3 / 10, Rolling Stone, Spin 4 / 5 stars ]
