Search - Civ :: Solid Bond: The Complete Discography

CIV United in a cardboard case

Alex Faber | Northern NJ United States | 05/20/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"About ten years since CIV released their second and much-maligned album, "13 Day Getaway," Equal Vision has managed to obtain the rights to all of their recordings, including both albums, 7-inches, and live and demo tracks, and has released them on two CDs, giving listeners an easy way to revisit songs like "Kids United" and "Can't Wait One Minute More" while also being able to hear rarities and vinyl-only cuts in digital for the first time ever.



THE MUSIC:

The music's tracked logically, with each album and its related 7-inches and demos relegated to its own CD. The first disc includes the incredible "Set Your Goals" album, which featured a variegated set of tracks that jumped from bouncy pop to hardcore, to alternative, and even an acoustic cut. The CD contains the 16 tracks from the original album, as well as "Blessed," a pretty dull song that was originally hidden on track 16 on "Set Your Goals," and "Glue," which I believe was included on the vinyl release of the LP. Next up are "Social Climber" and "Sausages?", the only 7-inch songs not included on the album; they're pretty good, but were better left off the original LP. This disc's rounded out with a handful of live cuts that sound pretty clear and tight (studio mastering?) and a rehearsal session of "Can't Wait One Minute More."



The second disc is devoted to the "13 Day Getaway" material. Tracks 1-13 are from the album, while the 41-second "Worm's Eye View" is the sole non-album cut from the "Secondhand Superstar" 7-inch. A little story about this album: I thought "Set Your Goals" was the shiz, but when I read the buzz about "13 Day" in zines that said CIV totally sold out and the album blew hard, I avoided it like Mike Judge avoided a 40. Getting this discography gave me an opportunity to hear this album for the first time, and I'm wholly sorry that I didn't buy it when it came out: it's not a hardcore or punk album by any means, but a pretty successful throw back to 60's British Invasion pop and definitely a cool listen. I don't know why the guys decided to go in this direction; I know a bunch of hardcore kids cried sellout and claim Atlantic coerced them into trying to sell more records, but I have no idea if there's any truth to that. However, hearing this album, it sounds strange now placed right next to "Set Your Goals," but it's a pretty damn good album in its own right. Punk should be about breaking out of the sheep mentality and not conforming, and I feel like an idiot for just taking everyone else's word on this album instead of listening to it and making my own decision. If nothing else, this discography gave the chance to finally do that.



THE PACKAGING:

Instead of a standard jewel case, this bad mutha comes in a gatefold cardboard (not paperboard) case, with one CD on each side. The CIV logo on the cover is actually die-cut, and what you see underneath (the covers of their two albums) is actually part of the cover of the lyric booklet, which is also encased in that flap with the "Set Your Goals" material. The lyric booklet is nothing special: it contains the lyrics and brief credits, with no essays, interviews, or anything else. Folded open, the interior of the case features a collage of CIV stuff, from CD covers and 7-inch sleeves to VHS tapes and promo/press materials. Overall, the packaging is decent and serves the purpose of a discography, although I would've liked to have seen an essay or interviews with the band included. I'm not crazy about the cardboard packaging either. Given that the CDs are enclosed in cardboard sleeves, they're prone to get scratched easily, and since the cover lettering is die-cut, it's liable to rip: my mail-order copy came with the area between the "C" and "I" bent and torn.



OVERALL:

This set provides a cheap enough way to get all your CIV in one place, but if you're here, you probably already own "Set Your Goals," and the extra tracks, while nice to hear, are really nothing special. In the end, it ain't something I can wholly recommend, but it's definitely a cool item to have, and if nothing else, hopefully it'll get some people to reconsider the underrated "13 Day Getaway." I'm not sure why Equal Vision put this out instead of Revelation (who originally released the CIV stuff on vinyl), but good on them for doing this. Finally, if you go to EVR's or Merchnow's site, you can score a CIV shirt.



Thanks for reading."