Search - Certain Ratio :: Early (Bonus CD)

History changes everything . . .

aliled | Shawnee, Kansas United States | 06/18/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Reading the (actually quite excellent) liner notes, you'd think that A Certain Ratio were on the leading lights in postpunk England, rather than the minor figures they actually were. That said, their music has dated pretty well, and their instincts about funk, dance, dub and cross-Atlantic musical hybridization were right on the money. This is a pretty generous package - 13 'hits' on one CD, and 11 obscurities on another, as well as a short film. Sound, presentation, track selection and appropriate liner note contextualization add up to a nifty set - you definitely don't need any more ACR than this, but you sort of do need at least this. If you're on the edge, Soul Jazz (same label that released this) also has a package called "In The Beginning There Was Rhythm" that features two of the tracks contained herein, as well as fine sounds from This Heat, the Slits and others..."

A Fine Introduction To Their Best Work

Thomas Horan | Chapel Hill, NC | 08/05/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"It's a shame that this two-disc set is all the ACR that remains in print. Between 1978 and 1982 they recorded three unique and intriguing albums (The Graveyard and The Ballroom, To Each, and Sextet) plus a slew of fantastic singles all under the direction of vocalist Simon Topping. Topping was often unjustly maligned for sounding too much like Ian Curtis. Yet his departure brought the magic to an abrupt end, and ACR lingered on for years playing increasingly tame, insipid dance music to ever diminishing audiences. Fortunately, this collection is largely culled from their Topping era stuff, which could best be described as a wonderfully weird amalgamation of funk, salsa, electro, krautrock, and African percussion. ACR daringly emphasized rhythm over melody with brilliantly original results. Despite its length, "Early" isn't as cohesive or interesting as the shorter and rarer Factory compilation "The Old and The New," which covers the same time period. But there's plenty here to whet your appetite. Since most longtime fans will already have all of the songs from disc one on CD or vinyl, it's a pity disc two isn't available separately. It's a short but fascinating collection of live broadcasts recorded for John Peel's legendary radio show with a few b-sides tacked on at the end. Fans of Liquid Liquid, Bush Tetras, ESG, and Talking Heads will really like this."