release date: Jun. 7, 1982
format: vinyl (BAD 208) / digital
[single rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,68]
producer: Hugh Jones; Modern English
label: 4AD Records - nationality: England, UK
Tracklist: A) "Life in the Gladhouse" - - B) "The Choicest View" (4 / 5)
Single release by Modern English with the A-side taken from the album After the Snow (May 1982). The A-side is an extended remix of the album track. The B-side is a previously unreleased track with a playing time above 11½ mins. The A-side single track is a rather ordinary post-punk track, or at least, so I found it at the time; however, the B-side really is the most daring and also most interesting composition here. Not only is it quite unusual having a lengthy playing time (the '80s considered), it's also a strong blend of styles and genres but somehow it still remains a rather strict composition with art rock, progressive rock and neo-psychedelic traits.
I purchased this at the time of its release without knowing anything of the band. The cover itself made me pick it up and ask for having it played. Coincidentally, and quite luckily, I heard the B-side first, and it really attracted me. Only afterwards, I unfortunately came to understand that this experimental style wasn't what the band usually played. The A-side is in that respect closer to the bands repertoire, but the B-side is the true gem here.
